anthony bourdain

Pig Dinners and Offal Still Delight Across America

Filed under: Dining

Upon entering Ann Arbor-based Grange Kitchen & Bar on a recent evening, Chef Brandon Johns greeted me at his door with a plate of confit of pig, heart-sugar-cube sized bits of the muscle that kept a certain locally raised Tamworth pig's chest beating for several months before it wound up on Johns' prep table.

It isn't a typical amuse-bouche in this university town, or in most other High Street neighborhoods in the U.S. But as chefs like Johns, San Francisco's Chris Cosentino (whose next Nose-to-Tail dinner is March 24 at Incanto in San Francisco), Cleveland's Michael Symon and Boston's Tony Maws do more to popularize the eating of heirloom pork, a by-product of the trend is the advancement of sensible, and at times fanciful, offal eating.

On this particular night some 27 diners descended on Johns' restaurant, having booked in advance to dine on the Tamworth pig he had selected months earlier at Back Forty Acres in nearby Chelsea, MI.They followed the plates of confit of pig heart to a table where it took its place of honor next to a platter of crispy pork skins and a dish of chili vinegar for dipping.

It was for good reason that Grange's 7-course dinner required advance booking and a bit of special promotion among the restaurant's Facebook fans. A menu that features pork liver torchon,"Extremities salad," and bacon ice cream with a slice of bacon dipped in chocolate requires a certain kind of foodie to commit for $60 per head, and $90 with matching wines.

Johns kept the brains, cheeks and some of the other tasty bits on the sidelines for special guests. Rounding out the menu, though, was crispy belly confit, Grange-made Hunter sausage (spiced with mustard seed, ginger and coriander and smoked over applewood).There was Bo Saam (think Asian burrito) roasted shoulder, roasted without liquid, wrapped in a lettuce leaf along with raw oysters, kimchee and/or a condiment of sherry vinegar, bean paste and chilis. An Asian burrito with perfectly roseted pork and raw oysters makes anyone feel kingly. The final dish was pork loin, peppered with domestic black truffle and served over a white bean puree with a side of glazed carrots that tasted as if they were pulled from a July garden rather than a February larder.

Anticipation ran high for the dessert: a scoop of bacon infused ice cream,

Tags: Anthony Bourdain, AnthonyBourdain, Brandon Johns, BrandonJohns, Chris Cosentino, ChrisCosentino, Fergus Henderson, FergusHenderson, Incanto, Michael Symons, MichaelSymons, nose-to-tail dining, offal, pork, Tamworth pig, TamworthPig, whole-pig

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LuckyRice Announces New York City Asian Food Festival

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

Tickets went on sale yesterday for a new festival in New York City. LuckyRice, a media and marketing company honoring Asian culinary culture, has created the LuckyRice Asian Food Festival which will run April 29 to May 2. The event will benefit City Harvest and the Asian American Federation and is presented in partnership with the LuckyRice Culinary Council and Conde Nast Traveler, Time Out New York and Edible Manhattan. The Culinary Council includes some top names like Daniel Boulud, Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Michael "Bao" Huynh, Masaharu Morimoto, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

The festivities include grand tastings, cocktail parties and other epicurean events including a Night Market and a Sunset Luau. Following the festival will be the LuckyRice Restaurant and Bar Week, which will offer prix-fixe lunches and dinners at participating restaurants. Ticket prices vary per event. One can't-miss talk on April 30 is on Buddhist cuisine and features Eric Riper and David Chang in conversation with noted Buddhist authority Robert Thurman. Night owls might enjoy with sake and karoke night with Iron Chef Morimoto which starts at 11 pm. Lisa Ling will host the Grand Feast of Asian Flavors at the Mandarin Oriental NY. A list of all events and ticket information can be found on the LuckyRice website.

Tags: anthony bourdain, AnthonyBourdain, asian food festival, AsianFoodFestival, daniel boulud, DanielBoulud, david chang, DavidChang, eric ripert, EricRipert, luckyrice

Who Will Be Tony Bourdain's New Boss?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Chef-turned-writer Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" is the star of the Travel Channel but he may have a new boss soon. The LA Times reports on the auction for the channel which is currently owned by Cox Communications. The channel, which sees an average of around 485,000 during the prime time hours (closer to 900,000 for Bourdain's show) isn't a huge ratings star but it is a growing network. The channel is popular with the 25 to 54 age demographic and other shows that straddle the eating/traveling end of things like "Man v. Food" and "Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern" are also popular. Other shows focus on travel eyecandy with programming like Bridget's Sexiest Beaches and Super Swank. The channel could sell for around $700 million.

The Travel Channel website also offers places to book trips and offers a series of four-day seminars that discuss the finer points of travel journalism. While the travel industry lately has been suffering overall there is big potential for a renewed interest in travel over the next few years and with that, an increase in watching adventure programming.

Which of the potential media swains is the right fit for the Travel Channel? NBC Universal is looking at it, potentially as a companion for The Weather Channel or even MSNBC. Scripps Network sees it as a natural match for its lifestyle networks including the Food Network, Fine Living and Home & Garden. And then there's News Corp., which already owns the National Geographic Channel. It would probably be a fit for any of these businesses if they have the ready cash and the inclination to snap it up.

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Tags: anthony bourdain, AnthonyBourdain, cable programming, cable television, CableProgramming, CableTelevision, tony bourdain, TonyBourdain, travel channel, TravelChannel