food and drink

Meet Celebrity Chefs at the Savor Borgata Event

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

This year's Savor Borgata at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey takes place on November 13. The event centers on a taste of France, Italy and Spain with food from some of the Borgata's finest chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, Geoffrey Zakarian (as seen on "Chopped"), Michael Schulson and more.

This year, each restaurant will have its own culinary station, offering guests the exclusive opportunity to interact with Wolfgang Puck (Wolfgang Puck American Grille), Michael Mina (SEABLUE, A Michael Mina Restaurant), Michael Schulson (Izakaya – A Modern Japanese Pub), Stephen Kalt (FORNELLETTO Cucina & Wine Bar), Geoffrey Zakarian (The Water Club at Borgata), Romeo DiBona (Old Homestead Steak House), Ron Ross (Borgata Executive Chef) and Thaddeus DuBois (Borgata Executive Pastry Chef), while sampling each chef's unique approach to Mediterranean cuisine. The event will have a beer garden with pairings that complement the Mediterranean atmosphere of the evening. Julie Powell author of the New York Times Best-Selling book-into-movie, "Julie & Julia" will also join the event for a signing. This event is open to the public and guests will have the chance to mingle and interact one-on-one with the chefs, while sampling signature menu items. Tickets, priced at $100 per person, and are now on sale. Borgata is also offering a VIP ticket (priced at $150) that includes early admission to the event among a limited crowd and a gift bag with an autographed copy of "Julie & Julia". Hotel packages for Saturday, November 13, 2010 start at $449 and include an overnight stay in a Classic Room, two tickets, and entrance to MIXX and mur.mur nightclubs. Tickets can be purchased at www.theborgata.com or by calling 1.866.900.4TIX (4849).

Tags: borgata, food and drink, food event, food events, geoffrey zakarian, michael mizrachi, the borgata, wolfgang puck

Omnivore Friendly Dinner At Wall & Water

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

No omnivore's dilemma here, instead an omnivore's celebration. The Omnivore Festival comes to Brooklyn, New York on June 4 and 5 bringing master classes and a bunch of fabulous feasts. The Omnivore Festival's Friendly Dinner on June 4th at at Wall & Water in the Andaz Wall Street Hotel will host Chef Gregory Marchand of Frenchie's in Paris along with Chef Maximo Lopez May of Wall & Water. Menu items will include duck, prosciutto and salami from the Hudson Valley; smoked trout, avocado and cucumber pickles; line caught hake with spring minestrone and bitter lemon; spice and honey glazed pork belly; and a delicious dessert with Frenchie's caramelized passionfruit tart with salted butter caramel and the Wall and Water apple pie with anglaise sauce. The price is $115 per person with wine. For reservations, please call 212-699-1700.

Tags: andaz wall street, food, food and drink, food festivals, frenchies, gregory marchand, maximo lopez, omnivore festival, omnivores dilemma

How to Have a Stress Free Thanksgiving, Dine Out

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Holiday Guides

What is the best way to have a Thanksgiving spread that turns out looking like the glossy photographs in your favorite foodie magazine? I'm sure some readers are expecting a list, organizational techniques or special tips on how to create the perfect meal when you are working full time.

It seems that a better idea is to not slave over the stove, but take you and your family to the nearest upscale restaurant for the special meal. Eat, drink and relax, the turkey will be cooked to perfection. Handing the responsibility for a beautifully cooked Thanksgiving feast over to someone else might even make spending the day with your annoying cousins just that much more bearable.

Another bonus of not preparing your own Thanksgiving meal at home is that often the menu includes items for those at the table who really don't like turkey. It may be considered heresy, but there are many who, out of hunger, force down what is often a dry uninspired main course because that is the only option. There is often at least one vegetarian at every table who sits glumly while the rest of the guests are feasting.

For example, at Ken Aretsky's Patroon in New York City, pictured above, executive chef Bill Peet presents a family-style menu in the warm dining room of this midtown restaurant. In addition to the traditional free range turkey with all the old fashioned fixings (mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted Brussel sprouts and giblet gravy) you will find chateaubriand as well as Scottish salmon for the vegetarians in your group. The restaurant will charge $85 per adult and $45 per child for the meal. Whether you live in the tri-sate region, are in the area visiting family or to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade I can't think of a better way to make you meal truly stress free.

For those of you who live around the country and are watching the parade or the games on t.v., there are great Thanksgiving menu options at the Craft and Craftsteak restaurants, run by the award winning chef Tom Colicchio, located in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. (New York too!) The restaurants offer holiday prix fixe menus - everything is served family style, except the choice of main course.

Leave the turkey in the freezer, save it for a random winter weekend, and eat out!

Tags: cooking, Craft, Craftsteak, food and drink, FoodAndDrink, Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, MacysThanksgivingDayParade, Patroon Restaurant, PatroonRestaurant, stress reduction, StressReduction, Thanksgiving, turkey

Au revoir, Café des Artistes

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Au revoir, Café des Artistes. One of New York City's most fabled restaurants, Café des Artistes, has filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York. The restaurant, which was located at 1 West 67th Street, just off Central Park West, was once regarded as one of the most sought-after and highly rated restaurants in Manhattan. Owner George Lang closed the restaurant in August for renovations with a planned reopening in mid-September. Sadly, it appears this is never to happen and the restaurant's doors have been shuttered for good. The bankruptcy petition lists assets of $84,500 and liabilities of nearly $500,000 owed to creditors.

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Tags: bankruptcy, cafe des artistes, CafeDesArtistes, food, food and drink, FoodAndDrink, restaurants

Celebrating the Petite Sirah

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

So often wine lovers fall in love with a grape. Like Miles with his beloved Pinot Noir in Sideways the people behind P.S. I Love You are devoted to Petite Sirah. The Petite Sirah noble varietal is often confused with the standard Syrah but it is a separate varietal with its own flavor. It is the same as the French variety Durif and takes half of its DNA from the Syrah varietal according to information on the P.S. I Love You website.

Why does Petite Sirah need the love (and advocacy)? Often this tasty grape is overlooked and the word Petite can sometimes lead people to think that the varietal is a less version of Syrah but it actually has a rich and ripe flavor. The website includes Petite Sirah resources as well as a list of events and a referral to wineries making award-winning Petite Sirah (I'm a fan of the Concannon Vineyards Reserve Petite Sirah myself).

[via the OC Register]

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Tags: california wine, CaliforniaWine, food and drink, petite sirah, PetiteSirah, varietals, wine

Tales of the Cocktail

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events

We write about plenty of wine and food festivals but how about an event just for the cocktail. Tales of the Cocktail runs July 19-23 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans and centers around the mixed drink. There are seminars, discussions, dinner pairings, bartending lessons and plenty of cocktail parties. Carson Kressley, star of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," NPR's Kitchen Sisters and chefs Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Samuelsson and Suvir Saran of New York are among the presenters. The winner of the Tales of the Cocktail competition for this year has also been announced. Judges chose from 19 recipes using Bacardi Superior Rum, selecting Michael Brewer's drink which includes rum, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, cilantro and avocado. The Drink in History package includes access to all seminars, cocktail events, the bartender's bash and a private mixology seminar with Marvin Allen of the Carousel Bar. This package sells for $275 and rooms at the Hotel Monteleone are selling for $88 per night during the event.

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Tags: events, festivals, food and drink, hotel monteleone, mixologists, new orleans, new orleans events, NewOrleans, tales of the cocktail, TalesOfTheCocktail, travel

Duckhorn 2003 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I've been on a Merlot kick lately, while Cabernet Sauvignon is a great winter wine, Merlot's fruitier feel makes it a great spring red. Another great Napa Merlot producer Duckhorn Vineyards has just released their 2003 Merlot offerings: the 2003 Duckhorn Estate reserve and the 2003 Duckhorn Three Palms reserve. The Three Palms Vineyard, which has been producing Merlot since 1978 is located on the northeast side of the Napa Valley in an area that has rocky and well-drained soil. The wine is 75% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 7% Cabernet Franc. It spent 20 months in French oak château-style barrels. The resulting wine is described as smooth and full-bodied with a palate of red fruit notes and cedar and oak. The wine costs $80 per bottle.

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Tags: duckhorn vineyards, DuckhornVineyards, food and drink, merlot, napa wine, new wine releases, red wine, wine

Royal Tokaji Wine Dinner

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Fans of Hungarian Tokaji wine will have a rare opportunity on May 21. Royal Tokaji Wine Company will hold its first-ever vintner dinner in the U.S. on May 21, 2006, at the Pebble Beach Resort. The dinner will take place at the Casa Palmero Resort and will be attended by Royal Tokaji Wine Company's founding partner, Ben Howkins of the United Kingdom. The seven-course meal by Club XIX Chef de Cuisine Lisa Nakamura will be paired with six wines from Royal Tokaji but the real treat comes when each guest is served spoonful of the Royal Tokaji Essencia 1999, which sells for $500 per 500ml bottle. Beginning with the 1999 vintage, each bottle of Royal Tokaji Essencia has come with one crystal sipping spoon which bestows a neat 33 sips from the dessert wine. The wine has been described as being so different from other wines that it is like seeing a new primary color. Guests on May 21 will be given an engraved sipping spoon as a keepsake. The meal is limited to 35 guests and costs $195 per person. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis by calling Stefanie Brand at (831) 622-8761.

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Tags: dessert wine, food and drink, rare wine, royal tokaiji, RoyalTokaiji, tokaji wine, wine dinners, wine events

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Another winner of the Double Gold at the recent 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was Brown-Forman's Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. The bourbon received its second Double Gold medal in the Small Batch Bourbon 11 Years and Older category. The bourbon is released each year on the birthday of George Garvin Brown, the founder of Brown-Forman which produces the bourbon. This year's bourbon which barreled in 1993 is described as an orange-red bourbon with flavors of caramel, light mint and dried fruit. The bourbon sells for around $67.

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Tags: alcohol, bourbon whisky, food and drink, liquor, old forester birthday bourbon, OldForesterBirthdayBourbon, san francisco world spirits competition, spirits

El Bulli Named The World's Best Restaurant

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

What are the 20 best restaurants in the world? According to Restaurant magazine, El Bulli, Ferran Adria's iconic restaurant in northern Spain is now top on the list, upsetting last year's winner the U.K.'s Fat Duck (shown here), which is now number two, where El Bulli was last year. Both restaurants specialize in experimental cuisine. French Laundry was tops in the U.S. at number ~~three~~ four and Thomas Keller's New York restaurant Per Se ranked eighth.

1. El Bulli (Spain)
2. The Fat Duck (U.K.)
3. Pierre Gagnaire (France)
4. French Laundry (U.S.)
5. Tetsuya's (Australia)
6. Bras (France)
7. Restaurant le Louis XV (Monaco)
8. Per Se (U.S.)
9. Restaurant Arzak (Spain)
10. Mugaritz (Spain)
11. Can Fabes (Spain)
12. Nobu (U.K.)
13. Gambero Rosso (Italy)
14. Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road (U.K.)
15. Restaurant Alain Ducasse (France)
16. Jean Georges (U.S., New York)
17. Le Cinq (France)
18. Daniel (U.S., New York)
19. Oud Sluis (Netherlands)
20. Chez Panisse (U.S.)

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Tags: el bulli, fat duck, ferran adria, fine dining, food and drink, gourmet, jean georges, per se, restaurants, thomas keller, top restaurants

New Ultra-Expensive Sandwich Hits London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

All of London is abuzz about the McDonald sandwich. BBC News reports that the new sandwich, named after its creator Scott McDonald, costs $148 and is being sold at the London department store Selfridges. What do you get for your money? The sandwich uses 24-hour fermented sourdough bread, wagyu beef, fresh lobe fois gras, black truffle mayonnaise, brie de meaux, rocket, red pepper and mustard confit and English plum tomatoes. At 2,000 calories its not for dieters but a few curious Londoners have already sampled the rich repast. I think I'd still rather have the $100 Philadelphia cheese steak because at least your get a mini-bottle of champagne with it.

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Tags: brie, expensive sandwich, ExpensiveSandwich, fancy cuisine, food and drink, gourmet, luxury food, roast beef, selfidges, truffles, wagyu beef

Partida Tequila

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Another new tequila has made its way onto the market. Partida Tequila is an estate-grown tequila made by the Partida family in Mexico's Amatitan region. They make a Blanco, Reposado and an Anejo that has been aged 18 months. The Reposado recently won a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.The Partida Blanco was awarded a Gold and Partida Añejo a Silver. The tequila was introduced last summer and has received positive reviews including a five out of five stars in the Spirit Journal by F. Paul Pacult. It was the first time Pacult has ever given his coveted five stars for an entire tequila line. The Reposado can be purchased for around $50.

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Tags: alcohol, bar, cocktails, dining, food and drink, liquor, partida tequila, PartidaTequila, spirits, tequila

Dining for Darfur

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

One of my favorite bloggers, restaurant reviewer, Andrea Strong who writes The Strong Buzz, has a new cause. She has created a new benefit to raise awareness and funds to stop the genocide in Darfur. The benefit, Dining for Darfur, will take place on Sunday, April 30 dovetailing with the Rally to Stop Genocide in Washington, D.C. on the same day. Restaurants will pledge 5% of their proceeds to the cause. Last time I looked there was only one restaurant signed up (Lassi in New York) but hopefully more will join the cause and make this a nationwide event.

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Tags: benefits, charity, dining for darfur, DiningForDarfur, food and drink, restaurants

Jumeirah Festival of Taste

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine, Events

Food and wine festivals are always happily decadent events but when an event is hosted by the Jumeirah hotel group, luxury takes on a whole new level. Th first annual Jumeirah Festival of Taste takes place May 21-26, 2006 in Dubai and features perhaps the most over-the-top dining event I have ever heard of. It is called the Ultimate Dinner Party and will take four people on an unparalleled dining experience. It starts with a cocktail reception at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers where they can mingle with the celebrity chefs participating in A Festival of Taste, then they are taken by helicopter to the Burj Al Arab for a first and second course. A luxury car then takes them to the Villa Beach Restaurant at Jumeirah Beach Hotel for a hot entrée. Then a limo takes them to the Pisces in Souk Madinat Jumeirah for the main course, followed by a short walk to Napa for dessert, coffee, cigars and digestifs. The evening ends with an overnight stay in a suite at Burj Al Arab and a morning breakfast as well as a receive a gift from Jumeirah to commemorate the night. The party costs AED 100,000 for four (around $27,230). Other more traditional events that are part of the festival include cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and book signings. The festival kicks off with the ‘1001 Nights Meet the Stars Opening Event’ which includes a champagne reception,wine tasting, live cooking stations featuring renowned chefs and live entertainment.

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Tags: burj al arab, BurjAlArab, dubai, events, festival, food and drink, jumeirah, luxury, middle east, tastings, wine

Tips For Bidding At Wine Auctions

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions

Just in time for Edward Roberts International's latest fine wine auction March 4, the Chicago Tribune covers what to do at a wine auction. As they point out, certain wines are always demand because of the region, the vintage or the amount that remains. Wine auctions are a chance for collectors to get their hands on that rare bottle they have been looking for. Both Edward Roberts International and Hart-Davis-Hart wine says that the online bidding has become an increasingly large part of their auction business. The one negative to online bidding is that you don't get to sample at the pre-auction tasting. The Tribune article recommends checking the fill level of the wine you want to bid on because an unusually low level of liquid in the bottleneck could indicate oxidation. And of course the same rules that apply for any auction work here. Do your research first, know what you want to bid on and how much you are willing to pay.

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Tags: alcohol, food and drink, rare wines, vintage wine, wine auctions, WineAuctions