The first weekend in November in New York is given over to New York Chocolate Show. Bittersweet Escapes has a package that runs from Thursday, Nov 6 - Sunday, Nov 9 2008. The package includes a Gala Chocolate Fashion Show ticket, VIP passes to the Chocolate Show, admission to Tastings NYC: Gourmet Wine & Food Festival, a custom designed dinner featuring chocolate in both sweet & savory dishes, a desert and wine pairing, an expert chocolate tour of New York, a chocolate pedicure spa treatment and a chocolate brunch. A three-night package starts at: $2,025 for 1 person, $2,765 for 2 people, double occupancy.Posts with tag gourmet
New York Chocolate Show Package
The first weekend in November in New York is given over to New York Chocolate Show. Bittersweet Escapes has a package that runs from Thursday, Nov 6 - Sunday, Nov 9 2008. The package includes a Gala Chocolate Fashion Show ticket, VIP passes to the Chocolate Show, admission to Tastings NYC: Gourmet Wine & Food Festival, a custom designed dinner featuring chocolate in both sweet & savory dishes, a desert and wine pairing, an expert chocolate tour of New York, a chocolate pedicure spa treatment and a chocolate brunch. A three-night package starts at: $2,025 for 1 person, $2,765 for 2 people, double occupancy.Jet Chef, Catering to Private Fliers
Ugh, airline food. The growing popularity of private jets and jet charters is changing that stereotype, though, as those who can afford it are not only flying, but also eating, in style. Jet-Chef.com is a service for jet owners, pilots, brokers, flight attendants, etc., and offers access to some of the world's best chefs, caterers, and suppliers for the ultimate in in-flight dining. The service comes in the form of a website directory that makes searching by city, state, or airport and getting in touch with high-class gourmet chef and catering services easy and convenient.
Currently Jet Chef is only available in the U.S., but at the rate the private jet industry is growing they expect to be going international in the near future.
The Best First Class Meals for When You Fly
There are many people in the world who fly frequently and as such are often subject to airline food, despite it's nasty reputation of being nothing but reheated cardboard. Some airlines, however, are seeking to change that in a major way for their first class passengers -- even to the extent for some of having a chef on board (Gulf Airlines) and serving exotic gourmet dishes.
Among others Singapore Airlines offers a choice of Dom Perignon or Krug champagne, several airlines serve caviar as appetizer, and Malaysia Airlines serves their meals on fine china. Would you (or do you) choose your airline based on the first class meal options?
Michel Cluizel Tasting Boxes
One great reason to visit the Michel Cluizel chocolate shop in New York City is the fact that it is a fine chocolate store with a liquor license. This means that not only do they serve hot chocolate and cold chocolate drinks and chocolate desserts but you can also get liquor-filled bonbons and pairings of wine and spirits with your chocolates. Their bonbons made with Calvados, Cognac, Cointreau, Grand-Mariner, Kirsch, Rum, Whiskey and Framboise sell for $85 per pound. The bonbons are available only through the store but you can order other items online such as the tasting boxes. The sampler box of 70 disks shown here spans the range of cocoa percentages from 33% milk chocolate to 99% dark chocolate so you can experiment with finding your perfect number. The box sells for $40.
The World's Most Expensive Tasting Menus
Tasting menu's don't come cheap, but the range of flavors and the chance to experience more of the chef's repertoire is worth it for many. Some of the best restaurants in the world have gone to serving nothing but tasting menus, Charlie Trotter's in Chicago for example, and others simply offer them as a luxury for those who can afford it and want something a little different. So where to go if you're really looking to drop some cash and enjoy the great tastes of the best tasting menus? Well the single most expensive tasting menu in the world belongs to L'Arpege in Paris and runs $466, with the second and third most expensive also going to restaurants in Paris: Alain Ducasse Plaza Athenee ($437), and Guy Savoy ($402). Masa, in NYC, comes in at 4th with their tasting menu priced at $400 for 25 courses.
Bread Breaker Two Dual-Fuel Gourmet Hybrid Grill
It's getting to be prime grilling season, and I think we all know somebody (or maybe it's you?) who takes their grilling very seriously. Nothing but the best when it comes to the food you're cooking, the tools you're using, and even (of course) the grill you're using.
I don't claim to know everything there is to know about grills, so I can't say if the Bread Breaker Two Dual-Fuel Gourmet Hybrid Grill is really the best, but I'm betting if it isn't it's still pretty high on the list. It allows you to cook with gas, charcoal, and wood at the same time, it has two large grilling areas with your choice of grilling surfaces for meat, fish, or griddle, built to last of 11 gauge formed-angle stainless steel, all stainless steel cabinetry/handles/knobs/hinges/hardware, industrial grade heavy-duty wheels with locking casters for easy repositioning, integrated precision thermometer, and even optional touches like your name/initials or a favorite quote built into the grilling surface, natural gas conversion, grill jacket, garbage can, sauce rack, even a wine and champagne chiller.
The whole kit and kaboodle can be made to order and shipped to you already assembled in 2-4 weeks, starting at $11,995.
La Maison du Chocolat Tree
Other chocolate companies aim for a more traditional tree but at La Maison due Chocolat they are going Cubist. The tree is a sculpture composed completely of chocolate and decorated in a variety of round and square shapes that are artistic as well as delectable The design is meant to allude to the artwork of Robert and Sonia Delaunay. The base is filled with dark chocolate pralines infused with mandarin and a milk chocolate praline infused with winter spices. The tree sells for $138. Alas they can't ship something quite this precarious so unless you are lucky enough to be in New York, London or Paris this season you'll have to content yourself with the more equally delectable boxed chocolates.Pondini Imports
I wouldn't generally think of taking food recommendations from a car company but Italian car company Maserati has partnered up with Pondini Imports which is bringing organic Modenese food, including Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from the Panini family, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to American markets. The Paninis have a long history with Maserati and Umberto Panini is a former Maserati Motorcycles test driver. Seymour Pond, the head of the Maserati Club in America formed Pondini Imports along with Matteo Panini. Pondini has provided the cheeses and other imports to the Master Maserati driving school, Maserati's party at Casa Palmero and the hospitality suite at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The products are available online (the cheeses are around $20 per pound) and will also be sold at Whole Foods markets soon.
Three Days, The Best Wines, $17,500
Alder over at Vinography has a post that got me thinking, does excess ever go to far? Alder tells of a three-day wine dinner that will be held in October by Acker, Merrall & Condit. The three nights take place at three of Manhattan's most expensive restaurants, Per Se, Daniel and Cru. And the list of wines is absolutely amazing. Just about everything that has ever been on an oenophile's wish list is represented. From Penfolds Grange to Mouton Rothschild to 1945 Graham's Port out of a magnum and a 1959 Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes, it's all there.The experience costs $17,500 which actually seems like a relatively fair deal considering the prices some of these wines fetch. But the question Alder ponders, and which I am now wondering about is whether or not this is the experience of a lifetime or perhaps a waste of time, money and fabulous wine. With 30 wines per night, it's not like you would get a chance to savor or even appreciate the wine in your glass before another great pour came zipping through. After three days and all that wine you would not be left with the distinctive taste-memory of this rare Burgundy or that delicious Barolo, instead there would be just a pleasant gustatory blur. Of course, if you have the cash, what a way to spend three days, as long as you can also afford a spartan spa getaway to recuperate.
Premium Water for Pets
There are scores of flavored waters for human consumption, but until now, marketers have been cutting a whole potential audience out of the flavored-water market: pets. Mollibrands, Inc. has just introduced a line of premium waters specifically designed for pets. The Molli's Choice Waters have no chlorine or flourine, unlike most tap waters, and have taurine and calcium added to them. They are available unflavored, as well as in a selection of "delicately flavored" versions, customized for the palates of dogs or cats. The dog flavors include original (Unflavored), Beef Tenderloin, Bacon Delight, Roasted Turkey and Roasted Chicken. The cat flavors include original (Unflavored), Roasted Turkey, Roasted Chicken, Beef Tenderloin.
Chicago Bans Foie Gras
As Nick reported at Slashfood, the city of Chicago has decided to ban foie gras from being sold by
retailers and at restaurants. Any establishment or person who violates the ban will be fined $500, according to the New York Times. The legislature has been considering this ban
for some time now in the face of mounting concern over the ethics of force-feeding ducks until their livers reach 10
times the normal size. The ban, adopted by a vote of 48-to-1 will take effect in 90 days, so any Chicago residents
should take in their favorite dish at Rick Tramonto's Tru before it goes off
the menu.
Caviar Ban Lifted in Iran
Good
news for caviar lovers. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has given Iran
approval to export caviar from wild sturgeon again. Other Caspian Sea nations are still out of luck. CITES approved
exports of up 44,370 kilograms (around 97,000 pounds) of caviar from Iran provided that the eggs cover from Persian
caviar, the only species which is not in dire straits. Beluga sturgeon is still banned. Other Caspian Sea nations
including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan failed to produce sustainable quota proposals before a
meeting deadline and so they will likely remain under a ban for the rest of the year.Luxist Guide To Beluga Caviar Alternatives
We've done a lot of coverage of the
ban on caviar that comes from areas where the sturgeon is endangered. While caviar from Russia, Iran and other
protected areas is still available, caviar lovers are beginning to cast their nets wider. Here we take a look at some
of the more intriguing options from sturgeon, to paddlefish and even seaweed-based caviar substitutes. Sterling Caviar: One of the best options coming out of California. At Sterling Caviar they raise the fish themselves, waiting patiently eight to ten years for the harvest. Their large farm has an inventory of thousands of sturgeon which are fed a high-protein, balanced diet and monitored for their health. Sterling comes in three versions, classic, royal and imperial, which is the best of the batch and costs $60 per ounce.
El Bulli Named The World's Best Restaurant
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 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.)
New Ultra-Expensive Sandwich Hits London
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.
