It's the moment the restaurant world has been waiting for: Food & Wine just announced the winners of its annual Best New Chefs awards, which are given to the nation's most promising new chefs.
Considering previous winners have included such celebrated chefs as Tom Colicchio and David Chang, this title could mean a very bright future ahead for 10 of the nation's burgeoning chefs. To find out who they are, read more
Last week, PartySugar and I attended Wine Enthusiast's yearly bash, the Toast of the Town, which was held this year in San Francisco's stunning, historical War Memorial Opera House. There, we sipped our way through four levels of food and wine, enjoying everything from Korbel to Cristal — a tough job, but somebody had to do it. Read on to learn more about the most memorable (and affordable!) wines of the night.
Though it's hard to beat Michael Mina's recipe for pulled pork sandwiches, "pulled" isn't the only way to do pork. Another popular variation in North Carolina (or in this case, at Sandra Dee's Barbeque in Sacramento, CA) is chopped pork, wherein slow-cooked meat is cut into bite-size chunks and dressed in a sweet, vinegar-based sauce.
Sandra Dee's serves barbecued pork loin on a French roll, with a side of sauce to drizzle or pour to your heart's content. The restaurant also grills the bread, which is a nice touch, though I'd also add some slaw on top. Since these sammies use tenderloin, not pork butt, they are less of a production to make at home than pulled pork. To see how it looks before being sauced, and to get the recipe, read more
Say Hello to the New Sony® VAIO® Lifestyle PC With the built-in wireless and connection whenever you need it, you can connect with your friends, get the news, or check out geeksugar whenever you want! Click here to find out the other fabulous features.
After a rich Seder dinner, serve guests a delicate dessert in the form of cookies. Coconut macaroons are a traditional Passover treat because no leavened flour products are needed to make the chewy, sweet cookies. For those craving chocolate, offer flourless chocolate-walnut cookies. Packed with cocoa and nuts they are delicious and fit friendly. Both of these cookies can be made and plated in advance leaving you plenty of time to participate in the ceremony and catch up with family. For the recipes, read more
I had the chance to speak with one of San Francisco's most prominent female chefs, Traci Des Jardins. You may be familiar with her, thanks to an appearance on the Food Network's Next Iron Chef competition. Now Des Jardins is happy to be out of the spotlight, "I don't like being that recognizable," and back in the kitchen. Her elegant eatery, Jardiniere, recently launched a Monday night themed price-fixe dinner and she's working on a signature restaurant at Tahoe's NorthStar resort, which will be mountainesque with a casual feel (think wood tables), great service, and sophisticated food.
Des Jardins believes the key to restaurant success during a tough economy is to "control costs and be really financially savvy." We talked about how this concept can translate to the everyday kitchen. To find out what she had to say and check out her advice for being a better home cook, read more
Did You Eat as a Family Growing Up? Nowadays it seems like fewer families have the time to unwind together at night — the kids have after-school activities and more homework than ever, and the parents are working later, longer hours which can make family dinners seem obsolete.
Masaharu Morimoto isn't the only celebrity chef to be serving stepped-up stadium food at future Yankees games. As part of the stadium's new Legends Culinary Series, at select games, famous New York chefs will serve up signature dishes at the stadium's Legends Suite Club.
In addition to Iron Chef Morimoto, the star-studded lineup of chefs will include Alex Guarnaschelli of The Cooking Loft and Butter restaurant, April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig, and Sirio Maccioni of Le Cirque. Chocolatier Godiva will also be on hand to create signature chocolate desserts.
Food Network has announced that it, too, will be rolling out its first-ever food stands. The stands will feature "quality takes on classic" foods that incorporate "the ethnic cuisines of New York City, Food Network's hometown," according to a statement from the network. Hot dogs, burgers, and fries will be in the mix — but so will Puerto Rican pork sandwiches and Chinese cold noodles.
Since variety is the spice of life, and because dining options at sports events do seem to be trending toward the upscale, I suppose premium dining at the stadium makes business sense. PartySugar and I both agree, however, that canapés can never take the place of chili dogs at the ballpark. What do you think? Would you want to eat gourmet cuisine at a sporting event?
