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PartySugar Behind the Bash: Dining By Design

partysugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:15:33 -0800

On Monday night I was lucky enough to attend a preview of DIFFA's Dining By Design. The fundraising event, sponsored by Elle Decor, invited designers and corporations to create one-of-a-kind installations of dining tables set for dinner and the surrounding room. While the food was practically non-existent, the four floors were filled with over 40 incredible tablescape designs. From the avant garde to the extravagant, each table represented a different design concept. Here are some trends I noticed in table designs:

Table tops made of anything but tables. A piece of a wall, a door, glass, mirrors, even a stove top were some of the objects that replaced the ordinary table top.
If you didn't have an alternative table top, the table was definitely covered. Fur, moss, fabric, and paper were popular choices.

Creative napkin rings. Rope, fake diamonds, strands of stems, and even disco ball reflective mirrors were used instead of your average napkin ring.
Bold prints - paisley, animal, Moroccan - were present everywhere as plate designs, placemats, tablecloths, and chair covers.
Nothing was minimal, everything was over the top and detail oriented.
Interesting chairs were all the rage. The ones with fur were Medieval-esque, while the tree stumps and open hands conversation provoking.
Favors were an important piece of the table setting with books, gift boxes, and candles being the most popular. One table even had a gold fish in a bowl at each seat!

If your looking for inspiration on how to create a gorgeous Thanksgiving table - or wedding table- look no further! Check out a huge gallery of the tablescapes when you read more

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Food Section Sampler - Oct. 14, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:30:12 -0700

Small fish, like sardines, herring, and anchovies, have big benefits. - Chicago Tribune
Several notable San Francisco and New York restaurant chefs seem to have traded places. - San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh kale is a festive, healthful vehicle for an Autumn salad. - Los Angeles Times
Sam Sifton, the Times' new restaurant critic, files his first review. - New York Times
Dining while driving: is it safe?- Boston Globe
Is Felony Franks, a hot dog stand designed to employ ex-convicts, an exploitative endeavor? - Wall Street Journal
Top chicken courses to be frozen, then enjoyed later. - Washington Post

Denny's Strives to Hit the Late-Night Sweet Spot

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:36 -0700

2009 has been a rough year for casual dining, with many restaurant chains struggling to stay afloat. The solution proposed at Denny's? Become friends with the cool kids. Denny's, a 24-hour eating establishment with a reputation as a family road trip pit stop, is attempting to transform itself into an all-night hotspot for young adults.

With the onset of its Allnighter program last year, Denny's began its metamorphosis into a night-owl oasis, blasting rock and country from the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The company also started offering a Rockstar menu at night, hawking dishes like burritos designed by Good Charlotte and a country-fried steak combo created by Rascal Flatts.

The payoff has been meager with late night traffic increasing by only 5 percent. Still, the chain continues to promote its newly-minted image to college campuses, in hopes that schools will consider changing the names of existing locations to "Allnighter" and offer the restaurant's Rockstar menu. I haven't hit up a Denny's since my last road trip, but I'm curious to know if any of you have checked it out. Does the new late-night Denny's lounge seem to have an edge on the competition?

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Are You Averse to Eating in Noisy Restaurants?

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:45:35 -0700

I'm almost always the designated dining concierge when my friends and I go out to eat, and last night I was selecting a restaurant for a group of us to gather at this weekend. I was interested in two restaurants, but when I read that the noise level in one was incredibly high, I immediately chose the other establishment. I absolutely hate it when I can't have a normal conversation over dinner. Are you the same way about the level of noise in restaurants?

First Couple Faces Criticism For Dining Decisions

YumSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:00:33 -0700

The first couple have continued to convey political messages about food with their recent dining choices. The Obamas spent Saturday evening in Manhattan, where they dined at James Beard Award-winning chef Dan Barber's restaurant Blue Hill before catching a Broadway show.

Within hours, news sites were awash with commentary on the first couple's romantic dinner. "Is it possible to be too political at mealtime?" the Washington Post posited, noting the couple has adopted a pattern of choosing eateries with strong local ties and sustainable food agendas. The Times' Frank Bruni called the decision "too pat and controlled," portraying the president as overly somber and self-restrained when it comes to enjoying food.

Ironically, the same day the Obamas were chided for overthinking dinner, the Times also criticized the First Lady for not going far enough in her message about food. Writer Amanda Hesser lauded Michelle Obama for bringing attention to the local foods movement, then criticized her for stopping short of promoting cooking. Wrote Hesser: "Terrific local ingredients aren't of much use if people aren't cooking them . . . Just as she highlighted American fashion by wearing the clothes of young designers, she could call attention to cooking by bringing America's talented young chefs to the White House for a food summit meeting."

Shouldn't the Obamas be commended for making educated dining choices? Is the media coming down too hard on the presidential couple? How do you feel about the food selections the Obamas have made thus far?

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Simple Tip: Satin Ribbon Makes Affordable Place Setting

partysugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:15:00 -0800

At a party, Diffa's Dining By Design event, I saw the most uncomplicated yet sophisticated place setting. A plain linen napkin was lined with a single satin ribbon. The color palate was muted and the ribbon had an elegant twist. This budget-friendly technique can easily be re-created at your next dinner party! Here's how:

Head to the local craft store and purchase a spool of satin ribbon.
Carefully fold a cloth napkin and lay across the plate.
Measure the width of the plate with the ribbon and cut to size. Stretch the ribbon across the plate, twisting once.

Voila - instantly chic table setting. Do you have an economical place-setting tip? Please share with us below!

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Hell's Kitchen - 3.10 Recap

partysugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 10:28:31 -0700

Last night at nine, I sat down to enjoy the final episode of Hell's Kitchen. Boy was I in for a shock when at ten I realized it was far from over - there is still one episode left! It was much tamer than it normally is with the finalists, Rock and Bonnie, only entering the kitchen for a quick 30 minutes. All of the previous episodes were reviewed, and the last six contestants were brought back to help the finalists in their toughest dinner challenge. To see what happens when Bonnie and Rock design their own restaurants and are whisked off to Vegas for a surprise challenge, read more

After enjoying a few brief moments with their families - Bonnie's parents and Rock's wife and children - the dining room of Hell's Kitchen is loudly cut in half by a hanging partition. Ramsay then tells the finalists they have 36 hours to build their dream restaurant. Bonnie and Rock have full creative liability and must design the dining room and prepare a menu that reflects their signature styles as chefs. They return to the dorms to celebrate and get a start on brainstorming menus and restaurant designs.

The following morning both meet with the architect to discuss their intentions. Bonnie wants a romantic, European, simple, classic-with-a-twist style restaurant. She dislikes the booths and prefers mismatched China. Rock, on the other hand, loves the booths and prefers classic silverware with a warm, American, Southern, black-and-white style dining room.

Next they meet individually with Jean Phillipe, the maitre d', to select the waitstaff's uniforms. Bonnie decides her servers will wear all black and the females should be sexy. Rock is much more hesitant. His first choice of jeans is vetoed by Jean Phillipe, who helps Rock decide on something more appropriate for a fine dining room. Then it's on to the menus: Bonnie is paired with sous chef Mary Anne and quickly describes her menu of mini grilled cheeses, homemade pastas, and all of her personal favorite foods. Rock is paired with sous chef Scott, but his menu is unclear. The only dish he is certain of is a surf n' turf fried chicken and crab cakes.

Ramsay shows up and informs them that they have some very important business to take care of in Las Vegas!! Bonnie and Rock take five minutes to change before they board Ramsay's private jet. On the plane, Ramsay compliments them both and asks questions about their motivations for certain actions. They arrive at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Vegas, head to an amazing luxurious room, and are shown a teaser for the season finale. Both are a little shocked to see themselves on television for the first time.

Afterwards, Ramsay invites them for a relaxing drink in the VIP lounge of the bar. Little do they know that behind the doors is a stadium full of screaming fans and several of Vegas' top chefs. Guess what? It's surprise challenge time! Rock and Bonnie have 30 minutes to make a dish that represents their signature style. Bonnie makes a shrimp and Fettuccine Alfredo and Rock does the aforementioned fried chicken and crab cakes (was anyone else disappointed by their lack of culinary splendor? Fettuccine Alfredo? Fried Chicken? I can master those dishes!).

Chefs from Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand, and Michael Mina judge the dishes. Then Robin Leach makes a cameo as a celebrity judge and gives his vote to Bonnie. Leaving the previous two winners of Hell's Kitchen to tie the score up - three for Bonnie and three for Rock. The tying vote goes to the manager and current executive chef of the restaurant at the Green Valley Ranch (surprise, surprise, was this a little fixed???). They declare Bonnie the winner and Ramsay whisks both off to the Ghost Bar at the top of the Palms where he gives them one last pep talk.

When they arrive back in LA, Rock and Bonnie receive another surprise when their old crew (Julia, Jen, Brad, Josh, Melissa, and Vinnie) enters the dorm with large gift baskets. Ramsay calls them all down to the kitchen where Bonnie and Rock are instructed to select team members to work in the upcoming night's dinner service. Since Bonnie won the challenge in Vegas, she has first pick and chooses Jen. They alternate turns each selecting another team member. Rock picks Brad and Vinnie and is stuck with Josh. Bonnie selects Melissa and Julia. The episode ends abruptly with clips of the hellish boys vs. girls dinner service that is to come in next week's final showdown.

Ramsay is at his best when he is in the kitchen, so today I have only the top 4 Ramsayisms and a bonus quote from celebrity judge, Mr. Robin Leach (of Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous):

Rock this wouldn't be such an event without your children... it's baby Rock!
You didn't think we would be flying commercial did you?
Stop trying to charm him, he's a chef he doesn't do charm!
Stop trying to manipulate the judges Rock!
And from Robin Leach: I've eaten at over 1700 restaurants around the world and I'm intrigued by the combination in both. But you told me if I didn't have a choice, you would put a cleaver in my back! So I give it to the lady.

Finally didn't you think Bonnie's hair looked a little too perfect after slaving in the kitchen for a half an hour? She must have spent time with a stylist. What do you think Rock and Bonnie make for themselves to eat in the dorm? Didn't you just want to shake Julia and give her a hug? You got the best prize girl, a culinary education and consoling from Ramsay, so be happy!

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Do You Care About Michelin Stars?

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:15:19 -0700

This past week, the Michelin Guide announced its 2009 starred restaurants for New York and San Francisco. The Michelin Guide, Europe's best-known restaurant guide, is released annually in the form of a series of books organized by city. The red books award restaurants zero, one, two, or three stars, and the stars are arguably the most well-regarded rankings in the global restaurant industry, with three being an extraordinary honor.

Every year since the Michelin Guide debuted stateside in 2006, there have been shakeups over restaurants that gain stars and others that are stripped of stars. For instance, Tom Colicchio's restaurant Craft was stripped of its sole star in a big upset last year; this time, the big surprise was David Chang's new restaurant Momofuku Ko receiving the honor of two stars. Do these designations affect your dining selections in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Las Vegas?

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Thomas Keller in the Frozen Food Aisle?

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:18:37 -0700

The man behind the Best Restaurant in America is surprising everyone with a new frozen food line. The folks at Bloomberg are reporting that Thomas Keller - owner of The French Laundry and Per Se - has designed and placed his name on two frozen dishes for FiveLeaf, a unit of Cuisine Solutions Inc. The first one, Mac and Cheese Lobster with Orzo will be pitched to retail stores soon.

In addition to his new frozen food line and two fancy pants fine dining establishments, Keller has two bistros, an American family-style spot, two bakeries and a catering operation. If this sounds like too much for one man to control, I might mention that Keller is also planning to open a meat shop, an inn at the French Laundry and a hamburger and wine restaurant.

When asked why he's willing to spread out his empire, Keller explained that it was mostly due to his staff. By creating advanced placement possibilities for his current employees.

"To maintain the consistency and quality of the staff, you have to give them opportunities."

However, all of this Keller leaves some food critics skeptical. San Francisco Chronicle editor Michael Bauer made comparisons to Wolfgang Puck and wondered if the fine dining brand could work with frozen food.

"Once you get into frozen food and pizzas, your fine dining brand gets a little fuzzed out."

Either way, I know I can't wait to try Keller's fancy mac and cheese, how about you?

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All the News That's Fit to Eat - July 2, 2008

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:15:09 -0700

Four festive and portable dishes for your Fourth of July celebration. - Boston Globe
Top Chef's Richard Blais and others are turning deviled eggs into an art form. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rumor has it that Rachael Ray is releasing a memoir. - E! Online
Prepare for picnic season with these 101 ideas for 20-minute dishes. - New York Times
Beat the heat this Summer with cool aguas frescas. - Los Angeles Times
Forget cold leftovers: Hot pizzas are showing up on breakfast menus. San Francisco Chronicle
Three local chefs design outdoor-dining options to fit any budget. - Washington Post
How the Bourdeaux wine region is adapting to modern times. -Chicago Tribune
Try smoking meats on the grill as an alternative to burgers. - The Oregonian

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