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What Would You Do With a Chocolate Room?

partysugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:45:00 -0800

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Godiva Chocolatier has debuted an entire, edible room made out of chocolate! The room contains a plush sofa you can actually sit on and chocolate renditions of famous artwork: Gustav Klimt's famous painting "The Kiss" made of multi colored chocolate pieces and a Jackson Pollock canvas of black and white chocolate drippings. Books are actually boxes of chocolates and the chandelier is made from chocolate pearls. It's so fab that even Heroes' Ali Larter couldn't keep her hands off of it.

So how much does a room like this cost? A mere $23! The room is being given away as part of a contest - anyone who buys a Valentine's box of chocolates could win the chocolate room. If I won, I'd have a wine and chocolate party and invite everyone I know to eat part of the room. How about you? What would you do with a chocolate room?

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Noteworthy Nibbles - Oct. 27-Nov. 3, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:15 -0700

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, everyone's in for a fun-filled week. Although every major city's likely to have some sort of costume-heavy celebration this weekend, leave some time (and belly room) for some serious food events. New Yorkers have their annual Chocolate Show, Bostonians can veg out on eco-friendly fare, and San Franciscans will discuss and sample the best of the city's street food.

Where will you be eating and drinking this week? Tell us in the comments below.

Washington, DC: Taste of Success - Oct. 27

San Francisco, CA: Hewitson Wine's Mad Hatter Party - Oct. 29

San Francisco, CA: The Street Food Movement: SF Hearts the Cart - Oct. 29

Grand Rapids, MI: Food, Wine & All That Jazz - Oct. 30

Decatur, GA: National BBQ Festival - Oct. 30-31

New York, NY: Chocolate Show - Oct. 30-Nov. 1

Boston, MA: Boston Vegetarian Food Festival - Oct. 31-Nov. 1

New York, NY: Day of the Dead Brunch - Nov. 1

Chicago, IL: A Tasteful Pursuit Dinner - Nov. 2

Boston, MA: StarChefs Boston Rising Stars Revue - Nov. 3

Source: Flickr User jeffreymcmanus

Wine Has Finally Met Its Chocolate Match With Brix

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:00:52 -0700

A few months back, while attending the San Francisco Chocolate Salon, I discovered Brix, a new line of chocolates designed specifically to be paired with wine. I was impressed by how the chocolate stood up to even the boldest of reds, so when PartySugar and I learned Dr. Nick Proia, the founder of Brix, was in town to host a chocolate and wine pairing, we couldn't wait to scope it out. The wine and chocolate extravaganza was held at the Winery Collective, a new multi-winery tasting room in San Francisco that's focused on California's boutique vineyards. There, Proia, a practicing pulmonologist from Ohio, shared the story behind Brix. After deciding cheese and wine pairings were less than heart-healthy, the lifelong wine lover turned to pairing chocolate with wine, only to find few chocolates made a good match. From there, his determination to discover a perfect pairing got him into the chocolate business. Learn what we thought of the tasting when you read more.

Brix blends single-origin chocolate from Ghana with fine Belgian chocolate to create eight-ounce milk, dark, and extra-dark chocolate "bricks" ($12.95) to be chiseled off and consumed with various wines. The high cocoa content of the milk chocolate means it tastes luscious and addictive, with a creaminess to contrast the tannins in Pinot Noir. The sumptuous medium dark chocolate was our favorite, enhancing the raspberry jam notes of a fruit-ripe Lake County Zinfandel. And the intense, concentrated chocolate flavor of the extra dark brick is a great foil for an ultra-sweet Calaveras County vintage port.

Are you a fan of pairing wine with chocolate? Have you ever sampled Brix chocolate?

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A Day at the Great American Food (and Line) Festival

partysugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:30:42 -0700

For weeks I was looking forward to attending Serious Eats Great American Food and Music Fest at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. With big-name celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri, and the best of America's regional cuisine - Katz's pastrami sandwiches, Pink's hot dogs, Tony Luke's Philly cheesesteaks, etc. - it was sure to be a fabulous festival.

Unfortunately, the first-time event was plagued with problems, so much so that the organizer, Ed Levine, published a formal apology. The computerized credit card pay system crashed, the staff was unhelpful and clueless, and, most importantly, the wait to get any food was two hours long! Instead of smiling, contented faces and full bellies, the crowd was hungry, aggressive, and angry.

Luckily, as the day wore on and the crowds thinned out, things got a little better. Fieri and Flay both gave enthusiastic demos in front of cheering fans. The wine-tasting room was uncrowded, the line for bacon was empty, and the chocolate-almond-covered caramel sticks were finger-licking good. Did anyone else attend? What food did you eat?

To take a closer look at the festival, check out all of my images and read more.

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Richard: "Everytime I Get Close to a S'more, I Tear Up"

partysugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:00:11 -0800

When one thinks of Thanksgiving desserts, s'mores don't necessarily come to mind. Unless you're Richard Sweeney, of course. Last week's axed Top Chef contestant will forever be haunted by Thanksgiving s'mores. I spoke to Richard, who was surprisingly cheerful, today about his time on the show, life after the knife, and the Foo Fighters. To find out what he had to say about his experience, read more.

On his decision to make s'mores: I'm trying to think exactly how it came up. They requested chocolate and bananas and first we thought about doing a frozen banana with a warm chocolate sauce. I can't remember if they were my idea or not. I noticed lots of little things since I've watched the episode, and ultimately, I shouldn't have done that dessert. I did dessert for the Craft challenge and desserts are usually the kiss of death on Top Chef. Why I chose another one is beyond me. I should have stayed away from desserts and avoided them for awhile, but I thought I could do the s'more. Now everytime I get close to a s'more, I tear up.

On serving the Foo Fighters: I think they know actually a lot more than you would probably guess about food. Especially for what we got to see on air, they edited out a lot. They picked up on a bunch of little things we did. My team lost, so I don't think they appreciated my food very much. I think the initial comment that Dave made - when he said it, it sounded really bad, but it was done in a joking way. I didn't take it offensively. At judge's table, I realized the vanilla cream sauce I made had fallen and it did look kind of like spit. It was disappointing that I didn't get to find out what they thought about the other dishes I made. I did a spin on a Caprese salad. They wanted a mayonnaise-based salad, so I made a pesto mayo for Caprese. I made a spicy sweet potato dish that the judges really liked. When I went into the stew room, I didn't think I was totally safe, but knowing I had one good dish and two bad, and Jeff had three bad, and Danny had two bad, I thought I was somewhat safe because Jeff and Danny had no positive critiques. I went back thinking I wouldn't be on the chopping block.

On Tom and Padma: This is such a popular question. It's really hard to get to know them super well. You don't have a lot of contact with them. We don't finish a quickfire challenge and have a beer together, so it's really hard to know their personalities. But from the promotional shoots and the time spent with them, I noticed that Tom's a quiet guy. He kicked it to himself. His professionalism really shows. He wants it to be about the food and not about personality.

Padma's just as beautiful in person. All the gay guys at the bar ask me that. After she spit out Ariane's dessert, the next time she saw Ariane, she went up and asked her if she was OK. It was nice to see that human side of the judges. It's their job to judge us and not be our friend, but it's nice to see that human side. We see that little by little at events, too.

On living with the eliminated contestants in the sequester house: We drink a lot. I made lots of sangria. I came up with about 30 sangria recipes because we got sick of wine by itself. We had cable, but no Internet or phone connection. We watched the Olympics and we went out together sometimes. We were actually in Jersey City. No one expected us to be there and when we went out we would get a questioning look. It was relaxing and stressful at the same time. You want to know what's going on in the kitchen, but if your not in the competition you want to go home. It was almost too relaxing. We got stir-crazy. It's still very confined. The cast and production people are taking you where you need to go. When someone was eliminated, we were stuck in the house all day waiting for them. It was a stressful, relaxing, weird drunken time for all.

On the remaining chefs: Stefan is someone to watch out for. He's the most traveled and has been doing this for a long time. He knows his stuff. Fabio has consistently been doing well. There's a couple other people who haven't gotten a lot of face time yet. Ariane bouncing back this week, was a testament to her. To be in the bottom two weeks in a row and come back in a challenge where everyone is asking her about the turkey, we didn't trust her, and to come out on top is hard. She stepped up and showed she can do it.

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Top Chef: Uncommon Sense and Sensuality (Episode 11 Recap)

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:39:11 -0800

If you haven't watched last night's episode, titled "Sense and Sensuality" then beware, there are big time spoilers ahead! Now, for those of you that did watch it, can I just say, "DRAMA!" - this is the kind of stuff that makes for good TV. I mean (spoilers begin now, so if you haven't watched and are still reading, well, I tried to warn you), how often do you get to see gorgeous food, shaved heads, and wrestling matches all in the same hour!?

Since this was the last elimination round before the chefs meet back up in Hawaii, the stakes were HIGH. I mean, who wants to make it this far, only to pack their knives at the last minute. Even better question: Who wants to get that far and then have to pack their knives because of their actions and not their food???

To check out my full recap, including winners, losers, drastic measures and more, read more

The episode starts off with guest judge Chef Eric Ripert (of NYC's Le Bernardin) and yet another sponsored commercial, er I mean, quickfire challenge. This time it was by Nestlé Chocolatier (which I'm mentioning only because I find it interesting that Nestlé has come up with a new premium brand... I guess that means I fell for the marketing).

For the quickfire challenge, our beloved chefs were asked to make either a sweet or a savory dish featuring chocolate. Ilan lost with a horrific looking chocolate ganache with chicken livers (I thought it sounded interesting, but in the end, even I was repulsed, and I'll eat just about everything) and Sam won with a shrimp, banana concoction.

Bravo TV has stopped posting the recipes for the quickfires, but here's what everyone made:

Elia: Poached chicken topped with chili chocolate sauce and caramelized pecans AND "Kiss" - Creamed mousse of ginger and chocolate with strawberry and mint crumble
Sam: Shrimp with bananas, chocolate chipotle, black bean and cilantro pesto sauce
Cliff: Braised chicken piquillo peppers, rosemary and chocolate sauce potatoes
Ilan: Chicken liver chocolate ganache with fried ginger and sherry sauce
Marcel: Potato cannelonis filled with coffee whip cream and chocolate mousse with vanilla powder

After the quickfire, the contestants were told they needed to make a five course romantic dinner. Since Sam won the quickfire, he got to choose which course he was making and which protein he was using. He chose scallops and lobster, which meant that no one else could use either scallops or lobster.

When the contestants arrive in Santa Barbara (where the romantic meal took place), they were greeted with a tiny kitchen. Surprisingly, the meal goes off pretty effortlessly. Sam is up first and asks Marcel if he can help plate, but Marcel says he can't because he's busy prepping. So, when it came Marcel's turn to plate, Sam said he couldn't help since Marcel didn't help him. However Sam says he couldn't be "that guy" and ended up helping anyways. The only other kitchen drama occurred when Elia's chocolate hearts couldn't be whipped up fast enough and she claimed that she "quit." Also calling it the first time she's put out something she's not happy with.

The judges eat it up. For the most part they like everything (I think this may be a Top Chef first). The only exception being Cliff's beef dish which they claimed to be like hotel food (Chef Tom also stated that Cliff's greens were worthless). They also noticed that Elia's "chocolate hearts" were missing, but Padma liked it, she thought the dessert was romantic.

Here's what everyone made and in the order it was served:

Sam: Seared Scallops with Lobster Plum Sauce and Beets
Ilan: Fideos with Clams and Saffron
Marcel: Salmon with Celeriac & Beets
Cliff: Sirloin with Lentil Puree
Elia: "The Kiss" Chocolate Mousse with a Chocolate Heart served on a Pastry Heart

So, the chefs cooked a great meal, the judges loved it, it's going to be a tough panel, but WAIT. What's this? We have what, 15 minutes left in the episode? Turns out our fledgling chefs, high off of adrenaline head back to the lofts, where they get tanked and decide to shave their heads.

Yes. That's right. SHAVE THEIR HEADS.
Ilan and Elia shave their heads, Sam chickens out, Cliff is already shaved down, so that leaves Marcel. Poor sleeping Marcel. Now, I'm all over the map with what I think about him, he's endearing one minute, annoying as hell the next, and as much as I can't stand the Teen Wolf hairdo, this is "joke" that's just not funny. I mean the guy is asleep, minding his own business and then Cliff grabs him. He literally yanks him off the couch and holds him in some weird wrestling pin. It was frustrating and uncomfortable to watch. No one wanted it to happen, but no one stopped it either. Sam just sits there, Ilan continues to film and then finally Cliff lets go. Marcel eventually ends up sleeping in the bathroom, I assume with the door locked for safety. And now Cliff seems like an okay fellow, but all season long we've seen some nasty mean streaks and violent tendencies come out. I would have probably also spent the evening locked away.

The next morning the chefs are met by Chef Tom, who arrives and looks quite frightening. He asks everyone but Cliff to leave the room and then WHAT WHAT? Cliff it's time to pack your knives and go. Turns out there's a small clause in their Bravo TV contracts that state, if you touch another contestant, you're out. Cliff is obviously shocked by this, but accepts his departure gracefully.

Back at the judge's table, the rest of the judges learn of Cliff's departure. They are truly shocked (although Padma definitely looked more shocked once she saw Elia's shaved head) and appalled that this could happen. However, they all agree that Cliff's was the weakest dish and that he probably would have gone home anyway. They then analyze all the other dishes and talk about letting one, if not two, of the remaining four go (hrmmm... I thought they liked the meal?). When the contestants return, Padma tells Sam and Ilan they they are still in the running, but that Elia and Marcel need to "pack their knives and go... TO HAWAII!"

I'll admit now, although my brain knew there was no way they could only bring two chefs to the finals, I totally fell for it.

Now, a few things to discuss:

Elia: I LOVE her with a shaved head!
What would you have done if you were Marcel
Would you eat chocolate and chicken livers together?
What do you think of Chef Tom? How about his dismissal style?
Padma's outfits - come on tell me what you really think!
Anything else that comes to mind? Discuss in the comments below!

Source: Bravo TV

Sweet Expansion at Dylan's Candy Bar

partysugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:30:57 -0700

Just in time for Halloween, Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City has expanded. An additional 5,000 square feet have been added, making it the largest candy store in the world. Opened in September 2001 by Dylan Lauren, daughter of fashion icon Ralph, the store sells more than 5,000 varieties of candy - from bulk chocolate treats and gummy candies to 21 different colors of M&Ms and novelty sweets such as three-foot-tall lollipops and candy mobile phones. A real-life Candyland, Dylan's is a destination for kids and adults alike with its candy-themed clothing and jewelry, a private party room, and a soda shop. To celebrate the store's expansion, Dylan's hosted a grand reopening party earlier this week that brought out the child in all of its attendees, including yours truly! Here's my behind-the-scenes look at the fiesta.

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Summer of Sandwiches: Summer's Over

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:01:33 -0700

I can't believe that summer is just about over. Seems like we were just eating ice cream sandwiches yesterday... oh wait, we were! But in all seriousness, the end of the summer also means the end of our summer of sandwiches - after all, we have to make room for new fall features! However, just in case you missed any of them, here's a full recap.

Minty Fresh: Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Ice Cream Cone Cookies
Classic Choco-Vanilla: Chocolate Cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream
The Americone Dream: Americone Dream Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Peachy Keen: Peach Ice Cream with Ginger Cookies
Salty Sweet: Vanilla Caramel Ice Cream with Saltine Crackers

Graham Caramel: Dulce De Leche Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers
Cravers: Crave Treat Cookies with Coffee Ice Cream
Puff Ups: Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream with Puff Pastry
Bisco Inferno: Chocolate Citrus Biscotti with Orange Ice Cream
Minis It's Its: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Bite-sized Oatmeal Cookies

Berry Heaven: Vanilla Berry Ice Cream with Fudgy Brownies
PB Choco: Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Ice Cream
Old School Nilla: Strawberry and Banana Ice Cream with Nilla Wafers
Coo-Coo for Coconut: Coconut Macaroons with Creme Brulee Ice Cream

PartySugar Behind The Bash: The Modern Ball

partysugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 11:13:32 -0700

A little while back, I was lucky enough to be sent a ticket to the Museum of Modern Art's biannual gala fundraiser, The Modern Ball. The event, which took place on Wednesday night, was absolutely spectacular. When I spoke to event planner Stanlee Gatti, he explained how he sees the world vibrantly through colors and it was wonderful to see his words transformed into reality. Gatti transformed the bottom floor of the museum (and part of Minna Street) into a lush playground perfect for a party. The entry room was lux and gracious with its billowing red curtains and plush velvet ottomans. Another room was green with astroturf covering every surface and artistic black and white photographs patterned on the walls. The third room was wallpapered in a shiny silver foil a la Andy Warhol's factory, with specially crafted Campbell soup cans as centerpieces.

To take a look at these rooms and hear more about my late night revelry with FabSugar, DearSugar, and the incredibly tall, dark, and handsome Anthony, read more

The drinks flowed freely from super accessible bars (we Sugars drank Champagne, Anthony gin & tonic) and the overall feel of the bash was that similar to a wedding with all age groups represented. I spent much of the evening looking for Mr. Gatti because I wanted to tell him how much I loved the look of the party. Alas, I never found him. Colors richly dominated each of the rooms in layers and textures. Two live bands played - Fab preferred the indie rocking Scissors for Lefty, while I enjoyed the Spanish singing Salvador Santana - with DJs spinning a mix of house and pop in the green and silver rooms.

The food spread was an amazing and delicious array of tiny flavor packed bites ranging from fresh sushi to the classic party fair of shrimp cocktail and crudités with hummus. A ceviche of sorts was served in shot glasses at the bar with crisp tortilla chips acting as ceviche scoops. There were also a lot of great desserts. Fab and I made the mistake of spending far too much time at the chocolate fountain tasting marshmallow, rice crispy treats, and strawberries in the liquid chocolate only to realize 20 minutes later while in the bathroom that chocolate had dripped onto my dress, shoes, and even Fab's toes!

The highlight of the night for me were the mini empanandas (I had been dreaming of empanadas all day at work) and I could not stop eating them! The highlight for Fab was, obviously the fashion, specifically a gold Versace dress that was featured in the ads. The highlight for Dear was successfully avoiding a boy (mission accomplished) and the highlight for the three of us was the photobooth! Guests were invited to take as many pictures as they wanted in one of several old school (you know where you get 4 pics snapped in several minutes) photobooths. It was so much fun, wouldn't it be great to have one to lookbook in!

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Yummy Links: From Fruit Salad to Fudgsicles

partysugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:45:42 -0700

This cool mojito fruit salad is perfect for Memorial Day. - Baking Bites
If you're celebrating the long weekend in the great outdoors, learn how to pack your cooler and create a delicious menu. - Chow
Sex and the City premieres next Friday and the look for the official premiere party will be saturated in crystals. - Biz Bash
Esquire magazine has released their best bars in America list. Did your local watering hole make the cut? - Esquire
Chocolate nutbutter cookies are fun to make and delicious to eat. - Glam Dish
Have you tried ice cream flavored jelly beans? - Candy Blog
Although the school year is coming to an end, anyone who has a terribly small kitchen could use the Dorm Room Chef's tips. - Dorm Room Chef
I'm declaring popsicles the new cupcakes and can't wait to make these classic fudgsicles. - Serious Eats

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