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Yummy Links: From Bobby Flay to Chicken McConfit

partysugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:50:23 -0700

Bobby Flay may be the world's worst horse race caller. - Grub Street
Find out where Bernie Madoff used to eat. - Eater
Got old school photos of your parents partying? Send them here. - Keggers of Yore
The nation's top 10 food trucks. - GQ
Must make: caramelized onion, potato, and blue cheese tart. - Serious Eats
Ten ways to barter for food. - Chow
Meet Rani Cheema, the lady who makes the Food Network's fake food labels. - Sunny Anderson
The latest trend to hit the beverage scene? Bartenders who farm. - Gourmet
Learn how to turn chicken McNuggets into chicken McConfit. - The Feedbag

Happy Hour: 2006 Iron Horse Estate Pinot Noir

partysugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:15:04 -0700

Last night I attended Jack Falstaff's first Farm to Table Grower's Dinner. The special menu features seasonal ingredients from local producers. The most exciting part of the meal (besides the delicious food) is that the farmers and wine makers dine with you.

I was lucky enough to speak with Audrey Sterling, the grande dame of Iron Horse vineyards. After fabulously describing the wines, she told me about how Iron Horse is served at the White House! Their varietals have been selected by the past five presidencies, dating back to Ronald Regan. It's a fun fact to tell guests when serving Iron Horse.

While I enjoyed all the wines they poured, my favorite was the 2006 Estate Pinot Noir ($40). It was subtly complex and incredibly smooth. Like the perfect little black dress, it's elegant, but stylish. It rolls through the mouth with fruity, earthy flavors and a rich aroma. The wine's made with a special precision-harvesting technique that closely examines each vines needs, resulting in a silky, wonderful wine. The wine was served with an intensely crispy, suckling pig porchetta, but I think it would be lovely with everything from comforting macaroni and cheese to braised beef.

Food Section Sampler - Oct. 21, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:30:06 -0700

Matchboxes, a cost-effective way to advertise, are making a gradual comeback in restaurants. - New York Times
Even Bon Appétit hasn't been spared from layoffs at Condé Nast. - New York Post
Former Top Cheffer Stefan Richter's new restaurant, Stefan's at LA Farm, is off to a good start. - Los Angeles Times
Why do so many California farm-to-table restaurants neglect to feature local wines? - San Francisco Chronicle
Fast, easy, and healthy recipe: Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce.- Boston Globe
Fine Living's Bartender Wars reveals a not-so-great glimpse of tending bar. - Washington Post
A guide to star chef David Chang's Momofuku restaurants, as well as his new cookbook. - Wall Street Journal

Top Chef Quiz: From Farm to Table

partysugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:15:26 -0800

I thought last night's Top Chef was one of the most entertaining episodes of the season. The farm was gorgeous, the Euros had a couple of hilarious one-liners, and Toby Young was polite. Were you watching? How well did you pay attention? Find out now when you take my Top Chef quiz.

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Northeastern Tomato Blight Caused by Home Gardening

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:50:39 -0700

A fast-spreading fungus has ravaged tomato crops across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, wiping out this year's crop and causing the price of heirloom tomatoes to skyrocket by 20 percent. But the cause of the pandemic is something that's much more innocent than you might think.

In a recent New York Times column, renowned farm-to-table chef Dan Barber discusses the aggressive disease, known as late blight, that has wiped out 70 percent of this year's heirloom tomato crop. He argues that there are three contributing factors that caused the intense blight. First, a rainy Summer, moderate temperatures, and lots of humidity; second, infected tomato starter plants sold to home growers; and third, the explosion of home gardeners.Ironically, the very community that's engaged in eating locally has set the stage for one of the worst heirloom tomato harvests in history. Barber argues that, despite what Slow Food believers might advocate, future farming must involve nonheirloom plant varieties bred to resist diseases.

The blight isn't limited to new home gardeners; even seasoned pro Martha Stewart has lamented that she lost 70 percent of the 50 different tomato varieties in her garden this year. Have you fallen victim to this year's tomato travesty? What do you think of Barber's argument?

Must-Read: Market-Fresh Mixology

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:30:22 -0700

Regardless of whether or not we're in the midst of a food revolution, it's undeniable that over the last couple of years, cuisine highlighting fresh-picked produce has gained major ground. In fact, the principles of seasonality and slow food aren't just being applied to food. They're also key in what The New York Times calls the "farm-to-glass movement," where drinks are driven by produce at the peak of the season. If you aren't too familiar with the liquid locavore movement, one new book, Market-Fresh Mixology ($12.21), shows you the ropes. Learn whether it's worth seeking out when you read more.
Pros:

"Tool box" sidebar tells you what equipment you'll need to make each drink.
Introductory chapter primes you on tools of the trade, glassware, and essential bar ingredients.
Classic cocktail recipes include fun tidbits on the history of the cocktail.

Cons:

Some ingredients and garnishes - like gooseberries, juniper berries, and pumpkin liqueur - could potentially be hard to find.
Steps are listed in paragraph form rather than numbered.

Recipes: Depending on how experimental your palate is, some sippers - like the Carrot Chic, Spiced Beet Cocktail, and Fennel Cocktail - may be truly adventurous or a bit too exotic for you. Other eye-catching recipes:

Rhubarb Strawberry Collins
Fresh Strawberry Daiquiri
Kiwi Champagne
Fresh Tomato Bloody Mary
Homemade Cocktail Onions
Papaya Pisco Sour
Blueberry Lavender Mojito

Imagery: Most of the cocktails included in the book are accompanied by vivid, crisp photos.

Overall Rating: If you like to make cocktails at home and appreciate the farm-to-table philosophy, then this book would be right up your alley.

View 4 Photos ›

Noteworthy Nibbles - May 12-19, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:00:45 -0700

How do you know that Summer's just a few weeks away? When there's a seemingly endless list of epicurean events and food festivals. We can hardly straddle them all, but have plans to hit up San Francisco Cocktail Week, shake hands with sake brewers at the Joto Sake Tasting, slurp a few slippery ones at Oysterfest, and swirl Sauvignon Blanc at the Uncorked! Wine Festival. What events are you penciling in? Tell us what you're tasting below!

Buckhannon, WV: West Virginia Strawberry Festival - May 13-17
San Francisco, CA: Joto Sake Tasting - May 14
Memphis, TN: World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest - May 14-16
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Strawberry Week - May 14-24
St. Pete Beach, FL: Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival - May 15-16
Monterey, CA: Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions - May 15-16
Dermott, AR: Dermott Crawfish Festival - May 15-16
Magnolia, AR: Magnolia Blossom Festival & Steak Cook-Off - May 15-16
Pasadena, TX: Pasadena Strawberry Festival - May 15-17
Little Rock, AR: Greek Food Fest - May 15-17
Paso Robles, CA: Paso Robles Wine Festival - May 15-17
Lodi, CA: Lodi ZinFest - May 15-17
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco OysterFest - May 16
San Francisco, CA: Uncorked! Wine Festival - May 16

To see the rest, read more.

Newberry, FL: Newberry Watermelon Festival - May 16
Healdsburg, CA: Quivira Vineyards Inaugural Farm-to-Table Dinner - May 16
Frankfort, KY: Slow Food Kentucky Herb Festival - May 16
Montrose, PA: Montrose Chocolate & Wine Festival - May 16
Little River, SC: Blue Crab Festival - May 16-17
Seattle, WA: Seattle Cheese Festival - May 16-17
Oxnard, CA: California Strawberry Festival - May 16-17
Castroville, CA: Castroville Artichoke Festival - May 16-17
Dallas, TX: Taste of the Nation Dallas - May 17
New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Wine & Food Experience - May 19-23

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What Would You Serve?

YumSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:30:44 -0700

Entertaining at home is one of my favorite activities of all time, but as with all hobbies, it requires lots of thinking ahead and decision-making, from planning a prep schedule to coordinating the menu. In this series, I'll present a dish and ask you to share what you'd serve alongside it.

Here's the scenario: You're hosting a birthday party for a close friend, and you've purchased fresh asparagus from the farmers market. You wrap it with paper-thin slices of prosciutto and roast it in the oven for a dish that's truly droolworthy. What would you serve alongside it? To see what I'd make, read more.

Inspired by fresh Spring ingredients, I'd serve my guests a seasonal farm-to-table dinner. As a stunning main course, I'd serve roasted prawns with morels, to be accompanied by the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and ricotta gnocchi on the side. Asparagus is notoriously difficult to pair with wine, so I would select a dry, crisp Pinot Grigio with a fruity nose, avoiding anything overly sweet, oaky, or tannic. For dessert, I'd take advantage of fresh, ripe strawberries and serve strawberries Romanoff.

What would your menu include?

Come Party With Me: My Half Birthday - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:15:46 -0800

Not only am I packing up a delicious spread of food to pair with the fresh oysters of Hog Island, but I'm also bringing a few simple decorations to transform the farm picnic area into a fabulous party zone. For example, a fabric tablecloth in a vibrant print incorporates a touch of elegance to the outdoor location. A single bouquet of tulips adds to the natural oceanside landscape.

Store thick plastic plates, plastic wine glasses, and paper napkins in a festive wicker picnic basket. Don't forget the essential tools for enjoying oysters.

Pack several shucking knives and a pretty platter for displaying the bivalves. Wrap a glass pitcher in towels and a secure in a safe spot until arriving at the picnic table. Once there, fill with the sangria and let the (half birthday) party begin!

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Are We in the Midst of a Food Revolution?

partysugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:15:23 -0700

With the slow food movement gaining momentum and the Obamas planting a vegetable garden at the White House, people are focusing on food now more than ever. So much so that the New York Times asks if we are witnessing a food revolution. Considering that all I think about every day is food and that I live in San Francisco - the epicenter of the farm-to-table movement - it's hard for me to tell. That's why I'm asking you: do you think we're in the middle of a food revolution?

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