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A Sampling of Tastes From the Tent at SF Chefs

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:30:18 -0700

Whether it's Slow Food Nation or Aspen, one of the highlights of any major food festival is the tasting tent, where attendees have an opportunity to sample sips and bites from restaurants, featured food brands, and wineries. New event SF Chefs. Food. Wine was no exception; since it was the festival's first-ever year, I was eager to see what participating restaurants had to offer. Click through to see what was being sampled.

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YumSugar's Best of the Tasting Tents: Food

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:30:15 -0700

The biggest event at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic is the Grand Tasting, which took place five times over the span of three days. Inside several vast tents, attendees could sample a wide variety of food, from Peruvian tiradito to Cypriot soutzouko. As delicious as the offerings tasted, half the fun was eating with my eyes. Keep reading to see my favorite foods of the tasting tents.

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Four Spirits Worth Seeking Out

partysugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:30:17 -0700

At the Food Network's NYC Wine and Food Festival, besides the delicious food, there was a plethora of interesting spirits. I waded through the depths of the rums, tequilas, and everything in between, and have picked my top four pours to share with you. If you're into trying out the newest, latest liquors, I highly recommend you seek out these bottles. Cheers!

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Tasting the Tasting Tent

partysugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:30:28 -0700

A highlight of any food festival is getting to taste a bunch of fabulous bites. The Food Network's NYC Wine and Food Festival was no different, the tent featured over 50 restaurants and attracted more than 4,000 people in two days. I was a champion taster and ate everything I came across. Here, I've rounded up my top tastes.

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Tasting the Tasting Tent

partysugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:30:21 -0700

At the three day Food and Wine Classic in Aspen there are five Grand Tastings: two on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday. During each session, the public is invited to enter the tasting tents and try a plethora of food and drink. At these power tastings I experienced some delicious bites. Here's a collection of my favorite foods from the tents.

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Drinking the Tasting Tent: Cocktails

YumSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:00:28 -0700

With the food ranging from s'more bites to duck paninis, you could imagine that the liquid side of Aspen was also quite varied. Although it's called the Food and Wine Classic, there were actually loads of mixed drinks to be found. During one of the five grand tastings, PartySugar and I ended up skipping the wine and going straight for the cocktails. To check out some of our favorite finds just click the "Start" button.

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The Making of a Food Festival: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:20 -0700

This country sees scores of large-scale culinary events and food festivals each week, and from Taste of the Nation to Slow Food Nation, Party and I are always there. But while a culinary extravaganza merely requires several hours of our time, it takes months or sometimes years to bring all the elements of a production together.

During SF Chefs. Food. Wine., I walked the tents with Dominic Phillips, the namesake of Dominic Phillips Event Marketing and the brainchild producer behind the soirée, to get an idea of all the unseen work that goes into such a large event. Get his surprising strategies for a successful big bash after the jump

Sunday BBQ: Grilled Squid With Ginger, Celery, and Apple Slaw

YumSugar — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:00:50 -0700

After eating my way through the tasting tents at SF Chefs. Food. Wine this weekend, I'm looking forward to sitting down to a dinner that's light and healthy, but still full of flavor. I'm going a bit off the beaten barbecue path: I'll throw some marinated calamari on the grill and serve it while it's still tender, warm, and freshly charred, with a bed of sweet-tart slaw.

If you've never cooked with squid before, don't be daunted. You can ask your fishmonger to clean it for you. Take a break from your standard meal tonight when you read more.

Grilled Squid With Ginger, Celery, & Apple Slaw
From Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Marinade
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons white or light miso paste
3 tablespoons sake
2 teaspoons mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
8 calamari (bodies only), rinsed and dried
Slaw:
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Coarse salt, to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
5 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and sliced diagonally into 2 1/2-inch pieces
1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced into 2 1/2-inch matchsticks
3/4 cup sunflower sprouts
1 serrano chile, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Directions

Make the marinade: Cook garlic, miso, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a pan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Let cool slightly.
Using a kitchen mallet, pound both sides of calamari a few times to tenderize. Insert a sharp knife into calamari, cut along seams, and then open like a book. Lightly score inner sides at 1/4-inch intervals. Add calamari to marinade, and let stand for 20 minutes.
Make the slaw: Whisk together ginger, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, and salt. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified.
Preheat grill to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 to 4 seconds.) Wrap 3 bricks or the bottom of a heavy skillet with heavy-duty foil. Remove calamari from marinade, and season scored sides with salt. Place calamari, scored sides down, on grill, and top with foil-lined weight. Grill until opaque, about 1 1/2 minutes. Cut into 3/4-inch-wide pieces.
Toss celery, apple, scallions, sprouts, and chile with 3 tablespoons dressing (reserve remaining dressing for another use). Arrange on a platter. Top with calamari, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serves 4.

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Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:30:25 -0700

It was a whirlwind of a week here at YumSugar, as we spent last weekend soaking up the savory sights at the 2009 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. There, we lunched on goat, lamb, and venison - all whole! - and ate our way through both the tasting tents and the Best New Chefs Dinner.

Were you around for the mouthwatering moments? Taking this week's quiz is the only way to find out.

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Hanging With Hung

partysugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:25:29 -0700

Last Friday afternoon at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, I had the chance to hang out with Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huynh. As part of his prize, Hung was invited to appear at the Classic Cook-Off on Sunday. In between attending seminars and sipping wine, Hung and I met up outside the grand-tasting tent.

An approachable, friendly guy, Hung isn't afraid to say hello to fans or cook dinner for 150 people. Although he was sometimes portrayed as a villain on TC, in real life, Hung is just an ordinary guy who cooks really well. To learn more about Hung, read more.

Currently Hung is working at Solo, a kosher Mediterranean restaurant, in Manhattan. He plans to remain executive chef until the end of Summer and hopes to open his own restaurant soon. He's yet to use his TC prize trip to Paris and prefers the kitchen to the tasting tent.
In his entourage: Kenny his best pal/sous chef from Las Vegas and Marcel his buddy and TC season 2 contestant.

On alcohol: Hung doesn't like to drink. Although he enjoys partying, he dislikes alcohol, especially red wine, because it gives him a headache and a red face.

Who he knows: Through his TC experience, he's gotten to know plenty of the food industry's biggest stars including Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, and Daniel Boulud.

What he wants to do: A fierce competitor, Hung plans on entering himself in the prestigious food industry equivalent of the Olympics, the Bocuse d'Or.

Why he thinks he can win: Many of his aforementioned acquaintances are on the culinary advisory board. The board members have a say in who is selected to compete.

After hanging with Hung, I conclude that he's not the bad guy Bravo portrayed him to be, but rather a bit of a diva. I can't blame him, he is after all, a Top Chef!