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Airlines Aiming Higher With Fancier Coach Meals

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:50:20 -0700

These days, airlines are engaged in new flights of fancy: in an effort to set themselves apart from competitors, many have been upping the ante on food offerings.

Airlines began charging for meals post-9/11, but food-for-purchase replacements never fared well. They came with high price tags, questionable freshness, and inventory challenges. But major players have found a way to tackle these issues, and hope to enhance their brand images with a revamped reputation for good food.

Delta Air Lines serves Ben & Jerry's ice cream, cheese plates, and a new array of dishes created by culinary impresario Todd English that includes grilled chicken gyros and almond butter sandwiches. In May, American Airlines partnered with Boston Market, hoping to levy the rotisserie chain's name recognition. Although Hawaiian Airlines has long kept a focus on high-end food, it, too, has tried to elevate coach sales. While meals are free on Hawaiian, paying an additional $10 buys passengers satay chicken with vermicelli, or a sushi bento box with edamame and teriyaki chicken.

Airlines have found savvy methods of measuring the success of food programs, like using credit card readers to monitor the popularity of foods. Do you think the new tactics work? Has airline food gotten tastier?

Top Chef Quiz: Bachelor/Ette Party

partysugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Did you catch the second episode of Top Chef Vegas? The chefs had to prepare appetizers that paired with shots and serve them poolside at a co-ed bachelor party. There was ceviche, savory meringues, and poorly executed creme brulee. Todd English guest-judged. Were you paying attention? Find out now when you take my quiz!

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Take the quiz

Top Chef Vegas: Episode 2

partysugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:30:30 -0700

With Top Chef Masters officially over we can finally turn our attention to getting to know the 16 remaining chefs on Top Chef Vegas. The second episode aired last night and after watching, I've come to several conclusions. Mike might be the world's biggest douche, Kevin's beard and Jesse's lip ring are distracting, and Jennifer scares me. To discuss all the delicious details, read more.

Todd English: hot or not?
Re: Jennifer - Does a female have to be mean and tough to succeed as a chef?
Do you enjoy the behind-the-scenes videos Bravo airs during the commercials?
My favorite line: "It's true, gay guys grow flowers better than straight guys." What quote stood out in your mind?
Was Ashley being too sensitive or does she have a right to be offended?
Isn't it weird that the bachelor/ette parties are in the exact same place?
Did the producers choose the boys vs. girls challenge because they knew it was easy drama? The boys put down the girls, the girls put down the boys. The boys think they are better, the girls think they are better. The boys act stupid and jump in the pool, the girls act superior and annoyed. It seemed scripted.
That being said, don't the boys' dishes seem way more sophisticated than the girls?
Could the brothers make it to the final three?
Overall, how do you feel about this season so far?

Did I forget something? Please bring up more discussion points below!

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Veggies With Green Goddess Dip Two Ways - Beginner & Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:30:52 -0700

With so many Spring vegetables in abundance right now, there's no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to create a spread that highlights the natural sweetness of farm-fresh vegetables.

Serve the vegetables alongside green goddess dressing, a mild yet complex blend of lemon, anchovies, garlic, and sour cream that dates back to the 1920s.

For a basic appetizer, arrange fresh crudités on a tray, or to take it to the next level, throw your seasonal vegetables on the grill. To see two enticing renditions of this verdant starter, read more.

Beginner Vegetables With Green Goddess Dip
Adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 anchovy fillets
1 medium shallot, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, quartered
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
Heads of green and red Belgian endive, trimmed, leaves separated
Easter Egg radishes, trimmed, with some tops still attached
Heirloom baby carrots, peeled, trimmed, with some tops still attached
Persian or Japanese cucumbers, cut into 3x1/2-inch spears
Sugar snap peas, trimmed
Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, cut into 3x1/2-inch strips

Directions

Combine lemon juice, anchovies, shallot, vinegar, and garlic in processor. Blend until shallot and garlic are finely chopped. Add avocado, sour cream, parsley, tarragon, and basil; blend until almost smooth.
With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube in thin stream. Transfer dip to small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place bowl of dip on large platter. Surround with vegetables.

Serves 10.

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Expert Vegetables With Green Goddess Dip
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 Asian eggplants (about 2 pounds), sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
6 portobello mushrooms, stemmed
2 fennel bulbs, stalks and feathery fronds discarded, bulbs sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick through the core
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
2 medium yellow squash, sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick# 1 medium cauliflower, core trimmed, head sliced lengthwise 1/2 inch thick
2 large red bell peppers, cored and quartered

Green Goddess Dressing:
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced tarragon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Make the dressing: In a mini food processor, combine the parsley, anchovies, garlic and tarragon and process to a fine paste. Blend in the sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Scrape the dressing into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving time.
Light a grill. In a medium bowl, mix the olive oil with the basil and season generously with salt and pepper. Brush the basil oil on the vegetables. When the fire is medium-hot, arrange the eggplant slices on the hottest area of the grill and surround with the portobellos and sliced fennel. Grill, basting often with the oil and turning once, until the vegetables are nicely charred and almost tender, about 6 minutes for the eggplant and 10 minutes for the portobellos and fennel. Transfer the vegetables to a platter and cover loosely with foil.
Put the zucchini and yellow squash on the hottest part of the grill and surround them with the cauliflower and red bell peppers. Grill, basting often with the basil oil and turning once, until the vegetables are nicely charred and almost tender, 1 to 2 minutes for the zucchini, 6 minutes for the bell peppers and 10 minutes for the cauliflower. Add the vegetables to the platter and serve with the Green Goddess Dressing.

Serves 6.

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Bravo Announces Judge Lineup For Top Chef: Masters

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:17:10 -0800

Last month, news broke that Kelly Choi would host the upcoming Top Chef spinoff, Top Chef: Masters. In a statement released this morning, Bravo has confirmed this as fact and also revealed the star lineup of judges for the new show.

Joining Choi on the judging panel will be former New York magazine restaurant critic Gael Greene, British food critic Jay Rayner, and Saveur editor-in-chief James Oseland. The culinary competition will follow the format of the original Top Chef series, but its contestants will be award-winning, widely known chefs, competing head to head for the title of Top Chef Master. As for the cheftestant lineup, The Feedbag has reported rumors of participating chefs.

Many have appeared on Top Chef as judges: Wylie Dufresne of WD-50, Scott Conant of Scarpetta, celebrity chef Todd English, and Michelle Bernstein of Michy's. Other possible competitors include seafood czar Rick Moonen, Hawaiian cuisine titan Roy Yamaguchi, Chris Lee of Aureole, Florida vet Norm Van Aken, Texas chef Tim Love, and possibly even Tom himself.

I'm getting excited about the lineup of both the judges and the rumored cheftestants. Do you feel the same way? Which chefs would you love to see on the show?

Source

Eva Longoria to Expand Beso Empire

partysugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:15:01 -0700

Desperate Housewives star and budding restaurateur Eva Longria has announced her plan to open a second Beso restaurant. This time her sights are set on Las Vegas.

The actress (who partnered with chef Todd English to open the VIP hot spot, Beso, in Los Angeles last March) has been spotted spending quality time at Caesar's Palace. The Vegas branch of Beso would be more of a loungey nightclub with small bites from English's Mexican-fusion menu.

I have yet to dine at Beso, but I find the Vegas expansion interesting. Could more Besos be on the horizon? Also, I enjoy seeing a celebrity's take on the restaurant industry.
What do you think of celebrity-owned restaurants?

Source

Eva Teaches Us How to Make Tortilla Soup

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 13:30:00 -0800

Last night celebrity chef/restauranteur Todd English and actress Eva Longoria celebrated the opening of their new restaurant Beso. The restaurant has been in the works for some time, and Eva has been involved in every level including the menu. In fact, she has even contributed recipes to the menu. Two of the house specialties are Eva's guacamole and her tortilla soup. She says:

I make the best guacamole in the world. And my tortilla soup . . . I am renowned for.

If you're curious to try Eva's tortilla soup, but can't quite make it to Beso then make it at home. Get the recipe, just read more.

Eva Longoria's Tortilla Soup
From Eva Longoria via People

Ingredients

1 medium onion, medium dice
½ bunch of celery, medium dice
¼ cup garlic, chopped
1 pasilla pepper (a dried, mild chili), medium dice
1 jalepeño pepper, diced
½ cup olive oil
6 whole Roma tomatoes
6 cups hearty chicken stock
½ cup lime juice
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tortilla chips, avocado, jalepeños or sour cream to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º. In a bowl, toss tomatoes with half of the oil, a pinch of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Spread on a baking pan and roast until light brown, 25-30 minutes.
While tomatoes are roasting, in a stock pot over medium heat, sauté onion, celery, peppers and garlic in remaining oil, stirring frequently until soft and translucent.
Add chicken stock, cayenne, chili powder, ground cumin seed, paprika and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes.
When tomatoes are light brown and their skins have begun to peel back, remove from oven and add to the broth.
Add chicken breasts, cut into strips. Simmer 10 minutes.
Using an immersion hand blender, or in batches in a food processor or blender, blend soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve piping-hot in large bowl, garnished with chopped avocado, tortilla chips, chopped jalepeños and sour cream. Other suggestions for garnish include diced red onion, chopped cilantro, salsa verde, sliced radishes and cooked, diced chicken. Adjust spices and seasonings to your taste. Enjoy!

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Eva Longoria Teams Up With Todd English to Open BESO

YumSugar — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:03:15 -0800

Looks like the writers' strike will be providing Eva Longoria with a little extra time to dedicate to her new venture. The Desperate Housewives star is currently finalizing plans for her new restaurant, BESO.

Located in Hollywood, BESO is a partnership with celebrity chef Todd English. However, Eva wants to make sure that you know she's really involved. Here's more:

"I'm so involved, I picked the uniforms," she said. "A lot of these are my recipes. We've developed a really fun menu."

The restaurant, which is scheduled to open in mid-December, recently hosted the Blackjack II launch party. Check out the gallery for a few of the interior pics. According to geeksugar, the place is massive.

So what do you guys think? I'm personally interested to see what the menu will be like. Todd English has a pretty impressive list of restaurants under his belt, but how well does he know Mexican food? I guess only time will tell.

View 4 Photos ›

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Eva Longoria to Expand Beso Empire

partysugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:30:27 -0700

Desperate Housewives star and successful restaurateur Eva Longoria is taking her eatery national. Longoria opened Beso, a Mexican restaurant in Hollywood, with chef Todd English back in 2007. The popular joint quickly became a celebrity hangout. Last Summer she announced her plans to expand and open a second restaurant in Las Vegas.

Now, the establishment finally has an opening date: New Year's Eve 2010. Beso Vegas will diverge from its LA counterpart, with "different specials and drinks." The actress told People that she's "so excited about opening Beso Vegas." She described the city as having "the most energy in the world. It's a great foodie city, which is great for us because of our menu. Everything we offer is pretty unique. Nobody in Vegas has anything similar."

Also in the works? Besitos - a series of airport eateries that will feature a limited menu. The first will debut at an undisclosed Los Angeles airport. Have you eaten at Beso? What did you think? Would you grab some Mexican food from a Besito while traveling?

Announcing the 2008 James Beard Award Winners

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:15:37 -0700

Yesterday, the VIPs of the culinary community took off their chef's coats and headed down the red carpet to their very own awards show. Considered the Oscars of eating, the James Beard Awards are the food world's most prestigious honors. With categories covering the entire spectrum of the industry - cookbooks, journalism, chefs, restaurants, and media - the event brought out the best of the best.

The big winner of the night was Chicago's Grant Achatz, who was voted the nation's top chef by the foundation. Other winners include Mario Batali and partner Joe Bastianich for outstanding restaurateurs and San Francisco's Craig Stoll of Delfina for best chef in the Pacific.

To take a look at a list of winners and a gallery of the celebs on the red carpet, including Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, Katie Lee Joel, Wylie Dufresne, Kim Cattrall, Jacques Pepin, and Todd English, read more.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Outstanding Chef Award
Grant Achatz, Alinea; Chicago, IL
Outstanding Restaurant Award
Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY; Owner: Danny Meyer
Best New Restaurant
Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC; Chef/Owner: Michel Richard
Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud, New York, NY
Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, Tartine Bakery; San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Wine Service Award
Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY; Wine Director: John Ragan
Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award
Terry Theise, Terry Theise Estate Selections; Silver Spring, MD
Outstanding Service Award
Terra, St. Helena, CA; Owners: Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani

For more details, check out the official list of categories, nominees, and award winners.

View 13 Photos ›

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