Bite of the Best

I don't know how the chefs did it. The temperature hovered around 98-degrees in Madison Square Park — and that was standing in the long lines, not near the blistering hot BBQ grills where the pitmasters did their craft.

The crowds didn't seem to be fazed by the heat at the sixth annual celebration of mouthwatering barbecue — some waited hours to sample the foods that the 14 top pitmasters produced for the event. Smart New Yorkers purchased a $100 fast pass — the food equivalent of E-Z pass — that got them to the fast service area with a much shorter line. Worth it for the time savings alone.

My favorite BBQ of all I sampled was adorable Chris Lilly's pulled pork shoulder bbq sandwich served with mustard coleslaw (Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Decatur, AL). Chris's sauce was almost as sweet as he is.

I downed almost each and every morsel — and that's after making the rounds to many of the others pitmasters including Ken Callaghan's Kansas City ribs (Blue Smoke, NYC), Jim Hagood's pulled pork shoulder (BlackJack BBQ, Charleston, SC), Ed Mitchell's whole hog with cole slaw (The Pit, Raleigh, NC) and City Grocery's Smoked Crawfish & Okra Hush Puppies.

Yes, yes, I did consume quite a bit of BBQ, so once it was over, I walked a couple miles in the heat (stopping occasionally in air-conditioned stores) to walk off those many delicious calories.

(In this photo, foodies might recognize food writer Ed Levine salivating while Chris Lilly chopped — with a humongous cleaver — the meat for our sandwiches.)

No Comments | Add a comment
Posted in TidBites | On the Road | Food Festivals | Chefs
Trackback Link | Permalink | Email this Bite

I have recently returned from an 8-day vacation in Bulgaria (a present my girlfriend gave me for my 24th birthday). It was my fourth trip to her country and this time we traveled south, to the town of Sandanski, near the border of Macedonia & Greece.

From my understanding, most tourists know Bulgaria for the areas of “Sunny Beach” & Nesseber. These growing destinations on the coast of the Black Sea were also my only perceptions of this country that I first visited in 2004 with a fellow Hotelschool classmate, and resident, Ivan Kalinov.

In the past few years, with a combination of over-construction in building new hotel properties, the inflated prices from an influx of tourism and the joining of the European Union, this area has become an overrun “wasteland” compared to the serene sandy beaches it used to offer.

It was time to explore the country and bit more (I had wanted to go skiing but my girlfriend talked me into a “quiet” trip to the south). We packed into the car and headed in the direction of the capital Sofia, toward the town of Sandanski. While exploring the surrounding area, we stumbled over the town of Melnik.

Aside from the beautiful landscapes and the ever-present cultural differences, I love Bulgaria for its food & drink. As you might have read in my past writings, I am a gourmand of the simpler foods in life, and Melnik (the smallest “town” in Bulgaria) is on my top ten places in the world for its food and wine offerings.

Disregarding the fact that the village was one of the first in Bulgaria to produce wine (resulting in a variety of vineyards and some very good tasting cheap wine), it also offers a delicious array of food, also found throughout the country.

1. Shopska Salad (tomato, cucumber, green pepper & Sirene cheese)
2. Lutaneetsa (a smoked red pepper puree)
3. Banitza (a “bread” made with layered dough, Sirene cheese and milk)

…Enjoy Good Travel & Good Eats…

- posted by Eric

View 1 Comment | Add a comment
Posted in TidBites | On the Road
Trackback Link | Permalink | Email this Bite

While in Miami last week for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I slipped across the causeway for a sampling of the creative cuisine of Clay Conley (a Todd English protégé) at Azul at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. Fine dining with service the way it should be - there when you need it, but not hovering.

Don't let his boyish charm fool you, Clay Conley's mature talent comes through in each of his unpretentious dishes where he adds an Asian twist to Mediterranean flavors.

Two of my favorite combinations included a delicate braised veal shank ravioli with caramelized onions, Parmesan cheese and black truffle butter. I opted to top it with shaved truffles. Truly ethereal. $21, with a $15 supplement for the addition of the truffles. (Served with Philippe Colin '04 Premier Cru, Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes)

The other was a delicately seared Nantucket bay scallops in a hazelnut infused butternut squash soup, topped with ginger foam. $22. (Served with Luigi Ferrando, Nebbiolo, Carema, Piedmont, Italy 2003)

Sommelier Cynthia Betancourt perfectly matched those listed wines to each course. Interestingly, the first woman sommelier I had met — Annie Turso — was on the opening team of Asiate at the New York City Mandarin Oriental. She's now at Thomas Keller's Per Se (NYC).

Next time you're in Miami, don't miss Azul — especially if you're on an expense account.

Azul in the Mandarin Oriental, Miami, 500 Brickell Key Drive; 305. 913.8254

No Comments | Add a comment
Posted in TidBites | Dining | On the Road | Restaurants
Trackback Link | Permalink | Email this Bite

Located on 30th Street in Miami Beach (FL), the more tranquil north side of South Beach, The Palms hotel was just far enough from the South Beach Wine and Food Festival — held on the beach from 10th Street to 14th Street — to walk-off some of the incredible delicacies I consumed during the festivities.

The Palms, a family-owned hotel, is getting a facelift. They're in the midst of adding a spa (Who isn't?) and upgrading their rooms.

I wanted to share with you this unusual soup I sampled at the hotel. From the name you'd think it would be sweet, but it's not. Instead the acidity of the yellow tomatoes balances the sweetness of the mangoes. My preference, though, would be to stir in some diced jalapeño pepper or a few drops of Tabasco sauce.

(Since this just arrived in my inbox, I have not kitchen-tested it.)

Executive Chef Gerd Richter’s Tropical Mango Gazpacho

4 cups water
4 peeled and diced ripe mangoes
1 cup mango puree
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 yellow Spanish onion, diced
8 yellow tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2 European cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon white pepper
1 Tablespoon salt
For garnish: 8 crispy plantain chips

Process all the ingredients (except garnish) in a blender until smooth. Serve in martini glass garnished with plantain chips and fresh cilantro. Makes 8 servings.

Note: The chef garnished my serving with the plantain and diced red, yellow and green peppers

No Comments | Add a comment
Posted in TidBites | On the Road | Recipes
Trackback Link | Permalink | Email this Bite

Wanting to take a short (4-day) safari during my recent trip to Africa, I was instructed to “Skip the Serengeti and head to the Selous”. Three times larger than the Serengeti and twice the size of Belgium, the Selous is the largest protected game reserve on the African continent. Instead of being in a jeep all day, our safari experience included both a river ride and a walking safari as well.

I listened and was glad I did.

We arrived at the Selous Riverside Safari Camp after a 5 1/2-hour Land Cruiser ride from Dar es Salaam, mostly on unpaved roads. The camp is located on the banks of the Rufiji River, a few kilometers outside the game reserve. When we arrived we were presented with icy-cold washcloths and fresh-chilled fruit juice by Sharon Moore and John Anderson.

Sharon, raised in Swaziland, had arrived at the camp the previous month, just in time for a visit from Tanzania’s president. John Anderson, from Mozambique, had been there about six months — since the camp opened. Our welcome was exceptionally royal, as we learned later that Sharon and John had been incorrectly informed that I was a Zanzibarian hotel magnate. Wrong. We ended up having the entire camp and staff to ourselves.

During one dinner on the deck overlooking the Rufiji, our servers placed bowls of peppery pumpkin soup in front of us. It was so delicious we had to restrain ourselves from licking the bowls. When asked, Chef Fadhil Kondo Mangala gladly provided his recipe to me. I recreated it using butternut squash.

To make Chef Fadhil Kondo Mangala’s Peppery Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash) Soup, cook 1 peeled, seeded and cubed melon-size pumpkin or large butternut squash, 1 medium-sized chopped onion, and 2 cloves mashed garlic in 2 tablespoons butter in a stock pot over medium heat for 15 minutes until the squash and onion are tender. Add 4 cups water and 2 stock cubes (or one 32-ounce container chicken broth), bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse black pepper and salt to taste. (The amount will vary depending on the stock cubes or broth you added.)

Either use an immersion blender to purée the soup or let it cool slightly, then process in a blender to purée. Taste and adjust seasoning. The soup should be peppery. Just before serving stir in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Selous Riverside Safari Camp. About $195 a night from October thru March, includes breakfast, a picnic lunch and dinner; +255 22 2128161; www.selousriversidecamp.com

No Comments | Add a comment
Posted in TidBites | On the Road
Trackback Link | Permalink | Email this Bite