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Food Network’s New York City Wine & Food Festival: The Good and the ….

The New York City Wine & Food Festival had more events than a person could attend. I know as I tried. Some were fabulous, some good with one having me note on my calendar, "Skip in 2010." Chelsea Market After Dark hosted by Guy Fieri and Sandra Lee was one of the fabulous opening night parties held from 9 p.m. - midnight ($95)worth every penny of the entry fee. With the shops open for sampling, I was able to try decent sized portions of goodies from Amy’s Bread, Fat Witch Bakery, The Lobster Place, Buddakan, Chelsea Wine Vault, Sarabeth’s and Jacques Torres Chocolate (with handsome Jacques Torres, himself serving those [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:28-04:00November 9th, 2009|Rambling, USA Travel, xyz misc|1 Comment
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StarChefs.com New York Rising Stars Tasting Menu – Boston Next

StarChefs.com's 2009 International Chefs Congress ended with a gala tasting high-concept cooking done by the 2009 New York Rising Stars held at the Mandarin Oriental (Columbus Circle).  Each dish was paired with ultra-premium wines selected the the Rising Star Sommelier Claire Paparazzo from Blue Hill. We began the evening sipping Palmes d'Or Champagne and nibbling yummy Pertossian caviar on a buckwheat waffle, with each indentation filled with either caviar or chopped red onion, egg yolk or egg white —  a dish created by host chef Brandon Kida from the hotel's Asiate restaurant. Once the doors opened to the tasting room, we sampled the chef's delicacies and the matching wine. Since [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:29-04:00October 26th, 2009|Foodie Interviews, USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, CT, Worth the Trip

Most things change dramatically, but not Farmington's Hill-Stead Museum. I first visited the museum many moons ago when doing a story on Connecticut art museums for Yankee magazine's travel guide. Hill-Stead is a home — 152-acre farmstead built about 1900 — tucked in the hills overlooking the Farmington Valley where almost nothing has changed since owner and architect Theodate Pope Riddle died in the 1940s. That's because her will, leaving the house as a museum in her parent's memory, stipulated that everything stays put! You can enjoy original works seen nowhere but here.  Collections include original furnishings, paintings by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, James M. Whistler and Mary [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:31-04:00September 29th, 2009|USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Chicago Edition: Skydeck Chicago’s Ledge: All Hype

I couldn't wait to walk out on the ledge. I had seen it when it first opened to the public in July. The Skydeck was on every national and local news with all the hype about your breath being taken away as you walked out onto the thick glass bay that juts out from the 103rd floor of the former Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. I called ahead to make arrangements with the media office as I was in Chicago for a conference with little time to spare as I had meetings all day and dinner plans at night. I took the elevator to what I thought was where the Skydeck [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:32-04:00September 11th, 2009|USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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27th American Wine & Food Festival

The 27th American Wine & Food Festival is upon us! For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.AWFF.org. The celebration, benefiting Los Angeles chapters of Meals on Wheels, takes place October 2-4 on the Universal Studios Back Lot. Pre-Sale Tickets and VIP Perks to this amazing epicurean event, hosted by the Wolfgang Puck, are now available! The American Wine & Food Festival, hosted by the Puck- Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, is serving up a world-class culinary celebration. This star-studded food Festival taking place October 2 - 4, 2009, in Los Angeles, features world-renowned chefs, vintners and spirit purveyors at the most anticipated epicurean event of the year. The Festival features [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:22:03-04:00August 7th, 2009|Foodie Interviews, Other happenings, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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From Iberia to Latin America: Second Stop Bespoke Restaurant

"Where do I get green apple juice?" asked Arturo Franco-Camacho, as he smiled and sliced a green apple before putting it through a juicer. "Simple!" The rooftop of Bespoke restaurant was the second stop of the From Iberia to Latin America foodie tour at the Arts & Ideas Festival this past weekend. If you haven't yet dined al fresco at Bespoke (266 College Street, New Haven, 203.562.4544), make a plan to do so this summer. It's up two flights of stairs, but it's worth the walk - and it's obviously only open weather permitting. Tour participants enjoyed Arturo Franco-Camacho's cooking demonstration of the Apple-Inspired Ceviche -- consisting of shrimp, scallops, [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:40-04:00June 17th, 2009|Foodie Interviews, USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Earthbound Farm Organic Luncheon

Earthbound Farm recently hosted a luncheon at their California organic farm stand for the media attending the  "Cooking for Solutions" conference at Monterey Bay Aquarium. This spot is home to a 30-acre organic farm, market and one of the country’s first certified organic kitchens. (The "Cooking for Solutions" conference held earlier this month addressed critical issues around ways to move sustainable and organic foods deeper into the culinary mainstream. Stay tuned for more info in additional TidBites.) After a tour of Earthbound Farm —  the nation’s leading grower of organic produce that was started in 1984 by Myra Goodman and her husband Drew — we were served a luscious array [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:21:08-04:00May 27th, 2009|USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|1 Comment
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Iron Chef Atlanta

Battle Rhubarb... Allez Cuisine!!! A recent fundraiser for the Atlanta Dogwood Festival took on an interesting dimension when it adopted the 'Iron Chef' format. Guests to the event were privy to a selection of silent auction items, passed appetizers (a pimento cheese 'slider' impressing most) and wine... all while taking in the competitive 'battle' between two local chefs. The secret ingredient was rhubarb (oddly, a rather Northeastern ingredient by my account). Shaun Doty represented his restaurant (aptly named Shaun's) while Chip Ulbrich showed what South City Kitchen was all about. The pair produced a dinner for the judges; Chip offering an entree of seared pork belly atop a sweet potato, [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:46-04:00April 7th, 2009|Foodie Interviews, Other happenings, USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|2 Comments
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Sneak Peek of New Haven’s International Festival of Art & Ideas

Get a sneak peek of  June's International Festival of Arts & Ideas at one or more of the activities planned from January 26 through 30, 2009. If you're not familiar with it, the Festival — scheduled this year from June 13 to June 27, 2009 — brings together artists and thinkers from around the world and from your backyard to celebrate both commonalities and diversity. I'm thrilled to be moderating the panel of New Haven chefs, as well as leading both of the restaurant tours.  Be sure to get your tickets before the sell out! Calendar of events: Monday January 26 at 5:30pm —A conversation on global flavors with some of [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:51-04:00January 9th, 2009|Other happenings, USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|4 Comments
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Craft Restaurant Atlanta – Tom Colicchio

Recently, I was lucky enough to get to attend a media event for the opening of Tom Colicchio's (of restaurant empire and 'Top Chef' fame) newest restaurant, Craft Atlanta. Craft is the latest dining experience to be added to the Rosewood's most recent property, The Mansion on Peachtree. Though the Mansion currently offers an amazing fine-dining, Italian restaruant, NEO (full report to come!)... Craft adds an alternative, casual, upscale element while also delivering with its renowned, excellent food. Chef Colicchio hosted the casual event, ducking questions about current Top Chef developments and entertaining the lunch crowd with antics from the dishwashing line a few nights before. Passed apps included samplings [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:53-04:00December 14th, 2008|Foodie Interviews, Other happenings, USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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Serenbe – Les Dames d’Escoffier – Food Festival

I love finding new things (in general). I truly love finding new foodie things. I absolutely love a new discovery that much more when it's right under my nose! This was my reaction to Serenbe, a self-sustained food 'village' located about 40 minutes South of Atlanta. "I had no idea this existed!" I chirped to my good friend 'Sous' (an elaborately derived nickname stemming from being my partner in foodie shenanigans). "Well, you don't know Atlanta and haven't ever tried to" she replied. "Valid point" was my only response. If I had even thought there was something like this buried in the obscure Southern counties of Atlanta, I would have [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:20:53-04:00December 1st, 2008|USA Restaurants, USA Travel, xyz misc|1 Comment
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Slow Food Nation – San Francisco

I'm almost a bit ashamed to admit that I had not heard about Slow Food until a few weeks back. The movement was started in Italy in 1986 as a counterbalance to what the founding members saw as the degradation of their food culture by fast-food and prepackaged supermarkets. Though, like every group, they've got some oddities... I found Slow Food to be quite interesting; here is a bit about them and their upcoming festival. The movement notes their philosophy in saying, "We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. [...]

By |2017-09-01T16:48:58-04:00July 28th, 2008|USA Travel|0 Comments
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The Humble Start-Up of the South Beach Festival

In 1997, about 450 people attended a Sunday afternoon "Florida Extravaganza," held on the Biscayne Bay campus of Florida International University (FIU). Before scheduling the date, the event organizers consulted the Miami Dolphin's schedule. "If there was a game, no one would come," explained Joe West, Dean of School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, FIU, the mastermind behind the food festival concept. The South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBE) — as it's been called since 2002 when it was relocated to South Beach and reinvented by Lee Brian Schrager, Director of Special Events at Southern Wine and Spirits — just hosted over 50 events with 35,000 attendees. It has [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:21:04-04:00March 4th, 2008|Other happenings, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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The Moët & Chandon Bubble Q 2008 at the South Beach Festival

This past Friday evening's Bubble Q at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival offered free-flowing Moët & Chandon and incredible foods prepared by celebrity chefs. Lots of Bites of the Best at this event. Entering the tent, someone placed a lariat around my neck to hold my champagne glass so that my hands were free to eat! (You can sort of see this ingenious contraption in this photo of me and Parade's Fran Carpentier.) With both hands free to grab the plates filled with tasty tidbits, we sampled most everything. Everything included the BBQ offerings of about 25 chefs. This was no ordinary barbecue as you can see below [...]

By |2017-08-31T16:21:05-04:00February 29th, 2008|Other happenings, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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South Beach (SOBE) Wine & Food Festival After Parties…

After nibbling the scrumptious morsels served at the Bubble Q, off we went to eat and drink some more at an after party in the penthouse of the Raleigh Hotel in honor of Jean-George Vongerichten hosted by Emeril Lagasse and Lee Brian Schrager. The Perrier-Jouët and other libations flowed while we mingled with the hoity toity, food celebrities and more. Ah, the life of a food writer. 1. Me, Jean-George and Restaurant Business's Pat Cobe 2. Emeril and me 3. Travel & Leisure's Ted Lee and me 4. Me and South Beach Festival Director Lee Schrager (no relationship to entrepreneur Ian Schrager) 1. 234

By |2017-08-31T16:21:05-04:00February 27th, 2008|Other happenings, USA Travel, xyz misc|0 Comments
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