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New Orlean's Coolinary Event

 The annual summer restaurant promotion COOLinary New Orleans will kick off August 1! Enjoy mouthwatering three-course menus priced at $20 or less for lunch and $34 or less for dinner. We love these types of events as it offers a wonderful and affordable way to sample many new restaurants and destination.

A sample of some of the restaurants that have already announced their participation include: Antoine’s Restaurant, Bombay Club, Bourbon House Seafood (Yum), Mulate’s Cajun Restaurant (decent food better live music nightly), Royal Palm Restaurant, The Pelican Club and Tujaque’s Restaurant. Last year there were over 30 locations participating in the event.

More establishments are signing on daily. Special pricing runs August 1st through September 30th.  For more info visit: http://welivetoeatnola.com/

Yes, I’ve let life get in the way and have neglected my duties as the chief foodie guy. I promise to do better and get back on top of the culinary happenings.  As a peace offering I give you a little entertainment to kick start this blog. Enjoy!

 This little number is courtesy of the Pizza Express Acrobats at the London Restaurant Festival last fall.  Of course every time I hear this Survivor song I am reminded of the Weird Al version, “Theme from Rocky XIII.” So without further ado…

 Our upcoming trips for 2010 will be out later this week and we have some great trips planned. Talk to you soon!

Rain. New York City has been deluged by rain since I arrived yesterday. But that is okay because this weekend is focused on Italian food and culture. This weekend boast the San Gennero Festival, the largest oldest religious festival in the country with an expected 2 million attendees over the two weeks of the festival. In addition we will be eating our way through Manhattan and exploring the Bronx Ferragosto Festival.

Yesterday we braved the element to travel to Mulberry Street and Little Italy for the San Gennero Festival. The street was fairly empty due to the downpour but some vendors were open.

San Gennero Festival Little ItalyRaining day at festival

 

 After walking around for awhile I decided it was time for dinner. The restaurants along the festival route had employees cajoling passersby to stop in as they offered the best Italian food in the city. Really – they all cant be the best. So I picked one at random and boy am I glad I did.

 

 

Da Gennero Restaurant (corner of Mulberry and Hester)

 

I had dinner at a Da Gennero Restaurant (corner of Mulberry and Hester). I ordered penne alla cacciatore (penne pasta with chicken breast, mushrooms, onions and peppers). Very good but the standout was the bread and oil the came with the meal. The olive oil was high quality OOVO with garlic, basil, pepper and a Romano cheese. I admit that I ate half a loaf of bread with it. Some before and after photos.

 

Penne Alla Cacciatora

 

 

After the feast

 

Following dinner I continued my stroll through Little Italy before heading back to my Times Square Hotel. Great start to our weekend in New York City.

Culinary Oregon Contest

Ever dreamt of being a vintner, a chef, a chocolatier or other culinary genius? Travel Oregon is calling all food and drink enthusiasts to fulfill their dreams by applying for a cuisine internship, or “Cuisinternship” (pronounced: quiz-een-turn-ship).

Seven winners will be selected to win all-expenses paid trips (airfare, lodging and $1,000 meal stipend) to spend one week shadowing an Oregon expert in his or her field of culinary crafts. The contest opens today as part of Travel Oregon’s largest statewide tourism promotion, Oregon Bounty, celebrating the state’s culinary products and the artisans who make them.

Oregon Bounty Cuisinternships are offered in the following categories:

• Artisan Food Producer: Become a culinary artisan in Southern Oregon with chocolatier Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms and cheese maker David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery
• Brew Master: Turn hops and grains into craft beer with brew master Jamie Emmerson of Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery
• Chef: Immerse yourself in Portland’s dynamic food scene working alongside chef Gabe Rucker–one of Portland’s culinary provocateurs–learning how to turn out inventive, gourmet meals that delight diners at the award-winning Le Pigeon restaurant
• Rancher: Saddle up and herd cattle while learning sustainable ranching on two of Eastern Oregon’s Country Natural Beef ranches with the Pickard and Boyer families, who have been in the business for generations
• Fisherman: Head out to sea with charter boat skipper Lars Robison of Dockside Charters and learn the fine art of catching the Oregon Coast’s prized wild salmon and rockfish
• Winemaker: Walk the Willamette Valley vineyards of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars with renowned vintner Lynn Penner-Ash, learning the hands-on techniques involved in vineyard designate winemaking
• Distiller: Get an advanced degree in mixology and learn about Oregon’s booming craft spirits industry with distiller Jim Bendis of Central Oregon’s Bendistillery.

“Oregon has a rich and varied culinary landscape,” said Travel Oregon’s Director of Brand Strategy Holly Macfee. “It’s a down-to-earth-place where visitors can meet the people who craft the wine and beer, grow the produce, cultivate the cheese and create the chocolate confections,” she explains. “We’re inviting foodies to enjoy Oregon’s culinary abundance, whether through a Cuisinternship or a self-guided tour with family or friends. Our online culinary trip planner is now available to help travelers research, plan and organize the details of their next visit.”

To enter the Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest, applicants must submit a short video, along with a statement containing no more than 140 characters, describing why they are the best candidate at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. Seven winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Oregon to shadow their mentor for one week. Entries must be submitted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18. A panel of judges, including the Cuisinternship mentors, will select winners which will be announced beginning Sept. 28.

To give entrants an idea of what they can anticipate on their trip, Travel Oregon produced video vignettes of each culinary mentor and the experience their Cuisinternship offers (view them here: www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty). A longer video will also be available, which follows Chef Gabe Rucker as he visits the seven cuisine-related locations and mentors with the goal of making the perfect Oregon meal. The video culminates with all participants gathering together for an Oregon feast at Rucker’s restaurant, Le Pigeon in Portland, where the culinary masters discuss why they consider Oregon to be the ultimate foodie destination.

For a complete list of contest rules, and to enter, visit www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty.

Before Food Network, before Anthony Bourdain, before Emeril, before … well anyone cooking  on TV there was Julia Child. She is the godmother of the celebrity chef’s that have so taken over popular culture.  Like many of my generation I grew up watching her program on PBS (along with the Raging Cajun chef Justin Wilson).

This past weekend I went to an afternoon matinee of the new move Julie & Julia about a struggling writer’s need to channel Julia Child to have meaning in her life.  The film is based on two books, Julie Power’s “Julie & Julia” and Julia Child’s memoir “My Life In France” about her time in post WWII Paris and Marseilles when she was working on her classic tome on French cooking. 

Julie (Amy Adams) decides that spending exactly one year cooking all 524 recipes in Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and writing a blog about the adventure will provide her the focus she needs to jumpstart her life/career. The Julia (Meryl Steep) portion of the film deals with her efforts to break into the old boys cooking club at Le Cordon Blue and her struggles to write a French cook book that is accessible to Americans.

 Honestly the reason to see the film is because of Streep’s portrayal of Julia Child. She is simply amazing to watch and the film lights up whenever she is on screen. Amy Adams does a fine job as the modern day writer, but the film seems diminished whenever the focus shifts off Child.

To be fair Streep has the more compelling storyline. Her Julia battles chauvinism, a publishing industry that doesn’t understand what she is trying to accomplish with her book and a larger than life personality that outshines those around her. Steep completly inhabits the spirit of Julia Child. And thumbs up to Stanley Tucci as her understanding and patient husband Paul. He is one of the best actors around - you must watch his performance as Primo in “Big Night” if you are any type of foodie at all. (As an aside the companion cookbook for the film “Cucina & Famiglia : Two Italian Families Share Their Stories, Recipes, And Traditions” is excellent and has the recipe for the film’s famous big feast centerpiece Timpano.)

Below is an interview Streep does with Harry Smith of Good Morning America:

My wife and I recently saw the new film Food, Inc.  It was quite an eye-opener. We try to eat as much organic, locally grown food as possible and this film just reinforced that decision.  As a person with a background in public policy I strongly supported the comments in the documentary from Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, an organic farm in rural Virginia.  He said:

“Imagine what it would be if as a national policy the idea would be to have such nutritionally dense food that people actually felt better, had more energy and weren’t sick as much. Now that’s a noble goal.”

Official Trailer - Food, Inc.

To find a location where the film is playing near you, please click here.

I have mentioned before how much I enjoy receiving the course offerings brochure from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.  Well I was reviewing September’s classes and noticed that during our upcoming Italian Food & Festival Tour of New York City (9/11-14), ICE is offering a number of Italian theme cooking classes for that weekend.

As if there wasn’t enough reasons to join us in New York, here are eight more:

• Italian Cheese & Wine
• Pizza In Rome
• Basics of Tuscan Cooking
• The Italian Steakhouse
• Essentials of Sicilian Cooking
• Arthur Ave Walking Tour
• Essentials of Tuscan Cooking
• Pizza, Pizza - A Class For Mom & Dads w/kids

I am planning on attending the Italian Steakhouse class for Saturday evening. The menu looks absolutely wonderful!

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

9/12/09 - The Italian Steakhouse:Bold, natural flavors dominate the steak tradition of Italy, and you’ll learn to prepare two versions—Florentina and Pizzaiola. You’ll also make the classic accompaniments to these dishes, a trio of great starters and one fabulous dessert. On the menu: Bistecca alla Fiorentina (classic grilled porterhouse flavored with olive oil, lemon and garlic); Bistecca Pizzaiola (seared strip steak garnished with tomato sauce); Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms; Bruschetta with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes; Grilled Shrimp with Rosemary; Tuscan Bean Purée with Sage; Sautéed Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins; Risotto Milanese; and Tiramisu.
Duration: 4.5hrs
Time: 6:00pm to 10:30pm
Instructor: Daniel Stone
Tuition: $125 per person

We’ve updated our Italian Food & Festivals weekend by adding a walking and tasting tour of Greenwich Village, which is still steeped in its ethnic Italian origin. During our three hours guided tasting tour we will make stops at Italian specialty foods stores, an olive oil company, a 100-year old Italian meat store, bakeries and a couple of pizza shops. It should be a wonderful addition to our weekend.

We still have some availability for the Italian Food & Festivals Weekend. The 3nt/4day tour starts at only $579 per person, double occupancy. Contact our office at 888-685-0260 or email jstacy@itsyourtrip.com to sign up.

Bon Appetit!

As a self styled foodie and marketing professional I was immediately hooked on the idea of combining the two activities.  TasteCasting is the brainchild of CONET member Dan Harris. His idea was to bring socially connected people using social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Youtube together to help local food service businesses build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items and generally great buzz about food establishments. What a wonderful marketing idea to leverage the social networks to help out restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and other food service businesses grow and get the word out about their services.

You can view the photostream of the Tasting on Flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36498169@N04/sets/72157615602754718/

Or watch this video that was posted on Youtube:

 
I can vouch for the quality of pastries and tasty culinary creations of the Suisse Shop European Bakery. My perosnal favorite is their Italian Cassatta Cake. They are located at 2119 Polaris Parkway, Columbus OH 43240 (Phone: 614-846-5102). Website:  http://www.thesuisseshop.com/

If you are of a similar age as me you may remember the old Sears and Roebuck Holiday Catalog. These massive phonebook sized wish books would provide hours of entertainment flipping through them to see what secrets they revealed. As a child I remember searching through it trying to glean what neat new toy or gift to ask Santa.

I had a flashback of the recently when the New York City Institute of Culinary Education’s Summer 2009 catalog arrived in my mailbox. While it is not as massive as the old Sears Catalog it is still jam packed with hours of delightful diversions.  ICE’s recreational cooking program boasts the largest hands-on cooking program in the world and looking at the dozens and dozens of courses I would have no reason to doubt the claim.

Their courses cover the basics of knife work and kitchen craft to regional tastes and cooking classes. They bring together celebrity chefs, cookbook authors and local culinary stars to teach their courses. The classes range from a couple of hours to a couple of days.

One of the more impressive offerings is a five day “Global Culinary Adventure of New York City.” The class explores China flavors, French, Italian, Latin influences and final American. The program includes hands-on cooking lessons, tours of ethnic neighborhoods visiting some well-known and off the beaten path markets, plus you will visit six restaurants that exemplify New York’s global influences. The course is offered twice during the next six months: June 22-26 and Oct 19-23rd. It is listed at a very reasonable $1250 for the classes and tastings. Hotel and transfers are extra. If you are interested in the program you can contact us at jstacy@itsyourtrip.com or ICE directly at 212-847-0700. 

Ice Summer Catalog

This past weekend my wife and I traveled to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival.  While there we visited two interesting museums - The National Crime & Punishment Museum and the International Spy Museum.  The Crime and Punishment Museum hosts the production studios of Americas Most Wanted TV show. Both were a good way to spend a rainy Saturday in DC. 

The highlight was the weekend was riding our bikes from Old Town Alexandria to the Cherry Blossom Festival on Sunday.  We rode along the Mount Vernon Trail which is a very scenic bike trail that follows the Potomac River past Reagan National Airport and into the District. Alas, I had two flat tires before we decided to return to Alexandria and take the Metro to the Cherry Blossom Festival. Still the ride was very enjoyable.

On Monday we drove to Mount Vernon to visit George Washington’s estate. I was very surprised that we spent five hours there. I was only expecting to stay a couple of hours but it was very interesting and historical site.

Here are some pictures of the blossoms along the Tidal Basin:

2009 Cherry Blossom Festival

2009 Cherry Blossom Festival - Jefferson Memorial

2009 Cherry Blossom Festival - Pagoda

 We stayed at the Hotel Monaco - Old Town Alexandria for our trip and enjoyed it very much.  Old Town Alexandria is the third-oldest historic district in the United States and is a wonderful base to visit DC, which is a 20-minute metro ride away. The city offers a complimentary trolley the goes up and down King Street from the Metro Stop to the Waterfront so you can enjoy the many shops, restaurants and boutiques along the street. 

Enjoying Old Town Alexandria

I was delighted to find an authentic fish and chip shop a few blocks from our hotel, Eamonn’s Dublin Chipper  (728 King Street, Old Town Alexandria).  The first thing you notice when you walk in is their “Thanks Be To Cod” slogan on the door. The eatery is not very large with seating for maybe a dozen or so people. I guess they must do a fair amount of take away business.

The food is very reminiscent of the fish and chip shops throughout England and Ireland. During my visit they offered both Cod and Grouper along with excellent chips (square cut french fries). Being traditional I choose the Cod and it was very good and flaky. They offer six types of seasoned tarter sauces to choose from including a curry flavor. They also have Guinness on tap which was a nice feature.  Of course they offer deep fried candy bars but I passed on it this time.

I found the food to be of good quality and tasty but a little pricey for what you got. My large cod with regular fries was $11 and the Guinness was $5.25 a glass.  Still the atmosphere and food were a nice way to finish off our visit to DC.  And if you wanted to continue the Irish theme you can head across the street to Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub (718 King Street, Old Town Alexandria) for live Irish Music and a few more Guinness’s. Slainte’

Eammon Fish & Chips