Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables will host its 32nd Food and Garden Festival April 30 and May 1, 2011 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm featuring culinary demos, a farmer’s market, lectures about gardening, and more. Tickets $25 for adults, $18 for seniors and $12 for children 6-17. For additional information click here. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Cables, FL 305-667-1651 - guest contributor
In just a year the website www.allergyeats.com continues to help individuals with food intolerances. The site lists over 600,000 US restaurants with their menus, helping to take the guess work out of restaurant dining for those dealing with food allergies. With over 12 million Americans with a food allergy, this site is helping to make eating out a more enjoyable experience. The site contains information and acts as a community as people can share their restaurant experiences, which also aides in helping others out. Allergy eats contains information for a variety of allergens ranging from a peanut to a shellfish allergy with lots more in between. For more information on [...]
From sea to shining sea, there’s no shortage of U.S. restaurants to delight even the pickiest of eaters. And with more then 20,000 eateries in New York City alone, it seems nearly impossible to choose only 101 to deem the “Best Restaurants in America,” as the editors of TheDailyMeal.com have just done. Their picks for this list represents the diverse offerings of a country that knows good food. While three of the top five restaurants located in Manhattan, the list does showcase several small-town eateries. Topping the list are both Thomas Keller’s French Laundry (Napa Valley, CA) and Per Se (NYC). Eric Ripert’s (NYC) Le Bernadin is third, Daniel (NYC) [...]
OPUS Hotel Montreal and KOKO Restaurant + Bar announced the appointment of Michele Forgione as Executive Chef. Michele Forgione is redefining the Montreal dining experience. His new KOKO Restaurant + Bar contemporary market cuisine blends modern clean flavors with Western culinary techniques and Quebec specialties using the freshest of ingredients. With seafood starters, including seared scallops with panelle and caper brown butter; mains, from homemade ricotta gnocchi and seared Quebec duck breast, to sushi-grade Japanese rolls of Unagi and sockeye salmon to sea bass and Oka cheese, Chef Forgione's new menu is set to gratify even the most seasoned palates. For more information and the complete menu, click here. KOKO [...]
For three days only from March 4 - 6, 2011, the Peanut Butter & Co. and the National Peanut Butter Board will host The Nutropolitan Museum of Art — an exhibit of peanut butter and jelly art at the Open House Gallery at 201 Mulberry Street, New York. Activities include making your own art in the PB&J art studio and meeting some of America's peanut farmers. This free event will be open on Friday, March 4 and Saturday March 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, and on Sunday, March 6 from from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees will receive a free jar of peanut butter and Peanut Butter and [...]
Surry Farms Surryano Ham — a product from S. Wallace Edwards & Sons and also selected as a FeaturedBite by the Bite of the Best team — was chosen as one 71 of selected as a the Good Food Awards inaugural winning products from across the nation. These products represent American craft food producers who excel in superior taste and sustainability. The Good Food Awards, which were presented at the historic San Francisco Ferry Building in January, were created through a collaboration of food producers, farmers, food journalists and independent grocers organized by Seedlings Projects. Their seal recognizes the product's contributions toward creating a more tasty, authentic and responsible food [...]
Beat the cold weather with a free cup of soup! On Thursday, February 24th, Bruegger's Bagels locations around Connecticut will be participating in the first-ever "Free Soup Day" from 12pm-2pm, that includes locations New Haven, Wallingford, Hamden, Shelton, Trumbull, New Canaan and Orange. As the name suggests, guests will be treated to a free cup of soup — no coupon is required. Guests are encouraged to make a donation to the Connecticut Food Bank, as food contributions decline after the holiday season. Every donation makes a difference to the families in Connecticut who struggle to keep food on the table. Local Connecticut soup kitchens, food banks and shelters will benefit [...]
Chef Terrence Maul recently took the helm as Executive Chef at his Mystic restaurant Latitude 41°. Maul has cooked at James Beard events and for Deepak Chopra. He heralds from Ming Tsai’s Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA, having begun his career at Geronimo’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Maul’s food philosophy is simple – look to local farmers and fishermen for the freshest ingredients, while utilizing an American melting pot of cultures and flavors to deliver a unique culinary experience. Latitude 41° participates in the Farm to Chef CT program. In his new role, Maul oversees all food operations at the restaurant including banquets, off-site catering, special events and weekly [...]
Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, mái cuisine — the new Japanese fast-casual dining experience that launched in September — is now also open Monday through Friday from 5:30 pm to 9 pm for dinner. Now mái cuisine offers both a sit-down restaurant and grab-and-go deli. Focusing on fresh, all-natural ingredients and featuring several sustainable seafood options, mái cuisine offers grab-and-go sushi and sozai (antipasti), customizable pick-and-pack bento boxes, seasonally inspired items, onigiri, hot udon noodles and salads and soups. Some items only on the dinner menu include watercress and daikon salad with yuzu dressing, glazed saltwater eel sushi and pork chop katsu and a prix-fixe “Build Your Own [...]
On National Pie Day, Sunday, January 23rd, Rockland, ME — dubbed “Pie Town USA” by the Food Network when Bobby Flay visited for a pie throwdown — is planning their annual pie-a-thon from 1:00 – 5:00pm when the Historic Inns of Rockland are joined by town businesses and restaurants to welcome hungry pie eaters to the town for the 7th Annual Pies on Parade Pie Tour. The Inns of Rockland will offer tours of their facilities along with keepsake recipe collection and plenty of pie to sample. Move aside Mom’s apple pie, Rockland’s inns and restaurants will serve up everything from Shepherds Pie, Cornish Meat Pasties and gourmet Pizza Pies [...]
The famed Nicoise restaurant La Petite Maison, a historic 21-year old venue has landed in NYC. The doors just opened this month in the space formerly housed by Atria on W 54th Street behind the MoMa. Boasting two floors of French elegance, the NYC outpost of La Petite Maison is a dining option added to the Midtown neighborhood. The food is in the hands of chef Alain Allegretti (Allegretti, Atelier, Le Cirque 2000) as consulting corporate chef and Arno Busquet (La Guerite in Cannes), a Joel Robuchon protege, as chef de cuisine. Long time fans of La Petite Maison will relish in the familiar signature dishes intended for sharing. The [...]
The Barcelona Restaurant Group's Andy Pforzheimer and Sasa Mahr-Batuz received the Restaurateurs of the Year Award from the Connecticut Restaurant Association These restaurateurs currently have six locations of Barcelona Wine and Tapas Bars throughout Connecticut (Greenwich, Stamford, South Norwalk, Fairfield, New Haven, and West Hartford), another location set to open in Atlanta, GA in January, and two BarTaco Taqueria and Tequila Bars opening in Port Chester and Stamford in 2011. Barcelona’s concept it to present the Spanish lifestyle through food, drink, and a sense of entertainment at accessible price points. Last year the Barcelona Restaurant Group released the "Barcelona Cookbook, A Celebration of Food, Wine, and Life" (available at the [...]
A few weeks ago Hidden Valley Ranch and The Food Network launched the “Ranch it Up” Recipe Contest to commemorate the great ways to incorporate Hidden Valley products in holiday (and everyday) recipes. Entry is quick, easy and the lucky winner will receive a trip to New York City to meet Melissa d’Arabian, host of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners, and $500 in spending cash. Recipes can be submitted daily, with voting open until January 7th, 2011. To enter, submit a kid-friendly recipe that uses your favorite Hidden Valley Ranch product. Recipes must be entered into one of the following categories: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Main Courses, and Salads. Five finalists [...]
Avenues — in The Peninsula Chicago — received a two star rating by the Michelin Guide. Chef de Cuisine Curtis Duffy has an impressive background including Chef at Charlie Trotter’s, Pastry Chef at Trio and also named one of the “legacy chefs” at the James Beard Awards in May 2010. In addition to the Michelin two stars, Avenues received a four-star ratings from Chicago magazine and Chicago Tribune, a five-diamond rating from AAA, a five-star rating from CS magazine, and Forbes (formerly Mobil) Four Star rating. Avenues features an innovative menu of contemporary and progressive cuisine prepared in an exhibition kitchen, honoring flavors and purity of products with 80 percent [...]
Esperanto, known for Brazilian and Pan-Latin cuisine, has added two taquitos and burgers to their dinner menu. That's in addition to Moqueca Bahiana (shrimp, crab, fish or mixed seafood cooked coconut milk, dende oil, peppers, tomatoes, onions, cashews and served with rice and farofa), Feijoada (pork stew of chorizo, paio sausage, carne seca, rib and black beans with collard greens, rice and farofa), Bolinhos de Peixe (fried potato and cod fish cakes served with spicy mayonnaise) and Pao de Queijo (cheese bread). The new Taquitos de Pescado ($15) features marinated tilapia served with spiced cabbage, mango, beans, home salsa and spicy sour cream; the Esperanto Burger ($13) is a Black [...]
The Wilton Method of cake decorating courses are offered at local craft and specialty stores nationwide. The updated cake decorating class program makes learning to decorate easier and more fun than ever. The new Wilton Method courses feature: • A fun, friendly, experience! • Streamlined curriculum • More practice time with your instructor • Exciting new techniques • More hands-on activity • Easy ways to decorate desserts emphasize Every new student starts with the Decorating Basics class that includes fundamentals of baking a cake, making icing and using a decorating bag as well as the use of a variety of tips. Then, select either Flowers & Cake Design (focused on [...]
The fourteenth annual Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie & Candy Tour will be held December 11 - 12, 2010 from 11 am to 4 pm in Mt Washington Valley, NH, sponsored by the Country Inns in the White Mountains. Tour goers can visit 15 different inns sampling cookies and candies and collecting recipes at each one. The tour stretches from Harts Location to Chocorua, NH and over to Freyburg, ME with inns 15 minutes of less from each other. Manage to visit all 15 inns? Then you’ll receive a commemorative brass ornament — the third in the cookie tour collection. Lodging packages at the inns — including an overnight stay, [...]
Bite of the Best is glad to help support the latest contest from National Pasteurized Eggs. The "Safest Choice: Eggs Your Way! recipe contests invites you to submit your innovative twists on popular recipes featuring raw or gently-cooked* Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs for a chance to win: One (1) Grand Prize $1,000 & Two (2) First Prizes $500. Each winner will receive a one-year's supply of Safest Choice Eggs! For more information on the contest, and for specific details visit: http://www.safeeggs.com/consumers/recipe/ The "Safest Choice: Eggs Your Way! recipe contest" is accepting entries through January 15th 2011! *Popular recipes using raw or gently-cooked eggs such as traditional sunny-side up eggs, [...]
Bubba & Gianni, chef Jean-Stephane Poinard's newest restaurant, opened in "the hammock'" of Palm Coast, FL midway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. The restaurant is a culinary marriage of The South with a dash of Italian. The menu features southern favorites like fried green tomatoes, slow-smoked brisket, fresh vegetables, plenty of seafood, hoe pie and mean low-country boil, in addition to seasonal freshly made pastas, antipasti and home-style Italian specialties. Last month, the restaurant won first place in the appetizer category for their smoked pulled pork egg rolls with Datil dipping sauce at the 4th Annual St. Augustine Datil Pepper Festival at the County Fair. Bubba & Gianni's 5949 N. [...]
Wynwood Kitchen & Bar (WKB), a new brasserie-style restaurant, is slated to open Friday, November 26, 2010. Goldman Properties’ Jessica Goldman Srebnick and her partner and father, developer Tony Goldman, are putting finishing touches restaurant, with aclassic, farm-to-table and international menu created by master chef Marco Ferraro, of their award-winning South Beach restaurant, Wish. Starters include sautéed garlicky mussels in a tomato broth, and local tomato gazpacho with cucumber, watermelon and house made croutons ($8 and $10). A selection of house made sausages, ($7 and $9), range from savory beef with spicy mustard to lamb with cumin spiked yogurt dip. Clay pots (served in half and full portions, $9 to [...]
