Happening around the World
London Restaurant Festival runs from Monday, October 1 to Monday, October 15, 2012. For additional information or to see a full listing of participating restaurants and their menus, click here. -guest contributor
Sydney’s Crave Food Festival runs from Monday, October 1 to Wednesday, October 31, 2012. For additional information or to see a full listing of participating restaurants and their menus, click here. -guest contributor
The Spanish, I learned, are simply wild for gin and tonics. Oscar carefully poured and mixed ingredients into a large round glass and handed me my drink. It was, truly, the best gin and tonic - light and refreshing. Too many gin and tonics I have had in the U.S. the tonic taste artificially sweetened and overpower the delicate herbal flavors of the gin. This drink was a perfect balance of an aromatic gin complemented, not coated, by the tonic. I asked Oscar what was the secret to his gin and tonic? He said he used G’Vine, a French gin made from grapes grown in the Cognac region. His preferred [...]
Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival runs from Friday, September 28 to Sunday, September 30, 2012. For additional information or to see a full listing of participating restaurants and their menus, click here. -guest contributor
Is there anything better than good food? As with most questions I ask, here comes my own answer. The only thing truly more enjoyable than good food is good food on the road. Travel just seems to make food taste that much better, and good food taste sublime. My girlfriend and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Spain in October and I would be remiss not to mention a few of our foodie highlights. A multi-destination trip, we landed in Madrid with the plan to then drive to Valencia with the final leg comprising of a train to Barcelona, from where we would fly home. While I would [...]
London's Quilon has recently unveiled an authentic “British beer experience” — a 5-course British beer and Indian cuisine pairing menu by Chef Sriram Vishwanathan Aylur. Appetizing combinations include: Baked Black Cod paired with Innis & Gunn Blonde Oak Aged Beer from Edinburgh; Lamb Biryani cooked with traditional Malabar spice paired with Chalky’s Bite from Cornwall. In addition, Quilon’s menus feature ethnic and progressive dishes, with specialties including Spotted Grouper spiced with Chili, Lemon, Mustard and Herbs, Lobster with Mango and Ginger and whole Sea-Bass cooked with chopped Button Onion, Tomato, Lime Juice and Chlli, served wrapped in Banana Leaf. The Quilon Restaurant at 51 Buckingham Gate is a stone’s throw from [...]
Playa del Carmen’s annual Taste of Playa — the Riviera Maya’s premier culinary festival — will take place November 20, 2011, in Parque Fundadores on the shores of the Mexican Caribbean. This day-long event will offer an opportunity to sample a wide variety of cuisines created by many of the region’s local chefs. Over 40 restaurants, bars and specialty food merchants from the area will offer their signature dishes to a crowd that is anticipated to exceed 7000 people. Taste of Playa is a community-oriented culinary event that celebrates the creativity and diverse cultural influences of chefs on the shores of the Mexican Caribbean. The event is open to the [...]
Enjoy a three-day, two-night stay in the picturesque French Riviera and VIP access to the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival (May 12-23), courtesy of the festival’s official beer partner Stella Artois. Survey the beautiful scenery and enjoy free meals at your hotel, Le Manoir de L’Etang, a 19th century manor house that was once home to Pablo Picasso. Then, travel to the festival in style with free transportation. Once there, get access to the festival’s red carpet, VIP events, select film screenings and the Stella Artois hospitality area! One lucky grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two to the Cannes International Film Festival; value about $5000. PRIZES INCLUDE • [...]
I heard a very interesting announcement recently about the launch of Estrella Damm INEDIT, a beer specifically created for food pairings. This artisinal beverage is crafted by Ferran Adrià & Juli Soler (elBulli chef & sommelier) and Estrella Damm, the ubiquitous brewer of Barcelona. How can you argue with this product!? This incredible beer is already highly lauded within talented circles of the culinary community. INEDIT was introduced to the US during an event hosted by Dan Barber at his restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Barber was recently awarded Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and named the nation’s Top Chef by the James Beard Foundation. [...]
Bonnie: “It’s the only place you can purchase this very special mustard,” explained my sister’s friend Hart as he asked me whether I’d like to take a drive with him to purchase it.
“Sure,” I said without asking any questions, as I was intrigued.
Hart and I were both houseguests at my sister’s home in Brussels during a cold and dreary February. I thought a short drive into downtown Brussels might be a fun — and interesting — outing. I’d recently...
Bryan: I love the story of Yves Tierenteyn-Verlent. It is a story of culinary romance, dedication, history and craftsmanship. Of food as art, as tradition, as a representation of a people and a place. The simple story of this mustard is a powerful reminder of what pieces of ourselves we choose to maintain as a society.
Modern Europe is formed from the cultural patchwork of thousands of cities, towns and villages spread across a number of languages and locations. With such diversity of backgrounds and geography...
Eric: There are a few condiments that I can easily live without: relish, BBQ-sauce and mustard. I’m sure there are others in my fridge that will never see the light of day, but these three, in particular, will never even see the inside of my fridge. There are a few tastes that just don’t agree with you (and if you love the taste of everything, then you haven’t tried enough). I will gladly eat just about anything, but mustard seed is one of those tastes that never ...
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Bonnie: I had best-laid plans of blogging every day of my recent transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2. I did type up some notes, but was way too busy with all the on-board activities to report to you on a daily basis. Won’t promise that again. But let me share about this extraordinary 100th crossing of the QM2. The Queen Mary 2: Grandeur reminiscent of the Titanic at the time it sailed. After an impressively organized boarding procedure and civilized security (shoes allowed), we found our way to our stateroom, so much more spacious and luxurious than I anticipated. With about 380 square feet, it’s bigger than many NYC [...]
