Foodie Finders NYC Calendar Update-4/26/12

Hello foodies! The Foodie Finders NYC food event calendar has been updated with upcoming book signings with Ted Allen, Chris Cosentino, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Tom Colicchio, Amanda Hesser, and Marcus Samuelsson. Also some exciting food tasting events are coming up such as Flavors of the City hosted by Taylor Armstrong, with food tastings by Chef Alex Garcia and Chef Joe "JJ" Johnson. It is coming up on May 1st. For more information click here.

 

-Mike

Los Angeles Restaurant Review - Border Grill

Hi foodies! I have just returned from a culinary journey in Los Angeles and am so excited to share it with all of you. First, I will tell you about Border Grill. The meal was great!

Border Grill          445 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90071

(April 2012-Dinner)

The fun and wacky art work throughout Border Grill transports the diner into another world of amazing Mexican cuisine. Once the food hits the table you never want to leave this paradise. The staff at Border Grill is extremely friendly and everyone is enthusiastic in what they do. The Bar Manager, Jane Park, was a pleasure to speak to and very nice. Mary Sue Milliken was at the restaurant during my visit and was very nice. She gave me some great recommendations on the menu. For the appetizers my favorite was the Plantain Empanadas in which the dough was made out of plantains. Mary Sue said that the inspiration for this was a pie with the pie dough made with plantains. The plantain empanadas were filled with black beans, poblanos, and cotija cheese. These empanadas were delicious. Another great appetizer was the Green Corn Tamale. It was so good. I also had the Quinoa Fritters. The fried up beauties were made even better with the garlic aioli. The Border Guacamole was amazing. The avocados were of perfect ripeness and it was complemented with simple ingredients and nothing over the top. The Ceviche Trio was great because it had all three amazing ceviches at Border Grill. They serve the peruvian ceviche, tiradito verde, and baja ceviche. The peruvian ceviche was very flavorful and very good. The tiradito ceviche was refreshing and light. The baja ceviche was nice and bold in flavor with a wonderful bite from the shrimp mixed in. Before I talk about entrees I must say that Border Grill makes their own tortillas, corn and flour. They were both incredible. My favorite entree was the Carnitas. This dish consisted of pork, roasted corn grits, black bean huitlacoche salsa, and chipotle glazed bacon. The corn grits were incredible with the smooth grits and the added texture of the pieces of corn inside. The chipotle glazed bacon was outrageous. Another yummy entree was the Pescado Veracruzano. This was a pan seared sustainable fish, which was Mahi Mahi that night, in a great white wine garlic broth. The Grilled Skirt Steak was delicious. I loved the charred corn that came with it. The Fava Bean Amaranth Fritters were great. The fritters came with some lovely greens including amaranth, which is like spinach, but sweeter. For dessert my favorite was the Churro Tots. The churros were delicious and it came with great chocolate and caramel dipping sauces. Another scrumptious dessert was the Banana Cream Pie. The whole dish had a wonderfully rich caramel and rum flavor to it. The Zesty Lime Tart was yummy too. The citrus and tartness was perfect. The Lemon Cheesecake was very good with a very powerful lemon taste. The Espresso Kahlua Flan had an intense coffee flavor that was great. The Coconut Tres Leches was moist and delicious. Border Grill was an amazing dining experience that is a must-try in Los Angeles.

(From Left to Right) Green Corn Tamales, Quinoa Fritters, Plantain Empanadas

Ceviche Trio

Pescado Veracruzano

Carnitas

(From Left to Right) Lemon Cheesecake, Espresso Kalua Flan, Zesty Lime Tart, Coconut Tres Leches

Border Grill was great! For more mouth-watering pictures go to the Foodie Finders NYC Facebook page. There are a lot more Los Angeles reviews to go, so be back soon. Also to jump back to what's happening in New York, Long Island Restaurant Week has begun and will be running until April 29.

-Mike

Foodie Finders NYC Calendar Update-4/7/12

Hi foodies! The Foodie Finders NYC Event Calendar has been updated with many more celebrity chef book signing and food festivals in New York City. Events include book signings Martha Stewart, Marcus Samuelsson, Ruth Reichl, Rachael Ray, Angelo Sosa, and Joe Bastianich. Check out the calendar page now for more details.

-Mike

De Gustibus Cooking Class with Tony Mantuano and Sarah Grueneberg

Welcome foodies! A few days ago I went to Tony Mantuano and Sarah Grueneberg's De Gustibus Cooking Claas. They are both from Spiaggia in Chicago.

Tony and Sarah taught a very educational and fun class. Most of their dishes were things that they made on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. The Amuse Bouche was a piece of Parmigiano Reggianio with Spiaggia Balsamico. Tony and Sarah wanted to show what good quality balsamic vinegar was. "Real" Balsamic Vinegar should only have one ingredient, grape must. Many Balsamic Vinegars are made with ingredients like red wine vinegar, which does not have the same quality. The two places were Balsamic Vinegar can originate from is Modena and Reggio Emilia. 

The First Course was Shaved Prosciutto di Parma with Braised Artichokes with Date Puree. This dish was delicious, especially the date puree. Sarah made this dish on Top Chef: Texas during the Don't Be Tardy for the Dinner Party Episode. When preparing the artichokes it must be firm with no brown areas. There should be purple on the bottom, which shows freshness.  For a garnish, there was nepitella, which is an herb like a cross between  mint and oregano. 

The Second Course was a Roasted Sea Scalp with Abalone Mushrooms, Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Parmigiano Reggiano. The scallops were so tender and rich and had a delectable truffle essence. This is President Obama's favorite dish at Spiaggia. 

The Third Course was a Goat Cheese Ravioli with Braised Goat and Goat Horn Peppers. The home-made pasta was so good and the tangy goat cheese was scrumptious with the deep flavors of the braised goat. The goat horn peppers were not a spicy pepper, but rather more smokey. Tony made this dish on Top Chef Masters during the Scary Surf and Turf episode.

The Fourth Course was Stuffed Cabbage with Crispy Shallots and Balsamic Vinegar. This dish was incredibly rich from the smoked bacon and pork butt. The brown butter and balsamic on top made it even better. This dish was made by Sarah on Top Chef: Texas during the Tribute Dinner episode (with Patti Labelle).

The Fifth Course was Mascarpone Stuffed Dates. On top was shaved dark chocolate. It was a perfect and delicious way to end a great meal. They simply cut the date in half, filled it with mascarpone cheese, and shaved dark chocolate on top (* I tried it with some vanilla beens inside the mascarpone and it was so good and easy).

Tony Mantuano and Sarah Grueneberg ran a very fun and informational De Gustibus class. I cannot wait to go to Spiaggia when I am in the Chicago area! For more pictures of the class go to Foodie Finders NYC's Facebook page.


-Mike

De Gustibus Cooking Class with Melissa Clark

Hello foodies! A few days ago I went to Melissa Clark's De Gustibus Class. (I also prepped for this class in the De Gustibus kitchen. To see the behind the scenes post of De Gustibus click here) Melissa was so sweet and interesting to listen to.

Melissa is a home-cook who wanted to create dishes that were fast and delicious meals for families. The first dish she made was the Crispy Brown Butter Mushroom Crostini. The brown butter on the mushrooms were so rich and nutty. For a mild, sweet garlic flavor, Melissa added a smashed garlic into the mushrooms rather than minced. If it was minced the garlic flavor would be more sharp. To make the brown butter all you need is to melt  butter. When it's ready it can be heard. At first the butter will be loud and sizzling and then when it gets quiet the brown butter is done. What is happening is the water cooks out of the butter and caramelizes. A great idea is to put brown butter on popcorn.

The next dish was the Raw Kale Salad with Anchovy-Date Dressing. The dressing was wonderful on the salad. It was sweet, salty, and had a little chewy bite with the dates. The dish was incredible.

The third dish was the Shrimp with Capers, Feta & Dill. Everything was sautéed so the cheese melted in beautifully. The dish was very good.

The next thing Melissa made was the Braised Pork Shoulder with Tomatoes, Cinnamon, and Olives over Polenta. The pork was so good and the olives added a great brine-like taste to the dish. The polenta was very smooth and delicious.

For dessert, Melissa made the Olive Oil-Almond Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone. The cake was very moist and the mascarpone was just enough to make the dish unbelievable. The olive oil-almond flavor was subtle and great. She shared with the class how easy it is to make vanilla extract. To do it you must half the vanilla beans, pour brandy on top, and let it sit. After two weeks squeeze them into the jar. You must have at least three beans but the more there are, the more flavor there will be.

Melissa Clark's class was a lot of fun, with a lot of great food. Check out our Facebook page for more pictures!

-Mike 

De Gustibus Cooking School: Behind the Scenes

Welcome back foodies! On March 19th I had the opportunity to come into Melissa Clark's De Gustibus Class to prepare the food for the whole day. When I walked into De Gustibus's kitchen, excitement overtook me. I was greeted by the general manager, Amaral, who invited me to come in weeks ago. Next the wonderful owner of De Gustibus, Sal Rizzo, came over to say hello. Emmy, who is the office manager of De Gustibus, welcomed me too. De Gustibus Cooking School is such a well-oiled machine, run by such amazing people.

Amaral gave me my chefs jacket, an apron and a shot of espresso to get us going. Then we began cooking. We were preparing for a class between 30 and 40 people. In the first hour, we cleaned and cut mushrooms, cleaned and cut kale, and made an incredible anchovy-date dressing. Around noon another De Gustibus chef, Linda, came in to help prepare with us. She worked on making an Olive Oil Almond Cake while Amaral butchered some pork shoulder and I cut and toasted bread for the crostini. Next Linda prepped the shrimp and Amaral cooked the pork shoulder. I began Melissa's mise en place for her demonstration.

Melissa arrived at De Gustibus at around 3:00 with her assistant, Sarah. They checked all the dishes to make sure everything was up to their standards. Everyone at De Gustibus is so organized and very professional. We actually finished prepping at 4:00 for a 5:30 class. When everything was finished, Linda had a chicken roasting and everyone ate together. Since the prep was complete, Melissa and Sarah went shopping in Macy's. The De Gustibus team and I finished cleaning and made final preparations for the demonstration. Melissa and Sarah returned with some pillows (and later told the class about the pillow sale on the 6th floor!), ready to begin. Sal had everyone come together for a final meeting, which was my cue to go outside and wait on line like everyone else. I was actually sitting in on the class.

Just to give you an idea of which ingredients went in which dish, here is Melissa's menu:

Crispy Brown Butter Mushroom Crostini

Raw Kale Salad with Anchovy-Date Dressing

Shrimp with Capers, Feta & Dill

Braised Pork Shoulder with Tomatoes, Cinnamon, and Olives over Polenta

Olive Oil-Almond Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone

This behind the scenes viewing of De Gustibus Cooking School was an incredible experience that I am so glad to share with all of you. My post on Melissa Clark's De Gustibus class will be posted shortly for full descriptions on the food served and tips given. Check out our Facebook page for many more pictures behind the scenes of De Gustibus. 

-Mike

Foodie Finders NYC Calendar Update-3/11/12

Hello foodies! The calendar page on Foodie Finders NYC has been updated. To see upcoming 2012 food events in New York City, which includes Giada De Laurentiis' book signing, click here.

Also remember to like Foodie Finders NYC on Facebook!

-Mike