I'm Full... and Tired!

It's been over three months since I last shared a story of food with you, so for that I do apologize. My life has been a little crazy lately, in the best way possible, and I just haven't been able to find the time. In the past three months, a LOT has happened. I attended South by Southwest in Austin where I had an incredible time and was lucky enough to eat at both the famous Franklin BBQ and at Top Chef Paul Qui's Uchiko.

[Franklin BBQ is the REAL DEAL!]



I know my dining companions from Uchiko would like for me to recount our meal, so I will share what I remember of it. The company was great, the wine was crisp, the service was impeccable (shout-out to Bobby Bookout!) and the food was absolutely outstanding. We had eight diners and the table was split into four and four, so each group of us ordered a different tasting menu.

The stand-out dishes were the Brussels sprouts, the Yokai Berry Atlantic Salmon, the Loup Crudo and the several different varities of sushi we ordered.

Bobby even taught us that when eating nigiri (sliced raw fish over a pat of rice), you're meant to flip the fish over with your fingers as you place it into your mouth so the fish hits your tongue first and the rice second. I assumed he knew what he was talking about and tried it out, and I couldn't believe the difference it made! I highly recommend you try it.

We also ate at the always-amazing Second Bar + Kitchen where my friend Ethan is the Chef de Cuisine. That man knows how to make some food! Another one of the highlights of the trip was the Bravo party where I got to hang with my main man Tom Colicchio.

In the past three months I also visited Florida for Food Blog Forum Orlando where I spoke on a panel about PR, brands and bloggers and I caught up with some of my favorite bloggers.

[Nikki of Pennies on a Platter, Krissy of Krissy's Creations, Julie of Table for Two Blog (and my soulmate), Jenny of Picky Palate, Angie of Bakerella and me]

[I love the turkey legs in Disney World!]

[Jaden Hare & Scott Hare of Steamy Kitchen, Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen, me, Diane Cu & Todd Porter of The White on Rice Couple]

I have been traveling frequently to Chicago and Michigan for team meetings (always good to see everyone) and went to Seattle earlier this month for BlogHer Food. It was a great time, a great city and again many of my favorite bloggers were there!

[Alex Thomopoulos of Against the Grain, me and Todd Porter of The White on Rice Couple]

[Here I am with the KitchenAid girls, Katie Lee & Tandy!]

[Tracy Benjamin of Shutterbean, Joy Wilson of Joy the Baker, Alex Thomopoulos of Against the Grain, me and Catherine McCord of Weelicious]

[Here I am with Jaden of  Steamy Kitchen]

Most recently, I attended the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. As a foodie, the Classic is the ultimate event. It is something I have wanted to attend for as long as I've known of its existence. What it looked like, to me, was the most epic food experience possible. The chefs I love making the food I love to eat in a setting that looked like a dream.

When I took my job last summer, I had no idea it meant I might have a chance to go to this event. I could have only hoped. When my attendance was finally confirmed, it felt like I was dreaming. I counted down the days and this past Thursday, my boss and I boarded a plane for Colorado. The adventure began.

Over the past five days, I have had one of the best times of my life.

While I was there to work, and work I did, I couldn't help but indulge in some fun. As part of my job, I attended cooking demonstrations, snapped photos of celebrity chefs, posted content to Facebook, met and mingled with influencers, found "tweetable" moments and generally just took it all in so I could properly share it with my brand's social media community. You will never really hear me complain about my job, I absolutely love it.

When I wasn't working, it was time to play, and play I did. During the Publisher's Party on top of the mountain (which we arrived to via gondola), I was introduced to some industry people my age (some of whom also live and work in NYC), and they became my partners in partying for the weekend. We danced our faces off at Gail Simmons' Dessert Party, rode a moose (see below), sipped Belvedere cocktails at the 30th Anniversary Party while listening to the sweet sounds of Elvis Costello, again danced our faces off at the Spazmatics concert, after-partied until the sun came up, gorged on delicious porky goodness at the Grand Cohocon Party, hopped aboard a bicycle built for 10 to ride around the streets of Aspen and, most significantly for me, successfully met New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. All in the midst of some of the most gorgeous views of nature I have ever seen in my entire life. Yes, I am a lucky girl.

I know this is a food blog so I also need to tell you about the food which was absolutely epic. At the Grand Tasting, the short rib dish from Food & Wine Best New Chef Bryant Ng was flavorful, spicy and unique with tongue, jasmine coconut rice and peanuts while the Chocolate Chunk cookies from Jacques Torres were a welcome familiar flavor. The Grand Cochon brought several exciting dishes, like the sweet & sour pork bones from Jamie Bissonnette that were fall-off-the-bone tender and the pork tortellini in pork broth from Chef Marc Forgione that was other-worldly. Even with all the options at the event, and even considering how full I was from all the porky goodness I had consumed, I went back for seconds on both dishes. Forgione also offered a very limited supply of ribs with ramps and black truffles, and I was lucky enough to get one! (see below)

Other major highlights for me were, without a doubt, the Simmons/Colicchio "Sweet & Savory" demonstration, the annual cook-off between Michael Symon/Bobby Flay and Jacques Pepin/Jean Claude Szurdak (Pepin and Szurdak were victors), the views from the top of the mountain during the Publisher's Party, getting called out by Johnny Iuzzini for being "trouble" after our mutual antics at the Dessert Party and the realization that while I was having one of the best weekends of my entire life, I was technically "working."

Some photos of the Aspen Classic are below for your enjoyment.

[Jacques Pepin is so adorable!]

[Wes Welker is a whole different kind of adorable... GO PATRIOTS!]

[Good times with Johnny Iuzzini]

[New friends]

[Obviously my favorite demo! Love Tom & Gail]

[INCREDIBLE Pork Rib with Black Truffles and Pickled Ramps from Chef Marc Forgione]

More photos from the Classic:

My Photos

Photos I took for KitchenAid

I also promise, promise, promise, my next post will come sooner than three months from now. Until then...

Let's Eat!

-The Fabulous Foodie

Did You Say Pepperoni Soup?!

Only 7 short months ago, I told a tale (over 3 blog posts) of my insane eating vacation in Austin, TX while I was there for the IACP conference. I ate so much BBQ that I was afraid I'd turn into a whole hog and I gave you every last fattening detail.

As luck would have it, Patrick's cousin lives in Austin and was getting married, so I got to go back for the week between Christmas and New Year's. I won't torture you with the details of every single thing I ate, but a few meals are necessary to highlight. Boy oh boy, Austin is quite the foodie town!

Our first meal was lunch right after checking into our hotel. A bunch of us went to a place on South Congress called Hopdoddy Burger Bar. You are right if you think the name is a little odd, so here is what it means: Hopdoddy was created to express the perfect union of burgers and beer: handcrafted beer (hop) + (doddy), the nickname given to the native cow in Aberdeen, Scotland. You learn something new every day!

The line was nearly out the door (usually a good sign) and as soon as I saw the frosty chalices of beer being held by many of the patrons in line, I knew the wait wouldn't be too difficult for us to endure. We all jumped into the line and, even though I don't usually love beer, I couldn't pass up an icy glass of Real Ale Fireman's #4.

We only had to wait about 20 minutes, and they had a great policy where the table is ready for you as soon as you order your food. I went for the burger called The Goodnight, which was Angus Beef, Tillamook Cheddar, Hickory BBQ Sauce and Sassy Sauce. What the heck is Sassy Sauce?! That's a great question, and I don't entirely know the answer to that, but I think it was some kind of mix of mayo and mustard. Whatever it was, it was delicious!

Here I am with my refreshing chalice of beer.

 

And here is my awesome burger, The Goodnight. 

It was a great burger, perfectly cooked (medium rare, of course), juicy, flavorful and awesome toppings. The bun was great and the sauces were very tasty. Best of all, it was about 65 degrees and sunny, so we got to sit outside and enjoy our food in the sun. Perfect!

The other meal that I have to mention was our lunch at Second Bar + Kitchen on the corner of Second Street and Congress. My friend Rev (better known as Burger Conquest) introduced me to his amazing friend Julie down in Austin, and Julie is engaged to Second Bar + Kitchen's Chef de Cuisine, Ethan Holmes. Julie and Ethan are both totally awesome people, and I wanted Pat to try the Buffalo Frickles I had last time I was in Austin. To my great surprise, Ethan was in the kitchen, so we got to say hi to him as well.

We, of course, started with the aforementioned Buffalo Frickles with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce.I can't say enough good things about them. Spicy, tangy, pickle-y and honestly just downright amazing. Pat was a huge fan of them, as I knew he would be, and we finished the plate off in no time at all.

Next up, and another thing I must give credit to Rev for telling me about, the Pepperoni Soup, truly one of the most unique soups I have ever tasted.

An amazing bowl of San Marzano Tomato Soup with Pepperoni, Melted Mozzarella and Garlic Croutons, you would swear you were biting into a slice of pepperoni pizza with every taste. Ethan, I don't know how you do it, but keep doing it!

Finally, another repeat visit, I had to take Pat to Juan in a Million for the Don Juan Taco, "A secret combination of potato, egg, bacon and cheese in a deliciously hot tortilla" for only $3.80!

I think Pat likes it, don't you?!

We did eat a lot of other great things, like BBQ for Pat's cousin's Rehearsal Dinner, Fish Tacos at the Turf N Surf Po' Boys Food Cart (you have to try the Blue Marlin Taco!) and so much more. Austin is an awesome city with incredible food. I'm going back in March for South by Southwest, and I can't wait for lots of new eating adventures.

What are some of your favorite spots in Austin? I'm looking forward to checking out Congress next time I'm there.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Strange Service, Yummy Food at Cafe Cluny

I recently went out to dinner with Jill at Cafe Cluny in the West Village, and the experience we had with the waitstaff was so odd that I felt compelled to write about it. To start, the hostess showed us to a table in the back corner of the restaurant that was arranged in such a way that there was part of a wall between us. After moving the table around a bit and rearranging our seating, we were able to sit more comfortably. I looked up and saw a giant bug on the ceiling and thought to myself that it was a strange piece of art for a restaurant.

When our waiter came over to the table we noticed that he had an incredibly thick British accent. While I love me a good British accent, his was so thick that we couldn't understand a single word that came out of his mouth! He read off the specials, managed to take our drink order and (I think? I hope?) asked us if we wanted some bread. We did. When he brought it back to the table, he took our appetizer order as he delivered our drinks. We decided to split the Crisp Pumpkin & Goat Cheese Fritters with Warm Lentil Salad & Smoked Paprika. I sipped on my crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc as we anxiously awaited whatever was coming next.

Our incomprehensible waiter returned to take our entree order, and the adventurous spirit in me lead me to ask him what he recommended. I have no idea what he said. I ordered the Grilled Eden Brook Trout with Winter Brussels Sprouts, Radish & Bacon Salad, Onion Rings & Whole Grain Mustard Aioli while Jill ordered the Grilled Tuna Burger with French Fries. Our appetizer arrived at the table and it looked so green and bright!

The lentils were the perfect firmness and the fritters were delightful. Crispy, flavorful and not a drop of grease to be found. The appetizer left me with high expectations of my entree, and Jill and I discussed whether we'd be able to understand a single thing our waiter said.

We never got to find out. A new waiter dropped off our entrees, thankfully he didn't have an accent but his high level of enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming. He was what I like to call a "close talker" and excitedly announced our dishes as he put them in front of us. The portion of my dish appeared small, but the smell was intoxicating.

The onion rings, like the fritters, weren't at all greasy. The fish was tender and succulent and the rest of the dish blended beautifully. I ate every bite and was very content when I was done.

"Excited Waiter" came back to the table to clear our dishes and ask us if we wanted dessert. He practically yelled, "WE HAVE A DELICIOUS SELECTION OF DESSERTS, CAN I BRING SOME COFFEE?!" as he stared at us wide-eyed and expectant. It was official, we were frightened. We ordered some Homemade Biscotti with Espresso and simultaneously asked for our check to limit the number of interactions we'd have with this guy. He returned with our check and our dessert, which was delicious, and we quickly finished and left.

While the food was excellent, we left the restaurant feeling slightly confused about the odd service we had received. I'm sure that isn't the norm at Cafe Cluny, but it certainly was strange. Have you ever had odd service at an otherwise good restaurant? I'd love to hear your stories.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

My Red Rooster Review on The Strong Buzz!

At the recent IACP Regional Conference in New York City, I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea Strong, Food Writer extraordinaire. She was on a Digital Writing panel at the conference, and when the panel was over, I went up to her and introduced myself. As an aspiring food writer myself, I knew this was one of the best people for me to talk to and learn from.

After the conference, we sent a few emails back and forth and I was honored when she took the time to read The Fabulous Foodie. When she asked me to review Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster for her website, The Strong Buzz, I was thrilled! Andrea is a very big name in food writing, and the opportunity to write for her is something I am incredibly exited about.

So, my wonderful readers, please click here to read my review of Red Rooster on The Strong Buzz. I'm very proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it. A special thank you to Andrea Strong for the opportunity, it means so much to me.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

Colicchio & Sons, Where Foodie Dreams Come True

When I was 14, the celebrity I would have been the most excited to meet was Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys (no judgement please). More recently, my adoration switched over to Tom Brady, quarterback of the (THREE-TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION) New England Patriots. And even more recently, to a less likely guy,Mr. Tom Colicchio, host of Bravo TV's Emmy Award-Winning Top Chef, winner of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2010 and owner of the Craft brand of restaurants as well as Riverpark and Colicchio & Sons. Yes, he is a middle-aged, bald dude who loves to make bad food puns on Top Chef ("Tonight, your short ribs fell just short") but there is just so much to love, and trust me, I do. I also just learned his middle name is Patrick, so maybe that has something to do with it...

Tom Colicchio is an incredibly successful chef and restauranteur apart from his role on Bravo's hit show, and that alone is enough to impress. He owns several restaurants in New York City, his home base, and also Craft restaurants in Dallas, LA, Las Vegas and Connecticut. He was the co-founder of Gramercy Taven, a very successful NYC restaurant, and he served as the co-owner and executive chef until 2006 when he sold his interest.

Why am I giving you the details of Tom Colicchio's chef biography? Because last night, I met him.

Jill and I were trying to think of places to have dinner. When I saw a 10:30pm reservation for 2 open at The Tap Room at Colicchio & Sons, I immediately snagged it. We met around 9:30 and had a drink at nearby Fig & Olive before heading over to the restaurant for dinner. We walked a few blocks to 10th Avenue & 16th Street, and I was reminded of the river-side location of Riverpark, another of his restaurants, located on the East River. This one was so close to the Hudson that I could feel the breeze coming off the water as we opened the door and stepped inside.

I looked around the gorgeous space and was immediately transported from the cold winter night outside to the warm, inviting atmosphere of the room. We gave our name at the front and were immediately shown to a cozy table in the Tap Room near the bar. I was facing a wood-burning stove where several chefs were cooking a few feet away from me, and I began to take it all in.

Jill ordered a flight of beers and I ordered a glass of Bodegas La Cartuja Priorat, a Spanish red blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. We looked at the menu and made our selections as the waitress brought over our drinks. I took a sip of the wine and it was literally one of the best red wines I had ever tasted. Bold in flavor and low in acidity, it was incredibly smooth and drinkable. For our meal, we decided to share the Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Pizza as an appetizer, I ordered the Surf & Turf (Scallops and Pork Belly with Bacon Mayo and Citrus) for dinner and Jill ordered the Crispy Chicken with Garlic Sausage, Pepper Stew and Mustard Jus. We sat and enjoyed our drinks until the pizza came out.Large chunks of sweet, ripe tomatoes and melted mozzarella cheese covered a perfectly chewy crust to create an incredible flavor. The pizza was cut into four pieces, so we each got to enjoy two. My wine paired perfectly with the pie.

Then our meals arrived and I couldn't wait to taste the Surf & Turf I had ordered.The Scallops were big, sweet & tender and the Pork Belly was smokey and succulent. I don't typically enjoy mayo, but flavored with bacon? Yes please! Everything on my plate was sensational, and when I gave Jill a taste (yes, I shared), she agreed. I also tasted her Chicken, and just like the Crispy Chicken at Riverpark, the skin was well-seasoned and crispy and the Chicken was moist and full of flavor. Is there any protein Tom doesn't know how to cook?

Speaking of Tom...

Jill and I finished our food, had some after-dinner drinks and paid the bill. I was feeling quite satisfied and ready to move onto another bar for more drinks. We were standing at the front of the restaurant waiting for our coats when I looked back over at the open oven area and there he was. My heart jumped into my throat as I grabbed Jill's arm and managed to squeak out "Oh. My. God. Tom. Colicchio." It's true, there he was, in all his bald-headed glory. My heart began to race as I dragged Jill to the bar and demanded I buy us a round of drinks. While Jill waited for the bartender to pour our cocktails, I casually went over to the countertop area in front of where Tom was cooking and joined a large group of people that had begun milling about. Tom was cooking burgers, pizzas and small grilled meat and cheese sandwiches. Jill came over with our drinks, and there we stood for the next few hours.Tom was laughing and joking as he cooked, I was geeking out and admiring as I watched. At one point, an older gentleman began talking to Jill and me and I told him of my love for Tom. The man got Tom's attention and told him I was "his biggest fan" and Tom looked at me, smiled and gave me a fist pump of approval. I nearly fell over. A few minutes later, as Tom was taking a cooking break off to the side, I reached out and told him that I really was a huge fan and then, thinking that it wouldn't be sanitary on his part for him to shake my hand as he was touching all the food, I stuck out my fist and asked him for a pound. Yes, it's true, I fist-bumped Tom Colicchio, and I don't regret it for one second.

When I could finally tear myself away from watching my celebrity crush cook, Jill and I went to get our coats. As we were standing in the hallway near the coat room, Tom brushed right by us to bring some pans into the kitchen. I immediately whipped out my camera and gave it to Jill, bless her soul. As soon as he came back out, I asked him for a picture. He smiled and put his arm around me as Jill snapped one of my favorite pictures of all time:I thanked him, and floated out of the restaurant on cloud 9. I couldn't believe that we had almost left the restaurant without noticing that he had appeared by the oven, and I felt so lucky that I got to meet my favorite chef in the entire world.

Who are your favorite chefs? If you ever got the chance to meet them, what would you say? If you have met them, what did you say? Last night was really special for me, and I want to send a HUGE thank you to Jilly for sticking around with me all night. That's a true friend.

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie

The Best Service I've Ever Had

I have eaten a lot of meals in a lot of restaurants and I truly feel that the service can greatly add to or take away from the overall experience. In my post about newcomer Ciano, I noted that the food was exceptional, but the service was bad (even though, I do realize, it was opening night.) It's no secret to anyone who knows me that Tom Coliccho is my all-time favorite chef, so for my 26th birthday Patrick took me to Craft, Collich's (my nickname for him because obviously, we're buds) spot on 19th & Park. I have been wanting to try this place for awhile, so off we went.

Upon opening the (very heavy) door into the gorgeous space, we checked in for our table and headed to the bar for drinks. I had the American Beauty (apple-infused tito’s vodka, apple schnapps, laird’s applejack, cinnamon syrup, tobacco bitters) and Patrick had the Bee Sting (maker’s mark, fresh ginger, cardamom-honey syrup, regan’s orange bitters). Both drinks were delicious, and then the bartender told us the drinks had been taken care of for my birthday by Patrick's family. Thank you again Ms. Patty & Mr. George!

We were shown to a lovely table near the bar, and we opened our menus to begin making our selections. That was when I started to notice how every single small detail was taken care of by the staff. When I dropped my knife on the ground (klutz!) the hostess was at my side immediately with a new one. When I got up to use the bathroom, a waiter walked me there and someone folded my napkin while I was gone. My water glass was NEVER empty (and we all know how I am about that!) And the service only got better as the night went on.

For our appetizer, we decided to share the Ricotta Cavatelli & Guanciale.When it came out, I was delighted to find a cooked egg in the middle of the plate. We immediately broke the yolk and let the delicious yellow liquid invade every part of the bowl. When I took a bite, the flavor was that of the most perfect bacon, egg & cheese I had ever tasted. I practically licked the plate clean.

For the main courses Patrick chose the special of the evening, the Suckling Pig Platter and I chose the Nantucket Bay ScallopsThe Suckling Pig was juicy and full of flavor with the Crispy Pork Belly as the succulent star, while the Diver Scallops were the perfect combination of tender & sweet. I have had a lot of tough & stringy Bay Scallops, so I was impressed by how good these were. After doing some research after dinner, I learned that Bay Scallops are no more tough than Sea Scallops, it's 100% about how they are cooked. So, Mr. Colicchio certainly triumphed with this dish.

Our sides were Duck Risotto, Brussels Sprouts & Hen of the Woods Mushrooms.The Risotto was packed with intense flavor and was full of tender duck meat. I found the consistency to be slightly too glue-y, but otherwise it was a perfect dish. The Brussels Sprouts had little pieces of bacon heaven scattered throughout the plate for a delightful crunchy surprise, and the mushrooms were earthy and rich. These sides perfectly accompanied the main courses, and we were happy campers.

The excellent service continued throughout the entire meal. Our waiter asked if we'd like to sit with our wine before bringing out our cappuccinos, not rushing us at all. They didn't miss a beat. This elevated our experience from great to extraordinary, and put Craft close to the top of my own personal Best Restaurants list. The waiter then brought out a little birthday treat that was the perfect end to the meal: Hazelnut Meringues.When we were done, Patrick paid (thanks again!) and we went to fetch our coats. As if the service hadn't already been stellar, the hostess struck up a friendly conversation with us while we waited and wanted to know how our experience had been. Because I (obviously) love to talk about food & restaurants, we chatted for awhile, and then she handed us both our perfect parting gifts: Two Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins wrapped in cellophane. Seriously?! A GOOD-BYE MUFFIN?! I had died and gone to heaven.

What other restaurants have outstanding service? How do you think it contributes to the overall experience? Let me know your thoughts, I'm now addicted to great service!

Let's Eat!
-The Fabulous Foodie