Natalie's Nibbles

Visit My NEW Blog!

2009-07-28T01:52:00.000-04:00

My brand new blog, Will Jog for Food, is finally up and running!

Click here to stop by!

Coming Soon!

2009-04-13T15:32:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone! Sorry I missed Food Fact Friday this week. I've decided to create a brand new blog to meld my interests in food and fitness! It will be up and running by this Friday! I'll be keeping my old features...but adding all sorts of new ones.

In the meantime Follow me on Twitter!

Coconuts Bahama Grill

2009-04-09T09:45:00.001-04:00

I've lived in Fort Lauderdale for almost 3 years. I've passed by Coconuts Bahama Grill more times than I can count. Since it's in a tourist area, I assumed it wasn't that great...but I was wrong!

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Coconuts was packed! But they had a couple tables outside in the shade. The atmosphere was great. We had a very nice view of the fancy yachts and intracoastal waters. We ordered an appetizer of Conch Fritters. For my main dish, I chose the Lobster Roll. I was famished and ready to eat!

The conch fritters came out very quickly. It was a good amount for 2 or 3 people to share for an app. I really liked the texture. It reminded me of a beignet. It wasn't heavy, like many conch fritters I've had. They had really good flavor, but i wished there were more chunks of conch. The sauce was a great complement to the fritters. It was sweet and savory with just a mild hint of spice.

The Lobster Roll was delicious. With it, I ordered a side of macaroni & cheese. I liked the fact they give you about 6 sides to choose from...ranging from coleslaw to deviled eggs (gross as h-e-double hockey sticks to me...but to each his own). The mac & cheese had a nice garlicky kick. There was the perfect amount a cheese, and a nice topping of panko breadcrumbs. The Lobster Roll had huge chunks of Maine Lobster, including tons of claw meat (my personal fav). It was tossed in a very refreshing mayonnaise based sauce and had very small pieces of celery and onion. It was a great complement to the lobster. The roll was buttered and toasty. It was the perfect amount of food.

I can't wait to go back to Coconuts. The food was great. The food at waterfront restaurants can always be a little sketchy, but Coconuts stands above the rest. The service was a little shaky at points...but you get so relaxed by the setting, it hardly even matters.

Food: 4.5 out of 5
Service: 3 out of 5

Food Fact Friday: Global Eats at Mickey D's

2009-04-03T16:44:00.006-04:00

I love to find out what people are eating all over the world. One chain that has been successful pretty much everywhere is McDonald's. Of course...they can't just serve burgers & fries everywhere. Oh...wait...they do, haha! But at least they have some local influence. Here are some interesting menu items from different McDonald's locations around the world.

HONG KONG:
Rice is a huge part of everyday eating there. Hong Kong fast food junkies get McRice burgers, where the burgers (or chicken) are served between two rice patties rather than on buns.

NORWAY:
In Norway, where fish is king, you can find McLaks, a sandwich made of grilled salmon and dill sauce.

GREECE:
They serve all the burgers here on pita bread. They have a Greek Mac, a burger made of hamburger patties wrapped in pita bread.

JAPAN:
McDonald's has added many items catering to the locals such as Ebi Filet-O (shrimp burger), Koroke Burger (mashed potato, cabbage and katsu sauce), Ebi-Chiki (shrimp nuggets) and a green tea flavored milkshake.

INDIA:
In India, selling of beef is prohibited (Hindus revere cows) so you won't find Big Mac's instead you will find Maharaja Mac, which is similar to Big Mac but made of lamb or chicken meat. They also serve a vegetarian burger not found in the US called the McAloo Tikki burger.

Billions & Billions Served: The busiest international McDonald's restaurant is located on Pushkin Square in Moscow, which serves over 40,000 people every day.

Coffee & Donuts for Dessert!

2009-03-31T13:55:00.003-04:00

What goes better together than coffee & donuts? That seemed like a great name for this creation of mine. I entered it into a recipe contest last year but they must have misplaced it, because it didn't win anything! hahaha. This is a very yummy donut-crust cheesecake bar. One of my friends still insists it's the best recipe I've ever come up with. If you can get Krispy Kreme's for this, definitely use them. I tried using store brand donuts once and it did not turn out as well.

Coffee & Donuts

8 - Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts
2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/3 cup - sugar
2 - eggs
1 tsp - vanilla
1 tbsp - instant coffee
2 cups - semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup - heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9 x 13 baking dish. Cut up doughnuts in large pieces and place in food processor. Pulse until doughnuts resemble very coarse crumbs. Take doughnut crumbs and press firmly into the bottom of the baking dish. In bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, coffee, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture evenly on top of doughnut layer. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes (until center starts to rise and look a little dry). Let cool. While bars are cooling, combine chocolate chips & cream in a double boiler. Stir until the chocolate chips have melted and mixture is smooth. Pour chocolate over the cheesecake bars and spread evenly. Put bars in the refrigerator to cool. After 2 hours, cut into 24 squares and then place back in the fridge. Cool for 2 more hours or overnight. Then serve and enjoy!

Food Fact Friday: Paella Por Favor

2009-03-27T13:48:00.002-04:00

Today is National Paella Day (Ole.....Ole Ole Ole!). I haven't eaten all that much to be honest, but I'm sure my sister has. She lived in Spain for about 6 months and loved the food there. This one's for you Andi!

Paella is a rice dish which originated in Spain's Valencian region. Many non-Spaniards view paella as a Spanish dish. Most Spaniards however, consider it to be a regional Valencian dish.

There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (paella valenciana), seafood paella (paella de mariscos) and mixed paella (paella mixta); but there are many others as well. Traditional Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat, escargot, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood and sometimes beans.

Paella is a Catalan word which derives from the Latin word patella for pan. Valencians use the word paella for all pans, including the specialized 2-handled shallow pan used for cooking paellas (this pan is also known as a paellera).

The Moorish people of southeastern Spain often made casseroles of rice, fish and spices for family gatherings and religious feasts, thus establishing the custom of eating rice in Spain. This led to rice becoming a staple by the 15th century. Afterward many combined rice with vegetables, beans and dry cod, providing an acceptable meal for Lent. Fish always predominated with rice along Spain's eastern coast.

On special occasions, 18th century Valencians used paelleras to cook rice in the open air of their orchards. The marsh rat (yes, a rat!) was one of the main ingredients of early paellas, along with eel and butter beans.

Living standards rose with the sociological changes of the late 19th century in Spain, giving rise to reunions and outings in the countryside. By then the original ingredients were replaced by rabbit, chicken, duck, seafood and sometimes snails. This dish became so popular that in 1840 a local Spanish newspaper first used the phrase paella valenciana to refer to the recipe. Also during this time, Spaniards came to Louisiana and brought the paella recipe with them, but substituted local ingredients, creating Jambalaya.

During the 20th century, paella's popularity spread past Spain's borders. As other cultures set out to make paella, the dish invariably acquired regional influences. Consequently, paella recipes went from being relatively simple to including a wide variety of seafood, meat and sausage (the most popular being Spanish, chorizo).

Paella Pandemonium: Valencian restaurateur Juan Galbis claims to have made the world's largest paella in 2001. This paella fed about 110,000 people.

Burgers in SoBe

2009-03-24T07:53:00.001-04:00

I had been dying to try 8oz Burger Bar, the new burger place from Table 8's Govind Armstrong. I probably get to South Beach less than once a month, so on my last detour there I knew I had to go! It was definitely worth it.

We walked in around Noon on a Sunday and it was about half full. I browsed the menu and my mouth was watering. They had great sounding apps, like Mini Kobe Corn Dogs and Fried Olives stuffed with Chorizo. We opted for the olives and were impressed. They were crunchy but not greasy. You could taste the olive and the chorizo equally.

The burger comes with the basics...lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and "special sauce" (which is basically ketchup & mayo mixed). Any toppings beyond that cost extra. The price can definitely add up quickly if you want to pile everything on your burger. They have alot of cheese options (for $2 extra) from cheddar to the very intriguing bel paese (which I heard was really yummy). They also have different sauces and toppings ranging from $1 - $2 additional. My sister got fried green tomato which she said was great.

I ordered the basic 8 oz with fried mozzarella (yes, it's actually a topping!!). I couldn't resist. The burger was really good. It was not over seasoned, so the flavor of the beef really shined. The fried mozzarella had a nice smooth flavor and even added a little crunch. I really liked the brioche bun, which wasn't too heavy and tasted fresh.

The sides were good too. The kennebec fries were the most "potato-y" french fries I've ever had. I also like the onion rings, but I got a bite that was kind of doughy...they might have needed to wait to get some of the extra batter off before they fried it.

I will definitely come back! It's not cheap, but it's an innovative burger place that's great for a treat. The service was good overall, but started lacking at the end when it started getting really busy.

Food: 4 out of 5
Service 3.5 out of 5

Food Fact Friday: Ravioli

2009-03-20T14:58:00.003-04:00

Today is National Ravioli Day. I'm definitely a big fan of ravioli, whether it's stuffed with cheese or meat or both! I've attempted to make it before with egg roll wrappers, and it was easy and tasty. Here is a great recipe for an easy Ham and Cheese Ravioli, that was featured on Ultimate Recipe Showdown.

Ravioli is a type of filled pasta composed of a filling sealed between two layers of thin pasta dough. The word ravioli comes from the Italian verb ravvolgere ("to wrap"). The filling is most-commonly meat-based or cheese-based. Ravioli can come in all shapes and sizes. Other traditional Italian filings include ricotta mixed with grated cheese and vegetables such as spinach, artichokes or swiss chard or they may be a puree made of potatoes, mushrooms or pumpkin.

Traditional ravioli is often topped with a tomato-based sauce, though tomato sauce would not have been used until tomatoes were introduced to Europe in the 15th century. More delicate fillings are often paired with sage and melted butter, or more rarely with pesto or broth-based sauces. Cream sauces typically not used for ravioli in traditional Italian cuisine.

Sicilian ravioli and Malta's "ravjul" (the Maltese word for ravioli) may be older than North Italian ones, with recipes dating from the 1290's. Maltese "ravjul" are stuffed with "irkotta" (locally produced sheep's milk ricotta) or with Gbejna (traditional fresh sheep cheese). In Italy, some of the earliest mentions of the dish come from the personal letters of Francisco di Marco, a merchant in the 14th century.

Similar foods in other cultures include the Chinese jiaozi or wonton – in fact, ravioli and tortellini are collectively referred to as "Italian wonton" in parts of Asia. Eastern and central Europeans have pierogi (one of my favorites! pictured below), which are filled with mashed potatoes and usually served sauteed in butter. In Lebanon, a dish called shish barak contains pasta filled with minced beef meat and cooked in hot yogurt.

Food Fact Friday: Irish Cuisine

2009-03-13T14:10:00.002-04:00

Since I've been in the St. Patrick's Day mood, I thought I'd keep up the theme for Food Fact Friday this week. We've all heard of Bangers & Mash and Soda Bread. But there are many other traditional Irish dishes that most of us haven't even heard of. Here are a few...

Coddle: a dish associated with Dublin. It consists of layers of roughly sliced pork sausages and rashers (thinly sliced, somewhat fatty bacon) with sliced potatoes, and onions. The dish is semi-boiled, and semi-steamed in the stock produced by boiling the rashers and sausages. The only seasoning is usually salt, pepper, and occasionally parsley. It is considered a comfort food in Ireland, as it is inexpensive, easy to prepare and quick to cook. It is often eaten in the winter months.

Colcannon: is a food made from mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, butter, salt, and pepper. It can contain other ingredients such as milk, leeks, onions, garlic, boiled ham or rashers. At one time it was a cheap, year-round staple food. An old Irish Halloween tradition was to serve colcannon with prizes of small coins concealed in it.

Boxty: is a traditional Irish potato pancake. The most popular version of the dish consists of finely grated, raw potato and mashed potato with flour, baking soda, buttermilk and sometimes egg. The mixture is fried on a griddle for a few minutes on each side, similar to a normal pancake. They can also be found in restaurants with various toppings and stuffings. The most noticeable difference between boxty and other fried potato dishes is its smooth, fine grained consistency.

You Say Potato: The Irish were the first to call potatoes "spuds". The name comes from a type of shovel used to dig up potato hills.

St. Paddy's in So Fla

2009-03-11T21:00:00.003-04:00

St. Patrick's Day is on Tuesday. Too bad it's a workday...but there's always time for happy hour and green beer! Here is a list of some of my favorite places in South Florida that are celebrating.

The Briny: Drinks, live Irish music and food will be available from 11:30 a.m. until 4 a.m. at this nautically themed pub on the New River. 305 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale

Dicey Riley's: Outside this pub in Fort Lauderdale's Himmarshee Village, vendors will serve Irish food, including beef stew and wheaten bread, and several varieties of beer throughout the day. 217 S.W. Second St., Fort Lauderdale

The Dubliner: Opening at 11 a.m., The Dubliner will serve coddle, boiled pork sausage and beef stew all day. 435 Plaza Real, Boca Raton

Gold Coast Roller Rink: The gay-friendly, weekly roller-skating party Intoxiskate will celebrate St. Pat's from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Skating games and beer pong contests will take place and drink specials will include $3 beers and $4 cocktails. 2604 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale

Murphy's Law Irish Pub: If you're looking to stay out all night this St. Patrick's Day, Murphy's is the place to be, as the pub never closes. 5703 Seminole Way, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood

Roxy's: In addition to live Irish music and drink specials beginning at 11:30 a.m., Roxy's will serve a great selection of Irish cuisine that includes beef and vegetable stew and soda bread. 309 Clematis St., West Palm Beach

Food Fact Friday: Peanut Butter Me Up!

2009-03-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

March is National Peanut Month. I wanted to write about my favorite form of peanuts, peanut butter! When I was a kid, I hated peanut butter for some reason. But when I went to college, I started eating tons of it. Now I eat peanut butter a few times a week. I would freak out without my weekly dose of pb&j sandwiches. Plus...I love a good peanut butter brownie or peanut butter pie! Here is some history of how peanut butter came to be...

There are many claims about the origin of peanut butter. Africans ground peanuts into stews as early as the 15th century. The Chinese have crushed peanuts into creamy sauces for centuries. Civil War soldiers dined on "peanut porridge" These uses, however, bore little resemblance to today's version of peanut butter.

In 1890, a St. Louis physician supposedly encouraged the owner of a food products company, George A. Bayle Jr., to process and package ground peanut paste as a nutritious protein substitute for people with poor teeth who couldn't chew meat. The physician apparently had experimented by grinding peanuts in his hand-cranked meat grinder. Bayle mechanized the process and began selling peanut butter out of barrels for about 6¢ per pound.

Around the same time, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in Battle Creek, Michigan, began experimenting with peanut butter as a vegetarian source of protein for his patients. His brother, W.K. Kellogg, was business manager of their sanitarium, the Western Health Reform Institute, but soon opened Sanitas Nut Company which supplied foods like peanut butter to local grocery stores. They patented the process in 1895. But their "nut meal" was not as tasty as today's, because the peanuts were steamed instead of roasted.

Joseph Lambert, a Kellogg employee, began selling his own hand-operated peanut butter grinders in 1896. Three years later, his wife Almeeta published the first nut cookbook, "The Complete Guide to Nut Cookery".

In 1922, Joseph L. Rosefield began producing peanut butter in California. These peanut butters were churned like butter, so they were smoother than the gritty peanut butters of the day. He soon received the first patent for a shelf-stable peanut butter which would stay fresh for up to a year because the oil didn't separate from the peanut butter.

One of the first companies to adopt this new process was Swift & Company for its E.K. Pond peanut butter (renamed Peter Pan) in 1928. Rosefield eventually left the company and moved to Skippy, where he created the first crunchy style peanut butter by adding chopped peanuts into peanut butter at the end of the manufacturing process.

In 1955, Procter & Gamble entered the peanut butter business by acquiring W.T. Young Foods in Kentucky, makers of Big Top Peanut Butter. They introduced Jif in 1958 and now operate the world's largest peanut butter plant, churning out 250,000 jars every day (no salmonella there! woohoo).

We're PB Crazy! Americans eat about 3 pounds of peanut butter per person each year, totaling about 500 million pounds... enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon.

Penne-palooza

2009-03-05T13:51:00.002-05:00

I was home a little early Monday night, so I decided to make a dish that I could eat for the week and not get sick of. I had an onion and some chicken sausage I needed to use. Voila...out came a really tasty dish. The caramelized onions give a night sweetness to complement the sausage. I've been eating it for 3 nights and I'm still not tired of it!

Baked Penne with Chicken Sausage and Caramelized Onions
1 lb chicken italian sausage (raw)
1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
5 oz whole wheat penne (about 1/2 box)
1 cup marinara sauce
4 Laughing Cow light swiss wedges
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x9 pan. Boil penne pasta according to directions. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium and add a tablespoon of the olive oil. Remove sausage from casings and crumble in pan. Cook sausage until browned, about 7 - 10 minutes. Remove sausage and set aside. Add the remaining oil and add the onion. Turn up to med-high and cook until onions are brown, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat then combine with sausage. In a small saucepan, combine the Laughing Cow wedges with the marinara sauce. Stir until thoroughly combined then set aside.

Assembly: On bottom of 9x9 dish, spoon half of the chicken/onion mixture, then half the pasta. On top of the pasta, ladle half of the tomato/cheese sauce. Then repeat. On the 2nd sauce layer, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Then bake for 20 minutes. Makes 3 large servings or 4 small.

Wrap Me Up!

2009-03-02T21:38:00.003-05:00

I was starving and needed something quick for dinner. I had a leftover piece of parmesan crusted chicken, and made a healthy, delicious dinner in 5 minutes.

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Wraps
2 small La Tortilla Wraps
1/2 pre-cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup baby spinach, raw
1 1/2 tbsp Light Ranch (My favorite is Bolthouse Yogurt Dressing)
1 tbsp Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Place spinach on top of wraps, then top with ranch dressing. Cut chicken into strips and evenly divide between the 2 wraps. Drizzle hot sauce on the chicken and then your good to go! This is the perfect size for one person.

Food Fact Friday: I Want a Mudslide

2009-02-27T09:42:00.008-05:00

Today is National Kahlua Day! Who even knew Kahlua day even existed? Kahlua is definitely my favorite liquor. You can use it in everything from
Frozen Mudslides to Espresso Kahlua Brownies.

Kahlua was created in 1936 in Mexico. Only hand picked, high quality Arabica coffee beans are used to make Kahlua. The coffee beans are grown at an elevation between 900 and 1400 meters in a semi-tropical environment that is ideal for this crop. The beans are grown under the shade of trees, allowing the beans to ripen slowly without the use of pesticides.

Kahlua is a rich, dark brown coffee liqueur made from Mexican coffee, a blend of rums and a hint of vanilla. It also contains sugar and vodka, and has a thicker body than most other alcoholic beverages. Kahlua is the 2nd largest single liqueur brand worldwide. It first made its way into the United States in 1962.

I'm Thinkin Arby's

2009-02-25T11:30:00.002-05:00

Now through March 9th, Arby's is offering a free sandwich! It's their new Roast Burger. All you have to do is bring in this coupon and buy any size drink.

There are 3 different kinds, and all of them include cheese, lettuce and tomato (the one in the picture is the Bacon-Cheddar). They basically just substitute roast beef for a ground beef patty. Sounds good to me! I'm a huge fan of the Beef & Cheddar, but I will definitely be trying one of these when I get my next fast food craving.

Spain in O-town

2009-02-24T13:08:00.008-05:00

I went up to Orlando for my Mom's birthday and we decided to try El Bodegon, a Spanish Restaurant in Winter Park. We got there pretty early on a Saturday night, so we could catch a movie at 8:00 (saw He's Just Not That Into You, which was pretty good). We were the only people at El Bodegon, which made me pretty leery. I felt like everyone who was working was watching us..but at least we got good service! The decor is okay. A little sprucing up and some modern touches would help.

We started off with a small pitcher of sangria and some bread. The sangria was nice and fruity, but you could definitely taste the brandy. I really liked the bread, which was sliced and coated with an herb garlic butter. We ordered a few tapas. The first was a cold tapa. It had Manchego, Serrano ham, and very thinly sliced Chorizo. On the menu, it said it came with olives too, but there weren't any on the plate. But you could tell the meats and cheese were top quality.

Next were the ham croquetas, which were very good! Croquetas are always a must for me at a Spanish restaurant. They came with a spicy aioli dipping sauce. They were perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy in the center. It paired well with the sauce, which wasn't as overpowering as I thought it would be.

Our last tapa was the Chorizo Al Brandy. It's sliced chorizo, served flaming to your table, with a layer of potatoes on the bottom to soak up all that chorizo goodness. It was highly recomenned by our server. It was my favorite dish of the night. The flambeed chorizo almost melted in your mouth, and tasted exceptional sandiwched in the middle of the garlic-herb bread.

Dessert was Crema Catalana, which is basically a Spanish version of Creme Brulee. It was amazing! The texture was super creamy. It was served warm with a super crispy topping, which is exactly the way I like it. I'm definitely not a fan of cold creme brulee (sorry there isn't a picture, it was gone too fast).

El Bodegon is a great place to go. I think they should add some more tapas to the menu, get some music, and modernize a little bit. I hope that more people start going soon...to be only half full on a Saturday at 8pm is not a good thing.

Food: 4 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Ambience: 2 out of 5

Food Fact Friday: It's Cookie Time!

2009-02-19T20:26:00.005-05:00

I was passing by Target and saw the sign..."It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!". I tried to resist but my steering wheel magically turned it to the parking lot. I wonder how that happened....well, I did end up buying a box of Samoas, which are my all time favorite, besides Thin Mint. A couple weeks later, I was checking out the ice cream aisle at Publix, and there was Thin Mint Ice Cream and Samoa Ice Cream (limited editions). I'm not sure how long I'll be able to resist those. Here is some history on this tasty treat...

The first record of cookie sales by an individual scout unit was by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, in December 1917. In 1922, the Girl Scout magazine The American Girl suggested cookie sales as a fund-raiser and provided recipes. In 1933, Girl Scouts in Philadelphia organized the first official sale, selling homemade cookies in the windows of local utility companies. The first Girl Scout cookie recipe was a sugar cookie.

In 1936 the national organization began licensing commercial bakers to produce cookies. During World War II the Girl Scouts sold calendars rather than cookies, due to shortages of flour, sugar, and butter.

Licensed baking companies (there are currently two) can offer up to twenty eight varieties of Girl Scout cookies. The national Girl Scout organization reviews and approves all varieties proposed by the baking companies, but requires only three types: Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Sandwiches (Do-Si-Dos) and Shortbreads (Trefoils). The other kinds can be changed every year, though several popular favorites, such as Caramel DeLites (Samoas) and Peanut Butter Patties (Tagalongs), are consistently available. The best selling cookie is Thin Mint, accounting for about 25% of cookie sales each year.

Boys can be nice: The Boy Scouts had the original idea of selling food (popcorn) in 1914. Later, they invented Tagalongs (peanut butter patties) and gave the idea to the Girl Scouts in 1956.

Something I'm Working On....

2009-02-16T21:16:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to develop some recipes for Ultimate Recipe Showdown and Pillsbury Bake-Off. This is a dessert that came out really well! I just want to make a few tweaks to it...

A Tasteful Pursuit in Palm Beach

2009-02-12T19:33:00.013-05:00

I was extremely lucky to be selected by Foodbuzz to attend A Tasteful Pursuit in Palm Beach . This event is a gourmet seven-course meal and auction to benefit Share our Strength. It was held at Café Boulud, which is owned by superstar chef, Daniel Boulud.

Share our strength is a national organization that works hard to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. They weave together a net of community groups, activists, and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn, and play. There are many ways to help this great cause, Click Here to find out how to lend a hand to help end childhood hunger.

I arrived fashionably late to Café Boulud (darn that Monday night traffic!) and wandered around the silent auction displays. There was an abundance of items. The sommelier of Café Boulud, Jenny Benzie, has great connections in the wine industry and there were many bottles donated to the auction. I had a glass of Charles de Casanove Champagne and went inside to find my table.

The event was set up beautifully. The centerpieces consisted of roses and orchids, and were lit up by candlelight. The tables were covered with wine glasses, because each course was paired with a different wine.

1st Course: Salsify Panna Cotta
Chef: Bradford Thompson, Lever House
When I first saw this on the menu, I was slightly nervous. A savory panna cotta didn’t seem to appealing to me. But I took my first bite and I was in heaven. The flavor was rich and the texture was perfectly creamy. The spice of the crawfish tail complemented it perfectly.

2nd Course: Quail and Foie Gras Ballotine en Croute – paired with Domaine Weinbach Pinot Blanc
Chef: Olivier Muller, DB Bistro Moderne
I have some issues with eating foie gras (but had never tried it), and was happy when there was only a small amount in the dish. But I took a bite and was impressed. The ballotine was meaty but delicate, with a buttery pastry crust. It went well with the slight tartness of the beets, greens, and shallot vinaigrette, which took an edge off the richness.

3rd Course: Marinated Nantucket Bay Scallops – paired with Alphones Mellot La Moussiere
Chef: Wesley Holton, Daniel Boulud Brasserie
The dish looked like a deconstructed ceviche, with the scallops floating in citrus and creamy avocado in the center. The scallops were literally the best I ever had, and basically melted in my mouth. The citrus and avocado was a perfect combination.

4th Course: Slow Roasted Arctic Char – paired with Vincent Girardin Pouilly-Fuisse
Chef: Zach Bell, Café Boulud Palm Beach
I’m pretty sure this was my favorite dish of the night. I had never tasted arctic char before. It looks similar to salmon but has a more delicate flavor. It was cooked to perfection, moist and flaky. It was complemented beautifully with the curry sabayon and caramelized cauliflower (which is now my new favorite way to eat cauliflower).

5th Course: Spinach and Ricotta Raviolo – paired with Cecchi, Vino Noble di Montepulciano
Chef: Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud NYC
Raviolo is basically one big ravioli. Besides the title ingredients it also had pork sausage and an egg yolk in the center. I do not like eggs at all (except a few bites of scrambled eggs covered with cheese and ketchup), so I was terrified. But I couldn’t believe how wonderful everything tasted together. The egg yolk really added a creaminess to the ravioli that surprised me.

6th Course: Tasting of Milk Fed Veal – paired with Atalon Cabernet
Chef: Jean Francois Bruel, Daniel
This was the dish that really had everyone at my table looking pretty frightened. It consisted of veal sweetbreads, braised veal cheeks and veal tenderloin. I thought I’d go for the gusto and try the sweetbreads first. I was shocked by how good the consistency was and the mild flavor. The cheeks were also delicious, with excellent flavor (grass/milk fed) and it just fell apart when you cut into it. The tenderloin was good, but was overshadowed by the sweetbreads and cheek.

7th Course: “White Mocha”
Chef: Matthew Petersen, Café Boulud
The dessert was well hidden in a chocolate tuile shell. I cracked it open and tasted the components…orange mousse and chocolate cream. Those were both perfect. But then I bit in to the orange marmalade and it overwhelmed the chocolate flavor. I pushed that aside and finished the rest of the dessert, which also consisted of a very refreshing mandarin sorbet.

This was really a wonderful event. Although it was 7 courses, the portions were perfect and left the event perfectly satisfied. I was so happy to try so many things I had avoided in the past. The chefs really know how to create amazing dishes, and balance textures and flavors. The service throughout the event was impeccable! There are many Tasteful Pursuit dinners scheduled around the country, so attend one if you can. The food is amazing and it’s for a great cause.

Starbucks pulling a McDonald's

2009-02-11T15:36:00.004-05:00

Starting March 3rd, you'll be able to get a much better deal at Starbucks. Starbucks is calling these specials “pairings.” You’ll be saving around $1.20 per meal. The $3.95 meals include either a tall Cafe Latte or tall fresh brewed coffee with one of the following existing or new items.

For $3.95, you'll be able to choose from 2 coffee drinks...
- Tall Cafe Latte
- Tall drip Coffee

After you've chosen your caffeine fix, you choose one of the following breakfast items...
- Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal
- Reduced-Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake
- Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
- Reduced-Fat Turkey Bacon Breakfast Sandwich (turkey bacon, reduced fat white cheddar, cholesterol free egg)
- Artisan Bacon Sandwich (parmesan egg frittata, smoked bacon slices and gouda cheese)
- Artisan Ham Sandwich, (parmesan egg frittata, Black Forest ham and mild cheddar)

Food Fact Friday: Potato Chips

2009-02-06T13:40:00.002-05:00

February is National Snack Food Month. When I was doing some research, I found out one of the first commercial snack foods in the United States was the potato chip.

In the summer of 1853, George Crum was employed as a chef at an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. One dinner guest found Crum's French fries too thick for his liking and rejected the order. Crum decided to upset the guest by producing fries too thin and crispy, that you couldn't eat them with a fork. The plan backfired. The guest was ecstatic over the browned, paper-thin potatoes, and other diners began requesting Crum's potato chips. Crum eventually started his own restaurant in which every table got a basket of chip.

The idea of making them as a food item for sale in grocery stores came was brought up by William Tappendon of Cleveland, OH, in 1895. He began making chips in his kitchen and delivering to neighborhood stores but later converted a barn in the rear of his house into "one of the first potato chip factories" in the country.

At that time, potatoes were tediously peeled and sliced by hand. It was the invention of the mechanical potato peeler in the 1920s that paved the way for potato chips to soar from a small specialty item to a top-selling snack food. They were mostly only sold in the Northeastern states for the next couple of decades.

In 1932, Herman Lay founded Lay's in Nashville, Tenn., which distributed potato chips from a factory in Atlanta, Ga. Herman Lay, a traveling salesman in the South, helped popularize the food from Atlanta to Tennessee. Lay peddled potato chips to Southern grocers out of the trunk of his car. Lay's potato chips eventually became the first successfully marketed national brand.

There are now tons of varieties of potato chips, from Barbecue to Shrimp (yes, they do exist). My favorite flavor is Salt & Vinegar. They are the most popular snack in the U.S. Retail sales of potato chips in the U.S. are over $6 billion a year.

A New York Night at Nobu

2009-02-04T17:11:00.002-05:00

The original Nobu is in Tribeca in New York City. When my friend suggested we go there for dinner, I was all for it! We had the reservation for one month and the day finally arrived.

We walked in and the ambiance was very warm and inviting, but the hostess area was very cramped. They didn't have any room for more than about 3 people and I felt bad for the diners who were seated close to the front. Our table was in the back of the restaurant, it was a perfect spot. We got the menus and looked around to see if anyone there was famous...and bingo! Adrian Grenier (Vince from Entourage) was seated right next to us! After our giddiness wore off...we were ready to order.

We got a large sake and a bottle of Serenity Merlot. I have to admit...it was definitely the best sake I've ever had (forgot the name, but it was the 3rd from the top) and the Merlot was in my top 3 for the price. Appetizer was edamame and miso soup. The soup was excellent, very well flavored with large pieces of tofu.

Rock Shrimp Tempura

Next came the rock shrimp tempura. It was the highlight of the meal. The shrimp was tossed in a slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce and was perfectly cooked. For my meal I had many different pieces of sushi, and that was what I was least impressed with. It was very average. If I go to Nobu again, I will get an entree and more than likely forgo their sushi selections. If you're in NYC and happen to be staying near a Nobu, you should go, but skip the regular sushi and go for the gusto!

Miso Soup & Sushi

Food: 4 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5

Food Fact Friday: Bagels

2009-01-30T06:08:00.003-05:00

I'm in NYC this weekend and needed something New York-ish to write about. I've done Pizza and Hot Dogs. My Long Island friend suggested bagels...duh! New Yorkers think their bagels are the best, and hopefully I'll get to sample one during my trip. Here is the story of the bagel...

A bagel is defined as "a hard bread roll made of yeast dough twisted into a small doughnutlike shape, cooked in simmering water, then baked." The bagel is the only bread product that is boiled before it is baked. That's what gives the bagel its unique texture and the crust its characteristic shine.

Legend has it that in 1683 in Vienna, Austria, a local Jewish baker wanted to thank the king of Poland for protecting his countrymen from Turkish invaders. He made a roll in the shape of a riding stirrup (Bugel in German, commemorating the king's favorite pastime. As bagels gained popularity in Poland, they were officially sanctioned as gifts for women in childbirth. Mothers also used them as teething rings that their infants could easily grasp.

When the Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived in North America at the turn of the century, they brought the bagel with them. Many settled in Canada, giving cities like Toronto and Montreal their reputation for having superb bagels. The American bagel industry established formal roots in New York between 1910 and 1915 with the formation of Bagel Bakers Local #338. This exclusive group of 300 craftsmen with "bagels in their blood" limited its members to sons of its members.

Professional bagel baking required know-how and backbreaking labor. Bagel makers' sons apprenticed for months to learn the trade. Bagel-making machines, a boon to commercial bakers, were introduced in the early 1960's. The machines form bagels by extruding the dough through the ring shape. These new machines could help bakers produce up to 4,800 bagels an hour, making bagels much more affordable and readily available to today's consumers.

Big Bucks Bagel: The most expensvie bagel was served at the Westin in Times Sqaure. It was topped with Alba white truffle cream cheese and goji berry infused Riesling jelly with golden leaves.

Taste Test Tuesday: True Delights

2009-01-27T08:22:00.000-05:00

Being a part of Foodbuzz has some great perks! I was lucky enough to get some samples of Quakers new granola bar, True Delights. I got their three flavors and have tried two of them so far, they are good!

Price: $3.49/box (5 bars)
Calories: 140
Fat: 4.5g
Sodium: 65mg
Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 2g
Rating: 4 out of 5

My first bar was the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised! There were huge chunks of banana and macadamia nut, and I could taste it in every bite. The only flavor that was muted was the coconut...darn. But besides the missing coconut, it tasted great and I would buy it for sure. It's a good size for a small snack...I bet it would be great crumbled in some yogurt!

The Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond was also better than I expected. There were bits of raspberry scattered around and lots of real dark chocolate chunks. The chocolate tasted like chocolate! The snozzberries tasted like snozzberries (oh wait....that's something else). It was another great granola bar that exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to try the Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry.

Fort Lauderdale: Smith & Jones

2009-01-26T11:15:00.002-05:00

I had been dying to try Smith & Jones Bar and Grill since it first opened in November. I heard mixed reviews and wanted to check it out for myself. It was opened by Johnny Vinczencz, a famous chef in the area, who has an outstanding fine dining restaurant, Johnny V's.

It was Saturday afternoon, and it was a great day to sit outside. We were greeted right away by the hostess and waited for a couple of minutes while an outside table opened up. She was very friendly and mentioned how great it was at night too, they have live music Wed - Sat night. We sat down and looked at the menu, and everything sounded mouth-watering! We ordered some wine (wine list is okay) and waited for the food... we were hungry.

Our starter was the Alligator Cakes. My friend Chris had never tried Alligator and he really enjoyed it. The cakes had a nice sear on the outside and every bite and a big chunk of alligator. It was well complemented by the mustard sauce and the freshness of the salsa that accompanied it.

Alligator Cakes

Then the only problem of the day occurred.... our sandwiches took forever. Our server obviously took too long to put the order in for those. Chris got the Cuban Sandwich, which was great. It had a perfect amount of meat, and the bread was soft with a nice crunchy crust, just like Cuban bread should be. I also really liked how they thinly sliced the pork. The fries were also good, crispy but soft in the middle.

Cuban Sandwich

My order was the Philly Cheesesteak, and it was a good choice. The bread was soft and absorbed all the juices, but didn't get soggy. It had a lot of thinly sliced, chopped rib-eye. I ordered my cheese steak with "cheez-wiz", which was a home made cheese sauce. The sauce had good flavor, but it was a little runny and there just wasn't enough on the sandwich. I got mango coleslaw as my side. Good flavor...but it was a little bit too drenched in the dressing.

Philly Cheesesteak & Mango Coleslaw

The food was really good, but the service needs a little work. It seemed after our order was taken, our server didn't make too many appearances. The prices are very affordable. Sandwiches are in the $11 range, entrees in the $15 range. I will definitely be coming back! Next time I'll try to catch their live music.
Service: 2.5 out of 5
Food: 4 out of 5