Recently in Events Category

Bastille Day is next Wednesday, just the excuse we needed to go out for some tasty French wine and food!

Fig & Olive serves Mediterranean food with a South of France vibe.  They are offering free rosé wine with their delicious crostinis at their Meatpacking district location!

 
While you're there why not try their prix fixe menu which is a really great value!

Tribeca Grill is having a Clambake/Wine Dinner on Wednesday July 28th.  It's $75 for a family style feast with lots of great seafood and wine!  Here's a peak at the menu:


Yummy, yum, yum!!  Call 212-941-3900 for reservations.

The Haagen-Dazs® brand is celebrating a milestone birthday − and you're invited to share in the fun as we all sing for ice cream.  On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Haagen-Dazs will celebrate 50 years as the first super premium ice cream with its annual Free Flavor Day.  From 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in any participating Haagen-Dazs Shop across the country, ice cream lovers can wish the brand a "Happy Birthday" and enjoy a free scoop of one of three original all-natural ice cream flavors: Haagen-Dazs Chocolate, Coffee or Vanilla. 

"This is a huge milestone for us, and we're thrilled to be celebrating our 50th birthday with our loyal fans," said Haagen-Dazs Shops brand manager Julie Fleigle.  "Free Flavor Day gives us an opportunity to give back to our dedicated supporters who have made us the successful ice cream brand we are today."  

Haagen-Dazs ice cream reflects decades of passion and creativity that began in the early 1920s when Reuben Mattus, a young entrepreneur with a passion for quality and a vision for creating the finest ice cream, sold fruit ice and ice cream pops from a horse-drawn wagon on the bustling streets of New York. The Haagen-Dazs brand officially launched in 1960 with three classic all-natural ice cream flavors - Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla - still popular favorites today.  At first, Haagen-Dazs was only available in container packages at gourmet shops in New York City, but soon distribution expanded throughout the East Coast.  By 1973, Haagen-Dazs products were enjoyed by discerning customers across the United States. In 1976, Mr. Mattus' daughter, Doris, opened the first Haagen-Dazs Scoop Shop in Brooklyn, New York. It was an immediate success, and its popularity led to a rapid expansion of shops across the country.

To find a nearby Haagen-Dazs Shop where you can participate in the Free Flavor Day festivities, visit the Shops locator on www.haagendazs.com.

I am surprised to hear that the New York Culinary Experience (Oct. 3 & 4) is almost sold out!  It's a very pricey event at $1,395.  You'd think it may be a tough sell since we're still coming out of the recession.  It is an exciting prospect however to be able to cook next to famous chefs!  The schedule includes sessions like "The New American Table" with Marcus Samuelsson (Aquavit), "Modern Italian Cuisine" with Scott Conant (Scarpetta), "Chocolate Creations" with Jacques Torres (Jacques Torres Chocolate) and "Holiday Dinner" with David Waltuck (Chanterelle).  There are also Q&A sessions with Ken Friedman (Spotted Pig), Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque), Joe Bastianich (Babbo, Lupa, etc) and Dan Barber (Blue Hill). Quite a line-up!

It's a great event if you can afford it!  Buy tickets here.  The price includes classes, breakfast, lunch and a closing reception each day.  If you buy 2 or more tickets, you get $100 off each ticket. The event takes place downtown at the French Culinary Institute (462 Broadway).

Harvest in the Square at Union Square Park is next Thursday, Sept. 24th from 7:30 - 9 PM (6 pm for VIP entrance).

It features tastings from participating restaurants, NY microbreweries and wineries (both NY state and non-NY).  This year a ton of great restaurants are participating including: BLT Fish, BLT Prime, Blue Smoke, Blue Water Grill, City Crab, Gramercy Tavern, Olives, Union Square Cafe... (and many more).  North Fork wineries include: Bedell, Corey Creek, Paumanok..

Tickets are $115 in advance and $125 at the event (if available), purchase online here.  The VIP admission is $400, purchase here.   The event is put on by the Union Square Partnership and proceeds will go towards the ongoing beautification of the park.

 

The U.S. Open is in full swing now.  For many New Yorkers this is the quintessential end-of-summer event.  The website Metromix New York has a fabulous food tour slide show of the Open's food offerings along with fairly detailed descriptions of each. They interviewed Michael Lockard, executive chef of Levy Restaurants, who is overseeing the entire U.S. Open dining program. As New Yorkers, we don't really know the Levy Restaurant Group because their restaurants are in Chicago (Bistro 110, Spiaggia, etc.), Los Angeles, Orlando and a few other cities.  But they have been doing the food at the U.S. Open since 2005.  (Kind of funny, you'd think a New York restaurant group would do it...)

Here are some tasty looking highlights:

Food Court - Lobster Roll (no mayo! special sauce with chili sauce, tarragon and scallions - yum!)

Food Court - Crepe with gruyere, spinach and caremelized onions

Wine Bar - Tomato Bread with manchego and serrano ham

Aces - Charred Salmon Entree with mixed beans and black sesame vinaigrette

OMG, seriously good food, right!  How often can you say that at a sporting event?  The U.S. Open is like a food festival and a sports event... I guess that's part of why I love going.

 

On October 26, 2009, the National Pasta Association (NPA) and the International Pasta Organization (IPO) will present "World Pasta Day 2009," a conference of the world's leading pasta manufacturers to present the latest nutritional and scientific research on pasta to the industry at large. Since 1995, World Pasta Day has been an international celebration of pasta -- a food consumed all over the world in varying cuisines. World Pasta Day 2009's focus will be "Pasta Meals on Every Family Table."

Conference presentations organized by the Oldways Preservation Trust, a nonprofit education organization, will include a scientific update on nutritional aspects of pasta for families, research on the effect of the Mediterranean Diet on Alzheimer's, and a summary of recent research on carbohydrates. The annual event, set this year in New York City, will also include demonstrations from world-class chefs on preparing appetizing and healthy pasta recipes. World Pasta Day 2009 will take place at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in Times Square from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

"We are extremely proud to host World Pasta Day in the U.S. this year," said Mark Vermylen, chairman of the National Pasta Association. "We look forward to showcasing the increasingly wide range of pasta's health and economic benefits for today's families around the globe--it is a winning component of any meal."

World Pasta Day 2009 Program Topics Include:

• Scientific Update: An expert panel will summarize the scientific evidence to support why pasta is recommended to regularly appear on family and restaurant tables. The panel will also present brief summaries of new carbohydrate and Mediterranean Diet research reports.
• Pasta, The Mediterranean Diet and Alzheimer's: Feeding Your Brain: New studies find those who closely follow the Mediterranean Diet, which includes pasta, have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's and cognitive decline.
• The State of Research on Carbohydrates: A summary will be presented highlighting the most note-worthy published studies on carbohydrates over the past five years.
• Culinary Panel Discussion: Pasta Memories and Pasta Cook-Off: Food writers and cookbook authors will recount their most memorable family pasta meals. Culinary stars will create 10-minute pasta meals for a live audience. Members of the audience will vote for their favorite recipe and preparation.
  

Confirmed Speakers Include:

• Dr. Nikos Scarmeas: Speaker, The Mediterranean Diet and Alzheimer's
  

PhD, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Columbia Medical Center

• Dr. Joanne Slavin: Speaker, The State of Research on Carbohydrates
  

PhD, Professor, Food Sciences and Nutrition, University of Minnesota; Chair, Carbohydrate Committee, 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

• Melissa Clark: Moderator, Culinary Panel and Pasta Cook-Off
  

Award-winning author and food writer. Books include, "Chef Interrupted: Delicious Chefs Recipes You Can Actually Make at Home"

• K. Dun Gifford: Moderator, Scientific Update Panel
  

President and founder, Oldways Preservation Trust

World Pasta Day 2009 is an industry event closed to the general public. Media interested in attending should please contact Stephanie Fraiman at 212-297-2129. For more information on World Pasta Day 2009 please visit www.worldpastaday.org.

World Pasta Day 2009 is generously sponsored by: American Italian Pasta, Barilla, New World Pasta, A. Zerega's Sons, Buhler, Canadian Wheat Board, Dakota Growers Pasta, Fava, Horizon Milling, International Pasta Organization, IPACK-IMA, Italgrani USA, Landucci, Maldari & Sons, Miller Milling, North Dakota Wheat Commission, Pavan, Philadelphia Macaroni, Rembrandt Foods, ST Specialty Foods and Strom Products

Mark Your Calendars for Thursday, October 8th - Sunday, October 11th

Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, in collaboration with Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, is pleased to announce tickets will go on sale June 15th, 2009 for the second annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine and Travel+Leisure magazines.

Taking place this Columbus Day weekend, all the proceeds from the Festival will again benefit the hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength. "After a record-breaking year at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, we are excited to return to New York City with a one-of-a-kind program," says Schrager. "In these hard times, hunger-relief organizations need our help even more and these two valuable organizations excel at putting these proceeds to good use. We are honored to be working with them to bring awareness to this issue and help families in need."

Guests will be delighted to savor the selection of exciting new events that have been added for the 2009 Festival. The fresh program begins on Thursday, October 8th with Bacon, Bourbon and the Blues hosted by Thrillist with the following innovative programming continuing throughout the weekend:

• Beloved and controversial New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni will hold a culinary discussion to share insights from the field and discuss the highly anticipated release of his book "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" (Penguin, 2009)
• An unprecedented dinner series in conjunction with the James Beard House will include:
  • The intersection between food and fashion will be examined at the highly anticipated dinner hosted by fashion designer Zac Posen with Giada De Laurentiis (Giada at Home) and Marcus Samuelsson
  • 2009 James Beard Award "Best Chef New York City" Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern hosting an Oktoberfest Dinner
  • An unprecedented dinner with Alain Ducasse and his chefs who will cook in the Beard House kitchen for the first time
  • A decadent Jacques Torres & Friends Chocolate Brunch
• TimesTalks presented by New York Times will feature a new line-up of discussions with Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Anthony Bourdain
• The Festival's interactive wine and spirits seminars and cocktail clinics will return, taking place at Festival headquarters, The Standard, New York with new headliners like Kevin Zraly, Tony Abou-Ganim, Andrea Robinson, Anthony Giglio and Josh Wesson
• Not-to-be-missed wine seminars at the Astor Center, featuring in-depth discussions with brand aficionados including Boisset, Perrier-Jouet Fleur led by Agnes Laplanche, and Chateau de Beaucastel led by fifth generation owner and winemaker Marc Perrin
• Delta presents Dim Sum & Disco Brunch hosted by Ming Tsai, featuring talent such as Shang's Susur Lee and Chinatown Brasserie's Joe Ng at China Grill
• An all-day affair Flavors of the Farm: A Day with Stone Barns Center and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
• Hill Country will play host to the queen of Southern cuisine and her friends as Paula Deen hosts Down South Up North with boys Bobby and Jamie Deen; featuring the latest creations from the Lee Bros., along with Art Smith, Chris Lily and Katie Lee Joel
• Closing out the weekend is an unprecedented tribute to Little Italy's most iconic dish the "meatball", with Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis at la venue at the Waterfront

Returning Festival favorites include the kick-off event Chelsea Market After Dark presented by Food Network and hosted by Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and Sandra Lee (Sandra's Money Saving Meals); the Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by Allen Brothers hosted by Rachael Ray held under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO; the chic neighborhood-wide tasting Meatpacking Uncorked; RED hosted by Tom Colicchio with Paul Bartolotta; the celebration of sugary delicacies known as Godiva Chocolatier presents SWEET sponsored by Perrier-Jouet, hosted by Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes); and the unparalleled tasting of food, wine and spirits found in the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite at Pier 54 in Hudson River Park.

SOURCE Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival