Category Archives: Culinary Arts

Culinary Arts: First Season Of “SommTV” Streaming Service Launches (Video Trailer)

From a Food & Wine online review:

Currently available in what is being called a “charter period,” SommTV is billed as “a new video streaming service that loves food and wine as much as you do.” The platform promises to offer entirely new shows, films, footage, and educational masterclasses, as well as the archives of the Somm movies (including things like trailers) and additional licensed content. Access is currently priced at $9.99 per month or $74.99 per year, though that may change once the service has its full launch which is apparently slated for this coming March. Content can be streamed worldwide on the usual suspects of devices: Apple, Android, Amazon, etc.

To read more: https://www.foodandwine.com/wine/sommtv-streaming-wine-app?did=447253-20191022&utm_campaign=faw-wine-list_newsletter&utm_source=foodandwine.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=102219&cid=447253&mid=25705137797

 

Innovative Homeware: The Noori “Rocket Stove” BBQ Fuses “Design & Ecology”

From a Dezeen.com online review article:

Noori StovesThe creators of Noori based the product on the traditional rocket stove design, which burns small-diameter wood fuel in a combustion chamber linked to an insulated vertical chimney.

It was developed by three friends who studied together on the Permaculture Design Course at the IPEMA university in Ubatuba, Brazil. Permaculture focuses on working with, rather than against nature, with the goal of integrating design and ecology.

Brazilian brand Noori aims to transport users to a time when “cooking with fire was at the core of our rituals” with its multipurpose stove, which can be used as a barbecue, a pizza oven or a fire pit.

The Noori stove comprises a curved body made from heat-resistant refractory concrete that is split into two sections. Within the stove an L-shaped enamelled pipe contains the fuel and directs heat up through the centre of the stove towards a grill surface.

To read more: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/09/28/noori-stove-modular-design-multipurpose-burner-barbecue/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Dezeen%20Weekly%20641&utm_content=Dezeen%20Weekly%20641+CID_618a7d7ae18dedf9c7d7ca66b31d52c6&utm_source=Dezeen%20Mail&utm_term=Read%20more

Art Of The Cocktail: How To Make Musso & Frank’s “Legendary Martini”

From a Los Angeles Magazine online article:

Musso and Franks Legendary Martini“The most important thing that we do is we never shake the martini. James Bond had it all wrong,” says Scuto. Shaking it incorporates too much ice, making for a watery drink, and, if it’s a gin martini, it potentially bruises the delicate aromatics. Instead, the drink is stirred roughly 12 times—bartenders use careful discretion—with ice, which is made with filtered water and a top-of-the-line Japanese Hoshizaki ice machine. The liquor is then carefully strained into a glass. It’s “all in the hand of the masters,” says Scuto.

Perhaps more than any other cocktail, a perfect martini demands a perfect venue. It’s not for drinking on beaches or cafè patios; it’s too easy to spill if you’re not sitting down; and it should be consumed somewhere with history and grit and texture. In short, it’s best at Musso & Frank Grill. This fall the storied Hollywood steakhouse celebrates its 100th anniversary and, with it, hundreds of thousands of servings of the classic cocktail. “The whole room, the whole setup, really, makes our martini special,” says Andrea Scuto, the restaurant’s general manager and beverage director. Here, Scuto shares just what goes into Musso & Frank’s signature cocktail.

To read more: https://www.lamag.com/article/musso-frank-martini/?utm_campaign=Food%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=77888263&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–SiksvfxDxU5VRkqIAkrguE4gnlSqHs5BhJz-5Z7u26rd_POHEVtseT-UhTlR4H3d8FFNS_tXSsGSiD8-s3w0XVlUTNg&_hsmi=77888263

 

Culinary Arts: Short Film “Déguste” Serves Up Life As A Cooking Chef For A Day

Directed by:  Stéphane Baz

Director of Photography: Selen Kilinc
Edited by: Maeva Issico
Produced by: Insolence Productions

Déguste Short Film Directed by Stephane Baz 2019

“Déguste” invites you to live through the point of view of a cooking chef for a day. A day at the top of food chain, closest to the matter. A day in the culinary crash.

Déguste Short Film Directed by Stephane Baz 2019

Website: http://insolenceproductions.com/

New Kitchen Innovations: Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker (GrowlerWerks)

From an IndieGoGo.com website:

The first integrated nitro cold brew coffee maker and dispenser for the perfect at-home experience. The nitro cold brew is good for at least 2 weeks and ready to pour at any time. Adjust the pressure as you see fit to maintain the best level of Nitro infusion for you.

uKeg Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker features

Website: https://www.growlerwerks.com/

Top Restaurants In Texas: Lucky Robot Japanese Kitchen In Austin Fuses “Nikkei” & Flavors Of Peru

From a Forbes.com online review:

Lucky Robot Japanese Kitchen Austin sustainable SushiChef de cuisine Julio-Cesar Florez, a native of Lima, served as chef de cuisine of the now-defunct Peruvian-themed Isla and has been the sous chef at Lucky Robot since mid-2017, where he began adding subtle Peruvian touches to Huang’s playful Japanese cuisine. Seeing the success of these special menu items, the two decided to take the 6-year old restaurant in this new direction.

Nikkei marries the simplicity and precision of Japanese cooking techniques with the flavor profiles of Peru

Lucky Robot, a casual Japanese restaurant in Austin’s popular South Congress Avenue, switched its menu to focus more intensively on nikkei in the spring. With over 15 years’ experience in Japanese cuisine, training under Master Shibazaki-san of Benihana and Tyson Cole of Uchi, executive chef Jay Huang is a master of Japanese flavors and plating, enhanced by a passion for sustainability and support of local purveyors.

To read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/claudiaalarcon/2019/09/12/why-you-should-visit-this-austin-restaurant-where-peru-meets-japan/#20490d335ba8

Culinary Arts: Online Wine Courses Are Easy Watching, Still Evolving

From a Wall Street Journal online article by Lettie Teague:

Illustration by Joanna Neborsky for the Wall Street JournalMany self-styled “wine educators” online claim to be certified sommeliers, but that doesn’t mean they have worked in a restaurant. Others are winemakers, adjunct professors or simply oenophiles with a pedagogical bent. Whether via video or podcast, the education they offer tends to fall into two categories: basic (grape names, how to hold a glass) or wonky (the role of tannins, grapevine blights).

LEARNING about wine online seems easy enough—not to mention affordable. Yet after exploring all manner of internet wine education, I’m not ready to declare it the ideal forum—at least not yet.

The educational content actual wine professionals produce mostly falls into the latter camp, and podcasts appear to be the preferred format. The decidedly wonky “Guild of Sommeliers Podcast”(guildpodcast.com) features sommeliers such as Geoff Kruth and Kelli White interviewing top talent. In an episode last fall, Mr. Kruth and Virginia Wilcox, winemaker at Vasse Felix in Western Australia, discussed tannins in a surprisingly lively chat. “I think you can make or break a wine by getting the tannins wrong,” Ms. Wilcox said. She enumerated various categories of tannin, including “astringent,” “squeaky,” “toothy,” “tongue” and “green”—the ones that “push to the back of your throat.” I learned a lot and plan to invoke the term “squeaky tannins” very soon.

To read more click on the following link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/are-online-wine-courses-worth-your-time-11568321079

 

Trends In Food: 5th Annual “Blended Burger Project” Celebrates Five Winning Chefs On Oct. 23

From a JamesBeard.org release:

James Beard Foundation Blended Burger ProjectThis year, the Foundation is pleased to once again partner with the Mushroom Council to host the Blended Burger Project*, which encourages chefs to create a healthier, more sustainable, and tastier burger that can be enjoyed by consumers across the country, while also educating diners about the many benefits of The Blend and the future of food. 

Through our Impact Programs, the James Beard Foundation has become more involved in the conversations around health and sustainability in our food system. The Foundation is proud of its work on the Blended Burger Project™ along with our other programs including the James Beard Foundation Food Summit, the annual Leadership Awards, and the Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change.

The five fabulous winners of the 2019 contest are:

  • Meredith Manee, Ritz-Carlton’s Burger Shack, Kapalua, Kapalua, HI
  • Justin Medina, Playalinda Brewing Company – Brix Project, Titusville, FL
  • Robert Repp, Hops at 84 East, Holland, MI
  • Eric Rivera, Vintage Year, Montgomery, AL
  • Jacqueline Sampson, Pompano Grill, Cocoa Beach, FL

Blended Burger GraphicTo read more: https://www.jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject

 

Culinary Destinations: Mexico City Food Markets, “Great Food Everywhere”

From a CityLab.com online article:

Juana Lomeli at Jamaica Market. Clemente Dadoo LomeliThe city’s great unifier and appeal is its cuisine, especially the street-food: corner quesadillas, fast food tents outside of subway stops, stews served over hand-made tortillas, deep fried chicken tacos, tacos topped with rice served from street stands or a make-shift diner in the back of a van. In Mexico City, one can find great food everywhere at any price-point and at any time of day.

Among the hundreds of markets in Mexico, every person finds the one best attuned to their needs and desires. In 52 years, I have visited my markets hundreds, perhaps thousands of times. In that time, my father passed away, as did the fisherman from the now defunct El Barco in San Juan, and, recently, the woman, who sold me lush, grainy yellow morel mushrooms. When I told my daughter about her passing, she too felt a pang in her heart. She can crystalize her image from memory; the tight, white braids, the rebozo she used to lay out the mushrooms and the fact that if those mushrooms made their way into our supper, she knew exactly where they came from. I courteously called her “La señora” for so many years that I now question if I knew her name to begin with.

To read more: https://www.citylab.com/perspective/2019/08/mexico-city-travel-food-market-cuisine-taco-best-cdmx/597034/?utm_source=newsletter&silverid=%25%25RECIPIENT_ID%25%25&utm_campaign=citylab-daily-newsletter&utm_medium=email

Top Wine Bars: Absinthe Brasserie & Bar In San Francisco Is “Glamorous, Buzzy And Special”

From an SFBayTimes.com online article:

Absinthe Brasserie San FranciscoWhat makes this brasserie so popular? “A culture of hospitality comes from the top down,” explains Absinthe General Manager Brian Gavin. “Bill (our owner) is very gracious and the tone he sets makes everyone feel welcome.”

An homage to all things French, Absinthe is still one of my favorite places to eat in the city. Why? It’s a buzzy destination that feels glamorous and special, evoking a one-of-a-kind feeling of Belle Epoque-era Paris. It’s not just where I dine before the opera, symphony, ballet or SFJAZZ, but it is also where I always take out-of-towners, business associates, clients and staffers.

http://absinthe.com/

Absinthe Brasserie San Francisco Red Burgundies

To read more: http://sfbaytimes.com/little-slice-paris-hayes-valley-absinthe-brasserie-bar/