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Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Foodie Tour / Pizza Eat pizza, win tickets to see Chicago
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 2:55 PM
Breaking news: All pizza tourists coming on our Eat My Charlotte Foodie Tour this Saturday, June 26, will have the chance to enter a free raffle to win a pair of tickets to the Chicago and The Doobie Brothers concert that's going down at the Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 29.
So for $25 you will get more pizza than you can handle, all-you-can-drink beer, transportation on the Foodie Tour double-decker bus, and a chance to win these tickets. Is that a steal or what? Oh yes, and you'll be getting SWAG bags full of goodies too.
It's not too late to join us. Buy your ticket for the Eat My Charlotte Foodie Tour featuring pizza here.
Chicago and The Doobie Brothers Concert
Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre
Charlotte, NC
Tue, Jun 29, 2010 07:30 PM
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Mouthful / Events / Priscilla Tsai Tasting wines at The Capital Grille
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 3:22 PM
The Capital Grille is currently offering a special Master Wine Tasting Event this summer featuring vintage and insider wines from around the globe, picked out by Master Sommelier George Miliotes.
For $25, your waiter will help you pair California, Italy, and New Zealand wines from the Tasting Event menu with your meal. During my visit to The Capital Grille last night I was able to try Lunetta Prosecco with the amuse bouche, and the Teruzzi & Puthod Terre Di Tufi and Craggy Range Te Kahu paired wonderfully with the oyster and calamari appetizers.
To accompany the steak entree, our waiter brought over generous pours of three reds – Freemark Abbey Sycamore, Wild Rock Cupid's Arrow, and Sella & Mosca Marchese di Villamarina. One wine that really stood out was the Freemark Abbey Sycamore from Rutherford, Napa Valley. According to the tasting note, the wine has the flavor of "black raspberries and dark cherries wrapped in a milk chocolate coat." All the wines chosen for the tasting were extremely delicious.
...and what was beyond delicious was the food – from the Kona-crusted dry aged sirloin to the coconut cream pie.
The event is a great way to try some of the world's finest wines. The wines for California, Italy, and New Zealand will be featured until July 25. From July 26 to September 5, they will feature wines from California, Spain, and Australia.
Get details about the Master Wine Tasting Event here.
201 North Tryon Street #4230
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 348-1400
Monday, June 21, 2010
Charlotte Restaurant Week Queen's Feast Charlotte Restaurant Week: July 16-25
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 4:34 PM
It's back. Bust out your elastic-waisted pants. Charlotte Restaurant Week, known as "Queen's Feast," is returning Friday July 16 - Sunday, July 25.
The 10-day long food fest will feature $30 three-course meals at 88 participating restaurants.
If you are curious about what will be on the restaurants' prix fixe menus, you can find the Queen's Feast menus posted on Friday, June 25 at www.CharlotteRestaurantWeek.com.
Participating restaurants in the Summer 2010 Charlotte Restaurant Week are ...
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai Mint Oreo cupcakes
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 8:00 AM
I love, love, love mint Oreo ice cream and milkshakes. Have you ever tried the mint Oreo milkshake from Cookout? It's amazing.
Well, actually, anything with mint and Oreos rocks my world. This love affair has now extended into my baking ... I created these chocolate cupcakes filled with ganache, topped with a mint Oreo buttercream.
For the base, I used Cook's Illustrated's recipe for Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes. CI never lets me down and these cupcakes were no exception. These chocolate cupcakes were delicious. I highly recommend it. What's interesting is the recipe calls for bread flour, which makes for a sturdier cupcake that can hold its own under a mound of frosting. Ahh ... those CI people are so smart! Most chocolate cakes work well as large cakes, but not cupcakes. The soft and airy texture of cupcakes made from a regular chocolate cake recipe doesn't make for a good base for all the tasty buttercream.
What's even nicer about this recipe is that it includes a dollop of chocolate ganache dropped in the middle of each cupcake before baking so you get a chocolate truffle-like surprise when you bite into a cupcake.
The frosting for the cupcakes seriously tastes like ice cream (especially if you chill the cupcakes). To make it, I whipped Oreo crumbs into a fluffy buttercream frosting and threw in a good dose of peppermint extract.
I wonder what would happen if I threw a cupcake into a blender with some ice cream and milk. Chocolate cupcake and mint Oreo frosting milkshake, anyone?
Friday, June 18, 2010
Smorgasbord Experiencing Dining in the Dark
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 11:15 AM
The foodie group Good Eats and Meets held their first Dining in the Dark dinner at Andrew Blair's last night, June 17. Blindfolded diners enjoyed 5 mystery courses created by chef Blake Hartwick in complete darkness. (Read here for more info.)
Having never dined in the dark before, I found the event to be quite an interesting experience. For most of the dishes, I nixed utensils and went for it with my hands. Though losing one sense by being blindfolded, you gain another by actually touching your food. Through touch, you could feel and almost taste the fatty pieces of the braised short ribs before placing it in your mouth.
Here's what went down:
Darkness. Our pre-dinner cocktails were poured into plastic cups to avoid any glass casualties as blindfolded diners groped for their drinks in the dark.
Blindfolds are the newest fad, didn't you know? These stylish eye masks were worn throughout the dinner. We only knew when there was a new course in front of us when we heard the clink of plates or smelled the food. If a bathroom run was needed, we were instructed to raise our hands and a waitstaff would come escort us to the restroom.
This was our fifth course. Cold, salty, bacon-y. What was it? I was so perplexed by this dish, I had to take pic for later. (This picture was taken while blindfolded ... not bad.) It was fun discussing each dish with our dinner-mates to figure out what we were eating.
After the meal, the menu was unveiled to us. Ah...so that's what we were eating! That pic above was the "Deconstructed B.L.T." Very creative.
If you missed out on this Dining in the Dark event, don't worry – there's more to come. More dinners like this will be held at other Charlotte restaurants throughout the year. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
free food Pinkberry opening soon in Southpark
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 4:12 PM
, the often talked about brand of tart frozen yogurt, will be opening their doors at Phillips Place (next to the movie theater) next month.
Their fro yo, made with non-fat yogurt and non-fat milk that is rBST hormone free, comes in 6 flavors: the signature original flavor, pomegranate, coconut, chocolate, mango, and a featured flavor that is rotated seasonally They've got toppings too.
Sample it all for yourself this Saturday, June 19, from 4 pm to 7 pm.
Recipe / Priscilla Tsai Mini healthy egg salad sandwiches
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 3:26 PM
Egg salad doesn't have to be a guilty pleasure. Most egg salad recipes include gobs of unhealthy mayonnaise, but I've discovered that any egg salad can easily get a healthy makeover.
The trick is to substitute the mayo with Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is the perfect sub because it is low-fat, yet the consistency is similar to mayo – thick and creamy. Don't worry about your salad possibly tasting tart from the yogurt – the flavor of Greek yogurt is subtle and the it isn't noticeable at all in the recipe.
I calculated the calories in the egg salad and it's about 37 calories per serving (recipe makes 15 servings). Add 55 calories for the roll, and a mini sandwich comes in at 92 calories. They're so cute, you might just up end popping five at once though.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mouthful Now open: Sunset Grille
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM
Sunset Grille has now opened in the same location where Las Ramblas was on Park Road. The restaurant is owned by the same owner of Las Ramblas, the tapas restaurant. The restaurant interior hasn't changed any – same decor and furniture as Las Ramblas, though they are planning to add more flat screen tvs in the next few weeks.
A few yummy things to try include the corn mauque choux side dish and the chocolate bread pudding made with lots of rum.
Events Photos from Taste of Charlotte
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 10:48 AM
Taste of Charlotte took over Uptown streets this past weekend. Take a look at the food festival:
Photos by John Fraser.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Recipe / Kitchen Chemistry MIT's Kitchen Chemistry class # 2: Chocolate
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 4:05 PM
Ok, so I've been really slacking on my MIT Kitchen Chemistry course. It's been weeks and still haven't completed class #2, which is surprising, because this class is all about my favorite food – chocolate.
I've done my reading now and here are a few tidbits I learned from doing the homework questions:
* There is something common to both marijuana and chocolate. Chocolate contains "cannabinoid" chemicals, chmicals similar to the active ingredient in marijuana, as well as other molecules that cause brain cells to accumulate cannabinoid chemicals.
* Though high in sugar and fat, you can justify eating chocolate in moderation from a health perspective. The saturated fat in cocoa butter is a type of fatty acid that the body immediately converts to an unsaturated one, so it is actually beneficial to your heart. Eat up!
* The reason cats and dogs should not consume chocolate is because chocolate contains theobromine, an alkaloid and stimulant, which can be toxic to those animals.
The homework recipe for this week is "Death By Chocolate Cookie." If I get around to it, I'll try making it this week, but in the meantime, here's the recipe for those of you who want to try it.
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Crockpot Arsenal: Teriyaki Sesame Pork with Asian Slaw 1
If you like sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, this will be right up your alley, but also a nice change of pace.
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Restaurant owner Tela Loli talks business
She makes it her goal that everyone who enters Le Peep’s doors has a pleasing, and filling, food experience.
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Charlotte chefs hit the road to help flood victims
Piedmont Culinary Guild is on its way to South Carolina today.
