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Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Smorgasbord What I do at my desk...
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, May 25, 2010 at 2:29 PM
When I'm not doing my day job of managing Creative Loafing's website, this is what I do...
... day dream and sketch out my cupcake designs. Our editor Carlton found these sketches on my desk and called me the dorkiest person ever. (Thanks for that.)
Well, the sketch turned into this:
These turned out to be a hit with co-workers, so I can say it all comes down to good planning. So there. (I decided to go with the flat-top frosting, nix the sprinkles, and add a strawberry.) For the recipe for these pistachio cupcakes with strawberry buttercream, click here.
Smorgasbord / Priscilla Tsai Meat market: learn your cuts of Angus, win a book
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Tue, May 25, 2010 at 12:18 PM
The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook landed in our office recently. For those who are like me and are not quite educated on the cuts of meat of an Angus, check out this helpful chart, found on page 60. It's grilling season, so learn your stuff!
Along with the chart, the book contains a slew of recipes including fajitas, tortas, refried beans, picante sauce, ancho hot wings, smoke-braising, and even margaritas and Atomic Deer Turds. Wanna know what Atomic Deer Turds are? Just tweet me at @priscillatsai on Twitter and I'll pick a winner and give you the book!
(Click image for a larger version.)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Smorgasbord / Priscilla Tsai / Kitchen Chemistry Kitchen Chemistry
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, May 24, 2010 at 4:19 PM
MIT offers OpenCourseWare online for their undergraduate class Kitchen Chemistry. That means you can follow along on your own using the the posted syllabus, readings and assignments for free. You don't get any credits or assignment grades, but it's a great way to educate yourself.
I've just received my textbook for the class "On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen," and the first few pages are pretty intriguing. The first class covers avocados and peppers. As you go through the assignments and reading, you learn stuff like what makes a pepper hot and why avocados brown. Did you know capsaicin (what makes peppers hot), an alkaline, is actually an oil? So drinking water to quell the fire in your mouth actually won't work well. Try milk (a base), bread or rice instead.
Take the class with me by visiting MIT's site for their class Kitchen Chemistry. Assigned recipes for the week include guacamole and salsa.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mouthful / Smorgasbord A look at Bistro La Bon
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Wed, May 19, 2010 at 10:10 AM
Bistro La Bon opened on Central Avenue (next to Family Dollar) a few weeks ago. Take a look at the French restaurant:
Bistro La Bon
Charlotte, NC, 28205
704-333-4646
Tues - Thurs: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday, May 7, 2010
Food News / Smorgasbord / Events / Priscilla Tsai USNWC kicks off summer party series
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, May 7, 2010 at 4:33 PM
The U.S. National Whitewater Center kicked off their weekly summer season party "River Jam" last night Thursday, May 6. The Thursday parties at USNWC draw out the outdoorsy, t-shirt-and-shorts crowd (which is a nice break from the Ed Hardy-wearing people Uptown at Alive After 5). Admission is free and parking is $5. Guests are able to enjoy the whitewater loop, trails, and rock walls, along with live music, drinks, and food. Kids and dogs are invited too.
Their restaurant River's Edge Bar and Grill sits right atop the whitewater loop with a view of the park. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant serves up giant bowls of salad, tasty classic appetizers with a gourmet twist, sandwiches, and "bowls" of meat, beans and rice.
With the great weather and live music, the wait for an outdoor table was long and the waitstaff was slammed with bustling business last night. Pictured below are the Tidal Wave Tuna appetizer, Apple Walnut Chicken Salad, and Peach and Blackberry Cobbler with Ice Cream. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful. The tuna didn't taste "fishy" and was perfectly seared, with a rare center. Try the warm cobbler with ice cream – it's the perfect summertime dessert.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Smorgasbord / Events / Priscilla Tsai Photos from Taste of the Nation
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Wachovia Atrium was transformed into a food mecca for the Taste of the Nation event last night, April 14.
As part of the national Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation campaign, Charlotte's event featured amazing food from the top restaurants in town, auctions, live music, and a buffet of drinks. 100% of ticket sales went to support Share Our Strength's efforts to end childhood hunger.
A few standout plates included the pork belly sliders from The Liberty and the raspberry goat cheese ice cream on black pepper tuilles from Savannah Red.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Smorgasbord Cupcakes from Tizzerts
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 10:04 AM
Check out these yummy cupcakes from Tizzerts that landed on my desk the other day. I got to try Vanilla cupcakes filled with pastry cream and Boston Cream cupcakes. Beautiful and tasty. Don't you wish you were my deskmate so I could share these with you?
Friday, March 19, 2010
Smorgasbord / Priscilla Tsai Cinnamon rolls from Chip Nutty Cookies
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 10:14 AM
There's nothing like getting into work and finding two giant cinnamon rolls on your desk ... especially when they weigh 1 pound each. It's gonna be a good day.
These 1 pounders came from Chip Nutty Cookies, a bakery that just opened this past week on South Boulevard.
The bakery features their giant cinnamon rolls, each 6 inches in diameter by 2 inches tall, with your choice of cream cheese topping (regular, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, caramel, or chocolate), and also a variety of cookies.
Chip Nutty Cookies
5920 South Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28217
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Smorgasbord / Priscilla Tsai A taste of T1 Tapas
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 3:15 PM
Curious as to what all the buzz was about, I went to check out T1 Tapas in Birkdale Village for dinner the other night. The connection booth where we sat was high-tech to the max. We ordered our tapas, watched music videos on our private TV/monitor screen, listened to local music through the built-in speakers in the booth chairs, and even doodled some artwork with our fingers – all through using their T1 technology touch-screen tables.
Exploring the touch-screen table's capabilities made for a fun, interactive meal. By clicking on a menu item, you could read a full description, see a picture of the dish, and add it to your order. With jacks for your laptop, iPod, or whatever else you might have, you can hook anything up to their system.
The food is tapas-style with small plates of international-inspired fare. We tried the roasted beet salad, P.E.I. mussels, Spanish tortilla, Blue crab crepes, noodles, and flatbreads. Take a look:
Monday, March 15, 2010
Smorgasbord A view from The Deck
Posted By Priscilla Tsai on Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 6:09 PM
Featuring a variety of fresh seafood dishes, The Deck opened on East Boulevard in Dilworth a few weeks ago. With the large open roof-top patio, The Deck is the perfect name for the restaurant (which used to be Rock 'n' Lobster and before that, Plan B). With blue ocean waves painted along a wall, weathered wood, big windows, and light colors, the restaurant has a casual, beach feel.
The menu features options like Achiote seared Rare Tuna Tacos, oysters, Key West Chicken and Fruit Salad, Lobster Rolls, Peel and Eat Shrimp, healthy "Fish in a Bag" and their daily specials featured on the blackboards change for lunch and dinner.
I tried the the Mahi Mahi Tacos and the Rare Tuna Tacos, which were accompanied with green rice and black beans – a funky contrast of colors on the royal blue plates. Though both were good, I preferred the tuna tacos with the mango salsa. The mahi tacos were a tad fishy and a bit too salty for my liking.
Drinks at The Deck are tasty too -- they press their own sugar cane, make their own sour mix, and juice fresh fruit for all their cocktails. I'd recommend trying the Strawberry Basil Mojito (freshly muddled strawberries and basil mixed with Cachaça, a Brazilian Rum.)
Take a view of what they have to offer:
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Dish on this: Charlotte-based chefs join ACF Culinary Team USA 2016
As fall approaches, local chefs prepare for a culinary battle in Germany.
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Recipe: Roasted Vegetables with Dijon Béarnaise Sauce
Vegetables. Cheese. Béarnaise. These are things you're going to put in your mouth shortly after reading this.
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What's hoppening at Unknown?
I had to check out the brewery's inaugural Improper Glassware Night.
