Andrew Carmellini Visits Local Farms to Source Ingredients for Roots-Inspired Menu

One of the most anticipated restaurant openings of the season, The Dutch at the W South Beach Hotel and Residences, is taking form for its November opening.  This past week, Chef Andrew Carmellini visited local farms and purveyors, culling ingredients for his roots-inspired American menu.

Likely to be found in the kitchen of The Dutch:  fresh heirloom green tomatoes, arugula and fairytale eggplant from Teena’s Pride;  Florida avocados and local honey from Paradise Farms and feta and goat cheese from local cheesemaker Hani Khouri.

For the Miami Beach menu, which will feature fresh fish, shellfish, choice meats and lots of honesty, Carmellini will incorporate these local ingredients into dishes such as Roasted Beets with Grapefruit, Pistachio and Hani’s feta; Fried Green Tomatoes with Ruby Red Shrimp and Pepper Sauce, and Grilled Yellowtail Snapper with Baby Eggplant and Mushroom-Ginger Broth.  Of course, favorites from the NYC restaurant will make their way down south including the famed Hot Fried Chicken (lunch only), a wide array of seafood platters from the beach’s only authentic oyster bar, and of course, pies.

The Dutch will be located in the W South Beach Hotel & Residences, 2201 Collins Avenue at 22^nd Street.  Telephone:  (305) 938-3111. www.thedutchmiami.com

Border Grill will celebrate Day of the Dead, “El Dia De Los Muertos”, the Mexican custom of honoring departed loved ones with an abundance of good cheer, refreshing drink and delicious food November 1-2.

The following special Day of the Dead inspired menu will be available:

Appetizers
Black Tamales
slow cooked duck • black bean masa • orange chile salsa • black mole • carrot chayote salad  12
 
Entrees
Herb Roasted Lamb Torta
herb roasted lamb shoulder • homemade bolillo roll • goat cheese • sun dried tomato aioli • cumin fries   19

 
Pork in Mole
slow cooked pork • oaxacan mole sauce • achiote corn huarache • tamale peppers • escabeche vegetables   24

Desserts
 Ancho Chocolate Pudding Cake
warm soft centered chocolate cake • ancho chile caramel sauce • mixed berries • whipped cream   8

Le Bernardin’s new lounge, the restaurant’s first, is now open Here-where jackets are encouraged but not required-guests can enjoy a casual (even spontaneous!) lunch, as seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Simple, elegant dishes such as the smoked salmon croque monsieur and tuna brochette are available on the special lounge menu or diners have the option of ordering from the restaurant’s standard lunch prix fixe menu (before only available in the main dining room). Greg Seider of The Summit Bar consulted on a cocktail list that includes the Poiré Tonic and The French Connection.

Le Bernardin reopened in September following a significant redesign and though reservations in the main dining room must be booked in advance, the lounge offers a more relaxed alternative for anyone looking to experience the new LeB. 

Le Bernardin
155 West 51 Street (between Sixth & Seventh Aves.)
212.554.1515
www.le-bernardin.com

Legendary Chef Andre Rochat Creates Mouthwatering Menu for Thanksgiving

Celebrate the holidays in style this Thanksgiving at Andre’s at Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. Chef Andre Rochat has created a turkey day menu with decidedly sophisticated touches sure to delight guests looking for traditional and non-traditional holiday fare.

For the amuse-bouche, the chef selected Kumamoto Oyster, Sea Water Granite and Caviar to awake the taste buds. Next, guests will enjoy the Lobster and Corn Soup with aged Sherry and lemon cream. The Seared Jumbo Sea Scallop with potato crêpe and saffron sauce follows.

After the Apple Cider Intermezzo comes everyone’s favorite: Andre’s traditional oven-roasted, free-range turkey with herb-nut and dried fruit stuffing with giblet gravy, candied yam purée, Brussels sprouts, baby carrots and butternut squash. OR…buck tradition entirely and experience Andre’s Wild Salmon and King Crab with spinach, potato purée and béarnaise sauce. Yet another option: Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with yam purée and Brussels sprouts. The meal also includes Frisée Lettuce with Duck Confit, croutons and bacon vinaigrette.

Complete the decadent dinner with a choice of Apple Tarte Tatin with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce; Pecan Pie with rum raisin ice cream and crème fraîche; Pumpkin Pie with cinnamon ice cream and vanilla anglaise or Chocolate Pear Cobbler with Belle De Brillet ice cream.

Vegetarian options are available.

The chef-selected Thanksgiving meal will be served Thursday, Nov. 24 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $75 per person. Guests may call (702) 798-7151 for reservations.

Grab a friend and your appetite because it’s that delicious time of the year again as Greater “Fork” Lauderdale celebrates its fifth consecutive year of Dine Out Lauderdale. This six-week culinary event will be promoting the area’s gourmet restaurants and renowned chefs. More than 40 top local restaurants participate and offer a prix fixe 3 course menu at only $35 from October 1 through November 10.

This year, Stolichnaya and E & J Gallo Winery are first time exclusive sponsors of Dine Out Lauderdale and have partnered with many of the restaurants to provide a beverage pairing. A “Cheers to Five Years Cocktail Contest” was held with participating Dine Out Lauderdale restaurants to create an original spirit-infused cocktail reflecting Greater Fort Lauderdale’s beach chic vibe in ingredients, look, taste and name, using Stoli Vodka.

And the winners are……

Jennifer Lancaster, bartender at Lola’s on Harrison in Hollywood, www.lolasonharrison.com, with The Floridian Fresa. Jennifer’s Stoli flavor of choice was Stoli strawberry.

The Floridian Fresa

Muddle:
1 lemon wedge with 1/2 oz. of rhubarb simple syrup

Add:
1 1/2 oz of Stoli Strawberry
1/2 oz Canton
1 oz Fresh Strawberry Puree

Shake and serve in a Collins glass on the rocks. Splash prosecco on top. Garnish with a lemon wheel, a strawberry slice and a short stalk of rhubarb.

Coming in second place was a Sun-Kissed Martini infused with Florida’s favorite citrus, a splash of Grand Marnier and Stoli O. Served shaken not stirred by Tonio Bianco at Via Luna Oceanfront Bar and Terrace in The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. www.ritzcarlton.com/Fortlauderdale

Sun-Kissed Martini

2 oz Stoli O
3/4 oz Grand Marnier
Blood Orange Puree
Orange Twist Garnish

Mix, shake and serve in a Martini Glass and garnish with an orange slice.

Full list of Dine Out Lauderdale Restaurants include:

Fort Lauderdale: Blue Moon Fish Co., 15th Street Fisheries, 3030 Ocean at the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, By Word of Mouth, Café Vico, The Capital Grille, Chart House, China Grill at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Coco Asian Bistro & Bar, Dapur, Asian Tapas & Lounge, Grateful Palate, Grille 66 & Bar Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Hi-Life Café, ilios at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, Indigo at the Riverside Hotel, Johnny V, Mai-Kai Restaurant, Market 17, The Melting Pot, Morton’s The Steakhouse, North Ocean Grille at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort, Primavera, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, SAIA at B Ocean, Shula’s on the Beach at the Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale; SoLita Las Olas, Spazio, Steak 954 at the W Hotel, Sublime Restaurant & Bar, Sunfish Grill, Trina at The Atlantic Resort & Spa, Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crab House, Via Luna at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale;

Hallandale Beach: III Forks Steak & Seafood at The Village of Gulfstream Park, Hollywood: AiZia at the Westin Diplomat Resort, Bongo’s Cuban Cafe at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Lola’s on Harrison, Tatu at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino; Pompano Beach: Cafe Maxx; Lighthouse Point: Le Bistro; Wilton Manors: Tee Jay Thai Sushi Weston: East City Grill and Ireland’s Steakhouse at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure.

Legendary Chef Andre Rochat Creates a Mouthwatering Menu for Thanksgiving

Celebrate the holidays in style this Thanksgiving at Alizé at the Top of the Palms. Located on the hotel’s 56^th floor, the breathtaking view alone is reason enough to skip the all-day-in-the-kitchen routine and head out this holiday season.

Here is a sneak peek into his traditional turkey day fare with decidedly sophisticated touches.

The multi-course Thanksgiving menu begins the amuse: caramelized onion and white truffle panna cotta, followed by a roasted chestnut and foie gras soup with smoked bacon, aged madeira, candied apples and toasted chestnuts. The Thanksgiving twists continue with seared jumbo diver scallop, cognac-kabocha squash purée with almond brown butter sauce.

Next comes the baby red and green romaine salad with toasted caraway cracker, herbed goat cheese and aged balsamic vinaigrette.

After the apple cider intermezzo comes everyone’s favorite! Andre’s traditional oven-roasted, free-range turkey with apple, nut and dried fruit stuffing, giblet gravy, truffled potato mousseline, jewel yam, with a brown sugar purée. The course comes with the choice of baby carrots, cranberry relish with pan-seared striped bass with black truffle, celery root risotto, spicy walnuts and a port wine reduction or roasted venison loin with herb spaetzle, brussels sprouts, smoked bacon, wild mushrooms and huckleberry sauce.

For dessert, selections include Andre’s pecan pie with rum raisin ice cream and crème fraîche, pumpkin pie with cinnamon chantilly and crème anglaise; warm pear and chocolate cobbler with brown sugar ice cream or apple tarte tatin with caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream.

Vegetarian options are available.

The chef-selected Thanksgiving meal will be served on Thursday, Nov. 24 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $85 per person. Guests may call (702) 951-7000 for reservations or more information.

José Andrés and his team at China Poblano invite guests to take part in one of Mexico’s greatest traditions, The Day of the Dead.  From October 17 until November 2, China Poblano at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will feature two new cocktails and a menu showcasing special regional dishes. 

Menu highlights include Mole Amarillo con Puerco, pork loin and pickled chayote with Oaxacan yellow mole made with chile costeno rojo, cumin, hoja santa; Mole Negro de Oaxaca con Tamal de Pollo, a chicken tamale with Oaxacan black mole made with chile multato, chile pasilla, peanuts, sesame, raisins, Oaxacan chocolate; and Tamal de Acelgas, a tamale from Michoacan with shredded pork, almonds, raisins, pickled jalapeños wrapped in chard with a spicy ranchero sauce.  The Day of the Dead menu items will range in price from $12 to $14 a la carte.

For the perfect pairing, guests can sample innovative cocktails including the Jarritos, made from Del Mageuy Mezcal Vida, house-made citrus soda, sous vide pineapple and jicama with chile piquin and orange, as well as the Harvest Moon, made with Herradura Silver Tequila, grilled and fresh corn, pressed pineapple, D’Aristi Mayan Liqueur, sal de gusano with hand-cracked ice.  Cocktails are priced at $13.

Of pre-Hispanic and pre-Christian origin, the Day of The Dead is one of the most important holidays in Mexican culture.  In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, bringing marigold flowers and candles to decorate gravesites. Families sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones. Some families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead.  Altars are set up October 30th and 31st and are covered with offerings to the dead including flowers, fruits, vegetables, candles, incense, statues of saints, and photos of the deceased.

Chefs from the iconic resort’s signature restaurants to cook at the James Beard House

On Wednesday, October 19, 2011 just as the leaves begin to turn in New York City, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach brings a hint of sunshine to the James Beard House with a sumptuous gastronomic tour of this iconic oceanfront resort.

The exclusive dinner, under the direction of the Fontainebleau’s executive chef Thomas Connell, showcases delectable and diverse cuisine ­- from modern steakhouse and refined Italian to four star haute Chinese. The combination of the legendary resort’s styles, executed at the highest level, is what has made the resort property a one-of-a-kind dining destination unlike any other hotel in the Southeastern United States.

The culinary team - featuring chefs de cuisine Todd Miller (Gotham Steak), Michael Pirolo (Scarpetta) and Jian Heng Loo (Hakkasan) along with the resort’s Executive Pastry Chef Jordi Panisello (Solo) and Beverage Director/Sommelier David Mokha - will captivate diners with a six course dinner that begins on the Beard House’s charming garden patio with passed hors d’oeurves such as delectable foie gras popcorn, scallop bacon roll with crisp ginger and creamy polenta accompanied by fricassee of truffled mushrooms.

For dinner, each stellar course will be paired with wines carefully selected by Mokha, a Food & Wine magazine “Sommelier of the Year.” The menu is set to showcase dishes such as Chef Connell’s cinnamon roasted beets with crisp Iberian ham, cauliflower, banyul onions and cilantro oil; braised goose with golden raisins and provolone from Scarpetta; Hakkasan’s steamed Chilean sea bass with Chinese herbs and poached baby spinach; and “Rossini-style” Bison with fall vegetables & foie gras by Gotham Steak. To conclude the evening in decadent style, guests will indulge in Chef Panisello’s warm white chocolate alphabet soup with Granny Smith frozen parfait and mango candy apple.

 As if a dinner of this scope isn’t enough, while in New York City, Chef Todd Miller will be making a stop at the CBS Early Show for a live cooking segment on Saturday, October 15. Chef Thomas Connell will be a guest on Sirius XM’s Martha Radio; Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Morning Living at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 19. Connell will also be the featured chef at the Condé Nast Cafeteria on Thursday, October 20.

Guests can enjoy the six-course dinner with wine pairings at the James Beard House and attend the pre-dinner reception and post-event rooftop lounge fête for just $125/person for James Beard members and $150/person for non-members. Tickets can be purchased online: http://www.jamesbeard.org. Images and recipes will be made available after the event.

Aquaknox Celebrates National Seafood Month With Rotating Specials That Highlight Safe and Sustainable Seafood Consumption

Aquaknox, the luxurious seafood restaurant in The Venetian® Las Vegas, presents an incredible month-long celebration of delicious seafood cuisine for National Seafood Month. Each dish will contain information on where the fish was caught and by what method. Each week, guests can enjoy a different special including Yellowtail Snapper with stracci pasta, cavallo nero, pancetta and sundried tomato nage (Oct. 10-14); Kanpache with gigante beans, peperonata, saffron-tomato jus and black olive crouton (Oct. 15-21); and Maine Lobster Ravioli with matsutake mushrooms, cippolini onions and champagne lobster cream (Oct. 22-31). Executive Chef Tom Moloney has partnered with Safe Harbor Certified Seafood to deliver guests sustainable seafood options that are free of pathogens and radiation with the lowest mercury levels possible. One hundred percent of the seafood served at Aquaknox has been put through rigorous testing by Safe Harbor, with standards exceeding FDA requirements.

Throughout October, Executive Chef Tom Moloney will highlight weekly seafood specials designed to educate and enlighten guests about eating safe seafood.

Aquaknox, inside The Venetian Las Vegas,
3355 Las Vegas Blvd., South
For reservations, please call 702.414.3772

April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman are planning a series of special dinners at The Spotted Pig called the Little Piggy Dinners. The first is this Sunday/Oct 16.

Since the restaurant has so many talented people working in the kitchen, April wanted to create a night for her sous chefs to cook their own special menu to express themselves while sharing their own cultures & backgrounds. On Sunday/Oct 16, it will be Filipino Night at The Spotted Pig, when April and her sous chef Edie Ugot will prepare traditional Filipino dishes served family style. After this dinner, April & Ken will decide how often they plan to host the dinners in the series.

The dishes will be available a la carte and all except for one will be available in three different portion sizes to accommodate groups of various sizes. The restaurant will also offer a scaled down menu of a la carte, classic Spotted Pig dishes that evening.

The menu for this Sunday is below.

Filipino Night Menu - Little Piggy Dinners
Small serves 1-2
Medium serves 4
Large serves 6
Lumpia - mini meat filled egg rolls
($12, $23, $34)

Adobo - slowly cooked down pork stew with vinegar and garlic
($15, $29, $42)

Pinakbet - vegetable stew with squash, long beans and eggplant
($11, $22, $33)

Sisig - a sizzling/crispy pork platter with all parts of the pig
($16, serves 1-2)

Pancit - stir-fried noodles with sweet Chinese sausage and vegetables
($10, $19, $28)

Sinigang - a tamarind-based fish stew with vegetables and prawns
($18, $35, $50)

There will also be dessert of coconut ice cream.