tastetv Archives - Page 17 of 18

Fall CHOCOLATE SALON delights chocolate lovers

Endorfin Chocolat

The 5th Annual Fall Chocolate Salon in San Francisco was a delight for chocolate and wine lovers. Despite the challenges of a rare morning rain in California (during a drought), the attendees still managed to come out and join the fun.

Châtelaine Chocolat Company

The event featured over 30 chocolatiers, confectioners, and wineries, and is the premier Fall chocolate event on the West Coas, including Neo Cocoa, Gâté Comme des Filles Chocolats, Amella Caramels, Truffly Made, Cowboy Toffee Co., Taza Chocolate, Endorfin Chocolat, La Châtelaine Chocolat Company, Fera’wyn’s Artisan Chocolates, flying noir, Claudia Marie Design, Jerk’n Pickle, Amano Artisan Chocolate, Kindred Cooks, CocoTutti, The Tea Room Chocolate Company, Cocoa Vida, Kika’s Treats, Marich Premium Chocolates, Quail Point Chocolate, Socola Chocolatier, Twisted Roots Vineyard, Raff Distillerie, Sottomarino Winery, Rosa D’Oro, Gourmet Blends, Farm Fresh To You, Meetup.com, Winery SF, and Chocolate Television.

Also participating was Jessica Ferraro, of Bar Cacao, who had a fascinating and well-attended presentation on the changes and trends in the Craft Chocolate Movement.

The Fall Chocolate Salon is produced by TasteTV. Other TasteTV Chocolate Salons include ones in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Monterey-Carmel, and Sacramento (as well as previous events in Chicago and Napa).

Gâté Comme des Filles Chocolats

Taza

Winery SF

Farm Fresh to You

Chocolate samples from CocoTutti

Charles Chocolates

Fuzzy ears

The Tea Room Chocolate Company

Chocolate samples from CocoTutti

Lobster Rumble rolls across the Country, hosted by Tasting Table

Local Mission Market rolls before being sliced into more manageable portions

Tasting Table’s Lobster Rumble fundraiser/tasting event rolls across the country, and recently rolled into Northern California. Its stop was San Francisco’s Fort Mason Conference Center, and the event was packed with wine, beer, cars, and of course lobster. The lobster was prepared by a variety of local restaurants, each of whom competed for attendee votes to determine whose lobster roll was the best.

The participants included:

Jack’s Oyster Bar & Fish House (serving up Maine lobster on a housemade pretzel bun with tarragon butter and hollandaise)
Local Mission Market
Anchor & Hope
Willi’s Seafood and Raw Bar
Old Port Lobster Shack
Waterbar (who had a non-stop line all night)
Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor (Seattle)
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

To wash it down Santa Margherita Chianti and Pinot Grigio wine as well as Prosecco were served, along with cocktails, Coco Cola Life, and a variety of Stella Artois beers (with collectible glasses).

Desserts were also served, including ice cream from Humphry Slocombe and cinammon rolls from Biscuit Bender.

All of the lobster rolls were delicious, but if you are interested in the winner, here is the official statement:

The Old Port Lobster Shack took home the coveted “Golden Claw” last night at the Tasting Table’s “Lobster Roll Rumble” for the best lobster roll among 9 contenders, held at Fort Mason in the Marina.

The Old Port Lobster Shack’s crew served up more than 600 of their signature “lobstah rolls” with their classic New England presentation of a pickle, alongside of their crunchy coleslaw, another favorite.

Attorney “Greg” from last night’s event explains why Old Port’s lobster roll is his favorite. “They let the Maine lobster roll speak for itself, by keeping it the true star of the dining experience and don’t mess it up by adding a bunch of ingredients except for the grilled New England top loading bun in butter.”

The Deutsches are a husband and wife team who introduced authentic East Coast style seafood to Bay Area lobster lovers in 2007, giving New England transplants the food they had been craving and introduced lobster rolls to Californians who were unfamiliar. “After my first Red Sox game in Oakland and being surrounded by all the East Coast fans, I knew I was on to something,” said Russell Deutsch.

With three “Shacks” in the Bay Area (851 Veterans Boulevard), Portola Valley (3130 Alpine Road) and San Jose (Westfield Valley Mall/Fair Dining Terrace), these casual, family friendly, order-at-the-counter joints are the perfect balance of impeccably fresh seafood in a no fuss atmosphere.

Instagram printouts by Say Ya Photo Booth

Chianti and Prosseco from Santa Margherita

Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar lobster roll

Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor of Seattle

Event luxury partner, LEXUS

Happy campers

Cult Merlots shine at Napa Valley Film Festival’s homage to “Sideways”

Wine tasting panel taught by MaryAnn Worobiec of Wine Spectator Magazine

In honor of the film, “Sideways,” which romanticized wine tasting, elevated Pinot Noir, and looked askance at Merlot, this year’s Napa Valley Film Festival held a special Merlot Panel, as well as a Merlot Tasting event called “We’re Drinking Merlot!”

Sean Quinn, NVFF Wine Manager

The panel was moderated by Sean Quinn, the NVFF Wine Program Manager, and included panelists Jim Laube (Editor, Wine Spectator magazine), Tom Rinaldi, Chris Carpenter (Winemaker, La Jota), and Hailey Trefethen (Trefethen Family Vineyards). Warming up the well-helled crowd was the “How to Taste Like a Pro” seminar presented by MaryAnn Worobiec, Senior Editor of Wine Spectator magazine. These events honor not only the role of merlot in the film “Sideways“, also the positive impact that “Sideways” had on the increase in quality and palate of today’s Merlots.

The Rutherford Hill team

La Jota

Sheldon Richards of Paloma Vineyard

Holly Horton, Provenance Vineyards (2010)

Freemark Abbey 2012

La Jota

O’Brien Estate 2011

MTGA

Kara’s wine-influence chocolate cupcakes

Miner Family winery

DARK DINING at Joya’s Chefs Table

Recently TasteTV had the pleasure of hosting a special Dark Dining event (www.SFDark.com) at Joya Restaurant and Lounge in Palo Alto, California, home of Stanford University and a multitude of tech startups.

The Dark Dining event was at the Chef’s Table of Executive Chef Fabrice Roux, of Joya. Fabrice is a very talented chef who has worked for years in San Francisco, France, Las Vegas, and other locales. Joya under his cooking has become the culinary hot spot of Palo Alto.

Fabrice prepared four courses for the dinner party, however he went even further by making each course actually 3-4 different items. As the diners were not able to see their food, this allowed him to challenge their tasting abilities in guessing the ingredients, textures, and finally, the dish. It was a delightful opportunity for the diners to talk with directly, as well as with each other… without being able to see a thing.

Wines served as pairing were Charles Krug Chardonnay, 2012 Sokol Blosser Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, Victor Vineyards Lawson Ranch Chardonnay, and for dessert the Chocolate Shop Sparkling Wine (“red wine with chocolate notes and festive bubbles”).

CHEF FABRICE ROUX’S DARK DINING MENU:

First Course (“Amuse Bouche”)

brentwood sweet yellow corn soup shooter parmesan cheese organic popcorn

Second Course

bay scallop aguachile ceviche/ chorizo corn dog cheese mustard sauce/ caramelized apple and morcilla

Third/Main Course

pan seared walu served with roasted spaghetti squash / mary ‘s rocky junior chicken breast served with chow mein jerk sauce/ roasted pork filet mignon with spaghetti cuban sauce

Fourth/Dessert Course

Deep fried arroz con leche with dulce de leche caramel / chia mango parfait with cilantro / molted chocolate cake with black berry

Nominees and Honorees Announced for 6th Annual TASTE AWARDS

The TASTE AWARDS Committee and TasteTV are pleased to announce this year’s Nominees and Honorees for the 6th Annual TASTE AWARDS.

All Finalist Nominees were voted upon by the members of the Academy of Media Tastemakers. Honoree Award Winners were selected by the TASTE AWARDS Committee. To view the full list, go to the site www.TheTasteAwards.com

In addition, Viewers Choice voting for selected categories has also begun. To vote, go to the site.

Selected Award Winners will be announced in a private reception in December in San Francisco. All winners will receive their awards on January 15th, 2015 at a Red Carpet Awards celebration in Hollywood. Lifetime Achievement Awards and other Special Awards will also be presented to valuable contributors to the industry.

This year’s Celebrity Presenters include P. Allen Smith (PBS, Syndicated stations), Alie & Georgia (Cooking Channel), Bobby Bognar (History), and more to be announced.

NEW EVENTS THIS YEAR:

– Taste Hall of Fame Dinner scheduled in Hollywood on January 14th

– Poolside Brunch in Beverly Hills on January 16th

– Tastemakers Summit & Panel

The TASTE AWARDS are the premier awards celebrating the year’s best in Food, Fashion, and Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, Online, and on Radio. The Awards have included appearances by stars, celebrities, producers and executives from networks and platforms such as the Food Network, the Style Network, Bravo, the Cooking Channel, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime, E! Entertainment Television, PBS, NBC, ABC, the CW, HGTV, the Travel Channel, HD Net, Hulu, YouTube, Sony Pictures, Dreamworks, The History Channel, Bio, iHeart Radio and more.

Recipe – How to Make Nudi Cheese Pasta

A recipe for Italian “Nudi” cheese pasta, as made by celebrity Chef Miriam Russell-Wadleigh at Piacere Restaurant in San Carlos, California. Excerpt from “TASTEABLE: California” television series.

Watch video on HULU:

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