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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

Champagne Duval-Leroy toasts with Caviar Hors D’Oeuvres

Pierre Bettinger of Duval-Leroy

Champagne Duval-Leroy recently celebrated at 620 Jones in San Francisco several new developments and distribution of its delicious vintages in the United Sates. The event included pairings of various luxury hors d’oeuvres, chacuteries, cheeses, and even caviar with the premium champagnes from Duval-Leroy.

Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones

Poured for tasting were the Duval-Leroy Brut Premier Cru, the Duval-Leroy Rose Premier Cru, and the Duval-Leroy Blanc de Blanc 2006 (our favorite).

The 620 Jones pairing menu consisted of selections such as prawn ceviche, caviar on a caor madeleine with creme fraichee and chive, and grilled rabit saddle with roasted figs bruschetta.

Champagne Duval-Leroy can also be found in the U.S. via the Henry Wine Group (www.henrywinegroup.com)

Vive la France!

Luxury hors d’oeuvres from 620 Jones

Chef at 620 Jones

Food and lifestyle journalist Emma Krasov

Le Menu

Team at Duval-Leroy

Caviar from 620 Jones, SF

5 Year Anniversary Party for Cuisine Noir Magazine

TasteTV recently attended the 5th Year Anniversary Party for Cuisine Noir Magazine. The event took place at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco’s SoMA District, and hosted a bevy of food and wine purveyors, many of whom are helmed by African-American entrepreneurs.

Founded by V. Sheree Williams, Cuisine Noir is currently the only print and online culinary publication to focus specifically on the African-America market of foodies, creators, and celebrities.

At the event we discovered a number of new products and beverages, as well as reconnected with ones with which we were already familiar. The attendees were glamorous, and more importantly, having a great time.

(courtesy of TasteTV)

Longevity Wines (courtesy of TasteTV)

Luv’s Brownies (courtesy of TasteTV)

Cuisine Noir magazine co-founder Richard Parnell (courtesy of TasteTV)

New Orlean’s Bill and his famous cookies and potato salad (courtesy of TasteTV)

Cartoon Art Museum (courtesy of TasteTV)

Kristen of Marich Confections (courtesy of TasteTV)

Red Carpet at the Cartoon Art Museum (courtesy of TasteTV)

House of Mandela Wines, part of Nelson Mandela’s family business legacy (courtesy of TasteTV)

Food choices (courtesy of TasteTV)

Ron Tanner (right) from NASFT (courtesy of TasteTV)

Winemakers from Longevity and Indigene (courtesy of TasteTV)

(courtesy of TasteTV)

Chocolate and Wine paired well at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

The 19th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival took place recently in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, and the event did not lack for that key ingredient: chocolate! But it also included other interesting contributions, such as a fantastic assortment of California wines (and even beer).

In addition to the tasting, there were also presentations and activities, Ghirardelli Chocolate Earthquake Ice Cream Eating Contest, Chocolate School- “From Cocoa Bean to Chocolate Bar”, and Chef Demonstrations.

As always, a portion of the event’s proceeds were contributed to the non-profit, Project Open Hand. Project Open Hand, a local organization that provides meals to the homebound critically ill, senior citizens, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Last year, festival proceeds raised more than $90,000 for this cause.

Spicy Vines

Marich Chocolates

Sharona’s Chocolate Shop

Rainforest Cafe

A chocolate message in a bottle? No…in a Govino wine glass

GudFud Stuffed Marshmallows

“Cupcake Wars” winner, Frost Cupcake Factory

The Lamb Jam adds a Summer Picnic Party to its Culinary Recipe

general’s residence, fort mason

Recently San Francisco hosted the 5th Annual Lamb Jam, a national event produced by the American Lamb Board. The event spotlighted a number of local restaurants and their signature lamb-based dishes for the enjoyment of lovers of the meat.

This year the Jam was also part of the Eat Drink SF food festival, which was just rebranded from the former title, “SF Chefs.”

Unlike in previous years, this time the Lamb Jam took place at a new venue, the General’s Residence at the Fort Mason Center. The views provided on this beautiful warm and sunny day created the atmosphere of a giant, lamb-infused picnic.

Another great aspect, aside from the food, wine, beer and cider, were the People’s Choice Awards, in which attendees voted on their top picks from the following participating restaurants: Bluestem Brasserie, Chino, Hog & Rocks, Pican, Scala’s Bistro, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, La Urbana, Thirsty Bear Brewing Co., Dosa, Gaspar, Bartlett Hall.

Overall we found almost all of the selections delicious, though some of the spicier ones tended to drown out the tasty flavor of lamb in exchange for tongue-burning heat.

Chef John Fink of the Whole Beast unveiled an experimental new lamb sausage product, which judging from how quickly they were eaten, and how many times we went back for “seconds”, it should do quite well.

Chef Francis of the Bluestem Brasserie

Chef Sophina Uong (right) and staff of Pican (Oakland)

Chef Sophina Uong of Pican’s lamb dish, Koren-influenced Smoked Lamb Bulgogi

The Whole Beast’s lamb sausages

Chef Emmanuel Eng of Bartlett Hall (SF)

Bluestem Brasserie lamb sliders

Bartlett Hall lamb dish, Braised Lamb Shank with Taro and Cumin, Napa Cabbage, Sour Szechuan, Peach Jam, and salad

Chef John Fink of the Whole Beast

Chef Matt Greco of the Restaurant at Wente Vineyards and his Smoked Leg of Lamb, Bourbon, Hay and Green Romesco

Chocolate tasting

Scala’s Bistro lamb dish, by Chef Larry Finn

VIDEO: Los Angeles Chocolate Salon

A new short video about the Los Angeles Chocolate Salon which takes place each year in Pasadena. The event is the premier show for artisan and premium chocolates in Southern California, including Los Angeles. www.LAChocolateSalon.com

NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW WORLD