Great Taste Magazine

Mixologist Joel Black explains how to smoke vodka, bourbon or any spirit.

The weather is warming, spring has sprung, and summer is on its way.  What does that mean for proud Americans across this land?  It’s time to BBQ!  And with hot & spicy BBQ, there is the need for a cool refreshing accompaniment.  BBQ, whether a Kansas City dry rub or my favorite, West Texas “cowboy style,” is truly this country’s first cuisine and is celebrated in various ways from region to region.  Given my Texas roots, I am going to explore a “cowboy style” BBQ inspired libation.

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IPhone apps and a Bento database.

Patrick Albrecht, owner of four restaurants in Atlanta, GA that employs 200, has outfitted his 15 managers with iPhones which they use to access the company’s Bento database, iCal calendars, and enterprise software. They can instantly look up, enter, and revise information about menus, banquets, employee schedules, point-of-sale transactions, and access daily reports—from anywhere.

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May/June 2012

by Chef Katie Averill

Michael’s on Naples serves modern Italian food, all made in house from scratch.

As if a chic and happening restaurant were plucked straight from San Francisco or New York City, Michael’s on Naples in Long Beach pops out dramatically from other shops on the street. Its clean modern décor hints at the upscale Italian food and carefully selected wines found inside. Chef David Coleman is making creamy and divine mozzarella when I arrive, and I am lucky to sample it. I’m surprised to hear he makes it daily, because while he cooks dinner at Michael’s on Naples, they have recently opened a pizzeria next door that also boasts house-made cheese. I peek next door and the place is bustling. They have their bases covered with casual dining AND upscale dining options—both benefitting from Chef Coleman’s touch. Read more »

Chefs share BBQ tips and techniques plus BBQ Bootcamp at Alisal Ranch.

by Teri Williams

Every region of the United States has three things in common: baseball, apple pie, and BBQ. Texas has beef, the Carolinas have pork, Kansas City has sauce, Memphis has ribs and California has Tri Tip. What’s better than the tender texture and smoky flavor of anything cooked over wood and fire? Read more »

Here’s the beef: when it comes to cutting meat, few know what they’re doing. Luckily, Kari Underly does; her talent as a third generation butcher is shared throughout the pages of her guide to protein, The Art of Beef Cutting, a meat professional’s guide to butchering and merchandising. A leading expert in meat education, Underly guides readers through fundamentals to master cuts. Each cut is thoroughly explained in step-by-step fashion and accompanied by a descriptive color photo. International and ethnic cuts are also provided, along with the best cooking methods for each section. Chapters on tools, selling for profit, and safe handling add to the beef cutting experience. This is the ideal training manual for anyone wishing to master this craft, from industry professional to culinary student to ardent home-cook.

To purchase this and other great titles, visit great-taste.net/books

Chicago Style Wine & Food Launches in San Diego

by Frank Mangio

April 30, 2012—A twin launch recently resonated with San Diego diners when Davanti Enoteca and Mia Francesca opened side by side in an upscale food court in the Del Mar Highlands Center next to the renovated movie theatre.  I was surprised and moved by the flavor and friendliness of both operations, which are owned by the same group from Chicago, where several restaurants are thriving, mostly with the same favorite Italian theme. Read more »

Local Chefs David Coleman and Greg Daniels will join chefs from around the state in Sacramento on May 1.

More than 100 of California’s best-known chefs have joined forces to fight the nation’s first state law banning the sale of foie gras.

Read more from the San Francisco Gate

by Linda Mensinga

Well fed ducks and their livers to disappear from California menus.

“I don’t tell people what they can’t eat,” says Playground Chef/Owner Jason Quinn, and most restaurant professionals agree. Yet the California legislature passed a bill in 2004 that essentially tells everyone in the state not to eat foie gras. The bill prohibits, “force feeding a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird’s liver beyond normal size.” It also authorizes, “…a citation … in an amount up to $1,000 per violation per day.”

This “one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable culinary treasure” foie gras, French for fatty liver, will soon be available in all states but California. Read more »

IRVINE, Calif., April, 2012—The Taste of Orange County™ —Southern California’s five star culinary weekend event—is scheduled for June 16-17, 2012 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater from Noon to 10pm on Saturday and from Noon to 8pm on Sunday.

General admission is $40, or you can download the event app for a $20 admission fee.  The “per taste” fee is still being worked out. A portion of the proceeds will be going to OC Food Bank.

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SOL Cocina shows off the healthy side of Mexican food in Newport, California, and now Scottsdale, Arizona.

NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. April, 2012— Since opening, SOL Cocina has focused on Mexican cuisine that is made with fresh, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.

Executive Chef Deborah Schneider emphasizes real Mexican food is not about the sour cream and cheese dishes served in the US, but the fruit and vegetables. SOL celebrates authentic Baja coastal cuisine with a fresh, modern interpretation. Meat and seafood is grilled over mesquite wood in the open kitchen with salsas and sauces made in house. At the same time, vegan and vegetarians find much to choose from on the menu.

Chef Schneider shares her fresh corn and poblano soup with white corn tostadas, chorizo & mushrooms con queso recipes. Read more »

Well known among Food Network viewers and professional chefs, this pastry chef/television host finds time between shoots to run his own restaurant, D Bar Desserts. The emcee and judge offers would-be contenders advice.

DENVER, March, 2012—Keegan Gerhard has done 300 shows of Food Network Challenge for 10 years, along with appearances on the Discovery Channel and CNN. He’s now turned his focus to running his own restaurant in Denver, and has plans to open a second D Bar in San Diego this May. D Bar San Diego will be a full-service restaurant with emphasis on Drinks, Dining, AND Desserts. It will feature a vibrant design from Xan Creative who did neighboring AM eatery Snooze, another Colorado native.  Read more »

This new cocktail from Wolfgang Puck is designed to liven up a romantic or any occasion.

Keep reading for bonus truffle recipe guaranteed to please the chocolate lover in your life.

Raspberry Mocha Kiss

Photo by Doreen Elyassian

4 oz of Wolfgang Puck Double Blend Mocha – 120 calories/cold brewed/organic/kosher

1 1/2 oz Vodka Read more »

This eclectic book of tips and recipes by Heston Blumenthal offers helpful advice on a multitude of different cuisines. Chef Blumenthal is the owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in the UK. In his book, he not only reveals his delicious recipes, but explains in detail how they will work. Chapters on soups, salads, pasta, sides and desserts are liberally sprinkled with color photos.

A unique part of the book contains Blumenthal’s thoughts on brining. Blumenthal devotes two separate sections to the art of low-level brining, and explains the advantages, as well as the challenges, of this timeless process. He describes the steps necessary for brining foods as large and tough as porkbelly, to foods as small and delicate as fish. He also explains how adding the right amount of salt to a brine actually moistens the meat, and how to compensate for time with concentration.

Blumenthal’s instructions are precise and easy to follow, and his chapters are prefaced with an explanation of each approach. To order this book and many other great titles, please visit www.great-taste.net/books.

“Pickling began 4,000 years ago using cucumbers native to India and it was used as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea when you never knew how long you could be out. Now, we eat pickled items because we love the taste,” says Chef Marissa Gerlach of Raya at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Read more »

March/April 2012

by Katie Averill

“The most expensive seat in the house is the empty one.” This seemingly simple statement made by Chef Manuel “Manny” Gonzalez during the lovely afternoon I spent at TAPS Fish House and Brewery speaks volumes about his perspective. He believes that all the seats will fill themselves if the food and service are great. This is no small feat in a restaurant that can do 1200 (!) covers in a day. Great food is the result of his stellar experience including CCA training and hard work under celebrity chefs merged with rare common sense, urgency and a selfless attitude. Great service means that customers should not have to ask for a thing once they have placed their order. Read more »

Local Chefs David Coleman and Greg Daniels have joined a statewide chef movement to repeal Senate Bill No. 1520, a bill that prohibits a product from being sold in the state if it is the result of force feeding a bird for the purpose of enlarging the bird’s liver beyond normal size. The bill, scheduled to come into effect July 1, 2012 authorizes an officer to issue a citation for a violation of those provisions in an amount up to $1,000 per violation per day. Perhaps more a deterrent to some is the threat of activists taking violent action against them as families and companies have been threatened by extremists. Read the Law, a law with far reaching ramifications that have yet to be examined.

C.H.E.F.S., The Coalition for Humane and Ethical Farming Standards is organizing Read more »

Join Great Taste Magazine Tuesday, March 20 at 3pm for an hors d’oeuvre and cocktail gathering to support Eva”s Caribbean Kitchen as they recover from the damage caused by the February 18 fire. Bring a minimum $10 donation and a gift certificate or prize (optional) to raffle or auction. Food and beverage purveyors are invited to donate product for sampling at the event.Contact Teri to rsvp or donate. www.evascaribbeankitchen.com

Traditionally cooked whole and often roasted for several hours, the suckling pig has a rich history across many cultures. Chefs around the U.S. have adapted this conventional preparation to offer guests their signature dish with a contemporary twist. Read more »

Teahouses are known for their tea, scones and sandwiches. This tearoom/petite bistro does those well of course, but much more.

MISSION VIEJO, Ca. February, 2012—Entering Coffee, Tea and Tulips takes guests to a more tranquil time and place with flowered tablecloths, stuffed animals, pastel wallpaper, and tea accoutrements in cabinets along the walls. Quaint and cozy as the room may be, the restaurant comes to life with a greeting from Lina or Michael Samawi, husband and wife owners. Michael takes care of the food and Lina handles the front. Read more »

Gilberto Cetina just published the first English cookbook, Sabores Yucatecos, on Yucatecan food based on recipes he cooks at his Los Angeles restaurant Chichen Itza.

LOS ANGELES, Ca. January, 2012—The food at Chichen Itza is not the Mexican everyone knows. Open since 2001, the restaurant has a loyal following who have discovered Yucatecan cuisine based on Mayan, Spanish with Lebanese and Dutch influences. Chef/owner Gilberto Cetina wrote the recipes in Sabores Yucatecos: A Culinary Tour of the Yucatán (WPR Books: Comida, $27.95), based on his mother’s cooking. A reception to launch the book was held at the restaurant recently. Co-authors Katherine Diaz and Gilberto Cetina, Jr., son, were on hand to share experiences. Read more »

This beautifully-photographed coffee table volume by Jeff Morgan, the Domaine Chandon Cookbook, has 224 pages of California wine country cuisine from the venerable Domaine Chandon, French-owned winery of champagne style sparkling wines. The book’s introduction tells the story behind the vineyard’s creation in 1975. Read more »

From Napa north to Calistoga, the famed Napa Valley is bigger, wider and much more than I ever expected. More wineries, restaurants, shops and natural beauty than any article, book or TV review can cover. More wines to discover, restaurants to try, foods to savor and tasting rooms to visit exist than even its reputation promises. Read more »

January/February 2012
by Suzanna Hoang

In a town where the trees sway with cool, winter breezes, and the community shops, chats and eats along historic sidewalks, the perfectly situated Haven Gastropub fits right in. Like its home in Old Towne Orange, Haven settles right into the fabric of old-world coziness with a modern flair, like it was supposed to be there all along. Inside, with its stone and vintage wood interior, Haven is just as inviting as its address. Locals agree, with regulars coming in three to four times a week. Chef and partner Greg Daniels’ hard work and passion for life are two things that ring true for one of the hardest working men in Orange County. Read more »

Citrus is the winter fruit that keeps on giving. These juicy wonders brighten seafood, salads, meats and desserts. Versatile, the juice enhances sauces, the sections perk up any salad and the zests add aroma to any dish. In addition to vitamin C, citrus delivers potassium, folate, calcium, fiber and other nutrients.
Lemons and limes also make beautiful garnishes with their color, texture, fragrance and tartness. Balboa Bay Club Executive Chef Josef Lageder and Banquet Chef Michael Doyle shared some lovely citrus garnishes. According to Chef Lageder, all are simple enough to use in banquets. Read more »