Dinner in Paradise

Thanks to the folks at Driscoll's (thank you, Alicia and Kim!), I tried something completely new. It was sheer coincidence that I ended up having dinner at Paradise Farms, a 5 acre certified organic farm in Homestead, Florida. I was skeptical at best when, upon my arrival, I saw the handpainted "no cigarettes, no meat" sign at the farm entrance, but I ended up having a beautiful evening despite the fact that I was leaving my worldly comforts behind.

Paradise Farms sells their bounty only to local chefs. They grow edible flowers, vegetables and fruit using no pesticides. Upon our arrival, we were treated to an assortment wines from Schnebly's Redlands Winery. I had been to the winery before- and was looking forward to tasting the sparkling lychee wine again. It is semi-dry with a tropical perfume nose. There were a few beautiful displays laden with Driscoll's berries, and it was all I could do not to dig in, but I didn't want to ruin my dinner. Driscoll's displayed the most incredible raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries that I had seen.



Back to the farm, we were treated to a tour of the farms and grounds and an explanation of the use of the composting toilets. Here are some of the amazing fruit trees and vegetables I saw growing as I walked along the path:





Paradise Farms' Dinner in Paradise series takes place monthly. This month, in conjunction with the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, the event was also part of The New York Times Dinner Series, and was sponsored by The Food Network, Driscoll's, The New York Times, Paradise Farms and Whole Foods. What a line up! Chefs Jeremy Fox, Andrea Reusing, Michel Nischan and Michael Schwartz all produced Hors D'Oeuvres, Four Courses and Dessert. Hedy Goldsmith created cookies, candies and confections for dessert as well. Her soft pomelo gelled candy was one of the most heavenly things I have ever eaten.

First Course: Paradise "Farm to Fork" Leaves, Herbs, Flowers, Roots and Shoots with Panisse (Jeremy Fox). With Chenin Blanc 2006 Heller Estate, California (100% Certified Organic Grapes)



Second Course: Heirloom Tomato Salad with Shiso and Shallots. With Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Mason Cellars, California (100% Certified Organic Grapes)

(Photo by Ian)

Third Course (my personal favorite): Ancient Grain and Root Vegetable "Risotto", Golden Chioggia Beets, Rainbow Carrots, Purplette Onions, Micro Greens, Roasted Almonds. With Chateauneuf-du-Pape, LaBernardine 2005, Michael Chapoutler, France (Biodynamic Farming)



Fourth Course: Pan Roasted Local Tilefish, Spiny Lobster Panade, Saffron Nage, Micro Cilantro. With Pinot Noir, Estate 2006, Bouchaine Winery, California (Sustainable Farming)



Dessert: Paradise Farms Basil Infused Panna Cotta with Strawberry Consomme. With Riesling, Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese 2006, S.A. Prum, Germany (Sustainable Farming). Hedy Goldsmith's Cookies, Candies and Confections.

(Photo By Ian)

I am certain that this is the freshest food I have ever eaten, and I have to admit I could taste the love and effort along with the unique flavors of everything! I especially enjoyed the grain and root vegetable "risotto" third course, which had the advantage of being something hardy, refined and absolutely bursting with enormous flavor. With the exception of the cilantro, everything else was indeed unique and fantastic. Seeing as Driscoll's was a sponsor of the event, I was curious as to why berries weren't more prominently featured on the menu- they are so versatile and can add much to savory dishes. Nonetheless, it is hard to complain about Dinner in Paradise! It was such a lovely experience. I highly recommend the dinner series- step outside your comfort zone and step into a little piece of paradise...and the eggs.

Sharing Bubbles

Some things are too good to keep to yourself. I'm coming out of blogtirement once in a while when something deliciously momentous happens. Last night was one of those times. The Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival was luxurious, elegant and as fabulous as could be.



On the beach behind the Delano Hotel, the gargantuan tents held well-known chefs from around the country with their crews, cooking and serving the most original and varied barbecued items imaginable. We sampled everything from tender buffalo steaks to succulent lamb to melt-in-your-mouth beef with every degree of smoke and heat changing from chef to chef. It was a whirlwind education and I kept on learning with every new plate.

There was Al Roker and his dish.







One of the best was Peter Vauthy's beef- mmmmmm.mmmm.mmmm.  

There was one chef who blew my mind with his dish for the evening. Ilan Hall, winner of Top Chef season 2, created a crispy barbecued chicken skin with pickles sandwich served on fresh, soft rye bread. On the side was a bacon-wrapped matzo ball! A small puff of matzo ball hugged by a strip of bacon? Genius. Although I have to admit that a small bite of the sandwich would have given me as much pleasure as eating most of the sandwich did, I was happy to have too much. I will dream of this sandwich for the rest of my life.  I took the picture when I realized I shouldn't/couldn't eat any more of it but I needed a visual memory of the thing.

 

Tom Colicchio's barbecue was fine- not a standout but not bad- but his mac and cheese was heaven. The best I have tasted.



Did I mention the champagne?  Riedel representatives distributed glasses and beautifully decorated bars were strategically placed throughout the event.  Anytime the glass was in danger of being empty, all one had to do was waltz on over to one of the bars and in seconds, it was full again.  Like magic.

We walked from table to table, sampling dishes and saying hello to the chefs- from time to time we recognized others in the crowd.  We saw Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge and Special Projects Director for Food and Wine Magazine, enjoying herself sampling barbecue at Tom Colicchio's Craft tent.  Some former Top Chef contestants milled about, as did a few Food Network personalities.  I am sure missed a lot of people because we were too busy just having fun.   TLMM saw Rocco as we walked past him, so we stopped to say hello.  He made us promise to attend his food demo later in the festival, and was really very friendly.   Oh okay!  I admit it!  I love him- I didn't tell him- but I think you can see it in my eyes.  I think he might love me a little bit, too.



The night was so full of highlights, I will have to mention the low-lights for levity.   The event is on sand, so wear comfortable shoes or find a secret hiding place for your shoes and remember, you are going to drink copious amounts of champagne, so hide them somewhere they'll be easy to find later.   The bathroom situation was tricky because there were only two women's stalls.  The event was nearly impossible for anyone in a wheelchair or with a walker to navigate.  It's on sand.  I am sure they'll do something to accommodate, but again, it's on sand.

It makes me uneasy to be critical of any of it, but with such a high ticket price (thank you TLMM for such a generous Christmas gift), they should work out the kinks.  

There is so much more to say.  I met and chatted with restaurant owners and food enthusiasts from all over the country.  I met Alicia, the Convention Coordinator for Driscoll's, who was kind enough to invite me to tonight's event- Dinner in Paradise at Paradise Farms, an organic farm in Homestead, FL.   I anticipate my next blog entry being about just that!  So hi everyone, I'll be here from time to time so don't forget to check back.  I've missed you...and the eggs.

L'Shanah Tovah

Happy New Year to all of my peeps! May it be a good year for all.

Better Late Than Never!

Click on graphic to enlarge. When GW was asked what journalists like to eat, he said "brie and cheese".

Okay, so I was a little behind on reading my calendar.

An Interesting Statistic

While listening to the radio on the drive to work this morning, I heard a commercial for Publix brand paper towels, which are on sale right now for $.89 a roll with a 4 roll limit. In the commercial, the voice tells us that the average American family uses one and one half rolls of paper towels per week. I consider myself fairly average- but my family of two people, three dogs and one bird is evidently anything but. We go through at least one roll of paper towels per day. That is at least seven rolls per week! Bounty. Regular or Mega-Rolls, Select-A-Size (which TLMM loathes because she never can select the size she needs)-- it makes no difference. Where did Publix get that statistic? Could we really be that abnormal, using almost 700% more rolls of paper towels than the average family? How many rolls does your family use?? I've gotta know...and the eggs.

Shirley Valentine Weekend

The worst of the weather has passed and all is well! As you must already know, we planned our recent trip to Richmond to see Muffinface in her second one woman show! We had the pleasure (thank you, Gretchen) of seeing Gretchen, Harry and Allie (Harry and Allison pictured above) during one afternoon. My dad and Kitty-mom made Richmond a stopping point on their way home from North Carolina. We went to Liberty Valance, a themed steakhouse and neighborhood staple (just don't ask me which neighborhood)!



That's Allie, showing off her special talent of trapping iced tea in a straw!





Later that evening, at Hanover Tavern, we met up with Sparki and the Dean and Phil (here's Phil sans Vicki). I guess I was more preoccupied with getting photos of the food than of all the people!



Here's Sparki and behind him is the Shirley Valentine set. He looks very excited! We were all excited to see Muffinface portray the title character. As soon as the lights came up, I saw my sister for one beat and then realized we were actually watching Shirley. We weren't watching someone play her. Of all the theater I have enjoyed starring my sister-- and there has been loads of it considering she has been doing this all of her life-- this piece was, by far, my favorite. The story is that Shirley and her husband raised their children and now live a predictable day-to-day existence. A 42-year old Shirley wonders what happened to her life and realizes (as she talks to her kitchen wall) that she has wasted her potential and hasn't exactly lived her life the way she imagined she would. She escapes to Greece on a trip with a friend and finally comes into her own. I'm the same age as Shirley and a few years ago, I took stock of my life and took steps to change things. The message in Shirley Valentine is universal, timeless and I could feel the energy in the theater as every audience member took the journey with Shirley.

After the play, we met up with my sister, Steve P., my sister's BFF, and a few others. We went to Davis and Main, another restaurant, for a few drinks. Some had dessert. We had time to sit and to catch up on things with friends we hadn't seen in a few years, and my dad and Kitty-Mom who we hadn't seen since their recent trip to Russia. You know how there are people you might not see for a couple of years or even more and 5 minutes after you see them you feel that no time has passed? That's what this night was like. It was one of those treasured times when you are physically surrounded by family (whether they are blood relatives or not). I wish we could do it all over again tomorrow.

We bid our farewells and went home to my sister's house to collapse. The next day, as we made our way to the airport and back to Florida, the weekend seemed like a blur- a dream- but we had no regrets, having fit a week of visiting (and eating) into two short days...and the eggs.

Just in case...

If you don't see new posts for a couple of days, it's because we lost power. Tropical Storm Fay is not forecast to deliver a direct hit to our area (not that you could tell from the satellite graphic above), but we are in the cone. High winds are enough to pull the plug in these parts. If that happens, we'll be doing some creative cooking to save the contents of our refrigerator and freezer- it might be interesting. At one point during the 2005 season, we were without power for a week. Our neighbor pulled a grill out onto the front lawn and all of the other neighbors brought their quickly thawing meat for a candle-lit cookout. Another neighbor brought ice so we cooled down our remaining stores of beer and had a good old time. It was the bright point in an otherwise very trying, hot, traumatic week. We have since moved, but hope that if the worst should happen, we will at least spend some quality time with some folks in the 'hood...and the eggs.

Hanover Tavern and The Barksdale Theater

Just outside of Richmond, Virginia, is the Hanover Tavern, which was built in 1791 and has just undergone a 15 year renovation. Upstairs is Michelle's at Hanover Tavern- see the website here. Downstairs is the Barksdale Theater. The setup is perfect for dinner and a show, which is exactly what we did while we were there. As we walked from the gravel parking lot to the building, I knew it would be a magical night! First, the dinner.

On the Summer 2008 Theater Menu, there are a choice of 7 first courses, 7 second courses and 3 desserts. I think we hit just about all of the courses with our party of 8, so let's get started! We ordered a couple of bottles of Pinot Noir to start off right.



Kitty-Mom ordered Watermelon Gazpacho. An excellent take on ordinary gazpacho, making it extraordinary. If it hadn't had cilantro in it, it would have been flawless.



She Crab Soup. One of the best I have ever tasted- mellow, creamy- just crabby enough. Hot, delicious. I wish TLMM had ordered two.



The Dean ordered Caesar Salad. Looked lovely- he said it tasted great. Fresh ingredients and zingy dressing!



I couldn't resist ordering crab dip- and look at it! It is meant to be an appetizer for one person, but it was enough for everyone at our table to have some. Very good- the roasted peppers gave it a bit of a different flavor, I want to try to make this at home.



Either Phil or Vicky ordered Fried Green Tomatoes. They enjoyed them very much- I forgot to ask for a bite!



Sparki ordered the Hanover Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella, which he said was very good. The balsamic reduction definitely boosted the whole dish to another level.



Finally, my dad's Fried Chesapeake Oysters. He liked them. I didn't taste them but the plate sure looks pretty! We had every first course on our table except for the House Salad.



On to the Second Courses.  Crab cakes- man, oh man they looked excellent.  They were served with apple and celery root remoulade, asparagus and Carolina Plantation rice with ham and chives.  



Several people ordered duck, which was served with basmati rice, sauteed mustard greens and peach butter. The general consensus was that the duck was too dry - but edible. It was the only disappointing entree.



The Filet Mignon came with port-black pepper demi-glace, truffle mashed potatoes and warm local tomato salad. Several also ordered this. I loved it- the pepper sauce was subtle yet still peppery. The mashed potatoes were creamy and wonderful. I think I ate every morsel on my plate!



Pork tenderloin with charred tomato BBQ, Napa cabbage slaw Byrd's Mill Grits.   Well, that's what the menu said anyway- this is clearly not cabbage slaw.  It was the mustard greens that came with the duck.  Sparki didn't like them, not one little bit, but he loved everything else on his plate.

Pan Seared Salmon with Silver Queen corn succotash, roasted potatoes and lemon emulsion.  I didn't have a taste of this, but I wish that I did.  It looked excellent and smelled even better.  As much as I love red meat, I think I would order this on my next visit.  

We had every entree on the menu except for Vegetarian Risotto and Chicken Pasta.  By the time we finished our entrees, we didn't think we could eat another bite.  But you get free dessert so we all thought we'd give it the old college try.



Coffee for everyone, and then we had at the desserts. Chocolate Pecan Pie was so scrumptious I couldn't eat just one bite like I had planned to. So good- the perfect amount of pecans, chocolate and crust. Mmmmmmm!



Creme Brulee.



Finally, the piece de resistance for the entire evening- Strawberry Shortcake. If you have never tried this dish in the South, I highly suggest you do. The biscuits were tender and flaky, the strawberries ripe as can be and the cream was fresh. The combination was out of this world.

If you are ever in the Richmond, Virginia area and get a hankerin' for dinner and a show, this picturesque rural location is not to be missed. We spoke with several folks from the D.C. area, , so the word has already spread. In addition to the quality dining in Richmond, there is an active theater community and are always several shows open. The weekend we were there, I know of at least three- Shirley Valentine (the reason for our visit), Guys and Dolls and Little Shop of Horrors!

My hunch was right and the evening did prove to be magical.  After that marvelous dinner, the eight of us walked downstairs, met up with more friends and went into the theater to enjoy a couple of hours of Shirley Valentine, starring my own little baby sister, Jill Bari Steinberg, aka Muffinface. That experience, and the hours we spent visiting afterward, are the topic of my next post...stay tuned...and the eggs.

The Reviews are In and We're Off!

Off to Richmond, Virginia , where my very own little sister is performing in Shirley Valentine, the timeless one-woman show written by Willy Russell. For reviews see here and here.

While in Richmond, we will make sure to fit in a few dining destinations, especially one of our favorite restaurants, The White Dog- see their website here.  We'll also be trying something new to us- Michelle's, the restaurant at the historic Hanover Tavern which is also where the theatre is located.

Stop back next week for the juicy details...and the eggs.

Shirley Valentine, Barksdale Theater- Richmond, VA

For any theater lover in the Richmond, Virginia vicinity, I urge to to take a trip to Barksdale's Hanover Tavern to catch Shirley Valentine. This show is extra, extra special because the star is my little sister, Jill Bari Steinberg! It is her second one-woman show, and if her first was any indication, this will be unforgettable. The show runs from July 11th - For specific information, click here. BREAK A LEG, JB!

Congratulations, Ron!

My friend Ron (third from left) is a fellow food and wine enthusiast, has an impeccable sense of style- and is now an Emmy Winner. That's right, last night I witnessed seeing someone I know walk up to the podium at the Kodak Theater in L.A. and accept a Daytime Emmy on behalf of the writing team of One Life to Live, for which he is the head writer. What a feeling! I don't think I could have been any more excited if I had won one myself!! See all the winners here.  I'll forgive him for not mentioning me by name (I taught him everything he knows) if he sends me a couple of his Italian family recipes.

This photo is of David & Michelle Baldacci, Ron and me during our tour at the FBI sometime in 1995.   Many congratulations, Ron, and wishes of continued success.  I'll be waiting for my recipes, M.L. ...and the eggs.

Fabulous Cookbooks (Thank you, Sparki and The Dean)!

This has to be the most entertaining mini-cookbook collection possible, and TLMM and I got all three in one day- thanks to Sparki and the Dean, who remembered us on our 2nd anniversary. From the Liberace recipe collection, I'll be making Flamboyant Flambe of Sirloin!

When it comes to Elvis, the decision was not as simple. For my first recipe, should I go all "traditional Elvis" and attempt the Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich? Should I stick to southern basics and make Sausage Spoon Bread? The last recipe in the book is for The Royal Wedding Cake, which was served at the wedding of Priscilla Beaulieu and Elis Presley on May 1, 1967. The cake consists of 6 tiers and the recipe has not been modified in any way and is 9 pages long. It serves 500, so I think I'll be the most popular girl on my block.

Finally, Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook. Look at Opie going to town on that pie! I'm thinking something simple like Thelma Lou's Finger Sandwiches or Snappy Lunch Pork Chop Sandwich. I think I'll have to sleep on it, all the choices I have are overwhelming.

The books are clever and funny, not to mention educational. I did not know that Liberace owned a restaurant in Vegas! The books are all so full of good food I don't know where to start. Sparki and the Dean- when you visit, I promise to let you choose a recipe from each and I'll cook for you...I can't wait...and the eggs.