A La Carte
"Heard over tea..."
- We hear that Jasper’s and Amici will soon be opening on Westheimer near Mid Lane….
- The Houston Originals have a new website and gift certificate program that can save you 30-40% when dining out at participating restaurants. The Houston Originals are a group of top independent restaurants dedicated to preserving the unique culinary landscape of the Bayou City. The website offers a mini dining guide as well as up-to-date information about these restaurants. To purchase gift certificates and learn more visit www.houstonoriginals.com
- Massimo Di Lenardo, owner of di Lenardo Vineyards located in the Fruili region in the far Northeast of Italy will host a five-course Italian feast paired with five of di Lenardo’s award-winning wines on March 6 at 7 p.m. at Vine Wine Room. Vine Wine Room is located at 12420 Memorial Drive, Houston. Cost of the wine dinner is $80.00 per person. Call 713-463-8463 for reservations.
- Messina Hof Winery and Resort is offering free tours and tastings to all active duty, reserve, national guard and retired military personnel and their spouses through July 4, 2007. ID is required. Messina Hof is located at 4545 Old Reliance Road, Bryan, Texas 77808. For more information and tour hours, call 979-778-9463.
- Looking for a job in the dining industry? VIN Houston, which will open late March in Bayou Place in the downtown Theater District, has several openings. Contact Dylan Gotesky at 713-702-8990 for front-of-the-house openings, and Executive Chef Jared Estes at 832-496-4312 for back-of-the-house opportunities.
Culinary Calendar
"For Your Palm or Blackberry"
- Houston Food Bank will hold its 3rd annual Empty Bowls Houston on Saturday, March 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Plan to attend this fun, cool event. For a minimum $25 donation, you will receive a simple lunch of soup freshly prepared by the Houston Food Bank’s Community Kitchen (this year it will be Minestrone), bread from Whole Foods, cookies from Panera Bread and water to drink, then you can choose a bowl from hundreds of handmade, one-of-a-kind bowls donated by local artists – potters, craft artists, woodturners, blacksmiths, china painter, glass artists, etc. The empty is a reminder of all the empty bowls in Houston and around the world. For more information, visit www.emptybowlshouston.org
- Central Market in Houston will host a seminar on March 13 from 3:30-5:00 pm in the Community Room on Operating a Successful Catering Program. A panel of industry experts will discuss proven ways to develop, operate, and expand a successful restaurant catering program. Focus points include Menu Development, Staffing Requirements, Operations and Equipment, Sales and Marketing, Contracts, License and other Legal Considerations. The seminar is sponsored by A’la Carte Foodservice Consulting Group. For more information call the Greater Houston Restaurant Association at 713-802-1200.
- To showcase the best in Mexican contemporary art, Tequila Don Julio and The Mexican Museum are bringing Nuevo Arte: Colección Tequila Don Julio to the New World Museum in Houston from March 16, 2007 through April 7, 2007. Nuevo Arte: Colección Tequila Don Julio is an exhibition featuring new works by some of today’s most innovative contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American artists. The Houston exhibition will be open to the public at New World Museum, a non-collecting museum devoted to the presentation and interpretation of Hispanic contemporary art on a world-class level, located at 5230 Center Street in the West End. Viewing hours are Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.
- A Restaurant Franchise Seminar will be held March 21 at Truluck’s Restaurant, 5350 Westheimer. The seminar, which will help you learn how to franchise your restaurant, is free and a light lunch will be provided. Speakers are from Ala Carte Foodservice Consulting Group and the law offices of Wayne Bunch. Registration is at 8:30 am and the seminar goes from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm with lunch at noon. Call 866-293-0077 to RSVP or for more information.
- Mark your calendars early for SOS Taste of the Nation Houston 2007, a May 6th culinary extravaganza featuring food and wine from 50 of Houston’s finest restaurants and caters. Spend a gala afternoon strolling, sampling, sipping and socializing on the meadow at The Houstonian. A few spots for participants are still available, and there is still time to sign up for sponsorships. Visit www.houstontaste.org for information, sponsorship and individual tickets.
- For more events, check the latest Calendar of Culinary Events from My Table by clicking on Calendar
My Recipe
"Pan Roasted Chicken"
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
3 lbs Split Whole Chicken, back removed
¼ cup Pure Olive Oil
1 tbls Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
¼ cup Spring Mix, cleaned
1 tbls House Vinaigrette
4 each Large Baking Potatoes, cleaned
oil for frying
Procedure
Split the chicken and remove backbone. Thoroughly wash the bird and dry it of all visible water. Clean and roast potatoes in their jackets until tender (375 degrees for about 45 minutes). Cool, peel, and cut into a large dice. Heat a sauté pan and add oil till almost smoking. Season Chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down until golden brown. Flip chicken and place into a 400 degrees oven for about 20 minutes. Fry potatoes until golden brown. Toss greens in vinaigrette. Once meat is finished, place the salad and fried potatoes on the plate with the chicken.
House Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
1 tbls Dijon Mustard
½ cup Red Wine Vinegar
¼ cup Water
1 tsp Chicken Demi Glaze
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Shallots, minced
2 tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
1 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Procedure
Place all ingredients, except olive oil, in food processor and process until well blended. Add oil in a slow, steady stream until all the oil is incorporated.
From the Wine List
"Texas Wines Grab Gold"
The San Antonio Express-News 2007 Wine Competition was held during January and the Wine Festival that makes the medal winners available to the public for tasting was held February 16-18. Both events were at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa in west San Antonio. The Sunday night Fine Wine and Cuisine Tasting was held at the Alamodome. The Festival benefited KLRN Public Television.
Of the 599 wines entered from an international field of entries, 40 judges handed out 31 gold, 118 silver, and 186 bronze medals. About 43% of the entrants went home empty-handed to try again next year.
Several Texas wineries won big this year, and here is a summary by type of medal. If you haven’t tried Texas wines in a while, maybe it’s time to give them a try.
- Gold
2003 Fall Creek Meritus Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Pheasant Ridge Chardonnay
2005 Sister Creek Chardonnay
2005 Haak Blanc du Bois (dry)
2005 Llano Estacado Signature White
2003 Llano Estacado Viviano (red blend) - Silver
2002 Dry Comal Creek Cabernet Franc
2004 Sister Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Dry Comal Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
2005 Dry Comal Creek Unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2004 Texas Hills Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Becker Vineyards Barbera
2005 Becker Vineyards Malbec
2004 Singing Water Merlot Blend
2005 Dry Comal Creek French Columbard
2005 Fall Creek Vineyards Dry White
2004 Becker Texas Vintage Port
2005 Becker Vineyards Prairie Rotie - Bronze
2005 Becker Vineyards Claret
2005 Llano Estacado Signature Red
2002 Pheasant Ridge Proprietor’s Reserve (blend)
2004 Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2004 Dry Comal Creek Chardonnay
2006 Becker Vineyards Chenin Blanc
2005 Texas Hills Sangiovese
2005 Haak Malbec
2005 Becker Vineyards Merlot
2005 Peregrine Hill Merlot
2004 Sister Creek Merlot
2006 Sister Creek Muscat Canelli
2005 Haak Blanc du Bois (semi sweet)
2005 Llano Estacado Cellar Select Red
2004 Llano Estacado Signature Rhone
2006 Becker Vineyards Viognier
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Copyright My Table magazine, 2008
Protected by U.S. Copyright Law {Title 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq., Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2319}: Infringements can be punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
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