A La Carte
"A Pinch of This and That"
San Diego-based Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes, with four Sweet Tomatoes locations in Greater Houston, was recently voted America’s number one buffet chain in Restaurants & Institutions’ “2007 Consumers Choice in Chains” survey. They’ve achieved this distinction for the fourth consecutive year. For more info and Houston locations, visit www.sweettomatoes.com.
Backstreet Cafe and Hugo’s were recently honored as 2007 Santé Restaurant Awards recipients. The annual culinary hospitality awards, now in their tenth year, honor an elite list of 60 restaurants and professionals for excellence in wine and spirits cooking throughout the nation. The Santé Awards program is the only peer-judged restaurant-and-hospitality program in North America. Hugo’s, whose kitchen is run by Executive Chef Hugo Ortega, is a regional winner in the Traditional Culinary category for the second year, and Backstreet Cafe is a winner of the regional Wine Hospitality awards.
The bird’s got a new “beak,” so to speak. Actually, it a new and improved website for Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar. Owner/Chef John Sheely says “We updated the Mockingbird site to better reflect the restaurant and give diners a virtual representation of what they will experience when then they are our guests.” Check it out at www.mockingbirdbistro.com and let them know what you think.
On September 15th, Bayou City Farmers Market is celebrating its third anniversary. Come out for cranked ice cream and cake, plus kids’ activities (maybe even a fire engine). 8 a.m to 12 noon at 3000 Richmond (back parking lot).
Culinary Calendar
"Forget These? No Way!"
The James Beard Foundation will host a benefit dinner to celebrate its 20th anniversary on Friday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the downtown Aquarium restaurant, 410 Bagby. Several of Houston’s top chefs will be special guests. Tickets are $200/person and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Houston’s Recipe for Success. Valet parking available; cocktail attire suggested. Call 713-524-8351 for reservations or 713-524-9994 for more info.
The new California Pizza Kitchen in the River Oaks Shopping Center will open September 24 with hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Each sale of its 32 different pizzas on October 1 will support CPK Charity Day when 100% of dine-in pizza sales will be donated to Operation School Bell. These contributions will help the Assistance League of Houston to provide school uniforms for disadvantaged students.
Want to eat well and help reduce hunger? Smooth Jazz 95.7, The Wave, along with several of Houston’s finest restaurants, are teaming up to provide special three-course meals at a special price of $35 (++) and $6 of each dinner will be donated to End Hunger Network. The Houston Restaurant Week is from October 8-October 14. More info is available at www.houstonrestaurantweek.com and by listening to The Wave.
On Friday, October 12, My Table magazine, the Houston Food & Beverage Managers Association, Patterson & Murphy Public Relations, and Banfi Vintners will sponsor the 23rd Annual Caesar Salad Competition. Houston’s top chefs will compete in four categories: Best Classic Caesar, Most Creative Caesar, Consumer’s Choice, and Best Overall Presentation. There will also be a silent auction of dining and lodging opportunities and other unique items. The event will run from 5-8 p.m. at Allen Center, 400 Dallas Street. Tickets are $35 and include food and wine. To purchase tickets in advance or for more info, visit www.caesarsaladcompetitionhouston.com. Proceeds benefit the Food & Beverage Managers’ Educational Endowment.
Interested in learning more about sushi? Kubo’s Sushi Bar & Grill (2415 University Blvd., Suite 200) hosts “Sushi 101,” a tasting and roll-making demo at 6 p.m. on October 25. Kubo’s Executive Chef, Manabu (“Hori”) Horiuchi, will oversee the tasting of Kubo’s signature rolls and sushi. Limited to 10 guests, the multi-course tasting is designed to pair with a distinctive sake from Kubo’s extensive sake collection. The cost is $25 per person, all inclusive. RSVP by phone 713-528-7878 or email Kubos@comcast.net.
My Recipe
"A Pear Mojito"
Hugo’s Anjou Pear Mojito
Ingredients
2 mint springs
3/4 ounce pear nectar
Ice
1-1/2 ounces amber rum
1/2 ounce Calvados
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce chilled club soda
1 pear slice
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the leaves from one mint sprig with the pear nectar. Add ice and rum, Calvados, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Stir in the club soda. Garnish with remaining mint sprig and pear slice.
My Recipe
"The Pear and Ginger Martini"
Pear and Ginger Martini
2 oz Stockholm Krystal™Vodka
1 ½ oz Pear Juice
Splash of Lemon Juice
Splash of Ginger Juice
In a cocktail shaker, add ice and ingredients. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a pear slice.
From the Wine List
"A Primer on Washington Wines"
I recently spent a month in Seattle, Washington, where I enjoyed a partial working vacation. Washington is rightfully proud of its vineyards, wineries and wines, having achieved second place in the nation in terms of wine production. Its sunny days and cool nights combined with favorable soils provides an almost ideal environment for growing quality wine grapes.
Washington is divided into nine wine growing regions: the Greater Puget Sound, Seattle, and Woodinville Areas in the northwest; the Southwest Washington and Columbia Gorge Areas in the southwest; the Yakima Valley, Tri-Cities and Walla Walla Areas in the southeast; and the North Central and Spokane Areas in the northeast.
The latitude of Washington’s growing areas allows for an average of about 17 hours of sunlight during the summer growing season, two hours more than for California’s prime growing regions. This extra daylight allows the grapes to ripen fully and produce both good sugar content and adequate natural acids. The resulting good climate and other growth factors have spurred the expansion of Washington’s wineries to nearly 500, with about 350 grape growers and more than 31,000 acres of vineyards. It is estimated that the Washington wine industry now contributes over $5 billion to the state’s economy (compared to about $1 billion for Texas).
The state contains nine American Viticultural Areas. An AVA is an area with unique climate, soil and physical features that distinguish it from other growing areas. These are Puget Sound, Columbia Gorge, Horse Heaven Hills, Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Wahluke Slope, Walla Walla Valley, and Columbia Valley.
Washington cut its teeth on Merlot, producing some of the finest Merlot wines in the country. But significant growth has occurred in the variety of grapes planted with additional leading varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. A unique fact about Washington’s grapevines is that they are planted on their own roots, rather than grafted onto disease-resistant rootstock as is the case in most areas of the world. This is because Washington has (so far) been spared the root louse phylloxera which has decimated many vineyards around the world.
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Copyright My Table magazine, 2008
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