Winetology Wednesday with Jonny Cigar

By Jonny Cigar on March 6, 2013 / No Comments / Categorized Featured, Winetology Wednesday

HOW TO GET A JOB IN THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

Here’s a fun fact for you:

I’d like to take this Winetology Wednesday to share the details of a very exciting campaign launched by Mutineer Magazine. I was invited to be an Advisory Board Member, which I translate as a Drinks Career 101 Booze Prophet, spreading the good news of potential employment to all who are unemployed or underemployed. And if you are underemployed, you know what I mean—like the time I worked a very respectable full-time job at a play-publishing house in the Flatiron, raking in about $1,000 a month, living in Astoria, Queens. I used to fret over buying M&M’s, let alone $5 bottles of wine, and admittedly it was two-buck chuck that got me through it all.

And no one told me how to get myself into the wine industry. I had to start a clandestine operation bringing wine to the people, then spend 5 months of my adult life living with my mother-in-law, away from my wife, working harvest, just to kind of figure it all out.

Flavor Tripping with Underground Eats and Chef Homaro Cantu

By Underground Eats on January 30, 2013 / 1 Comment / Categorized Uncategorized

Chicago’s famed Chef Homaro Cantu (Moto, iNG Restaurant) is on the campaign trail (of the Kickstarter kind) raising money for his new web series CookiNG under PRESSURE. Dubbing itself as the “Restaurant Impossible meets Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation” show, CookiNG under PRESSURE will follow Chef Cantu on a worldly quest for culinary inspiration.

For this Kickstarter video, Chef Cantu brought the cameras to an Underground Eats event at Fatta Cuckoo during which he lead our members through a unique flavor tripping experience with the illusive miracle berry.

Eating seasonally is a trend that will continue to grow (so to speak) in 2013. Steer clear of those grainy pale tomatoes this winter.
Food feuds are so over. Paula Dean vs. Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri vs. Pete Wells, California vs. Pâté...leave the hating in 2012, in favor of culinary collaboration.
For better or worse, Instagram-ing our food and the explosion of other food apps are trends that are here to stay in 2013.
Restauranteurs and small food purveyors will be Kickstarting all over the place next year.
Brooklyn, the mecca for artisanal food, is just the beginning. Local, home-cured, home-brewed, small batch, the list will go on.
2012 may have been the Year of Bacon, but in 2013 the food world will take smoking to the next level, including but not limited to smoked cocktails.
Restaurants with prix fixe menus will allow chefs to choose your meals for you based on what is most available and most delicious that day.

Food Trends 2013: A Preview

By Charlotte Cerf on December 27, 2012 / No Comments / Categorized Celebrity Chefs, Food Apps, Food Trends, Photos

Here is an amalgamation of the hottest food trends predicted for 2013. The good news is, there is lot’s to look forward to. Juice cleanses are so 2012.

Eating Seasonally. This trend was definitely big in 2012, but it’s just getting bigger. We all know that eating seasonally is good for the planet, good for our bodies, and delicious. So steer clear of those grainy and flavorless tomatoes that you see sitting sadly on the grocery store shelf.

Collaboration: Kitchen rivalries are so over. Resource sharing is in. With disasters like Hurricane Sandy, the food industry is banding together and collaborating to foster a creative and innovative environment in restaurants, pop ups, and small food purveyors.

Technology: The foodie Instagram shot isn’t going away any time soon. Neither are the iPad cooking apps, the Instagram menus, or the use of Pinterest for food related aspirations. The next generation of apps may be able to help us determine if fruits and vegetables are ripe. Whoah!

Artisan Food Products: It might seem like the artisanal food scene hit it’s peak with Empire Mayonnaise, but this trend will continue to grow next year. With everything from booze to charcuterie, small scale artisan food producers are growing their presence on the food scene. For better or for worse, these products aren’t going out of style any time soon.

Kickstarter: Kickstarter campaigns are all the rage right now, and will continue to grow in 2013. For small food purveyors, and people who want to start a pop up or restaurant, the Kickstarter trend is heating up.

Smoking things: Smoking meat is just the beginning. If 2012 was the Year of Bacon, 2013 will take smoking things to a whole new level. Now, smoke olive oil, smoke salt, and even smoked cocktails are taking the reins of the food world.

Prix fixe menus: The menu-free restaurant, also known as prix fixe, will be an edible trend in 2013. Restaurants like Eleven Madison Park have already capitalized on this trend. Market driven cuisine allows chefs to use the freshest, most seasonal ingredients they can get their hands on that very day. Instead of sitting down at a restaurant to a menu full of choices, the experts (chefs) tell you what to eat.

Chef David Santos Ventures Beyond His Supper Club

By Mikaela Flynn on October 22, 2012 / No Comments / Categorized Featured, Good Reads, Supper Clubs

We’ve always said Chef David Santos is perhaps our favorite chef without a restaurant. And starting soon, he will be one of our favorite chefs… period. The critically acclaimed chef from Bouley, Per Se, Hotel Griffou, and the popular supper club, Um Segredo, is now taking on a restaurant of his own. Chef Santos is thrilled to announce he will be opening Louro, his new restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village. ”The Portuguese word ‘Louro’ means ‘bay leaf’, and it embodies the restaurant that I have dreamed about for years,” says Santos.

The restaurant will feature a seasonal, revolving menu offering everything from small bites and shared dishes to special tasting menus and guest chef collaborations. Just like his Um Segredo Supper Club, the restaurant will focus on experiential dining. ”In the end, my goal is to give people an experience to remember. I always say that truly good food evokes memories. A successful meal should bring a smile to your face, as each bite triggers a delightful memory of the first time you enjoyed the dish.”

Chef Santos hopes to share the experience of opening his restaurant with the people who have always encouraged him and with those who wish to be a part of the creation process. To do so, he has launched a Kickstarter campaign dedicated to Louro, allowing anyone to help make his dream restaurant come to life. As huge Santos fans, we highly recommend you take note and keep the upcoming Louro opening in your radar. Until then, visit the Kickstarter site to learn more and donate.

Note: Um Segredo fans: Rumor has it that Chef Santos will continue doing a weekly Um Segredo dinner. Be sure to keep your ear to the [Under]ground for event dates and details.

We're not condoning any illegal behavior, but it's hard not to question whether Bong Vodka is with this bottle design. Once the vodka is gone these cleverly designed bottles can be used for a completely different purpose...
Cucumber flavored potato chips?! How about crab flavor? Shrimp and garlic? These and other odd potato chip flavors can be found all over the world. We dare you to try "hot chili squid" potato chips next time you're in Thailand.
Purple lobsters? Maine lobstermen have recently been finding an unusual amount of these crazy-colored crustaceans. The reasoning behind the increase in oddly colored lobsters remains unknown to scientists. The important question is, can they still make a good lobster roll?
Now you can help reduce carbon footprints by eating ice cream! This fixed-gear bike is hooked up to an old-fashioned ice cream churner. Bike-churned ice cream seems to be the new trend these days. This bike was featured at Smorgasburg's "Kitchen Island" event and won the hearts of the hipster ice cream lovers of Brooklyn
Oh my Cheesus! Brooklyn couple, Rob Corso and Meg Sheehan, created this grilled cheese press that imprints the image of Jesus on the bead slice. They call it, the Grilled Cheesus and are currently fundraising through Kickstarter to get funding for its production.
Moms everywhere will be breaking up sword fights at the dinner table during sushi night once kids get their hands on these light-up lightsaber chopsticks.