Food News: Coffee in Westeros, Cheese of Seafood Pasta,Whine Emoji’s, Unpopular Food Opinions
This was a big week in Food News. First off we had Queen Danaerys Targaryen celebrating the defeat of the army of the dead with a Pumpkin Spice Latte. In a scene where every major character is celebrating their victory and drinking yards of ale, a coffee cup is seen in front of The Mother of Dragons herself. So even though you probably thought that the first Starbucks opened in Seattle, you were wrong. The first Starbucks opened in Winterfell.
According to Chef Massimo Donato the customer is not always right. When a customer asked for “Parmesan” cheese on his Crab Ravioli in a Salmon Cream Sauce, he was refused. When he went to TripAdvisor to complain about it the chef responded and told him he should put the cheese on cow dung and that they will never allow cheese on seafood pasta. As someone who has worked extensively in Italian restaurants, the protocol is usually to advise the guest not to put cheese on it but if they want to, they are the ones paying for it. If someone wants their $120 Porterhouse Well Done, you give it to them, if they want grated cheese all over their $25 Pasta, you give it to them as well. It’s not so much that the customer is always right(because in both cases, they’re wrong) but that the customer is paying and if that’s what will make them happy, then so be it. Just know if you do order something like this, the entire restaurant staff will be making fun of your awful palate behind your back.
In this weeks edition of “First World Problems” Wine Professionals are complaining that they simply cannot live in a world without a white wine emoji. Taking such stances as “How can I Instagram my Domaine LeFlaive??? How will people ever know what I am drinking without the proper emoji” to “Lady Gaga has a song Grigio Girls, do you think she texts red wine bottles when she talks about it” One wine auctioneer has even called it “The Mueller Report of the Wine Business”.
Finally, The Serious Eats Staff published an article of their most unpopular food opinions. Tom and I discussed which ones we agreed with and which we didn’t. Check out the segment for all of our answers, and the original article here
North Meets South Farms, Food, and Drink Festival
North Fork Event Company is hosting a Farms, Food, and Drink Festival in Calverton, NY on June 8th and 9th. The event will take place on 80 sprawling acres of tree-lined property that was once a golf course. The event, North Meets South, brings the communities of the North and South Forks of Long Island, NY together for a weekend promoting the farm-to-table movement. The festival will be curated with provisions from local farms, food from restaurants all over the East End, and drinks from your favorite breweries, vineyards, and cider houses. North Meets South will also feature several children, teen, and adult activities; such as bounce houses and slides, petting zoo, pony rides, live entertainment and more!
Monique and Vanessa, the founders of the festival, called into the show to tell us all about their event. Listen in to hear everything you want to know about it, how to get a free Lyft from the Riverhead LIRR Station to the Festival.
Buy Tickets here
We will see you all out there!
Clare Langan Talks About Her Life As A Culinary Producer
Clare Langan is a Culinary Producer, Food Stylist, and Chef. She studied Fashion, worked in Private Equity, and then went to Culinary School. She became a Personal Chef and taught cooking classes all over the city. She started doing food styling and helped produce the famous “Hands and Pans” style cooking videos that used to be all over Facebook.
A friend of Clare’s was a teacher at Sur La Table and got into a bike accident. He needed someone to take over his job while he was hurt and Clare took over for him. Over the course of 4 years, she went from Teacher to Head Chef of the NYC Sur La Table. She began looking into opening her own Cooking School but was contacted by Chef Joel Gamoran about his TV show Scraps getting greenlit.
Scraps is a food and travel about Food Waste. Joel Gamoran and crew go all over the country teaming up with local chefs to cook dinner parties made out of repurposed foods. They make dishes like pasta sauce out of carrot tops.
Unfortunately, we just met Clare and she is already leaving us. Clare is moving from NYC to San Francisco because she ate a strawberry. While at a farmers market someone gave her a single strawberry and it’s the best one she has ever eaten. It was red all the way through and jam-packed full of flavor. She is also moving to a home with an Avocado Tree, Lemon Tree, and Artichoke Tree.
We wish Clare a safe move to the West Coast and that she has an incredible future with whatever she decides to do.
Mezcal Paloma, Aperol Spritz, Gin Fizz Redux
This week on What Are We Drinking is rife with controversy. I picked a drink that got slammed by the New York Times two days later, and Tom picked the drink that I literally picked last week
Clare’s Drink: Mezcal Paloma
The Paloma is classically made with Tequila and Grapefruit Soda like Squirt or Jarritos, a Mezcal Paloma switches out the Tequila for Mezcal, but I want to show you how to do a fancy cocktail bar one and not just a mixed drink
1/4 ounce simple syrup
1/4 ounce lime juice
2 ounces grapefruit juice
2 ounces mezcal (or tequila)
2 ounces soda water
1 grapefruit wedge, for garnish
1.Rim the glass with salt
2. In your shaker add all ingredients besides soda water
3. Shake, strain, pour over ice
4. Top with soda water, add grapefruit garnish
Mike’s Drink: Aperol Spritz
Tuesday night after work I was thirsty, and nothing sounded as good and thirst quenching as an Aperol Spritz. A Coworker and I find ourselves at The Smith and had a few, and they were everything I could have asked for. A good spritz is sweet and bitter but most importantly, thirst quenching. This low ABV cocktail is great to have on a hot day, a cold day, or an average weather day. The NY Times just published an article about how it is a bad drink because it is all marketing and usually made with cheap and sweet sparkling wine. If it is overly sweet it will not be good, but any place that is carrying Aperol and doesn’t have the Spritz on its cocktail menu will usually have a decent prosecco that they pour by the glass
2 oz Prosecco
1.25 oz Aperol
Splash of Soda Water
1. Fill your glass with ice
2. Add all ingredients
3.Garnish with Orange Slice
Tom’s Drink: The Ramos Gin Fizz
Tom just straight up stole my drink from last week. After we recorded he went to his favorite bar and ordered one. It blew his mind so he amazon primed Orange Blossom Water and is hellbent on mastering them at his home. So I apologize that we have the same cocktail two weeks in a row, blame Tom
2 oz Gin
.5Â oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Lime Juice
.5 oz Simple Syrup
.5 oz heavy cream
3 dashes orange flower water
1Â Egg White
Top with club soda
To Prepare:
Put all ingredients besides the club soda into a shaking tin and shake vigorously without ice. This is called dry shaking and allows for the foam to form in the drink. Add ice and shake vigorously again. Honestly, you will be shaking for about 5 minutes. Pour into a Collins Glass with ice, add seltzer into the tins to pick up whatever is left and top your drink with it.
The Ramos Gin Fizz was created by Henry Ramos in New Orleans in the 1880s. People would come from all over to drink one so he employed an entire line of men to just shake these cocktails.
