Yesterday, I was invited to appear on a radio show in Stuart called Talkin Tourism. This show is hosted by Gary Guertin at Harborage Yacht Club and discusses the trends in today’s market and how they relate to tourism, more specifically on how they relate to tourism in Martin County. Yesterday’s show was focused on Food Tourism and I, along with Paul Daley, owner of Flagler Grill and Chef Mark Muller, executive chef of Harborage Yacht Club talked food, wine and eating and how that had an effect on tourism. The show will be posted on their site soon.
One of the questions I was asked was regarding what celebrity chefs I had worked with. I must admit that I have worked with many great names over the course of the years and every memory was special. People often wonder how they can do what I am doing and be taught by some of the greatest chefs out there. Today is your lucky day, as one well-known chef (Michele Mazza from Il Mulino in New York) will be offering hands-on classes to the general public. He will be flying down from New York for these monthly classes.
When: Reservations are available on March 26 & 27, April 23 & 24, and May 28 & 29. Classes begin at 7:00 pm.
Where: Acqualina Resort & Spa, 17875 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach 305.918.8000 (see my review here). The classes will take place in the resort suites.
Description: Guests will cook a 3-course dinner together with Chef Mazza. The dinner will include plenty of wine, grappa and a deluxe one-bedroom suite for the evening. Maximum 6 people per class.
Cost: $365 per person based on six people per class.
For more information, call Il Mulino at 305.466.9191
Change is good, but when you have a well thought out menu with some wonderful selections, you might not want to change too much.
Foodies have discovered a yummy destination in Hollywood. Today the quaint village atmosphere of Harrison Street is filled with fun shops and a rich diversity of restaurants and services, but that wasn’t always the case.
A few years back Chef Michael Wagner took a chance and moved into a neighborhood that had suffered ups and downs. After having worked with culinary masters such as Dewey LoSasso, Allen Susser, Mark Militello and Johnny Vinczencz, he decided to go out on his own and he opened Lola’s.
The elegant, cozy neighborhood place caters to a broad spectrum of diners and offers a wide variety of delicious items.
Recently, we stopped in for dinner and to see what changes were in store for Lola’s loyal clientele. Chef Michael has definitely revamped his menu. According to the chef, about two thirds of the dishes on the menu will be removed and the other choices will be slightly tweaked . Chef Michael said, “I wanted to do a twist of the American classics. We’re always going towards American comfort food, but we’re also trying to be flexible with our new menu. We’ll keep the purple potato skins, Caesar salad, the salmon tartar, the ricotta gnocchi and warm goat cheese and we might do a bread pudding. There’s also a possibility that we’ll be making a strawberry rhubarb pie. Some things will stay while others will change, but that’s where we are and it’s all good.”
New on the menu the Boston diver scallops wrapped in Apple wood smoked bacon, topped with an apricot-mango glaze. It’s really yummy. We also enjoyed the roasted creamy chestnut soup, smothered with tiny bits of chestnuts and paired with a superb Robert Mondavi Chardonnay reserve 2005. The tender Lollipops lamb chops is lavished with fennel marmalade. It also comes with a citrus-mint yogurt sauce that is a perfect mixture for both the meat and aromatic veggies.
One of the chef’s signature dishes is the Coca Cola BBQ Ribs. The ribs are center cut, slow roasted and basted with Coca Cola. Chef Michael talked about the ribs and said, “They are sticky, sweet and deliciously tangy. They come with tarragon infused creamed yellow corn and buttermilk onion rings. I’m planning a BBQ package for post football games. We’re also trying to create a late bar crowd. They’ll be great midnight snacks, beer and ribs.”
We finished our amazing meal with a Peanut butter ice cream and a splash of Robert Mondavi’s Moscato d’oro 2006. There are wonderful new menu additions to treat your taste buds with. Also in the works, a ‘beer crawl’ in collaboration with several other restaurants in the area. “If something doesn’t work we’ll change it,” stated Chef Michael.
Not to worry Chef, in my humble opinion everything works perfectly. The wait staff is admirable; Heather (the manager) is informative and especially knowledgeable about wines and spirits. The decor is lovely and parking is easy. Best of all, prices are affordable. Right now the eatery is offering a three course menu for $35.00. Definitely worth the drive there.
Lola’s, 2032 Harrison Street, Hollywood.
megs@gate.net
Photo Credit: Chef Michael Wagner with writer Marguerite Gil
Are you looking for a reason to indulge in that chocolate cake? To get up early in the morning to make your loved ones blueberry pancakes? Or run out to your favorite French bakery to pick up your favorite buttery croissants? Well, I’ll give you a reason. Over the course of the year, there is a food holiday devoted to nearly every day. And, in January, National Blueberry Pancake Day, National Chocolate Cake Day and National Croissant Day make the list.
Here’s a list of other food holidays, that occur during the last 2 weeks of January:
- January 18th: National Peking Duck Day
- January 19th: National Popcorn Day
- January 20th: National Cheese Lover’s Day – Why not make your way to The Melting Pot for some Spinach Artichoke Fondue or the Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue?
- January 20th: National Granola Bar Day
- January 21st: National Clam Chowder Day – Since Legal Seafoods is offering their Clam Chowder a day before for only 44 cents, I might have to cheat and have it a day early.
- January 22nd: National Blonde Brownie Day
- January 23rd: National Rhubarb Pie Day
- January 24th: National Peanut Butter Day
- January 25th: National Irish Coffee Day
- January 26th: National Pistachio Day and National Peanut Brittle Day
- January 27th: National Chocolate Cake Day. If you are looking for a scrumptious recipe for one of my favorite chocolate cakes – Turtle Cake at Cafe Latte in Minneapolis, check it out here.
- January 28th: National Blueberry Pancake Day
- January 29th: National Corn Chip Day
- January 30th: National Croissant Day
- January 31st: Brandy Alexander Day
How will you be celebrating?
Photo Credit: roland @ flickr
