Slashfood

• Raising the Bar: Blogging from Tales of the Cocktail
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Cocktails, Raves & Reviews, On the Blogs, Spirits, Festivals, Raising the Bar, Summer

  The boozefest that is Tales Of The Cocktail has been everything I thought it'd be, and I have to admit it's nice, for the moment, to be relatively sober. You see, you can't go very far in New Orleans without being tempted to have a drink. When you throw the world's biggest cocktail and spirit schmoozefest/symposium, it is definitely hard to hold on to your sobriety. Not that any of us want to, of course.
  
  This is just a reminder of something I posted...
  



• Why you should read 101 Wines
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Wine, Lunch, Dinner, Books, America, Celebrities

  If you're a Vayniac, you already know that Gary Vaynerchuk came out with a book called 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World. Marisa announced the book here at Slashfood about a month and a half ago, and I just got my hands on a copy a few weeks ago.
  
  I didn't put it down until I had at least looked at every single wine on the list. It's Gary first list of favorite and recommended wines, and it's...
  



• East Meets West: Dining at The Astor Center NYC
  

  Filed under: Tastings

  I've been to one of the Astor centers dining events, the Head to Tail dinner, and was totally blown away by it. Here's a chance for you sake lovers to have the best of both worlds, food and sake. On July 10, 2008 East Meets West has Tim Sullivan, sake expert, pairing premium sake to non-Japanese food prepared by Chef Alex Sorenson. I met Chef Sorenson at the Head to Tail dinner where he was one of the many chefs who volunteered to help put the amazing dinner together. I was very impressed with his skills and since then we have emailed back and forth a few times...
  



• Slashfood Ate (8): Sure-fire cheese pairings
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Cheese, Condiments, Slashfood Ate

  
  Pairing cheeses with condiments and/or drinks is all about creating a harmony of flavors. For example, you would want to match a pungent creamy blue cheese with a sweet condiment that would balance out some of the cheese's piquancy. It's all about unifying two foods that bring out each other's strengths.
  
  One suggestion might be to focus on region. Many times, the perfect pairing involves cheese and wine from the same region. Also, there's a school of thought that says you must match a cheese and a condiment with equal intensities. This...
  



• Pack your knives and hit the road
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Television/Film, America

  According to the popular blog TV Squad, Top Chef has plans embark on a national tour.
  
  The tour will begin June 21, and pass through 20 cities. A few cheftestants will be present in every city, offering cooking demonstrations, food tastings, and tips to their adoring public. Check out the more info from the press release here, plus a schedule of the tour after the jump.

  Continue reading Pack your knives and hit the road

  Read | Tastings, Dairy, Cheese, The History of..., Artisan Foods, Tip of the Day
  The most exciting thing about artisanal cheeses is their complex, multi-layered flavors. However, for many people, they seem unapproachable. The best way to savor these cheeses is to breakdown the experience from the first encounter (touch and smell) to the last encounter (after-taste).
  
  

  Continue reading Tip of the Day: Enjoy the long-lasting flavors of artisanal cheeses

  Permalink | Email this | Tastings, Dinner, British Isles, Artisan Foods
  
  It's an increasingly globalized world out there, with an increasingly global food market. That can lead to a certain amount of homogenization and difficulty for small producers of artisan foods. The idea behind the "Ten things to eat before they die" gala dinner in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England this week is to bring attention to some of the worlds most endangered delicacies.
  
  The spotlighted ingredients in the dinner aren't endangered by over consumption, but from under consumption. Items like the English asparagus that used to be a...
  



• Food Festivals: Who wants a strawberry tart in the face?
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Wine, Beer, Vegetables, Fruit, Festivals, Local Eating, Artisan Foods

  We're back in business this weekend, with food festivals from coast to coast (actually just on both coasts). And since it's finally beautiful outside, there's no excuse to shy away from amazing opportunities to consume ridiculous amounts of strawberries, artichokes and (as always) alcohol.
  
  Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience (May 16-17, 2008) - Don't be turned off by the pretentious name -- instead embrace the chance to attend a reception-style sampling (it's Washington, D.C., what did...
  



• Food Festivals: I want Maple Cotton Candy
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Beer, Vegetables, Candy, America, Festivals, Celebrations, Local Eating, Artisan Foods

  It's my final semester of college, and I'm taking Literature of the Great Depression to finish my English major. I think that my professor often feels badly, though, about assigning texts that are just so darn depressing, so she often opens class with a cheerful question like, "What's your favorite type of pie?" or "What's your favorite breakfast?" Recently, she asked us what our favorite thing about Spring is, and I knew instantly that mine is...
  



• Food Festivals: BBQ and Pie
  

  Filed under: Tastings, Wine, Restaurants, Baking, Barbecuing, America, Festivals, Celebrations, Local Eating

  It doesn't get any better than this. If I had magical powers and could transport myself to any food festival in the country this weekend, I don't think I'd be able to decide where to go! We've got BBQ in Missouri and Pies in Florida, and starting next Wednesday (4/23), Texas is the place to be with festivals in both Houston and Dallas.
  
  Read on for details about all of these yummy events, and check out the gallery from last weekend's...