Whole Foods celebrates Prince George's first birthday with cheese created in his honor

Hello Foodie Friends,

I had the pleasure of doing a private cheese tasting today at my local Whole Foods, so I invited my friend and fellow food blogger, Shaina Wizov of Take a Bite Out of Boca with me.

This time last year, the world anxiously awaited the birth of a royal baby who would become third in line for the throne – Prince George. At the same time, Whole Foods Market was preparing a new line of cheese in his honor: the Westminster Royal Addition One-Year-Old Cheddar, created on July 22, the day of the prince’s birth.

 

Available exclusively at Whole Foods Market, the cheddar is made on a farm in Somerset, England by the Barber family – one of the oldest cheddar makers in the world. It is aged for 12 months and has a creamy yet savory flavor and pairs well with a lager or Chenin Blanc. The cheese is available for $10.99 per pound and will be around for a limited time in all Whole Foods Market locations. It is a follow up to last year’s Westminster William and Kate Royal Addition Cheddar cheese.

This cheddar was smooth, creamy and not overwhelmingly sharp. We both gave it a thumbs up. Shaina said she intends to use it in a recipe, which I hope to be invited over to taste (hint hint). I'm thinking it would go well mixed with a few other cheeses and a nice (craft?) beer to make a tasty fondue. Yumm!

We were told that there were on 7 lbs left at the Whole Foods store in Boca Raton, so you may want to head over there right away and pick up some for yourself before they run out.

While we were there, Andy, the Marketing Team Leader shared with us that they will be beginning Pop Up Dinners there shortly, run by the chefs who cook there as well as their on site Sommelier. We saw a sample menu which looked very tantalizing. I can't wait to get notified when these begin. We may even book a few of these for Denise's Foodie Events.

Until we eat again...

  I send you delicious wishes, xo

Denise

Denise Righetti

C.E.O. (Chief Eating Officer)

Denise's Foodie Events

www.DenisesFoodieEvents.com

Dinner from the Movies, a Culinary Tribute to the Big Screen

Hello Foodie Friends,

It's not often that I receive an invitation to something as clever as this special event I was invited to recently at 50 Ocean in Delray Beach. It's also not often that I find myself full before the end of a tasting menu, but this was the case on this night. Lucky for me, I had some yummy leftovers to chow down on the next day.

 

My date for the evening, Miss Enid Atwater

Corn & Bacon Mandolin, caviar dill creme

Buttered Stone Ground Grits, Andouille stuffed Shrimp, molasses drizzle

Summer veggies, tomato fondue & crispy artichoke

Prime Slider, Foie Gras, roasted garlic aioli, tomato jam, buttered brioche

Fresh lobster, shellfish butter, large cut sofrito

18 hour brisket, sweet n sour cabbage, emmentaler bechamel, rye gratinee

peanut butter banana sushi, captain crunch, blueberry "pixie stick"

A surprise ending, a mammoth "Willy Wonkaish" piece of chocolate wrapped in gold foil and filled with bacon, cranraisins and other goodies. OMG Delish!!

Chef Blake and guests attending dinner

Want more of 50 Ocean? I don't blame you. Me too... 

Spirited Experiences – Pairing Dinners

Summer and Fall 2014

50 Ocean, Delray’s foremost oceanfront restaurant, is creating a buzz this summer with the debut of their new series of Pairing Dinners being served up to enthusiastic foodies and dining patrons.

Chef Blake’s culinary team pushes the creative envelope with innovative, multicourse tastings, theme-designed with spirit pairings that range from select wines, crafted beer, and distinctive, handmade cocktails. The result is an intriguing collection of “Spirited Experiences” that will continue to attract and impress guests from August through December.

Don’t miss a culinary adventure of exquisite tastings, complete with fascinating tidbits of foodie lore and legend, and perfectly paired spirits that enhance each bite. The powerful combo of taste, texture, and flavor provide an entertaining and delicious evening not to be missed!

Check Out the Below Special Spirited Experiences and Culinary Pairing Adventures

     8/26    Saltwater Brewery Craft Beer Pairing Dinner

       9/16    Jackson Family Wine Dinner

       10/2    Jim Beam Portfolio Dinner

     10/14    Cycle of Life Dinner

     10/30    “Up in Smoke” Halloween Dinner

     11/13    Olde World vs. New World (Wine Pairing Dinner)

       12/9    Third Annual Moët Hennessy Holiday Dinner

Pairing menus are custom-designed for each dinner and posted two weeks prior to the scheduled date at 50Ocean.com, along with pricing, times, and special notices. Seating is limited and reservations are essential. Please call 561-278-3364.

To see highlights from their pairing dinners and other happenings at 50 Ocean, please follow them at www.facebook.com/50OceanDelrayBeach. 

50 South Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, FL 33444 – 561-278-3364

Until we eat again...

  I send you delicious wishes, xo

Denise

Denise Righetti

C.F.O. (Chief Foodie Officer)

Savor Our City

www.SavorOurCity.com

Tijuana Flats - Give in to Hemptation

Hello Foodie Friends,

I was recently invited to a special Food Blogger event at Tijuana Flats in Coconut Creek. Amongst the bloggers who attended were Shaina Wizov from Take a Bite Out of Boca, Tracy & Wayne Augustin from Two Forks & a Cork and Holli Lapes, The South Florida Sage.

We were all assembled there to try out 5 new menu items that are being rolled out for a limited time from July 9th - Sept 2nd. As part of their "Give in to Hemptation" campaign, each of the 5 dishes we tried had incorporated hemp seed into the tortillas. Why hemp seeds? Why not?!? They are, after all, high in protein and Omega 3's.

In case you didn't know the history about Tijuana Flats, here's a little background: Back in 1995, college student Brian Wheeler received a $20K loan from his dad; almost 20 years later, they have 101 locations in 6 states (90+ of them are located in FL). According to Jeff Rettig, aka "Junior", Tijuana Flats likes to think of itself as "Edgy, an Un-chain chain". They like to hang on to the inuendo and push the envelope. Junior proudly proclaimed that "something may offend you (here at Tijuana Flats) but it will never be the food."

The company held a contest in each of their markets asking each of them to develop two burritos using two items that were not on the regular menu and the following items that we were trying were from the winning recipes selected.

1. Adam Bomb

Like a Jalepeno Popper, served with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce

2. Pie Roller

Kind of like an Italian Stromboli, it contained mushrooms & pepperoni, fajita peppers, lowfat mozzarella and Chipotle red sauce.

3. The Tree Hugger

This Vegetarian Burrito was made using a Cilantro Cream Cheese sauce, made in-house with crumbled tortilla chips, queso, cooked white onions, poblanos & mushrooms and put under the toaster.

4. Sweet Hemptation

This is Tijuana Flat's version of "Chicken & Waffles". Chicken pieces, churro, red onion, bacon, queso & maple syrup tossed in cinnamon sugar.

5. Banana Empanada

Banana pieces tossed in cinnamon sugar and stuffed in a lightly fried empanada shell and served with caramel syrup.

Jeff Rettig, aka "Junior", Director of Training with Tijuana Flats

Tracy Augustin proudly displaying a bottle of hot sauce she was lucky to win.  

Brandy Blackwell, Marketing Manager for Tijuana Flats welcoming all the bloggers

For a Tijuana Flats location near you, visit their website at: www.TijuanaFlats.com

Until we eat again...

  I send you delicious wishes, xo

Denise

Can it be True? This Wino is actually getting in to locally brewed Craft Beers!

Hello Foodie Friends,

I sure had my share of craft beer dinners in one week. After attending my first Funky Buddha craft beer pairing dinner at the Boca Resort a couple months back, I enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to organize one at True, one of the restaurants I represent in Downtown Boca. Tuesday, June 24th came and we had an awesome event featuring Funky Buddha, Due South and Cigar City beers with the most delicious pairings by True's Chef/Owner Frank Hawkins.

Brian Torres, from Brown Distributing led the group through an informative talk on each beer, while Frank came out to talk about each food pairing. We got the night off to a start with a Funky Buddha Floridan which paired perfectly with True's Stuffed Shrimp (large shrimp stuffed with crab and topped with this amazing imperial sauce).

Next came the Due South Caramel Cream Ale paired with Devils on Horseback (bacon wrapped dates filled with homemade herbed cream cheese and served with a ginger soy dipping sauce).

Tom's Sliders (Slow roasted beef brisket with cheddar cheese, red onions, cherry peppers & mayo) paired great with Cigar City's Maduro Brown Ale.

Another Cigar City brew, the White Oak Jai Alai IPA was presented with a Chicken Curry (a mild Indian style curry served with Basmati rice and naan).

And for dessert, we had a delightful pairing of Cigar City's Cubano Espresso Brown Ale with an award winning dessert Frank's wife makes called Mud Bars served ala mode.

 

 

Curry Chicken, Basmati Rice & Naan

Tom's Sliders

Shrimp stuffed with crab & topped with True's famous Imperial Sauce

Mud Bars ala mode, an award-winning dessert!

True: 147 SE 1st Ave. (561) 417-5100  www.TrueBocaRaton.com

So that was Tuesday, then just two days later, on Thursday, I get a call from my good friend and fellow food blogger, Shaina Wizov of Take a Bite Out of Boca, who happened to have also attended a craft beer pairing dinner at Rebel House on the same night as my True event, asking me if I happened to be  free last minute to attend a Cigar City beer pairing dinner at the Boca Resort that evening. As the Beer Gods would have it, I happened to be free and graciously accepted the invite.

Phil, from Cigar City was our facilitator and Chef Ray was the Executive Chef of 501 East at the Boca Resort & Spa. Our line up was as follows:

Tangerine Berliner paired with a Wahoo Crudo, Citrus Supreme, Chive Blossoms and Crispy Hearts of Palm.

Margarita Gose paired with a Sea Salt Roasted Hogfish, Fire Roasted Tomato, Tequila Lime Butter and Chili Garlic.

Barley Wine paired with Veal Ribs, Beer Battered Onion Rings and a Drunken Local Melon Salad.

A Double IPA was paired with New Zealand Lamb-Chetta, (the chef's rendition of a porchetta), Carolina Stone Ground Grits and Florida Lychee.

To complete the meal, we ended with a Cubano Espresso paired with a Smoked Vanilla Souffle, Espresso Ganache (which came in little ramekins that we were instructed to pour over the top at our leisure) and Macerated Local Cherries.

Until we eat again...

   I send you delicious wishes, xo

Denise

P.S. Interested in Savoring the City? Check out my new website: www.SavorOurCity.com