Alfonso Cevola, fellow Slow Foodie and preeminent wine blogger, has alerted us to a great way to combine our holiday altruism with our never-ending search for unique culinary experiences--participate in the fourth annual Menu for Hope online raffle.
The effort was launched four years ago by the food blogger Pim Techamuanvivit (Chez Pim ) to help the victims of the devastating southeast Asian tsunami. Basically, the effort is a hybrid on-line auction/raffle for great foodie prizes. (Think dinner at the Hinds Head in Bray, England; tickets to Madrid Fusion; cooking lessons in Northern Umbria; and sure to be a favorite, "A Homesick Texan Care Package of Texas Foods, from the Homesick Texan" whoever that is.)
You can find out more at Alfonso's blog, On the Wine Trail In Italy (Alfonso has donated a "Six-Pack of Boutique Italian Wine" to the auction) or at Chez Pim.
Proceeds (which topped $60,000 last year) will go to supporting the school lunch program in Lesotho.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Calling all Foodies! The 2007 Olive Oil is Here.
Slow Foodies Nancy and Gary Krabill want everyone to know that they've been climbing the trees looking for the newest Italian Olive oil and have some available at Flavors From Afar at 6712 Snider Plaza. The 2007 Tutta Toscana has arrived, and the Society Merico Maria Rosa "Novello" arrives later this month.
Nancy says fresh-pressed oil has a vibrant, green, sunny taste that rises up, cuts through, and accents mellow and rich flavors (steaks, Ribollita), or soars on its own in a salad or for dipping bread. Flavors From Afar has a Dallas-exclusive stock of 2007 oil from Tutta Toscana in store now ($24.99 for ¼ liter), and will receive Puglia’s newest in a couple of weeks (or when the container arrives!).
Come down for a taste and meet Tutta Toscana owners Betty and Cesare Nadalini this Saturday from 12-4 at Flavors From Afar.
Flavors From Afar features fabulous flavors and sumptuous settings. It's open 10-6 Monday – Saturday. 214.696.2327
Nancy says fresh-pressed oil has a vibrant, green, sunny taste that rises up, cuts through, and accents mellow and rich flavors (steaks, Ribollita), or soars on its own in a salad or for dipping bread. Flavors From Afar has a Dallas-exclusive stock of 2007 oil from Tutta Toscana in store now ($24.99 for ¼ liter), and will receive Puglia’s newest in a couple of weeks (or when the container arrives!).
Come down for a taste and meet Tutta Toscana owners Betty and Cesare Nadalini this Saturday from 12-4 at Flavors From Afar.
Flavors From Afar features fabulous flavors and sumptuous settings. It's open 10-6 Monday – Saturday. 214.696.2327
Eating Slow in Central Texas
Slow Food members Mary and David Stanley have brought big city cuisine with a slow twist to central Texas with their Turtle Restaurant in Brownwood, Texas.
The restaurant offers slow, fresh, locally grown foods, fresh baked breads and desserts and homemade gelato from The Turtle Gelateria, a recent addition next door to the restaurant. The Gelateria features classic Italian flavors like Lemon Sorbetto and Chocolate Hazelnut, but carries out the local theme with flavors such as jalapeno peanut brittle and Brennan Vineyard Muscat - cantaloupe sorbetto
The Stanleys, who also have a business making a line of naturally shaped children’s shoes called Bear Feet (cause bare feet are best), originally came to Brownwood to be closer to Cathey Enterprises, a holster manufacturer who handles the leather cutting for the shoes.
“George Cathy had grown up in Brownwood,” Mary explained. “The Chamber of Commerce recruited him to move his factory from Austin to Brownwood, which he did because the cost of his factory building was equal to four years’ rent in Austin.”
The move meant that the Stanleys had to drive to Brownwood from Austin to get their cutting done. The drive, coupled with the lower cost of living in Brownwood, made the decision to move there easy.
Mary and David have owned the building that houses the restaurant since 2000. After watching several tenants fail at that location, and deciding that they couldn’t remain in Brownwood without good fresh food, they opened their own restaurant.
“We called it The Turtle because the turtle symbolizes longevity and persistence,” Mary explained. “It shows that completion is more important to a journey than haste, especially on the road of life.”
They recently recruited Eric Aldis, who had been the Chef de Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton in New Orleans, as their Executive Chef. Eric, who had also worked at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, is a native of Katy. Taking on the Executive Chef duties at The Turtle allowed him to return to Texas and, as he puts it, “live a slower life style.”
The lunch menu caters to locals with seasonal soups such as curried pumpkin made from the varietal pumpkins Fairy Tale and Apple Dumpling and topped with cilantro infused yogurt, (the pumpkins are grown in De Leon) or Nouvella's grass fed beef hamburger on house-made black sesame buns topped with cheeses made by Stuart & Connie Veldhuizen in Dublin.
The restaurant offers slow, fresh, locally grown foods, fresh baked breads and desserts and homemade gelato from The Turtle Gelateria, a recent addition next door to the restaurant. The Gelateria features classic Italian flavors like Lemon Sorbetto and Chocolate Hazelnut, but carries out the local theme with flavors such as jalapeno peanut brittle and Brennan Vineyard Muscat - cantaloupe sorbetto
The Stanleys, who also have a business making a line of naturally shaped children’s shoes called Bear Feet (cause bare feet are best), originally came to Brownwood to be closer to Cathey Enterprises, a holster manufacturer who handles the leather cutting for the shoes.
“George Cathy had grown up in Brownwood,” Mary explained. “The Chamber of Commerce recruited him to move his factory from Austin to Brownwood, which he did because the cost of his factory building was equal to four years’ rent in Austin.”
The move meant that the Stanleys had to drive to Brownwood from Austin to get their cutting done. The drive, coupled with the lower cost of living in Brownwood, made the decision to move there easy.
Mary and David have owned the building that houses the restaurant since 2000. After watching several tenants fail at that location, and deciding that they couldn’t remain in Brownwood without good fresh food, they opened their own restaurant.
“We called it The Turtle because the turtle symbolizes longevity and persistence,” Mary explained. “It shows that completion is more important to a journey than haste, especially on the road of life.”
They recently recruited Eric Aldis, who had been the Chef de Cuisine at The Ritz Carlton in New Orleans, as their Executive Chef. Eric, who had also worked at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, is a native of Katy. Taking on the Executive Chef duties at The Turtle allowed him to return to Texas and, as he puts it, “live a slower life style.”
The lunch menu caters to locals with seasonal soups such as curried pumpkin made from the varietal pumpkins Fairy Tale and Apple Dumpling and topped with cilantro infused yogurt, (the pumpkins are grown in De Leon) or Nouvella's grass fed beef hamburger on house-made black sesame buns topped with cheeses made by Stuart & Connie Veldhuizen in Dublin.
Dinner is more formal and may feature roasted beet salad, Texas Bar-B-que shrimp with Veldhuizen blue cheese coleslaw as an appetizer, venison flank steak with broccoli rabe and mushroom macaroni and cheese.
The restaurant is located in historic downtown Brownwood, which is the geographic center of the state and a two to three hour drive from Austin, San Antonio and the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex-- a perfect stop on a weekend getaway.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
"Future of Food" Film Screening Jan. 13
Slow Food Dallas is sponsoring a screening of the film, Future of Food, which “offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods (commonly referred to as GMOs) that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.”
The screening will be in the Nasher Sculpture Garden's Private Dining room on Sunday, January 13 at 2 p.m. There are only 65 tickets available for the screening so get your tickets early.
The tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets for $25 for members and $35 for non-members. The price includes admission to the gardens, so plan to come early to enjoy the gardens.
The screening will be in the Nasher Sculpture Garden's Private Dining room on Sunday, January 13 at 2 p.m. There are only 65 tickets available for the screening so get your tickets early.
The tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets for $25 for members and $35 for non-members. The price includes admission to the gardens, so plan to come early to enjoy the gardens.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Gregorian Chant Christmas CD
Sister Noella (The Cheese Nun) emailed us about the release of the Abbey of Regina Laudis' first Gregorian Chant Christmas CD. The CD was recorded in their church and is the work of the whole community. The CD features "The Announcement of Christmas" read by Mother Dolores Hart. For the first time the Abbey has ventured into E-commerce so the CD can be ordered with a credit card at their web site: http://www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com/catalog/index.php
More than 140 of us attended the Slow Food Dallas director's premier of the film, The Cheese Nun, on March 9th, 2004. The Abbey donated Sister Noella's Bethlehem cheese for the reception where we sampled local artisan cheeses and beverages. Sister Noella is an internationally recognized microbiologist who has become a leading defender of traditional cheesemaking and campaigner for biodiversity.
More than 140 of us attended the Slow Food Dallas director's premier of the film, The Cheese Nun, on March 9th, 2004. The Abbey donated Sister Noella's Bethlehem cheese for the reception where we sampled local artisan cheeses and beverages. Sister Noella is an internationally recognized microbiologist who has become a leading defender of traditional cheesemaking and campaigner for biodiversity.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Slow Food Book Club Meeting Tomorrow
For those of you who might have missed it (and are fast readers) the first meeting of the Slow Food Book Club will be tomorrow, Dec. 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The book up for discussion is Slow Food Nation by Carlo Petrini.
The club will meet every six weeks with the next book (and the next host) decided by a majority vote of those attending.
Kudos to Sandy Lewis for organizing the book club. Watch your e-mail (and this blog) for upcoming meeting dates.
For more info regarding this event: http://www.slowfooddallas.com/events.html
The club will meet every six weeks with the next book (and the next host) decided by a majority vote of those attending.
Kudos to Sandy Lewis for organizing the book club. Watch your e-mail (and this blog) for upcoming meeting dates.
For more info regarding this event: http://www.slowfooddallas.com/events.html
Slow Food Dallas Holiday Gathering
Be sure to plan on attending a holiday gathering in Oak Cliff on Sunday, Dec. 9. The festivities run from 6 to 9 p.m.
Please bring a dessert to share and something to drink. Check your email or Slow Food Dallas for details.
Please bring a dessert to share and something to drink. Check your email or Slow Food Dallas for details.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)