Mouthing Off

The popular party in New York City’s Madison Square Park celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Pit masters from around the US will hawk samples of their specialties. Expect the longest lines at Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-B-Q stand, where Chris Lilly (photo) dishes out his famously succulent pulled pork. New this year: screenings of films featuring barbecue and a performance by famed Texas rocker Alejandro Escovedo. June 9-10; bigapplebbq.org

Related: Best New BBQ Joints in the US

America’s favorite cheerleader for “real food” is back at it again: Jamie Oliver launched the first ever international Food Revolution Day on May 19 with 540 dinner parties and 460 events around the world. He also brainstormed with celebrities and chefs >

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the 30th Anniversary of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen this June, the newly redesigned St. Regis Resort will debut a blockbuster concept we’re excited to announce called Chefs Club by Food & Wine, a restaurant that will serve seasonal dishes created by F&W Best New Chef alums. The super-talented line-up for the first menu includes George Mendes (2011) of Aldea in New York, Alex Seidel (2010) of Fruition in Denver, Sue Zemanick (2008) of Gautreau's in New Orleans and James Lewis (2011) of Bettola in Birmingham, Alabama. The beverage program will be curated by two of our own stars: Executive Wine Editor Ray Isle will select wine pairings for the dishes and Deputy Editor of Food & Wine Cocktails, Jim Meehan, will create signature drinks.

Even if you can’t hit up the huge festivities this summer, the project will make sure there’s a bit of F&W in Aspen all year round. In November, a new group of BNCs will take on the Fall/Winter menu.

Tickets and more info for the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

Related: Best New Chefs 2012

 

A recap of Lunchbox Fund Mega Party featuring Chuck Close, Michael Stipe, Salman Rushdie and amazing cookbooks from Mario Batali. Read more here > 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book-fair nerds (what, you don't remember the most exciting part of elementary school?) will be psyched about a Food BookFair launching in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on May 4. The three-day event will feature panel discussions with celebrated authors, including food-science writer Harold McGee, Lucky Peach co-editor (with chef David Chang) Peter Meehan and nutrition expert Dr. Marion Nestle. Read more about the Food Book Fair >

Even if you’ve purchased all the Heat-Tech socks you need for the season, there’s a new reason to visit Uniqlo’s NYC Fifth Avenue flagship this weekend: free food from celebrated NYC chefs.

 

Find out what Momofuku's star talents will be serving >

 

 

"Whether you're watching the Super Bowl for the commercials or to see the teams actually play, it's a long time from kickoff to the end of the game," says Food & Wine's executive food editor Tina Ujlaki. "You want to make sure there's something for everyone." Tina happens to be known for her Hall of Fame-worthy Super Bowl parties. Here, the professional hostess reveals her top tips for throwing fantastic, stress-free game-day bashes.

1. Serve foods that are great warm and at room temperature. "You never want to worry that people are eating a dish when it's not at its best," says Tina.

Ribs, chilis, stews, chicken wings, Cuban sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and baked pastas are crowd-pleasers that won't deteriorate quickly. Leave toppings and condiments on the side for guests to add themselves: "You can have seven people over and each person's plate will look different."

Slideshow: Super Bowl Party Foods

2. Think creamy, crunchy, cheesy and fresh. When planning the menu, choose easy-to-eat snacks with a variety of textures: creamy (caramelized onion dip, guacamole), crunchy (chips, nuts), cheesy (gooey queso dip, a great runny cheese) and fresh (healthy crudité, salsa). "It's a challenge not to have all gut-busting foods, so this rule helps balance the menu," says Tina. Another fresh element can be a big salad with lots of crunchy ingredients, like nuts and raw vegetables. "It's refreshing and a good counterpoint to the rest of the foods," says Tina.

Slideshow: Party Dip Recipes

3. Opt for simple dessert. "Fancy food never seems to work out," says Tina. Stick to cookies, brownies, blondies and fruit on skewers, which are easy to pick up. "If you're dying to make a Super Bowl-themed dish, bake an easy sheet pan of brownies, cut out football shapes and decorate them with white lines," she says.

Slideshow: Portable Desserts

4. Put everything out at once. "It's not the time for highfalutin entertaining," says Tina. Put dishes away as everyone stops eating them, but leave the dessert out.

Slideshow: Fast and Easy Desserts

5. Keep the beer cold. "Punch and wine are great, but there seems to be a magical combo of football and beer, so restock the refrigerator at halftime," says Tina.

Slideshow: Party Punch Recipes

Related:

Best Pizza Places in the U.S.

Best Fried Chicken in the U.S.

Best Burgers in the U.S.

Fast Game Day Snacks

Super Bowl Recipes

(pictured: Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings)

As the big game approaches this weekend, Patriots and Giants fans are making final preparations for their Super Bowl parties. Beyond menus to plan and guests to invite, there are wagers to be made. A group of northeast chefs just revealed the terms of their “Super Bowl Restaurant Smackdown” to Food & Wine, pitting New England vs. New York. Representing the Patriots are Jamie Bissonnette from Boston’s Toro and Coppa, Tiffani Faison from Sweet Cheeks, Matt Jennings from Providence’s La Laiterie and Farmstead and Gabriel Frasca of Straight Wharf and Provisions. They’re facing off against New York chefs and Giants’ fans Harold Dieterle of Perilla and Kin Shop, Lee Anne Wong of Vynl and Michael Ferraro of Delicatessen. This wager is not about money, it’s about maximum humiliation. Here are the terms:

 

 For seven consecutive days, the representatives of the LOSING TEAM must:

-Wear the opposing team’s jersey in their restaurant .The jersey cannot be removed during work hours for any reason.

-Wear a Statue of Liberty hat (Boston) or a lobster hat (NYC) in their restaurant. The hat cannot be removed during work hours for any reason.

-Feature pastrami on rye (Boston) or New England clam chowder (NYC) prominently on their menu with the following wording:

“In honor of the greatest football team on earth the Patriots/Giants, [Restaurant name(s)] is proudly featuring [name of dish]."

-Tweet a picture of themselves in their hats & jerseys eating the featured dish in their restaurant all seven days.

 

The WINNING TEAM will hand deliver the jerseys and hats to the losing teams and taste the featured menu item.

 

As a Patriots’ fan who now lives in New York City, I’m looking forward to sampling some great clam chowder without the four-hour train ride.

 

For those of you hosting at home check out some of my favorite game-day recipes from F&W.

Spicy Chicken Wings

Double Pork Burgers

Sticky Ribs

More Super Bowl Snacks

 

 

It’s a busy time for food-festival groupies. South Beach Wine & Food Festival is coming soon (February 23–26!), then you've got to get to California for Pebble Beach Food & Wine (April 12–15) and before you know it, it’s the 30th anniversary of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen (June 15–17).
 
Now I’m obsessed with the just-wrapped International Gourmet Festival. The 10-day festival, at Vila Joya in Portugal’s beachy Algarve region, featured dinners with a million Michelin starred chefs. Well, 33 of them, and they came from all over Europe and the US (The Spotted Pig’s April Bloomfield, SHO’s Shaun Hergatt and Laurent Gras all represented for USA). Also running around were awesome food-loving celebs like Adrian Grenier, who, with filmmaker Peter Glatzer brought his new eco-friendly SHFT house wine (you’ll hear more about it the April issue of F&W), Sheryl Crow and Michael Imperioli. Plus a Russian billionaire who flew his plane to Paris to pick up some vodka and caviar for a party. Here are a few highlights from this year’s International Gourmet Festival.
 
Epic Dinner: In my idea of the ultimate potluck, a dozen elite chefs worth 20 Michelin stars combined to cook a 10-course dinner. That meal ran the gamut from a gorgeous foie gras starter topped with shredded crab and fermented cabbage sauce, from the three-starred Dutch chef Jonnie Boer, to a hearty main-course goulash from the Frankfurt chef Mario Lohninger (whom I still miss from his time at NYC’s Danube).
 
Epic After-Party: Adrian Grenier’s late-night DJ gig at Le Club, one of those awesome, cheesy Euro discos that becomes a lot better when someone’s playing decent music. Extra credit to Grenier—he’d spent the afternoon pouring his SHFT wine, and then woke up early the next day (well, at 1 p.m., which is early in the Algarve) to race go-karts.
 
Epic Day Trip: An expedition to Lisbon (it’s two hours away, when a German guy is driving a BMW). There we got to have the insane, custardy de Belem pastries for breakfast, a killer lunch at chef Jose Avillez’s 10-day-old Belcanto and a ride around the city in one of those adorable 1920s cable cars.

What’s better then a sold-out floor seat ticket to Coldplay 2012 tour. If you’re in LA, this: that ticket plus a pre-show meal at AOC, the phenomenal Cal-Med wine (and food) bar from Suzanne Goin (an F&W hero and Best New Chef 1999). Blackboardeats dreamed up the package, which is also rolling out in NYC & Chicago. It answers the prayers of all you who don't want to eat something lame before an epic show.
 
Goin just happens to be a huge Coldplay fan and she’ll be heading to the Hollywood Bowl for the show after the dinner on at least one of the show’s three nights. So if you don’t know the way to the Bowl from AOC, you can ask Goin for directions. You can also ask her if any of the dishes are Coldplay-inspired. (For the Chicago Blackboardeats package, Mercadito is creating a Coldplay inspired tequila cocktail.)
 
If you want to start planning your night ahead, here are more details, including the AOC menu and show dates.
 
The Package: A three-course menu at AOC, a floor seat ticket (and a laminated pass for the memories) is $250, while tickets last. Look out for the email blast coming from Blackboardeats LA on Tuesday, January 17.
 
The Dates: May 1, 2, 4   
 
The Place(s): AOC/Hollywood Bowl
 
The Menu:
Citrus and avocado salad with mint and green olives
 
Grilled market fish with fava beans and savory creme fraiche
OR
Liberty Ranch duck confit with black rice and English peas
 
Bittersweet chocolate tart with mascarpone and pistachios in olive oil