Taste of New York

Posted by Jennifer Sendrow

On a chilly November night in Tribeca, New York magazine's 11th annual Taste event brought together hundreds of guests and more than 40 chefs and mixologists for a night of eating, drinking, and schmoozing. I can't bring you a taste, but I can give you a look.

Rockwell Group has designed events for clients ranging from the Academy Awards to Cirque du Soleil. For Taste, they creatively reused utensils to create displays that included several large screens made of punched paper plates. I wonder if I could pull this off for my holiday party with my trusty Exacto knife and a little help from Martha Stewart Crafts.

Bartender Thomas Waugh from Death & Co. calmly stirred the first of many cocktails for the thirsty masses.

Pegu Club's Douglas Fir Gimlet was infused with genuine tree taste: think Christmas, not car air freshener.

Clover Club owner Julie Reiner served harvest punch garnished with quince slices.

Chef James Tracey from Craft channeled his inner Martha, studiously arranging a display of fall decorations as he served Nantucket Bay scallops with pumpkin and kaffir lime.

Bobo chef Patrick Connelly got even more creative with his table, covering it with dried grass, adding a taxidermied pheasant, and serving his chocolate pudding with cocoa nibs and salted pumpkin seeds inside small pumpkins.

Chef Brad Farmerie of Public served perfectly fried oysters that could convince even the most die-hard raw bar fan to cook a mollusk or two.

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Hanging out with Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck and other celeb chefs!

Posted by Lauren G

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual Savor Borgata event where I wined and dined with the hotel’s top chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay. Savor Borgata is a ticketed event, open to the public that happens every year at the Water Club Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. It attracts food lovers from all over the country who want to meet, greet and taste with some of their favorite culinary heroes. Below are some of the highlights of Savor Borgata, including some great Thanksgiving tips for you to try at home.

Bobby Flay tells us about his Thanksgiving plans. He also talk about why "themes" are great for a big feast.

Bobby whipped up Surf and Turk Skewers with Red Pepper Vinaigrette and Honey Mustard Mint.

Here's Wolfgang Puck in action, serving Stir-Friend Pad thai noodles, Grilled Shrimp, Steak and Scallop Skewers and Chinese Chicken Salad.

In this video Wolfgang shares his Thanksgiving plans and how you can create a family meal at home with more meaning than just eating a turkey! Plus Stephen Kalt, of the newly opened Fornelletto Cucina and Wine Bar shares his tricks for a perfect cranberry sauce (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries. Bring all to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.) Lastly, Chef Michael Schulson of Izakaya tells the TRUTH about what every chef does at Thanksgiving time!

Michael Schulson also says his favorite dish for Thanksgiving is always turkey, but in the meantime, he is happy to serve up delicious sushi! The event featured scrumptious sushi such as California, shrimp tempura, yellowtail and smoked salmon.

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Our visit to The Chocolate Show!

Posted by Katie Macpherson

National Chocolate Day may have been last week (October 28), but let’s be real--here at Martha Stewart Living Radio, the celebration of chocolate never ends. I recently checked out the New York Chocolate Show and got to hang out with some of the most talented chocolatiers from around the world. Whether you were there to taste cacao nibs or see chocolate woven into fabric, this show really didn’t disappoint.

Check out these seasonal chocolates from Martha Stewart Living Radio-regular Jacques Torres. These chocolate squares are filled with pumpkin pie (outer circle) and apple pie (inner circle) filling!

Did you know that camels can be milked? This chocolate, imported from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is the first chocolate to be made using camels’ milk. The company uses between 3,000 and 4,000 camels on their farm outside of Dubai. (My question--do the camels spit at the milkers?)

Rhonda Kave of Roni-Sue Chocolates in New York City is all about combining chocolate with unique flavors. She’s handing out her Diablo Truffles, which have a spicy chile-infused kick to them.

Roni-Sue is also well known for their interesting uses of bacon--even combining it with popcorn!

Speaking of bacon, this sizzling bacon bar from Christopher Michael Chocolates cracked me up. The bacon combined with chocolate and smoked sea salt was delicious--and the popping candy makes it seem like it’s “sizzling” in your mouth!

These delicious chocolate spreads and marshmallows are from Parisian chocolatier Boissier. Check them out the next time you’re in the City of Lights.

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10 Things You Didn't Know About David Chang!

Posted by Alexis Tirado

Yesterday afternoon, Martha sat down with chef David Chang on her radio special, "At Martha's Table." Martha called him a "national treasure" and gushed about his amazing culinary creations (Steamed pork buns! Momofuku ramen!). David struck me as a very candid and down-to-earth dude. He's definitely not a celebrity chef diva, which is refreshing!

Here I am, looking ridiculously happy next to David.

Below are 10 things he talked about on air.

1. David barely graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. "I graduated very low in my class, at the bottom. My degree is pretty useless," he admitted.

2. "I felt so late in the game. I felt so behind," said David about enrolling at the French Culinary Institute, at the age of 22. He's pretty hard on himself, right? You can listen to David talk about this in the clip below.

3. David used to answer phones at Mercer Kitchen and Craft restaurants. At Craft, Tom Colicchio became a mentor of sorts. This was pre-Top Chef fame.

4. He's single. (And yes, Martha asked if he was married and when he said no, she went in for the kill and asked about his GF situation). Listen below to Martha grill David on his love life!

5. He doesn't own a car.

6. He moved to Tokyo for awhile. At one point, he lived in a men's shelter and cooked for free just to get culinary experience in Japan!

7. David tried to get many investors interested in his first noodle shop but no one put the money down. Eventually David's father gave him money to open his first restaurant.

8. David loves to order Chinese take out from Grand Sichuan (they have various locations in NYC). "I almost never cook at home. It's easier in New York City to order in than to cook at home," he said. You can listen to David talking about why he doesn't cook at home in the clip below.

9. Some of his favorite NYC restaurants are Soto and Gramercy Tavern.

10. Chef Chang's advice to aspiring chefs? "Don't be afraid to make a mistake," he said. He told Martha that his famed pork buns came from an accident and he didn't think it would be a crowd favorite!

Momofuku Milk Bar's blueberry cream cookies from the event. These were some of the best cookies I ever ate!

From the Farm to My Table!

Posted by Jennifer Sendrow

The New York Wine & Food Festival gave everyone a chance to meet some local farmers while shopping at the Basis Foods Farmers' Market.

Former Martha Stewart Living Radio regular Dr. Brent Ridge is a Hudson Valley farmer these days, producing goat milk soaps and this semi-hard, raw, aged goat milk cheese he's onomatopoeically dubbed "BLAAK."

Chef Jeremy Bearman from sustainablity-focused restaurant Rouge Tomate portions out samples of his tasty butternut squash soup.

On Sunday morning, local farm produce made its way to the table at the 100 Mile Brunch held at the New York City Fire Museum. A bluegrass trio kept the diners happy while waiting for the buffet.

The dishes included waffles, vegetable lasagna, lamb en croute, eggs Benedict, and a mix-you-own-salad station, with all the ingredients sourced within 100 miles of New York City.

Fresh juices and smoothies upheld the 100 Mile rule, but I have my doubts about the tea and coffee.

These are the pride of Greenport, Long Island: oysters from the Widow's Hole Oyster Company.

I tried to taste a bite of everything!

After brunch, farmer Bob Walker spoke about the origins of the food we'd just enjoyed. For anyone who's become cynical about trendiness or annoyed by the piousness that exists within the farm-to-table movement, this was a good antidote. I was humbled to get a face-to-face reminder of the hard labor that goes into putting salad on my plate and energized by the number of people who wanted to learn about the men and women who feed us so well. Happy harvest, farmer Bob!

Grand Tasting at the NYC Wine & Food Festival

Posted by Jennifer Sendrow

There are many tasting events at the New York Wine and Food Festival, but the Grand Tasting held at Pier 54 dwarfs them all. Dozens of restaurants, wineries, and liquor brands compete for attention, and it can be hard to take it all in visually, let alone in sips and bites. Here are the highlights for 2009.

Though Mediterranean restaurant Ilili was officially serving leg of lamb, a little cajoling got me my favorite -- and most unusual -- taste of the day: lamb brain lightly breaded and fried, served atop a milk bread pancake and topped with pickled slaw.

Klee Brasserie served Viennese fried chicken. I wish I could convince my local sports bar to do the same!

Chef Patrick Connelly from Bobo reinvented the BLT without bread, just pork belly on lettuce garnished with fresh mayonnaise and chutney.

I watched as "Morning Living" regular guest Chef Dave Martin received compliments from fan after fan who still think he should have won season one of "Top Chef." Someone get this man a restaurant!

From Top Chef to Iron Chef: Yes, it's the Chairman!

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Dinner at Home Hits the Road

Posted by Jennifer Sendrow

Before kicking off her book tour for the new "Dinner at Home," Martha kicked off the New York Wine & Food Festival’s weekend of culinary demonstrations by cooking up a menu from the cookbook for a sold-out crowd. She seared Muscovy duck breast, stirred up a fig sauce, braised red cabbage, flipped a potato pancake, and assembled a hot fudge sundae topped with hazelnut brittle, all the while peppering her explanations of the recipes with tips and personal anecdotes that kept the room buzzing. Everyone had a laugh at the story of Martha’s “guard geese” tending the chicken coop in Bedford, and the women sitting on either side of me gasped enviously when she then revealed that we (lucky Martha Stewart employees) often get to take her farm’s eggs home with us. Good thing I was incognito, or I’d had no doubt left laden with resumes!

We learned that the trick to making perfect potato pancakes isn’t just hand-grating Idaho potatoes, it’s adding a little bit of beer to the batter. Her kitchen must-haves include kosher salt, an iron skillet on the stovetop, and inexpensive white bar towels for easy, eco-friendly cleanup. Martha has no love for paper towels (wasteful), pre-cut fruit and vegetables (not very time-saving, more expensive, and never as fresh), or bottled lemon juice (artificial taste). On a lighter note, I appreciated Martha’s admonition to pack your own limes when visiting remote areas of Maine, because if you share her penchant for a refreshing daiquiri, you’ll be paying $2 a lime.

The only disappointment of the night: We didn’t get to taste that beautiful duck! I guess I’ll just have to get my hands on the cookbook and get to work. Read Martha's take on the Food and Wine Festival too!