Appetite for Good

With a restaurant repertoire like Gramercy Tavern, Maialino, Telepan, L’Artusi and celebrity book signings by Marcus Samuelsson, Floyd Cardoz, and Sandra Lee, Taste of the Nation New York 2011 will kick off on this Monday, May 23rd at Center 548.

For foodies and foodie-wannabes everywhere, the New York Food & Wine Festival is the ultimate weekend of culinary indulgence.This year, I was excited to check out its flagship event, the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite, while rubbing elbows with your favorite celebrity chefs and TV personalities.

That was the main question on Friday during the “Has the word ‘local’ lost all meaning?” discussion panel during the New York Food and Wine Festival. The panel featured executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill Restaurant, Dan Barber; restaurateur and Top Chef personality, Tom Colicchio; executive chef of Eleven Madison Park, Daniel Humm; TV personality and executive chef of Butter, Alex Guarnaschelli; and Heritage Foods USA founder, Patrick Martins.

Chef Masaharu Morimoto entered the room at Comix before the start of his demo at the New York Wine and Food Festival and gave everyone a big thumbs up and a flash of a peace sign. For a man as well regarded in the culinary world, equally for his talent as a masterful chef and his participation in the Iron Chef series, Morimoto was incredibly personable and not at all intimidating.

Thrillist’s 2nd annual Bacon & The Blues was an event that called out to all bacon lovers. It was a night filled with crisp, juicy, delicious pork meat dressed up in savory and sweet ways and washed down with a glass of Coors light. As one chef pointed out to me, light beer and bacon go very well together.

This recipe is not just your average jello shot — I want you to think jello shot with a touch of class and elegance. We’re adults now people. No more jello shots from dixie cups. No more jello shots made from nasty cheap vodka that tastes like gasoline.

I was very fortunate to meet Michael Anthony, Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern, at Taste of the Nation NY back in May. Months before the event, I saw an episode of Beyond the Dish where Chef Anthony went to the Green Market to pick out produce and taught the audience about the importance of fresh local food. I felt inspired and educated, and was interested in learning more from him.

When I open my fridge and see: grape tomatoes, green beans, and a small piece of trout, I think, “Grilled trout with a side of mashed potatoes and boiled green beans.” I’m not sure what Chris Pandel thinks, but what he makes is the best salad I have ever tasted.

I rarely think about donating to a charity right before I leave on vacation. I mean, between packing and trying to find my misplaced passport, I’m up all night until the minute before my flight. But for New York’s 21 Club restaurant and Executive Chef John Greeley, vacation means being generous.

After we met Executive Chef Philippe Massoud at Taste of the Nation, we stopped by ilili to sample his contemporary Lebanese creations. The evening was full of unique flavors and amounted to one of Appetite for Good’s most memorable food expeditions!