TaylorEason.com: Foodies unite » Food news

Food fit for a circus clown: Behind the scenes in Ringling Bros. kitchen

Mary D. Scourtes — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:23:59 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, I met chef Michael Vaughn who feeds about 200 hungry entertainers who live in some of the 61 train cars parked just outside of town. Chef Michael says he likes the adventure. “It’s definitely the greatest show on earth. We are the world’s largest city without a zip code,’’ he adds. The 16-year saw-dust veteran may have learned to cook in the south but his cuisine spans several continents. His international mix of patrons come from seven continents, including Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Russia, Mongolia and Paraguay. Michael invites the animal trainers, trapeze artists and others to bring him recipes and teach him about their special dishes that personify their home country.

Online holiday and Christmas shopping: Five great wine and food gifts

Taylor Eason — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:03:37 +0000

Each year, it can be a struggle to find just the right gift... the right mixture between snarky and original yet useful. Frankly, if someone is into wine or food, gift selections are a bit less challenging and cheaper than an electronics nerd or car enthusiast but if you're going on ten years with a foodie, the gadgets might have run out. Or have they? I wrote about 25 pretty cool, unique items last Christmas that you might want to check out, but here are five food and wine items new to the market.

Life in California, part 5: Newfound popularity, food foraging and meeting James Laube

Taylor Eason — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:36:30 +0000

It's amazing how popular you become when you have a house in northern California. Even one with pink carpet and hideous rose-print wallpaper. I actually underestimated the power of a second bedroom in wine country. Out of the 60-something days in June and July, we have hosted (and will host) 18 nights with various guests, mostly from Tampa. And we love it...it's like having a little dose of "home" away from "home." It hasn't sunk in that we live here yet.

Don’t punt on Clearwater’s Café Ponte

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:04:18 +0000

Having enjoyed dinners at Café Ponte sometime back, we happily found an encore performance. As soon as you enter, the welcoming host assures that you are in good hands. Proprietor Christopher Ponte, who trained at Johnson & Wales University and later at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, has also worked at the famed Taillevent in Paris and continues to earn a litany of accolades.

Thai Temple tops for Tampa Thai tastes

Mary D. Scourtes — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:37:29 +0000

Consider Wat Mongkolratanaram a way station for hungry nirvana-seekers who can’t cross the Universal Dateline. Every Sunday, the Thai temple affectionately nicknamed “Wat Tampa,” opens its compound, about a half-mile from U.S. 41 on the banks of the Palm River, to sell an amazing array of foods and produce.

How health departments can squash food entrepreneurs: Forage SF at risk

Taylor Eason — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:38:03 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending an underground "Wild Dinner" in San Francisco. 80 people in an expansive, borrowed loft descended for a weekend evening to dine on food prepared by a chef who foraged all the food for this dinner. I know... uber California, right? Suffice it to say that this chef goes above and beyond what the celebrity toques do today.

Tampa’s Maggiano’s is a mixed bag of Mama’s manna

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:56:22 +0000

But if your mother is from Italy and makes unbelievable Saltimbocca or cannelloni, this isn’t your place. This is more an American-Italian pasta or piccata party place for celebrating graduations, anniversaries and birthdays. Maggiano’s can be as crowed and clamorous as Rome during rush hour, with enough chatter and boisterous diners to be a distraction, even more so as clanging dishes jar the senses. Normal portions are not to be expected. Unless you are a linebacker, you may need to cut yourself off, as steaks weight in at a pound while pasta tips scales over 24 ounces.

The Bungalow Restaurant boasts a burgeoning crowd in Tampa

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:02:30 +0000

Bungalow homes were popular for their simplicity, comfort and lack of ostentation. That can be said about the food at the namesake Bungalow Restaurant. If being “in’’ were all, the Bungalow would deserve kudos but there were some missteps.

CineBistro’s neighborhood nosh knocks it out of Tampa’s park

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:20:31 +0000

Tempting, Salted Caramel Brownies (Amelie’s French Bakery), luscious flan (Oliver & Henry’s), and petite cakes (The Cupcake Spot) call my name. No sweets craving went unfulfilled Sunday. The gastronomic gods dialed up a postcard-perfect day for Taste of South Tampa in Hyde Park Village. As independent restaurants ride out the vexations of an ailing economy, a cornucopia of veterans: Shells, CDB’s, and Tampa Bagel Co., and new kids: Eats, Pinkberry and Horizon Bay, among three dozen others, enticed eaters.

Safety Harbor’s Sausage House is smokin’

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:27:43 +0000

Aniko Rakoczi knows bacon. The co-owner of First Quality Sausage House calls the Hungarian fried concoction, teperto, flavors it with paprika, and cooks it crunchy during almost an hour of frying. These bacon bites, albeit a calorically prodigious lot, are pure porcine pleasure.

Vietnamese food-to-go shines at Saigon Deli

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:37:09 +0000

Fellow fork lifter Cristina B. sings Saigon’s praises as having the “best banh mi’’ around. The Saigon sub offers a harmonic, ying and yang as pork faces off cilantro and peppers snuggled together with julienned daikon, cucumbers and carrots.

What exactly does “good” olive oil mean?

Jennifer Fields — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:38:36 +0000

When browsing through recipes or watching cooking shows on TV, I’ve noticed something about the mention of olive oil. For example, on the Food Network’s “Barefoot Contessa" with Ina Garten, when it comes time to utilize a drizzle, splash or heaping amount of olive oil, Ina precedes to say, “use some good olive oil”. It got me thinking, what exactly does she, or anyone for that matter, mean by good olive oil. Is it the flavor of the oil? The region where it comes from? Does the price point determine if an olive oil is good?

Tampa Downtown Market offers a midway of delights every Friday

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:19:46 +0000

If Gumer Rodriguez shows up at your doorstep wanting banana leaves, don't think it's the sequel to Pineapple Express. The Veracruz, Mexico native needs the leaves to wrap the tamales he cooks up every Friday in the tamale truck parked at Tampa’s Downtown Market. Best of all, net sales of the $5 lunches go to the non-profit organization, America’s Disaster Relief.

Food Network boosts, boasts Bern’s Steak House

Mary D. Scourtes — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:27:20 +0000

Bern's Steakhouse executive pastry chef Kim Yelvington saved face when she faced cameras last week. She's no novice, but she practically melted under the glare of the Food Network lights, in town to tape an Old School segment for the salivating show, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”

Change the way you eat and live better: Michael Pollan’s mantra

Taylor Eason — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:48:30 +0000

I've just finished reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. It discusses the state of American eating and how it affects our health. Pollan paints an alarming picture, and folks, it ain't pretty. But we can learn our way out of this obesity mess.

Parents bought more organic food this year

Taylor Eason — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:07:01 +0000

The organic trade association announced survey results, reporting that, in spite of tightening wallets, U.S. families continue to buy more organic products than ever before.

10 must-have items for the gourmet kitchen

Taylor Eason — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:15:12 +0000

As a former chef, I still cook a LOT. It relaxes me, feeds creativity and my husband seems to enjoy this little hobby of mine. A win-win, if you will. But my sous chefs do a lot of the heavy lifting -- my favorite kitchen (and, naturally, wine) tools that help make my daily culinary exploits move a lot quicker. Thought I'd share.

Save money on restaurants with online freebies, birthday coupons and more

Matt Rutledge — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:54:37 +0000

Matt Rutledge returns with more advice on how to save money on restaurants, how to get a free Subway sandwich and more coupon sites.

Ten things you may not know about yogurt

Taylor Eason — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:22:01 +0000

I miss the yogurt sold in Europe. Less sweet, it makes this creamy, healthy, cultured milk less dessert and more breakfast. So I was psyched when thicker, plain Greek yogurt started appearing at grocery stores. I like the rich consistency, the higher protein and how decadent it tastes when mixed with a slight drip of honey and some fresh, seasonal fruit. But I didn't know all these yogurt facts.

The best websites for free groceries, restaurant meals and travel discounts

Matt Rutledge — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:00:58 +0000

Matt Rutledge tells us the best websites for grocery coupons, free restaurant meals and travel discounts.