FISHTAG Hair-of-the-Dogfish
Thanks to fellow New Jersey food and wine writer Peter Conway of Mano A Vino for publishing my “Local Adventures” post about eating through the Upper West Side.
Read about it here: http://bit.ly/YVrWpw
4 April 2013 
Laura Secord Easter Cream Eggs
April 4, 2013 By
When I was a small kid growing up in eastern Quebec, a tradition in my family and many others was to get a Laura Secord Cream Egg for Easter. Laura Secord is Canada’s largest and best known chocolatier.
The dark chocolate-coated egg with its white and yolk-yellow creamy center was a special treat. The pale yellow box with its cute bunny on the front and paper ‘straw’ inside was always a joy to open (think Charlie unwrapping the Wonka bar with its golden ticket).
Everyone I knew had a technique for eating the egg. Mine was to place the egg in the fridge then cut slices of it with a steak knife. This method yielded a solid egg white and yolk with chocolate cold enough to snap under the tooth. Pure heaven.
I don’t make it back to Quebec for Easter very often and haven’t in at least 15 years. This has meant reliving my Laura Secord Cream Egg memories in my head versus my mouth. That is, until this year. When I realized my mom was coming to New Jersey for Easter, I quickly tasked her with bringing me my treat.
I was so excited to have her bring me the egg that I couldn’t keep myself from Tweeting and Facebooking about it. To my complete pleasure, on Good Friday, I received a huge Easter basket from the kind folks at Laura Secord in Canada. The basket was full of delectable treats including:
- White Chocolate Rose
- Easter Praline Collection
- Mini Secord Eggs
- Showcase Chocolates in a Gorgeous Nostalgia Tin
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Laura Secord Cream Egg in a Collectible Tin
This year, Laura Secord celebrates its 100th anniversary. How neat is that!? With 1,000+ employees, more than 115 stores in 7 Canadian provinces and over 400 products, Laura Secord has come a long way from the tiny storefront it opened in Toronto in 1913. Yes, they even ship to the Unites States.
For my part, I’ll create an exclusive treat using the tasty Laura Secord chocolate chips to help celebrate the centennial anniversary. It’s a small token of my appreciation for over 35 years of chocolate memories I’ve been able to forge along with the old gal.
Here’s to you Laura Secord!
Veronique
28 March 2013 
Campo Viejo Offers a Chance to Win Trip to Spain
March 28, 2013 By
Campo Viejo, the second largest Spanish wine brand in the U.S.*, is running a contest called Capture the Vibrancy. The contest lets shutterbugs upload photos that capture the vivacity of American cities.
Folks are asked to submit a photo that best embodies the flavor of their city for the opportunity to win a five-day trip to Rioja, a VIP tour of the award-winning winery and a professional photography class during their stay in the stunning region.
Photo entries will be open for public voting for ten days once the submission appears on the Capture the Vibrancy Facebook tab (facebook.com/CampoViejoWine). At the end of the contest period, the ten entries with the highest number of votes will be selected as finalists and will be awarded a photography accessory package to help further develop their skills. A panel of judges will determine the most striking and expressive image from the top ten entries to be announced as the grand prizewinner.
Applicants are encouraged to visit Campo Viejo’s Facebook page to submit their original photo(s) between March 1st and April 30th (one unique entry per person per week). Ten finalists will be determined by voting on or before May 16th, with the grand prizewinner announced on or around May 29th. The grand prize includes round trip airfare and a five-day, four-night stay for two in Spain, which is valued at approximately $5,000.
*Campo Viejo is ranked the second largest by $ volume in the U.S., according to Nielsen XAOC+Liquor, end 2/2/13.
18 March 2013 
Buick Discovery Tour
March 18, 2013 By
Here’s a recap of the Buick Discovery Tour event I attended on Saturday as published by Devil Gourmet – http://bit.ly/15VMHmf
Chef Michael Psilakis and Me
Looks fun, doesn’t it?
Have a great week,
Veronique
15 March 2013 
Todd English P.U.B.
March 15, 2013 By
Bloody Mary
Last week, I had the pleasure of staying at the gorgeous Aria Resort & Casino Las Vegas. One of the 15 restaurants at the resort is Todd English P.U.B., a charming hot spot with an extensive beer list and creative, delicious food.
The traditional English pub food with a modern twist features options from the carvery, the grill and the raw bar. During a lunch visit, the carvery is where I decided to focus. The carvery features the highest-quality rotisserie meats offered in half or full pound servings. I opted for the roast turkey and selected the sourdough bread from an extensive list of breads. Each sandwich is served with two side dressings ranging from horseradish sour cream, curried apple butter, blue cheese fondue, black truffle mayo, maple soy and salsa verde. I picked the black truffle mayo and it was incredible.
Carvery Turkey
One of the fun things about this place is the Bloody Mary bar offered on the weekends where one can pick from a wide selection of condiments. By ‘condiments’, I mean anything from a mini burger to a chicken wing to a shrimp. It’s just a neat idea.
I love this new restaurant concept by four-time James Beard Award winner, Chef Todd English. I hope he brings P.U.B. to the east coast so a visit to Sin City isn’t needed in order to sample this comforting fare.
3720 Las Vegas Blvd. S
Las Vegas, NV 89158
Phone: (702) 489-8080
Hours of Operation: Open Monday thru Friday from 11:00am
Saturday & Sunday from 9:30am – Brunch & Bloody Mary Farm Cart Service as well as regular menu.
Happy Hour Everyday 3:00-6:00pm & 10:00PM – midnight
Take-Out Available
14 March 2013 
Mesa Grill Las Vegas
March 14, 2013 By
I’ve been to Mesa Grill several times, both in New York and Las Vegas. Just love the vibe of the Vegas location in Caesar’s Palace and the food’s always solid.
Lobster Tacos
On my latest visit, a group of us dined at the popular Bobby Flay restaurant and had a fabulous time. For starters, everyone should start with one of the many margaritas offered at this hot spot. I selected the Mesa Grill Margarita on the rocks, with salt and it was refreshing, tangy and delicious.
Duck Pancake
One dish is more mouth-watering than the next, but for appetizers, we opted for the Blue Corn Lobster Tacos and the Blue Corn Pancake with barbequed duck. Both were bold and bursting with flavors. Simply wonderful.
For our entrées, some of the dishes we enjoyed were the Green Chile Cioppino, the Mango Spice Crusted Tuna Steak and the New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin. The cioppino was unlike any other I’ve had and was full of lime and cilantro flavors and perfectly-cooked seafood. A few of us had a taste of the tenderloin and unanimously agreed that it was perhaps the best pork tenderloin rendition we’ve had.
Mesa Grill is a fun atmosphere with an efficient staff and a roomful of beautiful people having a great time. Everyone should make a point of eating here while in Sin City.
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd,
Las Vegas, NV 89109
877.346.4642
Brunch – Sat – Sun: 10:30am – 3pm
Lunch – Mon – Fri: 11am – 2:30pm
Dinner – Daily: 5pm – 11pm
2 March 2013 
New York Wine Expo 2013
March 2, 2013 By
Finger Lakes Wines
Last night, I attended the New York Wine Expo, an event featuring over 600 wines by 150+ producers. Most of the wines were served at tables grouped together by country, which made it simple to maneuver.
Esporao
I’ll admit that I sampled a lot of wines. Some were great, some nice and some I’ll be okay just trying once. While I enjoyed many, here are some worth mentioning:
- Fulcrum Wines – the three Pinot Noirs poured were outstanding. Just everything a solid California Pinot should taste like. The jewel in the crown is the aptly-named, Gap’s Crown.
- 2009 Esporao Reserva Red – nice velvety mouth feel, bright red fruit with a little oaky finish.
- 2011 Altitudes Ixsir White – who knew I’d enjoy Lebanese wines this much? Of the four delicious wines poured at the Ixsir table, this one was the favorite with its big floral nose and bright fruity flavors.
- 2011 Rutherford Wine Company Predator – the first sniff of this Old Vine Zinfandel screamed – BACON! Just a delicious Zin with all a Zin should be – big, bold, chewy, peppery, and in this case, smoky. All this for $12-$13.
- Finger Lakes pavilion – was fun reliving my latest Finger Lakes wine country visit through the sipping of some of the wines. Always nice are the Red Newt Dry Riesling and Circle Riesling, the Red Tail Ridge Semi-Dry and the Fox Run Lemberger.
- Cavazza Prosecco Spumante DOC Extra Dry – perhaps the best Prosecco I’ve had. Crisp, perfect dry finish.
Amid a sea of wines were some food companies showcasing their goods. Among some favorites were:
- Chocolate Springs – A boutique chocolate shop from Lenox, Massachusetts headed by Joshua Needleman, creator and chocolatier. I had the opportunity to sample the Culinary Institute of America graduate’s decadent salted caramels coated with a rich, thin chocolate coating. The treats were incredible.
- Backyard Farms – I live in the Garden State, a place with the most succulent tomatoes in the country, right? I’m thinking that perhaps I might have tasted one of the best tomatoes EVER, last night at the Backyard Farms booth – straight from…Maine! Tomatoes from this vendor are superior in flavor to others, partly because tomatoes are left on the vine to fully ripen before being picked.
The crowd was relatively young and the room was busy but not uncomfortably crowded. Two minor hiccups were the lack of bottled water, unless I simply missed it, and the long, winding line of folks waiting to enter the expo.
Overall, it was a nice evening with many opportunities to sample wines from around the world, some available for tasting exclusively at this event.
Make a point to attend this event in 2014 when the expo returns to the Big Apple.
Cheers,
Veronique
24 February 2013 
Ingredient Spotlight – King Trumpet Mushrooms
February 24, 2013 By
As I detailed in a recent post, I had the pleasure of visiting Mitsuwa Marketplace with Danny, of Eat with Dan, where I did some food shopping. One of the things I purchased was King Trumpet Mushrooms, a favorite of mine.
King Trumpet Mushrooms, also known as Pleurotus Eryngii, have thick, meaty pearl white stems and small sand-colored caps. Although these mushrooms are widely available at most Asian markets, they are indigenous of the Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
In their raw state, King Trumpet Mushrooms have little to no aroma or flavor. Once cooked, they develop a woodsy, earthy flavor and a meaty texture.
These mushrooms have a long shelf life if they’re not washed until just ready to use and if stored in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator.
My favorite way to eat these handsome mushrooms is to slice them long ways, drizzle them with a little soy/sesame seed oil/vegetable oil concoction then grill them as one would grill meat. On this occasion, I served them on a salad, but they can be prepared and presented in so many ways including in soups, stir-fries and tempura.
Have you had these beauties and if so, what’s your favorite way to enjoy them?
19 February 2013 
Mitsuwa Marketplace
February 19, 2013 By
Japanese Rice with Roe
Yesterday, I had a day off and as we’d promised each other for weeks now, fellow meat-product aficionado and New Jersey food photographer/blogger Danny of Eat with Dan and I went to lunch at one of his favorites, Mitsuwa Marketplace.
Situated on the west side of the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, Mitsuwa Marketplace is a shopping center straight out of Tokyo.
Mitsuwa Marketplace encompasses a vast selection of Japanese groceries, an extensive wine, beer and sake department and a delicious variety of Japanese foods at cafeteria-style Restaurant Row.
Ramen with Pork Belly
Danny and I first walked around the produce and meat/fish departments to my amazement. After we passed the 20-foot long grocery cooler with sashimi-grade fish and seafood, I remember telling Danny “This is Disney for foodies”. What an incredible array of top-quality grocery items.
Black Sesame Ice Cream
After our tour, Danny introduced me to his favorite food counters where we got lunch. We opted for the popular Santoka for a bowl of ramen noodles with sides of rice topped with salmon roe and a soy hard-boiled egg. The ramen bowl featured pork belly and hen-of-the-wood mushrooms. The ramen noodles were cooked perfectly, just a bit chewy, and the pork-laced broth was out-of-this-world. The side of rice looked innocent enough, but as I got a chopstickful, I realized how delicious the rice was and what a pleasant brininess the roe offered the slightly sticky rice. Stuff foodie dreams are made of.
Japanese Bakery
The noodles inspired me and I went back to the grocery store to buy all I’d need to fix ramen and udon at home. I even bought the biggest king trumpet mushrooms I’d ever seen.
Take Home Groceries
We ended our adventure with a Japanese pastry and a cup of black sesame ice cream, one of the best ice creams I’ve had.
I’m forever grateful to Danny for introducing me to Mitsuwa Marketplace and for sharing a special foodie journey.
595 River Road, Edgewater, NJ 07020
TEL: (201) 941-9113
Open 7 days/week
Grocery Store: 9:30AM – 9:00PM
Restaurants: 11:00AM – 8:00PM
FREE tickets to the New York Wine Expo
February 3, 2013 By
FREE tickets to the New York Wine Expo! I told you about the event coming up next month in yesterday’s post (http://bit.ly/YrISB3) but now I have a couple pairs of tickets to give away!
Respond to this post, comment on my Facebook page or send me a Tweet (@foodwinechickie) to say which wine you’d like to try at the event and you could win 1 of 2 pairs of tickets to the Friday Grand Tasting!
One pair given on 2/8 and one pair on 2/15! Must be a friend of mine on Facebook or Twitter or subscribe to my blog to qualify!
Good luck!
Veronique
Recent Comments