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Charleston's Pavilion
Bar and Café Ranked as One of America’s Best Bars
The Pavilion Bar and Café, located on top of the Market Pavilion Hotel on the corner of Market and East Bay Street was recently ranked by Oxford Publishing Inc., publisher of national trade magazine Nightclub & Bar, as on of their Editors' Choice Top 100 bars and clubs in the United States. The Pavilion has always been known for their great food and amazing view of Charleston harbor, and now they have been ranked along with some of the most famous bars and clubs in America. Congratulations to everyone at the Pavilion Bar and Café! To read more about the selection process, and to check out the entire list of Editors’ Picks just click here
Organic Vineyards Catching On
Tides are certainly turning as more vintners are switching to both organic and biodynamic growing methods. Of those who have decided to dabble in new wine-making techniques, many say that the change has resulted in not only "healthier" vines, but in wines with greater flavor, more distinct terroir character and at times a noticeable cost-savings on their bottom line. Organic vineyards are not necessarily more "tidy" in the conventional sense with "spreadsheet" rows of vines. However, they can be unconventionally beautiful - a stunning display of nature's innate system of checks and balance, cover crops, bugs, bees, birds, bats and the like checking in on vine-destroying insects and weeds - helping to balance their formidable populations to give rise to a vine that can thrive. To find out more about organic wine-making, as well as some suggested bottles of organic wine, just click here
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Mt. Pleasant,
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McDonalds is Bringing Sexy Back
Apparently sex really does sell, even in China. McDonald’s Corporation is doing its fair share to appeal to the Chinese with a new campaign that introduces the Quarter Pounder to the Asian market. With their TV and print ads, McDonald’s is hoping that the Chinese consumers will buy into the idea that eating beef really is sexy. It’s a campaign equal to everything Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s have done when it comes to sexing up advertising, like with the Paris Hilton eating a Thickburger TV spot (pictured on the left). To read the rest of this article, just click here
Kampachi Catches On
Kampachi, related to yellowtail hamachi, is gaining popularity with American chefs looking for a flavorful, high-quality sashimi-grade fish that also can be cooked. Some chefs tout kampachi's health benefits, whilst others are drawn to the sustainability one eco-friendly kampachi provider offers. Above all, it's safe to say it is the taste of the fish that is hooking chefs and diners all around the country. For more about this delicious fish, and for recipe ideas, just click here
Molecular Mixology
The term is relatively new, but the concept of transforming drinks from liquids into other forms is old hat. For example, in his 1862 book, "How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant's Companion," author Jerry Thomas waxed poetic about a potent concoction called Punch Jelly, a drink made with cognac and rum that he gelatinized with a little isinglass. If Thomas were around today, however, he'd surely be enamored of the drinks at Below Zero Nitro-Bar in Miami Beach, Fla., where proprietor Barton G. Weiss has taken non-liquid beverages a step further. To read more, just click here
Pavilion Bar and Cafe Continued:
Oxford Publishing Inc., based in Oxford, Miss., publishes national trade publication Nightclub & Bar magazine and produces the nation's largest beverage and food industry trade show, the Nightclub & Bar Beverage and Food Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas each year.
Nightclubs and bars from all over the United States were chosen based on a number of criteria, including annual revenues, marketing and advertising effectiveness, promotional expertise, uniqueness to market, food and beverage programs and much more. The Editors made a special effort to point out that this list is not a ranking of just the most high-end, of-the-moment nightclubs; instead, it is a dynamic mixture of clubs, neighborhood bars, sports bars, family-oriented venues and more that for one reason or another deserve notice.
To see the rest of this year's winners, just click here.
To go to to the Pavilion Bar and Cafe webpage, just click here.
Organic Wine Continued:
At its most basic level, organic wine is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Winemaking techniques should be organic as well; little or no manipulation of wines by reverse osmosis, excessive filtration, or flavor additives (such as oak chips). Many organic winemakers also prefer wild yeasts for fermentation. When a label says “organic,” it means the wine has met certain standards that are set by a government agency. Different nations have their own certification criteria, so what’s organic in one country may not be so in another.
Many wineries that are technically organic still choose not to be certified. There are many reasons for this. Some do not want the added costs and bureaucracy of registering. Others may disagree with their government’s standards. It can also be a marketing decision. Whatever the case, they are not allowed to use “organic” on their labels.
The use of added sulfites is debated heavily within the organic winemaking community. Many vintners favor their use, in extremely small quantities, to help stabilize wines, while others frown on them completely. In the United States, wines labeled “organic” cannot contain added sulfites. Wines that have added sulfites, but are otherwise organic, are labeled “wine made from organic grapes.”
Recommended Organic Wines:
Bonterra Vineyards (California)
Frog's Leap (California)
Summerhill Pyramid Winery (Canada)
Robinvale Organic Wines (Australia)
Richmond Plains (New Zealand)
Nuova Cappelletta (Italy)
Sexy McDonald's Continued:
From QSR Newsletter
By Gregg Cebrzynski
The Quarter Pounder TV spot, created by Leo Burnett Shanghai, is as suggestive as it gets. There’s a lot of finger sucking, lip licking, lascivious glances, slow-motion eating — at one point a guy appears to stick a Quarter Pounder into a woman’s mouth — and it contains what some are saying is a moment of simulated orgasm. The commercial even contains statements like, “You can feel it. Thicker…Taste it…Juicier” over various shots. According to The Wall Street Journal Online, even the print ads are sexually suggestive, with one of them encouraging a man to eat a Quarter Pounder in order to gain the strength to date five different women the next day. The title on the ad says the man should eat enough beef tonight in order to “handle five princesses tomorrow.”
But will the Chinese see eating beef as a sexual stimulant? Based on McDonald’s record abroad so far, maybe so. Two years ago, the chain used a female Ronald McDonald in a TV campaign in Japan, and she was instantly dubbed the “McHottie.” She had long red hair and a sexy outfit with the same colors of Ronald’s get-up, red spike-heeled boots and a come- hither look that is way beyond anything in Ronald’s repertoire.
It seems, then, that McDonald’s is no stranger when it comes to sexy advertising — except when it comes to advertising in the United States. McDonald’s is one of the strongest global brands ever, and that strength gives it flexibility to shape its brand image to suit prevailing attitudes in specific countries. What passes for acceptable advertising in China and Japan would be ruinous to the brand in the United States if McDonald’s got sexy in domestic advertising.
Imagine how U.S. consumers would view McDonald’s if it ran finger-sucking, lip-licking TV commercials, especially in light of its positioning — particularly within the past three or four years — as a family-values chain that encourages healthful eating and exercise and loves it customers so much that it puts their faces on packaging.
McDonald’s has not evolved into a hip, edgy brand as Burger King has done, which allows Burger King to run risqué ads here. In a way, McDonald’s is like the U.S. actors who do alcohol ads in foreign countries but wouldn’t do them here because of the repercussions to their images. Some people probably think that’s hypocritical, but it’s really just another reaction to prevailing attitudes.
It’s not that American consumers don’t like to watch sexy ads, they just want the sex confined to advertisers they expect to give them something naughty. Victoria’s Secret? No problem. Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.? Bring it on. However, Checkers Drive-In Restaurants and sibling chain Rally’s Hamburgers used an animated sexpot in a TV campaign a few years ago, and that effort failed miserably.
So sex sells, but it doesn’t sell all the time. It sells at the right time, in the right market and when it targets an appropriate demographic. American consumers don’t view beef as a sexual stimulant, and, until they do, don’t expect to see much finger sucking and lip licking in domestic McDonald’s commercials. Back to top
Kampachi Article Continued:
From NRN Newsletter, January 2007
Every once in a while, a fish from the Pacific Ocean swims its way on to David Cohen's Mediterranean-inspired menu at Scala's Bistro in San Francisco. Lately, that fish has been kampachi. "I really like its flavor, its fattiness. It's a beautiful fish," says Cohen, who has prepared it as sashimi seasoned lightly with lemon zest, black sea salt and olive oil and also has served it roasted with a chicory salad, blood oranges and fried leeks.
"A lot of regulars know we have it and will come in and ask for it or call ahead to make sure we save some for them," says Dante DeMagistris, executive chef of his namesake restaurant, dante, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston in Cambridge, Mass. DeMagistris rarely puts kampachi on the menu and instead offers it as a limited special when a shipment arrives on Thursdays. He'll often sell out over the weekend. DeMagistris likes to use the collar of the fish, pan-roasting it in grapeseed oil and glazing it with balsamic-ginger soy sauce and plating it with fermented black beans. “When you roast it, it becomes very tender," he says. "It breaks off and becomes very flaky. If you pan-sear it, it gets really crispy and creamy."
He skins and fillets the rest of the meat to serve as sashimi, although sometimes he will flash-sear it. Lately he has been serving the kampachi coated in an aïoli made with spicy olives. DeMagistris grills a thin slice of brique dough and layers it with the fish. "I do a lot with raw kampachi," he says. "It's definitely popular among our appetizers."
Randy Zweiban, executive chef and a partner in Nacional 27 in Chicago, also runs specials on kampachi at the modern Latin restaurant. "Whether you poach it in olive oil or serve it medium rare, it has a really wonderful fatty quality," Zweiban says. "I do a lot of ceviches on my menu, and kampachi does well with raw or slightly cooked presentations." He also does a tiradito, a sort of South American version of sashimi, with preserved lemon, black olive and sea salt.
"But what I really love is it's sustainable," Zweiban says. "To be able to sell something beautiful, pristine and sustainable, that makes a hell of a lot of sense." Zweiban's supplier has been buying fish from a sustainable fish farm off the coasts of Hawaii that offered its first harvest about 18 months ago. The fish are raised in large cages submerged in the open ocean in depths of more than 200 feet amid strong currents. With a 30-percent fat content, kampachi is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, according to the Hawaiian supplier, Kona Blue. The fat gives the fish a buttery taste, chefs note, and most agree that the mild, almost sweet flavor comes through best when kampachi is treated lightly.
For that reason, Graham Bartlett, chef de cuisine of Zengo DC in Washington, prefers to serve kampachi raw. "It's almost like hamachi, but better," Bartlett says. "The untrained eye may not be able to tell the difference from a distance. But when you cut it, while the hamachi flesh is whiter, the kampachi flesh is more translucent. You can almost see through it."
Zengo features Latin-Asian cuisine inspired by Chef Richard Sandoval. Kampachi is on the menu at Zengo in Washington as well as at the concept's Denver location. To contrast the kampachi's fattiness, Bartlett often uses citrus for the tartare dish. He also has prepared the tartare with cucumber, papaya, mint and avocado. "A good way to balance the fattiness is to use some acid, and then use some sweet," Bartlett says.
Frank Randazzo, co-chef and co-owner with his wife Andrea Curto-Randazzo of Talula in Miami Beach, Fla., also prefers to keep the kampachi raw. He introduced the fish to customers in a ceviche. "It's easily overcooked," Randazzo says. "It can get dried out or cooked to a point where it does not present well or eat as well." Talula's kampachi ceviche is seasoned with a lime-soy sauce, ginger, sliced chiles and avocados and is served with Asian greens and crispy malanga.
Most chefs say there has been no learning curve for customers. Even in a "meat and potatoes" town like Chicago, seafood accounts for 45 percent to 55 percent of sales at Nacional 27, Zweiban says. He has several ceviche dishes on the menu, include some prepared with the kampachi.
Sushi, sashimi and ceviche have become familiar items for today's diners, Randazzo says. "People will eat raw fish," he says. "Just about everyone is doing it. What I like is that kampachi brings a new angle to the menu, instead of a raw tuna or whatever else. The feedback has been great from our guests. We love it." Back to top
Molecular Mixology Continued
From NRN Beverage Trends Newsletter
The high-tech bar, located at Barton G. The Restaurant, uses liquid nitrogen to freeze liquor. When other ingredients are added to the solid spirits, the alcohol starts to dissolve, creating a fog that rises from the glass, something that was previously achieved only by the addition of dry ice to cocktails.
Weiss, who also is the founder and president of Barton G., an events management company, says Below Zero Nitro-Bar is all about using a natural chemical to manipulate texture and temperature as a means of enhancing flavor and presentation. Weiss says the goal is to give guests a new experience, "one that is exciting visually and may spark an intellectual connection. Although it may be more accurate that the drinks are more likely to spark intellectual curiosity as in, 'How did they do that?' "
Weiss has been producing extravagant spectacles since the mid-1990s, so the installation of the flashy Below Zero Nitro-Bar is no surprise. For example, when Barton G. The Restaurant debuted some four years ago, it opened in high style. Singer Gloria Gaynor, perhaps best known for her 1979 hit, "I Will Survive," and Evelyn "Champagne" King, another legendary disco diva, were on hand to kick off the celebrations. They were joined by a troupe of topless showgirls who flew in from The Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris. Of course there were a couple of giraffes there, too, just for good measure.
At Below Zero Nitro-Bar, bartenders can create a show of their own. "This technology provides them with a tool that enables them to treat drink ingredients in the same envelope-pushing ways our chefs do for their culinary creations," Weiss says. He refers to the restaurant's eye-catching dishes such as popcorn shrimp served in a movie-theater popcorn container, complete with real popcorn dressed with a honey vinaigrette, a purple haze of cotton candy on a stick and some chocolate covered pretzels. Dishes are often ordered by diners who see them being served to other guests — and the smoking cocktails are receiving a similar response.
Cocktails currently available at Miami's Below Zero Nitro Bar include the Classic Nitro-tini, vodka with a "nitrogenized" vermouth swizzle stick; Cassidy's Apple Nitro-rita, a "nitrogenized" blend of tequila, orange-flavored liqueur, sour mix and apple juice; and the Pink Elephant Nitro-tini, ruby red vodka pop with ruby red grapefruit juice and fresh grapefruit segments. Back to top
