Review: Dishcrawl's Foie Battle - 'Duck Pork Foie'

Last week I attended Dishcrawl's "Duck Pork Foie" as part of their Bay Area "Foie Battle"; this one located at Myth Taverna & Lounge (and Greek restaurant) in Downtown San Jose.

For $90 (prices vary per event), hungry participants were treated to a five-course meal prepared by chef David Ramsey of Myth.

For those that enjoy foie gras* and are sad that they soon won't be able to order it in their favorite restaurants, this was quite the meal to enjoy and say farewell to the rich dish.

It has been awhile since I had foie gras, 2008 to be exact, while visiting friends living in Paris, France. What a place to have it, right? I remembered devouring it, along with the various yummy cheeses and other tasty treats our friends introduced us to.

That said... I was eager to taste these dishes! Keep in mind I am not a professional food critic; I like to think of myself as a general food enthusiast!

Course #1
Riesling Poached Foie & Cognac Tourchon with Mache, Brioche, & Marmalade Gastrique
(Paired with Chateau St. Michelle Riesling '10)


-- The marmalade made each bite really sweet with a little tart aftertaste. I'm not a huge fan of marmalade (usually because it's just too sweet); this dish was pretty much what we had in Paris so it brought back some fun memories. The pairing with the Riesling helped to mellow the sweetness of the marmalade.

Course #2
Crispy Fingerlings with Foie & Rosemary Cream Pudding and Fleur de Sel
(Paired with Elderflower & Rosemary Champagne Cocktail)


-- I wish the "pudding" had been a smidge thicker; the flavor, thanks to the rosemary, was pretty good. Kind of bummed the fingerlings were cold. I'm not sure if they were supposed to be or not. The cocktail paired with this course was interesting. I had to sip it slowly throughout the next course as well (I can't have carbonated drinks, but I can sip slowly.) It tasted fantastic however. And when you moved the sprig of rosemary around it'd cause more fizzies around the sprig.. I was amused OK?

Course #3
Pan Seared Foie & Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Bing Cherries, Frisee, & Pain au Lait
(Paired with Late Harvest Tokaji '09)


-- Favorite course! My mouth is watering just a little bit while I relive eating this dish. The mix of a little crispy bite of pork belly, bing cherries, and a bite of the pan seared foie, oh my. So delicious. More please!

Course #4
Duck 3 Ways: Leg Confit, Pan Seared Breast, & Foie Demi Glace with Potato Mousse & English Peas
(Paired with Echelon Pinot Noir '06)


-- This dish felt like homemade comfort food; you know with duck confit and foie gras - just how mom used to make! I have to admit, the presentation could have used a different flare to it - the squeezed-tube look of the potato mousse wasn't too appealing, but the taste was all that mattered (delicious!)

Course #5
"Ice Cream Cone" Blueberry Mousse with Brandied Foie Gras "Sprinkles"
(Paired with Heated Grand Marnier)


A tasty dessert - the "cone" was crispy and chewy (like a toffee) and the overall mix of flavors was great. The foie gras "sprinkles" were… eh? I tasted them by themselves before the rest of the dessert and couldn't taste anything. It didn't add to the dessert in my opinion.

Overall - TASTY DELICIOUS!

Want to join others before it's too late? Here's some upcoming Foie Battles:

(The list below has tickets available as of publishing of this blog post.)

Tues April 24th, 8:00pm: Proud to be An American… Foie Dinner (SF) // $110
Wed May 2nd, 6:30pm: Bataille de Chefs - Foie Gras (SF) // $180
Thurs May 10th, 7:00pm: For the Love of Foie (Saratoga) // $180
Mon May 14th, 7:00pm: Foie-some, Four-some (Downtown SJ) // $110
Thurs May 24th, 6:30pm: Filipino Foie-Down (San Mateo) // $180

(http://www.dishcrawl.com/foiebattle/ for more information and to buy tickets)

*For those that have other opinions about foie gras, please note that 5% of the proceeds will go to CHEFS, the Coalition for Humane and Ethical Farming.

ZipCar Finally Comes Downtown!

I've been waiting for this for quite some time. ZipCar is finally coming to Downtown San Jose. This gives Downtown San Jose residents an alternative to owning a car. For those that can get by with mostly public transit or biking, this is the perfect solution. Why deal with all the hassles of car ownership (car payments, insurance, registration, parking, gas, etc.) if you can walk down the street and rent a car whenever you need for $8/hr. It's a brilliant idea and has already been very successful in cities all across the US.

They are starting off with 12 cars in 6 Downtown areas, but I'm sure this will grow very quickly. Fore more information, check out the source link below or click here for the ZipCar website.


ZipCar Locations:

• East Santa Clara Street/North 4th Street (Chevron)
• South Market Street/West San Carlos Street
• South 2nd Street between East San Fernando Street and East San Carlos Street
• South 2nd Street between East Santa Clara Street and East San Fernando Street
• South 4th Street/Paseo de San Antonio (Colonnade garage)
• South 3rd Street between East San Carlos and East San Salvador

Source: SJBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: I Want VTA to use THESE Buses

Several months ago I caught a glimpse a bus on 101 that I could have sworn was a double-decker. I thought I was perhaps sleep deprived since I had never seen a two-story bus in Silicon Valley up until that point. The following week, I saw another one. The past couple weeks, I have seen 6 or 7 of them every day going home. I finally snapped a picture to prove I'm not crazy. Now that I've confirmed these exist in the Bay Area, how do we get VTA some of these? =)

Also, for those of you that work at Google, Facebook, or Apple... can anyone confirm which company is using the double-deckers?

TWO BUCK Tuesday Today!

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey

TWO BUCK Tuesday is April 17th, 7-10pm!
Join us at KALEID Gallery for this upcoming Two Buck Tuesday! Come enjoy an inspired evening of art demos, performances, live painting, $2 art & quirky people get together!

Here's this evenings line up:

In conjunction with her current featured exhibit Selcouth, Shannon Amidon will have a curiosity jar making station. For a small fee you can make and take home your very own little curiosity bottle using, feathers, minerals, bones, or other oddities.


The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles invites you to participate in Crazy Quilts a fun interactive crazy patchwork method of quilting!


Nathan will host Juxl Puzzle, A simple yet challenging strategy game you can play with just a piece of paper and a pencil. You start with 12 short lines that you connect with curves and ultimately build a protective maze around your character. Setup up fast! Start with conception, then build your ultimate Mind Maze by strategically navigating around every single line that you’ve already put down. The rules are simple but deceptively challenging!


The San Jose Yarnbombers will show you how to make a simple yarn flower with a loom. Supplies will be provided.


Michele Guieu invites you to experiment with negative/positive space. Join her to make a 8×5.5″ collage of your own! Colored paper, glue and scissors are provided.


David Mejia will paint your portrait on the spot for a small fee.


Live performance by the Lokahi Polynesian Dance Group
LOTS OF LIVE ART BY:
Nik Caesar
Leeonnista
Al Preciado (Live collaborative mural with anyone who wants to help! )
Kori Thompson
John Hageman
Michelle Waters
JoAnne Yada
Courtney Thiesen
Jean Davis
Live Ambient and Downtempo Electronic music by  Mark Camp


Tuesday, April 17th, 7-10pm
It's free and open to all ages!



88 South Fourth Street (@ San Fernando)
San Jose, CA
info@KALEIDGallery.com
408-947-1785
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, noon -7pm, free admission

SJMADE + SJeats @ San Pedro Square This Saturday!

This weekend is going to mark an epic milestone for San Pedro Square. Three events are going to be happening on the same day: SJMADE, SJ EATS, and the new Saturday Farmer's Market. The icing on the cake is two brand new eateries opening in the San Pedro Square Market, Treatbot Karaoke Ice Cream and Blush Raw Bar and Lounge. This brings the grand total number of places to eat in the market to 10.

For everyone waiting to see what retail Downtown could be like, this is it. SJMADE is bringing dozens of local vendors into two locations, the San Pedro Square Market and a pop up location on Santa Clara Street. If you want to support local entrepreneurs, designers, and craftsmen, this is going to be the event for you. The last few SJMADE events have been a tremendous success, yet I somehow think this is going to top them all.

SJ EATS (run by Moveable Feast's Ryan Sebastian) is bringing 6 food trucks to the event. These include the 1st place winner of the San Jose Taco Festival, KoJa Kitchen--I tried it, phenomenal--and the 2nd place winner, Soulnese. If you're wondering where Treatbot is on the list below, it now has a permanent "truck" inside of the Market.

I think after Saturday it will become very difficult to question the potential of the San Pedro Square Market. The inflection point was hit last week with the first Farmer's Market and this event is going to show thousands of people exactly where Downtown is headed. It's not even optimism anymore, it's a done deal... this place is officially awesome and it only gets better with events like this. Can't wait!

San Jose Made (SJMADE) is a vendor fair where local San Jose makers, labels, brands, small businesses, and artists showcase and sell current projects and goods.

For the Spring 2012 installation of SJMADE, we are hosted by San Pedro Square Market in Downtown San Jose. On April 21st, our SJMADE vendors are showcasing goods alongside various San Pedro Square Market merchants.

TWO San Pedro Square locations:
151 W. Santa Clara Street (previously Spiedo Ristorante)
87 N. San Pedro Street (San Pedro Square Market)
SEE OUR VENDOR LIST!

FARMERS MARKET (10a to 2p)
Introducing the NEW urban San Pedro Square Farmers Market on West St. John Street.

SJ EATS
San Jose's landmark food event, is back with surprises. Enjoy the day's festivities at the new San Pedro Square Market with eleven independent restaurants, a new urban Farmers Market and food trucks from Moveable Feast! Find SJEATS along W. St. John Street at San Pedro Square Market.

FOOD TRUCKS (5 pm to 8 pm)
Eat on Monday
KoJa Kitchen
Pollo Fritto
Project Cupcake
Soulnese
Tandoori Chicken USA
RESTAURANTS at San Pedro Square Market (11 am to late)
B2 Coffee
Blush Raw Bar & Lounge
Crepe-Paris
Little Chef Counter
On a Roll
Pizza Bocca Lupo
Robee's Falafel
San Pedro Square Market Bar
Treatbot
Veggie Box
Vino Vino

FREE ADMISSION • OPEN TO THE PUBLIC • RAIN OR SHINE

For more information about SJMADE, send us an email at: sanjosemade@gmail.com.

For more information about SJEATS, contact us at info@mvblfeast.com or visitwww.mvblfeast.com.

Troy Dean Sims at Ameriprise

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey

Please join us for an evening of Art and Wine. 


"The Flowering of Human Consciousness” by Troy Dean Sims

450,000 million years ago the first flower sprung fourth on earth. Hundreds of millions of years later man appeared. He discovered the beauty of these flowers, because he was drawn to them by there color and scent. At that time realizing that they had no other purpose to him than to be admired, his relationship with nature evolved into something he had not yet known! Hence the flowering of the plant and man’s innermost self became united.


Open house: Thursday, April 19th at 6 p.m.

Exhibition dates: April 6- June 22nd 2012

AMERIPRISE Financial
1 Almaden Blvd, Suite 800 / 8th floor
San Jose, CA 95113

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the #1 Best-Paying City for Women

The city with the highest salaries for women isn't New York, it isn't Chicago, and it's not even San Francisco. At an average wage of $67,052, San Jose has the highest salaries for female worker in the US (and I imagine the world). Another nice stat is that 43.7% of all the San Jose women in the workforce have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Here are the rankings for California cities on the list:

• 1.) San Jose - $67,052
• 2.) San Francisco - $65,526
• 8.) Oxnard - $54,800
• 16.) Sacramento - $50,794
• 17.) San Diego - $50,670
• 18.) Los Angeles - $50,593

Source: Forbes

Last Call for Veggielution's Avant Garden Event!

from Veggielution by julia

This unforgettable event is just around the corner, have you bought your tickets?

April 13th, 2012 7pm – 10pm

$10 + 1  free food ticket online, $12 at the door

The evening will unfold at The Armory

240 N 2nd St

San Jose, CA 95112

a·vant-garde

1. a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo
2. innovative and ahead of the majority
3. a group of people who invent or promote new techniques or concepts

Ignite your senses for a night of visualizing food and feasting upon art…

Devour a variety of farm fresh treats prepared by talented local chefs, and enjoy a silent art auction featuring farm-inspired art produced by visionary local artists. Avant Garden harnesses San Jose’s creative talent to support Veggielution’s growing Community Farm. We are pushing the boundaries of food justice by redefining our relationship with our land, our food, and each other.
Come experience a new way to think about food in our community, through the taste of our Spring harvest, and captivating visual artistry!
Kids ages 12 and under get in free! If you buy your ticket online we will add 1 free Food Ticket to get you started. Additional Food Tickets can be purchased for $3 each at the event. Event Tickets also available for $12 at the door.