EdFest!

My good friends over at Crazy Mountain Brewery entrusted me to pour beer to a thousand guests at EdFest '11.  Which just so happens to be the very first EdFest of all time.  Overall, I'd say it was a great success!  Some exceptional beers to note:

Left Hand Brewing Co's Good Juju, a ginger beer.  As in beer made with ginger.  Super refreshing!

Maui Brewing Co's Coconut Porter.  Tasted like a liquid Almond Joy.  Yay tastebuds!

Crazy Mountain Brewery's Tate's Berry Ale.  A raspberry beer made with real raspberries and not an extract!  Had a hint of berry on the finish, very crisp and not overpowering.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter.  A standard among craft breweries, and delicious to boot.

Del Norte's Orale Lager.  Perfectly crisp, and perfect for a sunny Colorado afternoon.

Highland Park Scotch Whiskey.  Confused?  Highland Ranch ages beer in their whiskey barrels, resulting in a delicious (higher ABV) earthy and full bodied beer.  So wonderful!  

Until next year!  And for your viewing pleasure, Townsend modeling as "Ed."

Check out those JORTS!

Farm to Brewery

Crazy Mountain Brewery and dish! Restaurant teamed up for a Beer Tasting event held at the brewery.  The whole premise was to showcase local foods grown and raised in Eagle County, Colorado. It just so happens they're two of my favorite establishments here in the Vail Valley--we bought our tickets the day they became available (we also got a free pint with each ticket purchase, yay!).  The event was a 3 hour, all you can eat, all you can drink, grand fiesta.  Needless to say, my diet leading up to 3:00 consisted of fruit and water.  Needed to save room for the deliciousness!

My first tasting was the Cara de Luna Black Ale and the chilled chicken mole on a crostini.  The ale is a fantastic dark ale--there's chocolaty hints in the background, but the beer (despite its color) is not too heavy and has amazing drinkability.  The chicken mole paired perfectly with it--the spice was balanced, and the chile and chocolate flavors shined without being overpowering.  Jenna (the owner/executive chef of dish!) later told me she used the Luna in the recipe.  No wonder they were perfect together!  The chicken was tender and moist, and the crostini gave a great texture balance.

My second tasting was the Mountain Livin Pale Ale and the caramelized walking onion spread on flatbread.  The hoppy undertones of the beer paired with the onion spread symbiotically--the spread consisted of caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and boursin cheese--with the hops bringing out the tangy notes of the cheese and the onions complementing the sweet hops in the pale ale.  The dish is seemingly simple, but the flavors were wonderful together.

The next tasting holds a special place in my heart.  I already love CMB's Scenic Route Kolsch--it just sings summertime.  It's light, yet extremely flavorful, with some citrus notes to it.  I also, being a girl from the South, love deviled eggs.  Jenna's deviled eggs are smooth and rich, with its kick coming from mustard seed and cayenne powder, as well as the standard and delicious paprika.  It was topped with radishes, giving the bite sized delicacy some fantastic crunch factor.  Again, the pairing was spot on and I may or may not have gone back to the table about 5 times.  Just sayin...

The next tasting would've made Elvis one happy camper--Old Soul Strong Belgian Ale and Peanut Butter Caramelized Banana and slab bacon sandwiches.  The Old Soul is a great Belgian ale, very crisp, with an equal balance between wheat, hops, malt, and yeast.  It almost has a fruity character to it on the finish, which makes it a great pair for the caramelized bananas.  This sandwich was amazing--nothing like the boring school lunchbox staple.   Except the crust was cut off.  A true sign Jenna cooks with love!  Just like mom used to do!  The bread was slightly toasted, just enough to stand up to the peanut butter and bananas.  The bananas were sweet, but not ridiculously so.  The saltiness of the crispy bacon balanced the sweetness of the bananas and gave the sandwich a perfect crunch.  

Crazy Mountain's namesake Amber Ale is hoppy, but not in the least bit bitter.  It's a strong beer with strong (yet not overwhelming) flavors.  It's American style, and nothing says "America!" like a nice, medium rare steak!  The flank steak was topped with a light salsa verde, which added color, spiciness, and played well with the floral notes of the hops in the ale.  Beer + Steak = Yay!

(On a side note, I have no idea why we're all wearing green...)

The next pairing was the Est Rousse and a watermelon salad.  The Rousse had some fruity undertones, yet it's still a very hearty beer.  The watermelon salad, in contrast, was very light and made with spearmint, salt, watermelon, and paneer cheese made from local dairy.

Although not technically on the pairing menu, Jenna served her amazing truffle popcorn, placing little bowls of joy all around the brewery.  This puts movie theater popcorn into eternal hiding of shame--it's just salty enough, with just enough truffles, with just enough amazingness.

My final pairing was the Lava Lake Wit and the gingerbread cake.  The Wit beer is brewed with chamomile, orange peel, coriander, and grains of paradise, giving the beer a spicier flavor and citrus undertones.  It's a filtered wheat beer, and it's flavorful yet not overwhelming.  The gingerbread cake was phenomenal--gingerbread is something I associate with wintertime, but there was nothing winter-ish about this cake--the gingerbread was light and not dense in the least bit, very moist, and didn't feel like a pit in your stomach.  The frosting is a coriander (works perfectly with the beer!) buttercream with rhubarb pearls on top to cut the sweetness.  Such an amazing cake--if Jenna made it daily I'd order it for my birthday cake!  Who knew such crazy flavors would meld together so perfectly?

And so we have the Farm to Brewery Beer Tasting.  The beer was cold and delicious, the food spectacular, and the people awesome.  It's definitely worth the $35 for the ticket, and then some!

EdFest and the CMB Mac-N-Cheese Off

So my local brewery, Crazy Mountain Brewing Company, is hosting a beer festival literally in their back yard.  It's called EdFest and is going to be on August 13th.  So excited to be volunteering with them!

Also, I will be their food critic judge for their September 11th Mac N Cheese CookOff.  It's going to be open to the public, with a winner picked by the judges (EDS + others to be announced) and a People's Choice Award.  Yay!

As you can tell, I'm so happy to be a part of these two great events!  I'll be updating the Farm to Brewery Tasting soon, so look forward to the entry!

That's all for now.  :o)

Swiss Hot Dog

Swiss Hot Dog
Avon, Colorado

In 1966, Ernst Larese immigrated to America and opened a restaurant with his wife in Vail, Colorado.  This restaurant has evolved into Swiss Hot Dog, based on a recipe Ernst and Barbara created.  There's only two things on the menu--his Swiss hot dog and a housemade chicken noodle soup with over 20 fresh veggies and herbs.  

Two things.  That's it.  And you'd bet your butt they're absolutely incredible.  It's safe to say Ernst has developed a cult following with locals and tourists alike whom have followed him and his hot dogs from Vail to their location in Avon.  People have been eating these hot dogs for generations, and your taste buds can tell you why they're still around all these years later, despite lack of advertising.  

The hot dog comes on a baguette which Ernst lightly toasts, then schmears with some onion.  Then it's covered with a curry based spice and mustard, then topped with sprouts.  It's savory, slightly spicy and extremely fresh!  The hot dog itself is made of a pork/veal combo with some herbs in it as well.  I've never tasted anything quite like it, and probably never will!  

"The Mother of All Soups" is a chicken noodle soup made with 20 fresh chopped veggies and 7 fresh chopped herbs, then topped with mint, cilantro, and lime.  Ernst makes a new batch every morning, and although the veggies simmer all day, they stay al dente for a nice, crunchy contrast to the noodles and chicken.  Although people have tried, its a recipe impossible to replicate.

Swiss Hot Dog is an example of the American Dream--the restaurant has been offered to be bought out, but Ernst and Barbara have kept it in the family instead to preserve their American Dream.  This summer, they'll be at farmers markets, festivals, and the Vail Market as well as in their brick and mortar location (Ernst will be there 7 days a week), so you can get your SHD fix our and about!  I'm excited!

Le Tub

Le Tub
Hollywood, Florida

Along Ocean Drive (A1A), tucked behind mangroves and blending in with its surroundings, people drive past Le Tub every day and don't realize what they're missing.  The decor  and atmosphere is awesome--the owner of the restaurant hand built the place with flotsam, jetsam, and other local woods.  He hand picked out all the quirky memorabilia all over the walls and hanging from the ceiling.  It's multi-level and all the seating is outdoor, right on the Intercoastal.  We sat at the bar with a nice view of the water.  Prime real estate for rum runners!

Our waitress was phenomenal.  She gave us pointers on what she loved on the menu (which was small--people mainly go there for the burgers) and had our first drinks ready by the time we were ready to order.  And order we did!  Crab legs, seafood salad, burgers, and fries.  She warned us there was about an hour + wait time for the burgers, but we went there specifically for them and didn't care how long it took to get them.  Plus, we had rum runners.

Even thought our burgers were going to take a while, our other food came out super fast.  My sister Jess and her boyfriend Coe got crab legs which were the length of my femur and Chris and I shared the seafood salad.  Both were incredible!  The crab was succulent and buttery, not overly fishy nor chewy.  And then the seafood salad.  Oh lord that was good.  It was like a Seafood Succotash!  Fish, crab, huge shrimps, and so many other things I can't even list them all!  They were bound together with an extremely fresh tasting herbed house dressing.  Our waitress told us to put a little on a cracker, then pour some green (green, not red!) Tabasco on top.  It totally perfected it!  I haven't been able to order seafood salad since because I don't want to ruin the experience with some other mediocre substitution!

A few round of drinks later, it was time for the Climax of our meal.  The whole reason we even went to Le Tub to begin with--the 13 oz sirloinburger.  This very burger, the one we waited over an hour for, has  been applauded not only by GQ as the Best Burger in America, but by Dame Oprah Winfrey herself.  Needless to say, we were pretty stoked.  Le Tub didn't disappoint.  For $11.50 (with cheese included), this thing was massive, juicy, tender, and mind blowing!  Chris and I couldv'e easily shared (especially since we destroyed that seafood salad), but my sister didn't warn us we'd be getting a cow between two halves of a bun.  Yes, there were leftovers (which were amazing the next day, too).  I'd sit 3 hours for that burger!  

The fries were thick cut, crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside.  Absolute perfection.  *Note*--they fry their foods in peanut oil, so if you're allergic please skip the fries.  Don't let EDS make anyone go into anaphylactic shock.  But if you're not allergic, please try and pace yourselves so you don't explode!

By the end of our meal, we were full of yummy goodness, pina coladas, and rum runners.  We didn't even have room for dessert which is especially crazy because they have house made Key Lime Pie--my favorite!  The pace turned out to be perfect--we didn't feel rushed and got to digest a little in between courses.  Our waitress was helpful and hilarious, the view was spectacular, and the ambiance that of Old Florida.  It suited the food perfectly.  

And I'll tell you what:  I'll never drive past Le Tub again without stopping for at least a cool rum runner on a hot Florida afternoon.

Mona Lisa Fondue

Mona Lisa Fondue
Manitou Springs, Colorado

Manitou Springs is a cool little town outside of Colorado Springs--all around the town there are these statues with spring water and it's free!  All the different springs taste different too.  That in itself is super cool, but after an afternoon of Spring Testing and playing in the huge nickel arcade, and appetite can be worked up!  Thank goodness for Mona Lisa!

We decided for our date night to go all out and go to the Mona Lisa.  The building itself is awesome--an old home (most likely) which has been converted to a restaurant.  It's huge, but it's separated into littler rooms giving it a cozy feel.  It just oozes romance!  

We decided on the Dinner for Two, which included a salad course, cheese course, meat course, and CHOCOLATE!  First, I had the house salad with mango vinaigrette.  Delicious, and aptly sized considering what's coming up next...

There were 3 main cheese fondues to choose from (and about 4 specialty ones), but we kept it traditional with the Old World Cheese Fondue consisting of Emmental and Gruyere cheeses and a white wine base.  It was delicious, and was especially scrumptious with the rye bread and the apples.  At the Mona Lisa, if there's something you'd like more of...they bring it to you!  No more lamenting about running out of the "good" dippers.  Our cheese course was paired with a pinot grigio.  

After our cheese came the meat course, complete with the cute little grill.  Since we live in Colorado, we ordered the Wild Game entree because, well, why the hell not?  It came with Colorado Rainbow Trout, Buffalo, Duck Breast, Elk, and Wild Boar sausage.  There was also a little plate of veggies (roasted potatoes, onions, peppers, cheese, bread, and a pickle) that could be grilled as well.  Plus a tray of 6 dipping sauces.  My favorite was the chutney, and although I loved them all I can't for the life of me remember which is which.  The meat was tender and we were given instructions on how not to overcook them.  Our meat course was paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon.  

Our final and most anticipated course was the Chocolate course.  We ordered the Milk Chocolate and added a shot of DiSaronno.  It was amazing and paired very well with the fruit.  The mandarins were especially wonderful with the amaretto.  Each little piece of dessert was delicious on its own, and then blasted to a whole other level when dipped in the chocolate fondue.  And much to my liking, our dessert was paired with Taylor Fladgate 10 Port, which is my favorite port (save for the 20).

The Mona Lisa is, hands down, my favorite fondue place.  It's quaint, charming, and most importantly, ABSOLUTELY YUM.  With good food, good atmosphere, and good service, there's really no way to go wrong!  Manitou Springs is off the beaten path, but well worth the drive from Colorado Springs.  You may need to be rolled out to the car afterwards...it's a lot of food, but totally worth the extra time at pilates.  And, of course, there's the kiss game.  I may or may not have "accidentally" dropped a piece of fruit in the fondue to steal a kiss from my hot date!

Saddle Ridge

Saddle Ridge
Beaver Creek, Colorado

Walking into Saddle Ridge feels like you're walking out of upscale Beaver Creek and into the 1800's.  The decor is antique, and the atmosphere is...well, it's just really really awesome.  My sister, friends, and I got to go there for an employee awards dinner thingy, and I was super excited--I have been to many of Beaver Creek's fine dining restaurants, but Saddle Ridge kept eluding me!  Finally!  An excuse!  

Our dinner was pre-fixe due to the nature of the event, but still extremely delicious.  For cocktail hour, the waiters wandered amongst the guest with plates of Smoked Duck Wrapped in Bibb (with this amazing drizzle of a sauce on top), Scallops, Buffalo Carpaccio, and little grilled cheese sandwiches topped with homemade pesto.  Absolutely delicious, and the perfect size for appetizers.  The flavors were intense!  The food was upscale, but definitely not stuffy.  Plus, the grilled cheeses...holy crap.  So delish!

For our first course, we had a mixed green salad, but it was anything but boring!  The nicest surprise was the dressing--instead of being a heavy blue cheese, creamy flavor destroyer it was more of a blue cheese vinaigrette, perfectly complementing the delicate and varied flavors of the salad.  The pickled cucumber was a nice layer to add to the palate, and the toasted sesame seeds added a nutty crunch.

The second course was a surf and turf:  Beef Tenderloin with Jumbo Shrimp.  On the side were these amazingly creamy mashed potatoes with roasted veggies.  I guess whomever planned this menu knew the way to my heart!  Steak and potatoes all the way!  The steak was cooked to a wonderful medium rare and was very tasty--not dry whatsoever.  My only complaint was I couldn't order seconds!

Our finale for the evening was the Chocolate Cheesecake and Raspberry Cannoli.  Even though the cheesecake was dark chocolate, it wasn't overwhelmingly bitter nor too heavy--the consistency of the cake was creamy and slightly fluffy in texture.  Very nice.  The raspberry cream in the cannoli paired perfectly!  The crunch of the shell added a fantastic crunch factor to the otherwise creamy dessert.  Again, wish I could get two!

I hope one day soon I can head up to Saddle Ridge and enjoy more of what their talented chefs have to offer.  Saddle Ridge is a bit out of my day-to-day budget, so I'll just have to find myself a sugar daddy!  Or maybe just persuade the boyfriend to take me there for an anniversary I can make up--men aren't good with dates anyway, might as well use it to my advantage!

Wildflower Cafe

Wildflower Cafe
Clearwater, Florida

Hidden in Clearwater, away from the beaches and downtown, there’s a cute little cafe tucked under some oak trees.  When you first enter Wildflower Cafe, it’s impossible not to say “Holy crap, this place is adorable!”  I had to promise my boyfriend he wouldn’t lose any Man Points for eating there (and bribed him with steak and beer for lunch).

And then the smells hit you—fresh baked pastries, quiche, soups, bacon.  It’s a smorgasbord for your sinuses!

Wildflower Cafe does breakfast, lunch, Sunday brunch, dinner catering, and teatime.  Yes, teatime.  Again, adorable.  But don’t let the cuteness get in your way.  Wildflower Cafe has some of the best breakfasts in the south, and lunch is amazing!

I don’t have any photos of breakfast, but trust me, they’d make you salivate.  I normally get a Wildflower Triple, which satisfies my sweet/salty inner dilemma.  It comes with creamy scrambled eggs, bacon (or fruit if you’d prefer/are kosher), and two small homemade Belgian waffles.  Also delicious are the breakfast burritos (with a tropical fruit salsa) and the quiche of the day.

For lunch, you can’t beat the Island Breeze Turkey Sandwich.  The mango chutney is sweet and chunky, with the golden raisins playing off the chutney to emphasize the sweetness.  But it’s not overpoweringly sweet—the turkey and provolone balance it out wonderfully, and the pecans and carrots give it an extra crunch.  The quiches are also available at lunch, as well as the soups (which change daily).  The food at Wildflower is light, yet filling.  You won’t leave hungry, yet you won’t feel like you need to be rolled out of there either.

Perhaps the best part of Wildflower Cafe is their sweet tea.  Being a lady from the south, I’m thoroughly addicted to the stuff.  Their raspberry sweet tea is amazing.  The tea itself is strong, which is important because otherwise it’ll taste like sugar water.  The raspberry syrup doesn’t taste or have the consistency of  cough syrup, and is made by another Clearwater company.  And they serve it with a sprig of fresh mint, which gives the drink a brightness often missed in sweet tea.  Like I said, I’m thoroughly addicted.  I even get one to go when I’m there.

Good food, great drinks.  Can’t beat that.