A Great Shiraz!

Hello Foodies,

We wanted to share with you a super Shiraz that we drank - thanks to our dear friend, Rene, who gave it to us. It's part of the designing fork's birthday booty. We'll report on the rest as well. Rene's wine choices are usually perfection.

Here it is:

Kangarilla Rd Estate Shiraz, 2004 from McClarenvale, South Australia

Be prepared for crimson with red hues, ripe, dark berry fruits with plum and hints of dark cherry integrated with nuances of oak and spice. Full, long flavored with red and dark complex fruits finishing with soft tannins.

Enjoy,

the Forks

And Tintol Too!

Hello Foodies,

Last night, we had Portugese Tapas at a Restaurant called Tintol. We went after the theater and Tintol was a wonderful discovery for us. I can't wait to go back with or without the theater.

It's a smart-looking restaurant, the tapas are delicious and reasonably priced. We liked the wine list too!

Here is what we ate and drank...

Balos de Bacalhau (Cod fish fritters) $6

Chorizo $8
(they flame it like flambe at your table)

Almondegas (lamb meat balls) $5.50

Marques de Tomares "Rioja" - $36

Chocolate Salami $6

Other tapas that we ate happily were lamb loin with cumin - $11, Papas Bravas - $5, Pequillo Peppers with garlic - $8 and for another sweet, we enjoyed a Nata - a warm custard tart - $2/tart.

These are the vitals for Tintol: 155 West 46th St., 212-354-3838, http://www.tintol.net.

We hope you get there and when you do....

Enjoy,

the Forks

The Forks Go To Brooklyn!

Hello Foodies,

The Forks went to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on Sunday with dear friends, Karin Lundell and Frances Cassidy, and ventured to our favorite "Cassata Siciliana" destination...Villabate Pasticceria & Bakery. Here's the link to their website...Villabate. It's the next best thing to being in Sicily! Cookies, pastries, cakes...many delicious choices at Villabate. Check website for address.

We bought small cassata pastries, pignoli cookies, semolina bread - btw - their bread is great too, bread crumbs, and cannoli. You can also get rice balls but we were too late for those.

Afterwards, we went to Il Colosseo Restaurant & Pizzeria for an early dinner. It was a recommendation from Villabate. This place was terrific with pizzas under $10 - enough for two to share. We enjoyed the pizza with a tricolore salad perfectly dressed in a balsamic dressing. We watched waiters carry out generous serves of pastas, salads, and entrees. Everything looked delicious and amazingly priced. I'm still regretting not having ordered the pasta special - pasta with a sausage (not in casing) sauce topped with ricotta. There was even a pasta sauce named after Frank Sinatra. What could be bad, I ask you?

The vitals on Il Colosseo Restaurant & Pizzeria: 7704 18th Ave, Brooklyn (Bensonhurst), NY 11214, 718-234-3663.

Foodies, it's worth the schlep out to Brooklyn for both Villabate and Il Colosseo!

Mangia Bene,

the Forks

Did you Cassoulet today?

Hello Foodies,

I read in The New York Times an article by Florence Fabricant featuring several items. Actually, it's her column called "Food Stuff" and here's the link...http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/17/dining/17tea.html?ref=dining

The item that jumped out at me was about Cassoulet! I love Cassoulet and this is the perfect weather for it. The global warming we've been experiencing lately hasn't produced much cold weather - the kind that's perfect for a hearty meal of Cassoulet.

These are the restaurants that were recommended in the article that serve Cassoulet:

Savoy, 70 Prince Street (Crosby Street), where black iron crocks of cassoulet, made with the proper tarbais beans and a crust of crumbs, are tucked into the fireplaces. A generous portion made with duck confit, sausage, lamb and pork belly is $32 through Feb. 11: (212) 219-8570.


Jarnac, 328 West 12th Street, cassoulet made with white northern beans, pork cheeks, sausage and duck confit is $26, (212) 924-3413; at Les Halles, 411 Park Avenue South (28th Street), (212) 679-4111, it’s $22.50.

L’Absinthe, 227 East 67th Street, (212) 794-4950, will serve it for the weeks of Jan. 22, Feb. 19, March 19 and April 16, $34.

Gavroche, 212 West 14th Street, (212) 647-8553, serves its on Thursdays, $23.

Those who prefer to serve this dish at home can assemble it from a kit D’Artagnan sells. The package consists of tarbais beans, confits of duck legs and duck gizzards, duck and garlic sausages, pork belly, duck fat and demi-glace. You add your own onions, carrots, garlic, tomato and seasonings. The ingredients serve six to eight people; it’s $106.99 from dartagnan.com.

Let us know where you eat Cassoulet!

Enjoy,

the Forks

A New Year's Resolution...

Happy New Year's, Foodies!

Better late than never - I've been a bit jetlagged so please accept my apologies for the absence of blogging.

Tour de Forks has made a resolution to continue to bring you the most delicious recommendations for restaurants, specialty food items, and food and wine destinations both here and abroad. And of course, we will keep you updated on Tour de Forks latest culinary adventures!

Get ready Foodies, we have a lot of great eating ahead of us!

Cheers,

the Forks

Have a Fiona New Year!

Hello Fiona Foodies,

We hope that you had a bubble-filled New Year! Melissa's nephew, Marcus - film editor extraordinaire (most recent credit the film "Where the Wild Things Are") - threw quite a party! His mother, Carolyn, would have been proud. We had lots of bubbles, BBQ short ribs, salads and of course, fabulous company! There were two Fionas, so we all began calling ourselves - Fiona! Here's a peek at the party!


Fiona, Fiona, and the newest Fiona, Lisa! (We hear there was one Fiona missing - where are you?)


Fiona (a.k.a Karina), Fiona (a.k.a Melissa Fork), Fiona (a.k.a Rene)!

And now for the fabulous fishcakes made by Marcus and some other delights!



Here's the fishcake recipe just for you:

Ingredients:
1 1/3 lbs. Atlantic salmon or any firm white fish
2 eggs
2 tbsp tom yum paste
1 stick lemongrass, very finely sliced
1tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
5 tbsp plain flour
6 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced
6 green beans, finely sliced
canola oil, for deep-frying
2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced lengthways, to garnish
3 large red chillies, cut lengthways but still attached at the end, to garnish
cilantro leaves, extra, to garnish

Dipping sauce
2.7 ounces water
6 ounces powder sugar
2.7 ounces white vinegar
1 tsp salt
8 small red chillies, finely chopped (or to taste)
2 red shallots, finely sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced lengthways, then into tiny triangles
1 lime, juiced

For dipping sauce, combine water, sugar, vinegar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chillies, remove sauce from heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir and set aside.

For fishcakes, remove skin and bones from salmon and cut into chunks. Place salmon and eggs in a food processor and process until combined. Add tom yum paste, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, cilantro and flour and process to a smooth paste. Spoon into a bowl and add lime leaves and beans. Mix well and shape into patties about 2-3 inches in diameter.

Place oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat and when very hot, deep-fry cakes for about 3-4 minutes, then drain on paper towels.

To serve, garnish plate with cucumber slices, place fish cakes on top and scatter with large chillies and cilantro leaves. Accompany with dipping sauce.

Enjoy and Happy Fiona New Year!

the Forks

Cicciolina, need we say more!

Hello Foodies,

We had a fabulous dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant in St. Kilda called Cicciolina. The company was great...


Kristen and Marcus




Left to Right Front Row: Radio personality - Salty Dog, yes that's what he looks like with our most wonderful friend and Melbourne savior, Rene! A horrible photo of fork Lisa.
Left to Right Back Row: Kristen, Marcus, and fork Melissa.
Behind everyone is our fun and fabulous waitress!

And the specials are posted on the board,,,



And this is the best of what we ate for starters and mains...






Dessert before...



and after...



Put this one on your Melbourne list.

Enjoy,

the Forks

To Market with Mum!

Hello Foodies,


One of our fave markets to go to in Melbourne is the Prahan Market. On this day, we had the honor of being with Sylvia (Melissa's Mum). And what does one eat with Sylvia, oysters - of course! There were Sydney rock oysters, South Australian oysters, and Tasmanian oysters! Meet Sylvia and the oysters!

Pubbing it in Geelong!

Hello Foodies,

After Christmas and Boxing Day, the family was treated to dinner by Carolyn Herrick at the Elephant and Castle Pub. Not only was it a fun night with the gorgeous family but it was a delicious night as well. If ever in Geelong, eat at the Elephant and Castle. We started with share plates and then moved on to the mains. This is what we ate...



Enjoy,

the Forks

You say Pho, We say Fur!

Hello Foodies,

If you are ever on your way to Melbourne from Geelong, make your way to the Footscry Food Market. It's fun to see - great butchers and fish mongers - but the market is surrounded by fabulous Vietnamese restaurants where the Pho (pronounced Fur) soups are served up daily. We were brought there by Carolyn Herrick, our fork's sister and supreme hostess. We picked a place that was the most crowded and this is what our delicious lunches looked like...




Enjoy,

the Forks

Geelong Gone but a GREAT XMAS Memory Remains!

Hello Foodies,

Melissa Joachim, the designing fork returns to her home in Melbourne, Australia for the holidays. We arrive on Christmas Day and are picked up by nephew, Marcus Herrick, who delivered us safely to Geelong (a city located an hour or so outside of Melbourne) to a whole family waiting to greet the weary travelers. We also get to tell the gorgeous great nieces, Lara and Scarlet, stories of seeing Santa from the plane...being little ones they are prime believers. It was a splendid day. Christmas was supposed to be hot...summertime...but it was cold in Melbourne. We didn't mind except we had to borrow a few sweaters. Carolyn Herrick, supreme hostess and fellow fork's sister, prepared an amazing Christmas lunch and one for Boxing Day too. This is what Christmas looks like in Oz!




And there was even a lamb chop!





We hope you had a Merry and a yummy Christmas too!

Ho, ho, ho!

the Forks