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Hello Foodies,On a recent trip to Melbourne, Australia last month, Lisa and I were treated to a new (for us) style of Japanese eating called izakaya. Izakaya in Japan were originally street-food stalls or carts for quick-snacking or drinking. These days they are more like taverns, with retro-rustic décor or stylish high-end lounges. Drinking and eating Japanese small plates, often at communal tables is the essence of the experience. Melbourne currently has five ‘izakaya’ destinations, and the one we visited was En Izakay in Carlisle St, Balaclava, an up and coming food neighborhood in the food-obsessed city of Melbourne.
En Izakay is welcoming and stylish. The menu is dotted with unusual ingredients such as the yam-like konnyaku root (also known as devil's tongue and voodoo lily) and ao-ogo seaweed. There are interesting combinations too, such as nori-wrapped tofu, ricotta and olive spring rolls, or that ao-ogo used in a salad with wakame and akanori seaweeds, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and, somewhat oddly, saganaki cheese.
Honey is also used extensively here to dress oven-baked cod, marinate ox tongue before it is barbecued, or to accompany soy and mirin in the cooking gravy for braised pork belly. We sampled the tongue and the pork belly. Delicious.
The must-have dish here is the oven-baked tofu and eggplant. Thic
k slices of both are placed together to create a mouthful of slippery textures. The tofu's interior is almost custardy, the eggplant creamy, with the sweet pungency of white miso. It's like taking that classic of baked eggplant (nasu dengaku), stripping away the skin and adding another layer of soft, textural excitement. I highly recommend it. We drank an aromatic reisling with our meal that was a perfect match. Next time you’re in Melbourne, go there!
Enjoy,
Melissa
Hello Foodies,"Gorgeous! Beautiful! Wish you were here," enthuses Meg Ryan in French Kiss, as she walks up a cobblestone street in a small Provencale Village.I recently sat down to re-watch French Kiss, one of my all-time favorite movies. I enjoy watching Kevin Kline who plays a disheveled looking arrogant French guy. Yes, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies - but what I love most about this movie is the location. The pictures and scenery of Paris and the French countryside. For this particular viewing though I had a goal. I wanted to see if the village I had recently visited in Provence was in fact the village in the movie.You might remember the scene, Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline are sitting in a small square as she recuperates from an attack of lactose intolerance. She had enjoyed too much of the French cheese on the train ride. Suddenly, a Mercedes careens around the corner, a man jumps out and he and Kevin Kline begin fighting. The scene was shot in front of the Cafe des Arcades and the Hotel des Armoiries – both face the square and can be clearly seen in the movie.How did I learn about this? I can thank Kathie Alex, who lives in Plascassier, another tiny town adjacent to Valbonne. Kathie lives at La Pitchoune – the house that Julia and Paul Child had built for the times they spent in her spiritual homeland. It's on the property once owned by Simone Beck, who was a close friend of Julia's and a mentor for Kathie. Kathie now offers cooking classes in the small charming home.Kathie and I were talking about the town of Valbonne and its charms. Then, she mentioned the Cafe and the hotel – where French Kiss was filmed. I almost jumped out of my chair! I couldn't wait to check out the square. I remembered the scene, but didn't remember the background exactly...even though I've watch the movie more times than I should admit.A short ten minute drive from Plascassier and I was there, enjoying a meal in the Cafe des Arcades, gazing out at the square toward the Hotel des Armoires waiting for Kevin and Meg to come sauntering up the cobblestone street. As I sipped my wine, I could hear Meg, "Gorgeous! Beautiful! Wish you were here!"We visit Valbonne, Plascassier and other small Provencale villages as we follow in Julia Child's footsteps on our Julia & Julie Tour. Think about joining us in 2010.Enjoy!Kathy
Hello Foodies,
We went to a fabulous restaurant this week called Aldea. Chef George Mendes (pictured far right with TDF alum, Karin Lundell in the middle and TDF Prez, Melissa Joachim on left) named his new restaurant after the Portuguese word for village. The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the Iberian Peninsula and Georges’ heritage. He is a first-generation American born to Portuguese parents and he grew up with many elaborate, festive family meals. The interior design is of modern elegance. George is quite a skilled chef and learned his craft from a diverse group of chefs that includes David Bouley, Martin Berasategui in Spain, Alain Passard at Arpege in Paris, Alain Ducasse, and Kurt Gutenbrunner. You savor every mouthful and everything was so perfectly seasoned that I never even thought about going for the salt and pepper. And I admit it, I usually do.
Take a look at George's exquisite food...
For a pestiscos or small bite, we tried the Sea Urchin Toast with cauliflower cream, sea lettuce, and lime.
Our fave appetizer is the Shrimp Alhinho with garlic, coriander, pimenton, and pressed jus.
One of 
our delicious mains was the Arroz de Pato, like a duck paella, that had duck confit, chorizo, olive, and duck cracklings in it.
The other main courses we enjoyed were New Bedford Diver Scallops with farro risotto and Creekstone Farm's Hanger Steak and Short Rib with tamarind, red-wine shallot, and fall bean salad.
The address is 1 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011 and the phone to make your reservation is: 212- 675-7223 and you will be glad you did. George Mendes' food is divine.
Enjoy,
Lisa
Hello Foodies,
Recently, I was in Washington, DC speaking at a conference and I met Fred Neubauer, who heads up the sales and marketing for a wonderful new gelato and sorbetto, called TALENTI. Gelato is my favorite dessert and I'm always eager to try a new one.
Fred was nice enough to send me 9 pints to test and did we ever - Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Belgium Milk Chocolate, Caribbean Coconut, Double Dark Chocolate, Caramel Cookie Crunch gelato and Roman Raspberry, Sonoma Strawberry, Hill Country Peach Champagne, and Blood Orange sorbetto!We decided it best for us not to be the only tasters so we brought in the pros. First is Rachel Kloss - 20-something artist, production guru, dog and gelato lover and her #1 fave is the Blood Orange!Pictured above is Pamela Abbott, Executive Content Producer, Online Media for Food & Wine and her hubby, Eric Abbott, who is about to launch a new advice site for guys called AskEric.com. They loved the Caribbean Coconut, Tahitian Vanilla, the Double Dark Chocolate and all the sorbettos. The Forks opinions go like this - for prez Melissa Joachim, her hands down favorite is the Double Dark Chocolate. I always use vanilla as my yardstick because I think it's tough to make a good one and TALENTI'S is great - clean vanilla taste and not too sweet. I also love the Blood Orange sorbetto.This product also gets points for the packaging. TALENTI comes in clear containers so you can see its contents. The twist-on top make them great to keep even after the gelato is gone but don't wait too long. Visit www.talentigelato.com to order TALENTI online or find out the store nearest you that carries it! You can also read about TALENTI's history and why it's good for you.Enjoy,Lisa
k slices of both are placed together to create a mouthful of slippery textures. The tofu's interior is almost custardy, the eggplant creamy, with the sweet pungency of white miso. It's like taking that classic of baked eggplant (nasu dengaku), stripping away the skin and adding another layer of soft, textural excitement. I highly recommend it. We drank an aromatic reisling with our meal that was a perfect match. Next time you’re in Melbourne, go there! 
