Fresh to screen at Studio@620 Sept. 4

The Studio@620 invites you to a screening of Fresh: New Thinking About What We're Eating on Friday September 4 at 7:30 p.m.  Fresh is a film that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are reinventing our food system. The evening will include opportunities to sample fresh foods from local growers. Admission: $5.

Sheila Lukins, author of The Silver Palate Cookbook, dies at age 66

Sheila Lukins, who coauthored The Silver Palate series of cookbooks and The New Basics Cookbook with Julee Rosso, died yesterday at age 66. I sat down with Lukins over lunch last year at Oystercatchers in Tampa when she was visiting to promote the 25th anniversary of The Silver Palate Cookbook.  

Of your eight cookbooks, do you have a favorite? 

“Hands down my favorite is Sheila Lukins' All Round the World Cookbook (1994). With the advance we went to 33 countries. I had a brain hemmorage during the tour for All Around the World. Nonetheless, I feel like these cookbooks have saved my life. When my husband left, that’s when we did USA Cookbook (1997).” 

Why have you had such success as a cookbook writer? 

“I will tell you, if nothing else, a good recipe writer is hard to find. It’s hard to write a clear, concise recipe. That’s why my recipes work for people.” 

In the 25th anniversary edition of The Silver Palate Cookbook, there were some changes made. Can you describe them? 

“There was a lot of information added about cheese and artisanal produce like heirloom tomatoes. So much has changed. American food is wonderful these days, very ingredient-oriented. The trend now is that cooking is less complicated because the ingredients are better.”

What are your personal enthusiasms of the moment? 

“I love a great steak with a mojo sauce—it’s delicious and fast. Or rack of lamb with an Asian marinade of soy and ginger. Ginger is the new garlic. It’s got the same pop. And mesclun mix is not cute anymore. I’m liking Boston lettuce and Belgian endive and baby arugula and frisee.”

What does your kitchen look like?

"I still write on yellow legal pads, and I'll write something and Scotch tape pages to the wall. I have a big copper rondeau, and 6-quart stainless pots with lids. My kitchen has strip plugs all over, for the food processor, an old Cuisinart, and the Waring blender for vinaigrettes. And stainless steel bowls and a mini Cuisinart for garlic and ginger. And I have a big Sub-Zero. I don't have a lot of gadgets."

What do you think of the Food Network?

"It's great because it's gotten people interested in food and cooking. If it helps put the beautiful produce in stores, I'm all for it."

[photo from Parade magazine]

Tell us how we're doing on the Mouth

We're making some changes in our entertainment coverage and would love to have your input. You can help by taking a few minutes to fill out this survey about how you use the Mouth of Tampa Bay blog.

Nathan’s hot dogs equal faux foie gras

Double wow. Check out FancyFastFood.com, the work of Erik Trinidad, who buys (as I read in an AP story) fast-food dinners, deconstructs them in his kitchen and then reassembles them into meals resembling haute cuisine. He posts about once a week: Popeyes fried chicken becomes “Spicy Chicken Sushi,” Dunkin’ Donuts cream-filled beauties get scooped out to form “Boston Kreme Brulee.”

He's got his standards, though: his fast-food can’t be augmented with outside ingredients except to garnish, like a lemon peel.

[photo Tiramisu di Timio (Fancy Tim Hortons) by Erik of Fancy Fast Food]

Yes, the bread basket gets recycled

Check this out for 25 things chefs never tell you, courtesy of Food Network. Nothing totally new here, but it's good to be reminded that restaurants don't get Sunday fish deliveries (that seafood frittata at brunch? mmm, maybe not) and "vegetarian dishes" have an unfortunate tendency to have a little chicken broth, etc. in them, making them vegetarian-ish.

Street party on Corey Ave. on Friday

Celebrate "Last Friday" on Corey Avenue just off Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach on Aug. 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. Merchants will be open late and offer customers free samples of wine and beer, foods and treats. There's live music in the courtyard by John Ellis. Parking is free and everything is within walking distance. For more information, call  (727) 498-8778 or visit here.

India Grill almost back in St. Petersburg

I just heard from Manoj Gupta that India Grill will reappear next week in the space at 409 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, where Leafy Greens was. It will be open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday, with a similar menu (with buffet) to its previous downtown incarnation. They are awaiting health inspection approval, but expect to open their doors on Sept. 5 or 6. The new phone number is (727) 894-1100.

In related news, I've been hearing about another downtown St. Petersburg newcomer, Milky Way Cafe, at 2nd Ave S. and about 2nd Street. Don't know much about what they serve yet, but their phone is (727) 498-8771.

Oh, and I jut got off the phone with a buddy of mine who ate the other night at Dunedin's new Living Room on Main (680 Main St, 727-736-5202) and he said it was really good. Looking forward to checking it out.

What can't bacon do?

Remember way back yesterday when I posted about that crazy new meat-meat-meat-cheese-cheese KFC sandwich? I got this interesting tidbit from my buddy Hank:

"You may not know this but food service accounts for over 95 percent of all the pre-cooked bacon sales. KFC is right on target from a sales standpoint as they know that if you add bacon to a product or release a new product (with bacon) that item will show an 8 percent increase in sales. This is very well known in food service marketing circles. Explains why almost all "new" products or reintroduced products involve bacon. A piece of pre-cooked bacon costs the units approximately $0.10. From a food/marketing standpoint I think it is genius."

[photo from Zazzle]

Grille 54 in Trinity turns one, celebrates

Head over to Grille 54 in Trinity on Wednesday for its first birthday party. It's a free tent party starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 2 a.m., with a live band (Roberto Debourgh & The Flats) and a guest DJ from Miami keeping the crowd going all night. There will be $1,000s in giveaways including International Plaza gift cards, and two hours of open bar. For more information, call (727) 376-0254.

Grill & Chill at SideBern’s

On Sept. 3, unwind and chill at SideBern's pre-Labor Day BBQ as you taste beers produced by Canada’s Unibroue while chef Chad Johnson creates dishes celebrating all things porcine. The BBQ is $45 per person, all inclusive. The event will begin at 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. on the patio.
 
Here's the porky menu in question: 
Pulled Pork Shoulder, cider vinegar sauce
Charred Spare Ribs, cumin maple sauce
Beer Braised Pork Belly, mustard glaze
Southern Style Greens, smoked hog jowl, paprika
Potato Salad, country ham, garlic chives, white truffle buttermilk
Peach Cobbler, candied bacon crumble, caramel ice cream
 
And the beer menu:
Ephemere, Blanche Chambly, Fin du Monde, Quatro Centeries, Maudite, Trois Pistole &
Terrible