Carolyn’s post is really about the method, which makes it super versatile. You can switch up the herbs and the acid used, so I decided on Greek Oregano (from my herb garden) and tomato vinegar. Check out her recipe for Thyme Roasted Shrimp!

Roasted Shrimp with Tomato Vinegar
~3 entrees or 6 appetizers

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 (2″) sprigs Greek oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 1 1/4 lb large shrimp (about 18 per pound), peeled with tail-on and de-veined
• 1 tablespoon tomato vinegar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions -

1. Pour oil into 8×8 pan. Spread oregano and garlic evenly across. Place it in the oven and heat to 450 degrees F (takes 20-30 minutes depending on your oven).

2. Place shrimp on hot oil and herbs. Return to oven and roast until pink, tossing two or three times. Large shrimp will take about 9 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and toss with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Bonus – the oil and vinegar is great for dipping bread and we used it to drizzle over salad too!

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The Eggplant Chat is alright, lightly battered Chinese eggplant with some spices and tamarind chutney. Tim said it was different last time he had it. The Chicken Samosa filling felt more like over-cooked scrambled eggs.

The Masala Crab Cakes were made with fake crab meat, which I can’t eat because of the food coloring, but our opinion on fake crab meat is, don’t bother. The Bok Choy Crispy Curls were awful! These were just overly fried, kind of burnt, tasted like nothing but grease. They could have just fried some paper and gotten the same result.

The Shrimp Balchow tasted like a Thai dish, sweet and sour, tons of tomato. Lon tasted too much propane though.

The Ground Lamb Spring Roll was the only one I liked and Lon agreed. Tim had a nice fresh Mango Lassi too.

Shockingly, the entrees were much better. Lon got the mixed grill. I could only try the Chicken Malai Kabob, which was succulent and flavorful. The rest had food coloring, tandoori chicken and shrimp, and a Lamb Seekh (Lon said it was pretty dry.)

Tim had the Chicken Saag, which was the best dish. The fresh raw ginger is a nice touch I have not seen elsewhere. The chunks of white meat chicken were surprisingly moist. The whole dish had a lighter feel than most.

Each of us ordered a Naan. Tim had the cilantro and Lon had the onion. Both were puffy and fluffy, buttery and hot. I had what they called Fruit and Nut Naan, which should really be renamed to Coconut Naan. It was lightly sweet and pretty nice. My only complaint is that it was thinner and flatter than the other two.

Tim has had better experiences at Seva before but has noticed some inconsistency. It’s not worth making a special trip for but if you’re in the neighborhood, they have exceptional prices, and you’ll probably be able to find a few diamonds in the rough.

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I also got the boning and filet knife, which I haven’t really played with yet but it feels pretty good also.

These are Foodmayhem approved and in the market so you can buy it now!

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When apricots are in season, why not switch things up a bit from the standard prosciutto and melon. Only here, I don’t just cut up the fruit and plate it with the beautiful translucent slices of cured meat. Grilling the apricots brings out the sugars and the touch of Grand Marnier brings out the sweetness and the floral fruitiness even more. This dish is still embarrassingly easy though, so easy that you can still add this as a last minute addition to your dinner tonight.

Prosciutto and Grilled Apricots

• 3 ripe apricots
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
• 1/4 pound freshly sliced prosciutto (and/or speck)

1. Preheat the grill.

2. Cut the apricots in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place in a bowl with cut sides up. Sprinkle the Grand Marnier evenly over the halves. Place on skewer alternating the cut side and skin side. (See Pic.)

3. Grill on medium heat, just until lightly marked and softened slightly.

4. Put apricots on a plate and arrange prosciutto around it.  Serve immediately.

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Just so you know, we will benefit from this, some small percentage per purchase, but you will be getting the same price anyone else gets on Amazon, no extra fees. Because it it set up through amazon, we can’t put anything in the store that is not available on Amazon. Unfortunately, about half of what I love is not available on-line. BUT, if it does well, we’ll be able to find other ways to do the store and be able to offer you more, like cool Chinese products or the stuff we find when we’re on vacation.

As always, send us any questions you may have. Click on that “Market” tab in between “images” and “contact”. Let me know what you think. We are always trying to find ways to make FoodMayhem better. (Pssst…..Videos are coming soon.) Thanks for all the support. We hope to spread good food to everyone everywhere!

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That’s about the limit of interest in this product.  Jessica and I both felt they were overly sugary.  The nuts are coated in a cinnamon-sugar meringue, which creates an airy, crisp sensation around the nuts, similar to the feeling of stale. The texture is rough and the cinnamon is not overly strong, but there’s something missing in this item.  There is a light after taste that is first reminiscent of vanilla, but then fades into just sugar.

Perhaps these would taste a good over some vanilla ice cream with a rich butter sauce to absorb some of the sugar.  But I don’t see myself giving them another shot to find out.

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Mediocre black olives and celery with a little dish of salt is the first taste you get and it sets the tone for the whole experience, different but not that great. The Spicy Eggplant is nice, but looking back at the menu now, I realize that fried salt cod was missing. The hard boiled egg and grilled flatbread are prepared nicely, but overall the dish was a tad salty. The imbalance is partially because there isn’t enough bread for the eggplant.

The James Beard Onion Sandwich was just too much mayonnaise for a normal person. The bread is soft and crust-less, nicely presented with fresh herbs, but only Lon, and I guess James Beard (no disrespect to the dead) eats 1/2″ of mayonnaise. They did use lovely sweet onions though. The fried chicken livers were not special at all.

The Pasta Kerchief was a let down, the pasta sheets too soft, the ham too bland. The brown butter aroma and pine nuts were nice but couldn’t save the dish. In the end, it was just an awkward mix of stuff thrown in a bowl.

The Bacon and Marmalade Sandwich is such a nice concept (which I will likely be replicating). I always love salty and sweet, but the execution was the same as if you asked any mom to put together a bacon and marmalade sandwich. The shredded potato was cloaked in sesame oil and horrid. Neither of us ate more than the first taste.

The menu for lunch is very different from the brunch menu so perhaps brunch is better, but lunch here is tragic considering the price. This was three appetizers and one entree for two people, which came out to $52 (with tax and tip). Three out of Four dishes were recommended by the waitress (all except onion sandwich) so they were given the opportunity to let their best dishes shine. Interesting? Yes. Delicious? No. There are many other places I’d rather go to for lunch, in much more convenient locations.

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I wanted everything on Convivio’s menu and had such a hard time choosing. Fortunately, our waiter was great with recommendations, and going with his suggestions landed me a very good meal. Convivio offers a four courses for $59. You just chose right off the regular menu, one appetizer, one pasta, one meat or fish, and one dessert. You can order a la carte as well, but it’s such a great way to taste more of the menu, I can’t imagine doing otherwise. Fresh bread, Ciabatta, Olive, and Whole Wheat are all super fresh. I ordered the Tranquillo Casa Coste Piane 2006 because a non-bubbly Prosecco caught my curiosity. It tasted just like that, a still Prosecco, which was interesting and went nicely with my meal, but won’t have me going out to buy it.

We had major difficulties with pictures here but a few still do show how beautiful the dishes were. I started with Lingua, slow poached veal tongue, which had the most incredible texture. Tongue is often chewy like gizzard or braised until it’s falling apart. This one was so tender but still bounced back. The capers and pickled red onion added the perfect acidity.

Lon had the Polpettine in Brodo, tender pork meatballs with parmigian and broccoli rabe, a light comfort dish.

Lon added an extra small dish of Arancini, saffron risotto croquettes. It was the only disappointing dish of this meal. There just wasn’t much flavor and the outside was not crisp enough.

For the pasta course, Lon had the Maccheroni all Carbonara, completely different than any other I’ve tasted. It was so rich and creamy, but didn’t feel heavy. I could actually eat a whole bowl of this, maybe two.

My Malloreddus was a dream come true, a sardinian saffron gnocchetti with crab and sea urchin. While you could see and taste little clumps of crabmeat, you didn’t really notice the sea urchin, but I imagine that it melted in, adding thickness to the sauce, and that the whole would not be right without it. Every drop of flavor clung to each perfect piece of pasta so that nothing was wasted and nothing more was needed.

Lon’s Lobster Fra Diavalo with a zucchini involtini was perfectly good, but not as impressive as other dishes.

My Seared Octopus was incredible, tender with crisp edges. The mix of yogurt, ceci beans, pickled peppers (especially these), cucumber and watermelon made it refreshing.

The Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp is for two but it is the clear winner. The fresh seasonal ingredients can’t be beat, and the streusel is crunchy and substantial, but not at all greasy. It’s a huge portion that’s really enough for 4.

We were a party of 5 so there were many other dishes but I can’t remember all of them well so I don’t want to misinform. I can say that everyone was very happy with the meal and for $59 per person (4 courses, not including beverages, tax, and tip), it’s the kind of place I want to take my parents. They will be happy about the food and impressed with the value.

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I spent two days (6 hours each day) sampling everything I could at the 2009 Summer Fancy Food Show (held at the Javitz Center). Even though I’ve experienced the show many times, the sheer size never fails to be overwhelming. I have learned how to pace myself, often only taking one bite per sample, trying not to finish whole pieces. At times something is so delicious I fail and gobble it all up. I feel tormented about throwing out some food and the amount of waste but there’s no other way I’ll be able to sample a good portion of the show.

With 250,000 products I still have to pick and choose carefully, and at times you feel like you can’t taste anymore. Your taste buds just go on strike, having been way over-worked. It’s totally exhausting but I’m not complaining. It is so much fun and such an education. You get to see, touch, and taste so many products and talk to the people behind the products, get an idea of what their ideas and goals are. You see such different worlds, literally, since the show is divided into sections by country or area, and the range of displays have me wide-eyed, like the first time I was at Disney World.

I’m hoping that the companies I liked will send me products so I can really taste and test at home, use them in recipes, and report my findings. I must be leaving out so much that I either have forgotten or just never got to taste, but for now, here’s a rough recall of the more memorable products:

Under the Divina line at Food Match Inc. we loved the Green Olives stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I can’t remember what company this was but I loved there Barameeli cheese. It was a cross between feta and cream cheese, perfectly spreadable with a luxurious creaminess. This was my first time tasting Barameeli but I’ll be looking for it now. (Nothing comes up on google though so someone help me out.)

We tried the TeaAvra Earl Grey shortbread cookies, which had a nice strong tea flavor, but I don’t think I’d ever buy packaged shortbread cookies. The perfect shortbread cookie crumbles, more like disintegrates, so easily. You can’t pack that kind of quality without the end user just getting powder, so for the best shortbread cookies, make them yourself.

Landrin Waferatto is a rip on ferrero rocher, with lots of flavors. The concept is a good one but the result is kind of cheap tasting. I’d also pass on the Duhaime chocolate sauces and the Isola Lemon Baked Bufala Ricotta, and their burrata.They’re just very mediocre.

Mrs. McGarrigle’s Mustards were wonderful. I love whole grain mustard and they had tons of flavors. I tried at least three and liked them all.

Fermin was sampling Lomo (pork loin of Iberico de Bellota Pigs), Jamon Iberico, and one more All were so delicious!

The Nuovo Pastas are pretty impressive looking and it would great for a design theme for a party. With the exception of one blue fish shaped pasta, the rest do not use artificial food coloring. I tried the Spinach, Asiago, and Roasted Garlic Ravioli and the Smoked Gouda and Roasted Pear Sachette. I’d buy both and I’ve seen these in the Garden of Eden.

Emmi Swiss Premium had a Pink Grapefruit Yogurt. I tasted it thinking grapefruit would never work, but it’s probably one of my favorite finds from this year’s show!

Lon liked the Matiz Gallego Sardines. I didn’t get to taste it but they do look good for a tin packed sardine.

The Perfect Bite Co. makes these adorable little hors ‘doevres. They come frozen in the tins (recycleable) you bake them in (so easy) and I loved the Caramelized Onion and Feta Pastry.

Stuff I loved but didn’t get a picture of:

I loved Colorado Mountain Wine Jellies. I was given a jar of Syrah Jelly so I’ll be posting my experiments soon. Sauces ‘n Love had an incredible Mint Pesto, and I don’t even like mint that much. I didn’t like the rest of their sauces though. Yakami Orchard has a whole bunch of Yuzu stuff: zest, marmalade, juice, etc. I would love to try making stuff with it. Tamaya Gourmet has a jarred fruit called Chilean Carica. It tastes like a mix of mango and lychee with a nice firm and bouncy texture. Blu di Langa is a three milk blue cheese with a smooth and mild flavor. The texture is like a triple cream brie. It’s wonderful and unique.

Lon liked the Petros salt. I appreciate the pyramid shape but didn’t think the flavor was notable.

I tried Mangosteen for the first time, Queen of Fruits indeed. They looked very had to cut open, but the reward is wonderful. The fruit is juicy and a bit squishy, texture is almost like over-ripe persimmon, but higher water content. The flavor is more tropical, a little like lychee but there isn’t really anything that tastes the same.  Also my first time for Trout Caviar, but it’s not that impressive.

Then there were things you didn’t get to sample, more for display.

I wish I could’ve eaten some of the gorgeous black truffles I saw.

…or the morels.

In the end, I was surprised by some of the Sofi Award finalists or winners, like Man Bait Bacon Lollipops. If Lon think is tastes crappy and it’s made with bacon, it’s probably inedible to the general public. I was also terribly disappointed in the olive oils this year. Not only did none stand out as good, many had bitter finishes. At the end, lots of the vendors start giving away products to take home (It’s not generally allowed during the event) so I’ll be posting about those things in the coming days.

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Sadly, the Farm Market was closed when we arrived (10 minutes to 6pm) but we walked around the mini garden that seems to be displayed for guests. Tall snow pea plants, tons of almost ready raspberries, salad greens, and stuff I don’t recognize seem to be showing off. For the first time, I understood why some people talk to plants (not that I did of course). A sign in the dirt invites you to try a leaf from the Bronze Fennel and you must. A teeny sprig that looks like dill tastes like licorice candy. It just blows me away.

The short walk up to Blue Hill 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, NY 10591 gives you more time to just breathe in air, look up to the clear blue sky, and if no one was looking, I would’ve spun around with my arms spread out (clearly I’ve been in Manhattan too long). The clean inviting space has lots of windows, relying heavily on natural light, but otherwise, this could be a Manhattan restaurant. Here, the greeters and wait staff are smartly dressed. It is clear that service was not going to be farm-style. There is only two menu choices, a 5 course tasting or the Farmer’s Feast (an undecided amount of courses). If at all possible, Lon will always go for the largest. Luckily, Bill, Emily, and Tim were ready for the challenge. Lon chose that Gewurztraminer, that I fell in love with, and hours flew from there.

Chamomile Spritzer,  a refreshing way to start but not my thing, got mixed reviews from our table.

I couldn’t think of a better amuse at Blue Hill than farm vegetables. We saw that different tables sometimes got different vegetables. I would not have traded the season’s first tomatoes for anything.

The Pea Burgers were delicious, especially for Bill and I, who are both a little obsessed with peas. The buns were almost light sesame cookies, a tad sweet and airy. They reminded me of snacks you could find in Asian markets. The pea salad was creamy and screamed spring. Of course, any time anyone said “Pea Burger”, our whole table burst out laughing and it remained the on-going joke of the night. We’re clearly a mature bunch.

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus is one of those crowd pleasers. The sesame crust was a nice twist but Lon felt that it was too much and masked the other flavors. I’d have to agree but might not have thought that if it wasn’t brought up.

Just the sight of house-made charcuterie nearly made me jump out of my seats and clap my hands. The Salami was heavily dotted with very tasty fat. The bologna, well, it was impressive for bologna. The braseola fell short, but actually that was sourced (but I can’t remember form where).

Ahh the bread. I almost wish (but don’t) that great restaurants didn’t have such good bread, because I inevitably fill myself up with bread. The butter, softened to the perfect temperature, ricotta, and parsnip salt make it even harder to resist. When we finished the butter, they brought out more butter but it was from Ronnybrook Farms. I guess they only have enough to give a little to each table.

The next course was the only I did not like, and neither did Lon. It looks like a little potted plant, but the top is removed to show a chilled soup inside. The top has a dull but salty cracker topped with bright fava beans and Johnny Jump-ups. Mostly to the fault of the cracker, I didn’t care for it.

I’m never into chilled soups so this was no different. The cucumber made it refreshing, the peas were bright and fresh, but still it was thick like a smoothie and didn’t work in my mind, although it came closer than any other cold soup. Emily and I gave Bill our portions and Lon just left his. Seeing his bowl full, the waiter asked if he should replace the course. Lon said no because he didn’t feel that the chefs had done anything wrong. It’s important to recognize that it was as perfect as could be, but just not our taste (and it’s so rare that we will say that).

After the soup was cleared, a waitress came around with a plate of Piracicaba, explaining this broccoli-like crop that is easier for farmers to handle. It looks like long thin broccoli, and it’s supposed to taste even better. It would be in our next dish.

I didn’t have enough Piracicaba in my dish to make a distinct impression other than seeming like young broccoli. We were surprised at the lack of uniformity in this dish. I had way more asparagus and only a teeny bit of Piracicaba, while Lon’s plate seemed to have plenty. Bill’s plate was missing the thin leaves that garnished the plate, completely.

The Piracicaba and Asparagus dish was sprinkled with unborn egg, grated over it like a cheese, adding a little heartiness.

Our seafood course included shrimp and tiny pieces of octopus, topped with tender Albino White Salmon. While the salmon was delicious, it was unnecessary in the dish. I also noticed that the fish and shellfish both tasted better if you picked it up with a fork, out of the broth when you ate it. If you eat it on a spoon with too much broth, it’s too tart.

Next, we were shown some nice fresh eggs, while we learned more about how the chickens feed and roam.

A soft-boiled egg, crusted in panko, sits in a pea pistou (another joke). Besides being the most perfectly and evenly cooked egg ever, the yolk (ooh runny yolk) was worthy of licking every drop off the plate. Even the egg whites had flavor.

The Pork Jowl was Lon’s and Tim’s favorite, fattier and richer than pork belly. Imagine skin, a thin layer of meat, and nearly an inch and a half of just fat. I enjoyed the plump porcini and spring onion more and would’ve preferred smaller piece of this much concentrated fat. Mouthful after mouthful got too heavy for me.

The lamb came in a surprisingly large portion for a tasting menu but felt relatively light. Each generous slice was a perfectly even medium rare but a few bites were tendonous. The farro, peas, and baby choy sitting in demi-glace was so simple and something I could eat bowls of. (At this point, it’s dark out and the pictures are suffering.)

Coffee and tea is forgettable. The quark sorbet and strawberry granita was the perfect way to show off seasonal strawberries. I was completely satisfied with this but more dessert was coming.

Alternating between us, some got these little pots with awful asparagus ice cream. I scooped out the strawberries and chunks of rhubarb, trying to salvage them before the asparagus ice cream melted. I didn’t care for the egg-y foamy and soupy stuff either.

Others got a Cheesecake Ice Cream (didn’t taste like cheesecake) with blueberry compote, mascarpone, and pieces of meringue-like cookies. It was a good simple mix of flavors and textures.

Two plates of Minty Strawberry stuff was placed in the center to share. The circular discs are airy with a nice strawberry flavor in the center, but the outer circle is minty. The sorbet is minty too, all in all way too minty, and I couldn’t help but feel like I was eating a toothpaste flavored dessert.

The cherries were surprisingly flavorless and Lon called the chocolate, passover chocolates, which isn’t too flattering. The cinnamon was  distinct in the marshmallows, but at this point, no one wants to eat anymore. I was completely stuffed but it’s not the same feeling you get from being stuffed with pizza or burgers. I didn’t feel disgusting or heavy.

At the end, we’re invited to see the kitchen where Dan Barber took a few minutes to say hi. To know that he is there made us all really happy. It’s a big kitchen for the number of tables in the dining room, but it must be challenging to fulfill their concept. Many places may do seasonal menus but Blue Hill varies their menu daily depending on that day’s harvest. Many items will not be abundant enough to serve all the diners so many different dishes are made at the same time in this kitchen. Add to that, some diners do not want certain items, and a semi-custom dinner is crafted for each table.

Although I did not love everything, $125 is an incredible deal to eat such fresh ingredients prepared by such forward thinking chefs. It’s so interesting to think that each month, the meal will be so completely different. I can’t wait to go again.

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