Marriott in the Kitchen

JW Marriott Hong Kong Chefs' Wok This Way

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:03:46 EDT

Street foods are the culinary equivalent of a national anthem...from the first note, musical or flavor, you know exactly the source of inspiration. A tamarind water filled panipuri speaks immediately of India; a corn tortilla wrapped around a comal seared skirt steak takes me back to Guadalajara, and a red chili prawn reminds of the hustle and bustle of Singapore's night food stalls. With this in mind, imagine the thrill of traveling on a tour of the best Asian street food markets, all in the name of research for a new Street Food concept in the JW Marriott Hong Kong. Now that's what I call a tough day at the office. Hector Pliego and William Cheng Executive Chef and Executive Sous Chef respectively of the JW Hong Kong, take you through their personal journey on their blog...

Burgers, Shopping Lists, and Firing Up the Grill at Residence Inn

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:11:14 EDT

The one thing about burgers is that on any given summer weekend, even those that don't regularly cook can be found working the backyard grill. Missing those weekend moments is one of the toughest things about summer travel, but we have that covered for those that who will be on the road this summer. Fact is, we see a lot of travelers "cook their own" while staying at Residence Inn, using the grill conveniently available to all guests. Located in the Commons area, every Residence Inn is prepared to be your own "private backyard on the road" with a grill ready to use, and no worries of running out of propane Even easier, guests can give their shopping list to the front desk and have...

Building Better Burgers

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:58:19 EDT

Burgers are considered the original All-American food, but the pedigree of this American culinary icon has roots in Europe. Hamburg, Germany was a jumping off point for early 20th century immigrants to the US, and the grilled meat patty in bread often served in this port city may have been just the memory of home these early citizens needed in their new country. Fast forward 100 years and the hamburger is a worldwide menu staple. In fact, Marriott hotels globally serve over 2 million hamburgers a year. The Marriott burger is a classic bacon and cheddar burger with 7 oz of pure Angus Chuck. I like Chuck because it is the perfect natural balance of lean to fat, roughly an 80/20. Chuck also has great flavor...

Fortune Cookies, General Tso's, and the Story of American Chinese Food

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:34:18 EDT

I just finished an easy read but fascinating book, the Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee. For many in America, the point of Chinese food is to get to the fortune. Real or not, that tiny slip of paper tucked in between the folds of the crispy, sugary vanilla flavored cookie may hold powerful words of wisdom, winning lottery numbers...or make no sense at all. Millions of people, most of whom would never dream of going to a fortune teller, have torn into the little plastic wrapped package holding what they hope to be good news. There is a catch however. If you eat in a Chinese restaurant outside of the US, don't expect a fortune folded into a cookie. Fortune cookies are not Chinese at all, but...

A Day at Borough Market

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:14:32 EDT

London is a great food city. Don't believe the press of uninteresting food in the UK, it is a myth of the misinformed. Beyond fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding, steak & kidney pie, and treacle, there lies an incredible reservoir of fantastic restaurants and great ingredients. And at the epicenter, sits Borough Market. The original Borough Market was located literally on the famous London Bridge, around 1014...

Pizza in a Chef's Hands

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:43:35 EDT

The Paula Watch-Finale

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:57:45 EDT

Twittering Away About Food, Restaurants and 140-Character Recipes

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Wed, 13 May 2009 10:13:40 EDT

The food world has always been a place for idea sharing and discussions of "what's next?" Now, there is a whole community dedicated to thoughtful blasts of all subjects imaginable. I joined the social media site Twitter.com recently. I was unsure of the response I might get or if people were interested in reading anything in just 140 characters. Does this make me a...

The Paula Watch- Episode 14 Battle of the Final Two Chefs

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:17:29 EDT

We have to wait one more week. Drawing out the suspense in true TV style, Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen brought us to the brink and then cut to "to be continued next week". Changing things up a bit, the recap below takes us through a minute by minute synopsis of the show. We will finally get to learn Paula's fate next week...

Dinner Impossible Made Possible at the Brooklyn Marriott

undisclosed@chefblog.marriott.com (Brad-Nelson) — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:07:05 EDT

Ralph Romano runs the kitchens of The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge with passion and focus, just as when he did for many years the kitchens of the San Juan Marriott Resort. Chef Romano is well organized, but what does a chef do when asked to play host to a popular Food Network show? Tune in tonight...