Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

Hudson Valley Restaurant week begins March 14th-27th 2011. This years kickoff celebration was held at the Harvest on Hudson Restaurant, in Hastings-on-Hudson NY, and was presented by The Valley Table Magazine, a publication about Hudson Valley Farms , Food and Cuisine.

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photo Simon Feldman www.simondigital.com

Slow Down You Move to Fast

One of the best kept secrets in Hastings-on-Hudson is Antoinettes Patisserie 417 Warburton Ave. Located just south of Hastings downtown proper you could easily drive past  this understated quaint little french style bistro and not give it second thought.

music on Sundays

Of course you'd be missing out on a real treat. At this family run business, you'll find  Antoinette in the kitchen baking her amazing pastries and hand made chocolates,  and of course Kus your talented Barista and master coffee roaster whipping up custom espresso and cappucino's from his own "Giaco Bean"  micro roasted blend of beans.

 So if you have a few minutes to give your self a break, slow down and smell the "brew"

The Cooks Plate among Nominees for Tasty Awards

NEWS - Food and Fashion TV Stars Celebrate at the TASTY Awards in Hollywood on Jan. 13th

For Immediate Release

SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 7 -- The stars and celebrities of food and fashion television and film are preparing to revel in Hollywood on January 13th 2011 at their own one-of-a-kind awards show, the 2nd Annual TASTY Awards. The TASTY Awards is the premier awards show celebrating the year's best in Food, Fashion, and Home Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, and Online.

Fans, networks, producers and sponsors could not be more excited. The Awards Show features a star-studded lineup, including host Zane Lamprey (Travel Channel, HD Net), and presenters Tanya Holland (Cooking Channel, Food Network), Leslie Sbrocco (PBS), Nathan Lyon (Fit TV, Discovery Health, PBS, Food Network), and Bobby Bognar (History Channel), along with newcomers such as Candice Kumai (Lifetime, Bravo), Brian Boitano (Food Network), Daniel Green (ShopNBC), Luciene Salomone (WE tv), Amy Paffrath (E! Entertainment Television), Jeannie Mai (Style Network), Kevin Roberts (TLC), Peter Ishkhans (Style Network), Aida Mollenkamp (Food Nework, Cooking Channel), Darryl Robinson (Cooking Channel), and Fabio Viviani (Bravo's Top Chef).

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT HONORS have been announced for Mario Batali, Melissa Rivers and Joan Rivers, Martha Stewart, Alton Brown, the Food Network, Niecy Nash, Gordon Ramsay, Tyra Banks, Cat Cora, Guy Fieri, Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Klum, Dinner with the Band, Food Party, Food Jammers, Everyday Food, ModTV, Daily Front Row Chic Report, Teenage Paparazzo (HBO), The Red Carpet Issue (Sundance), Flipping Out (Bravo), The Spin Crowd (E! Entertainment Television), Jeannie Mai (Style Network), and Gail Simmons (Bravo, Food & Wine Magazine).

VIEWERS CHOICE Voting is now open for Best Film, Best Female Host, and Best Male Host. To vote or for limited availability show tickets, go towww.TastyAwards.com, as well as get updates on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/TastyAwards.



The following are the NOMINEES for all 2011 TASTY Awards: 

12 Second Cocktails, A Taste of New York, Aarti Parti,About.com, America's Next Top Model, America's Test Kitchen, Art of the Drink, Avec Eric (Eric Ripert), Average Betty, Barefoot Contessa, Beer Wars, Bizarre Foods, Bon Appetit, Cake Boss, Check Please - Bay Area, Check Please - Chicago, Chefs A'Field, CHOW.com, CMN Travels-Culinary Media Network, Cook's Country, Cooking Up a Story, Cooking.com, Cool Hunting, Cuisinart, Cupcake Wars, Curb Appeal: The Block, dineLA, Diners, Drinking Made Easy with Zane Lamprey, Drink Up with Darryl Robinson, Drive-ins and Dives, Divine Design, Down Home with the Neelys, Eat Pray Love, Epicurious, Farmers' Market Gourmet, Fashion Network, Fashion TV, Food and Wine Magazine, Food Network Nighttime iPad App, Food Wishes, FoodCrafters, Ford Models TV, Fresh Food Fast with Emeril Lagasse, Fresh the Movie, Good Eats, Gourmet Live iPad App, Gucci, H&M Fashion Video, Haute Couture: A Fashion Documentary, HGTV Design Star, HGTV Green Home 2010, Home Made Simple, Hubert Keller: Secrets of a Chef, Iron Chef America, Jamie Oliver Recipes, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Jolene Sugarbaker: The Trailer Park Cooking Show, Kimora, Life in the Fab Lane, Kings of Pastry, Kraft Cooking School, LA Times, Luxury Explorer TV, MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay, Mexico - One Plate at a Time, Mixology, New York Times Food, New York Times iPad App, New York Times the Minimalist with Mark Bittman, No Reservations, Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, Project Runway, Raising the Bar with Jamie Boudreau, Savoring the Best of World Flavors: World Culinary Arts Series, Savory Cities, Say Yes to the Dress, Simply Ming, Soul Kitchen, Style.com, Target Frugalista, The Cooks Plate, The Culinary Institute of America, The Dish, The Great Food Truck Race, The Naked Wine Show, The Next Food Network Star, The Rachel Zoe Project, The Winemakers, Thirsty Girl TV, ThreadBanger, D.I.Y. Fashion & Style, Throwdown With Bobby Flay, Tiki Bar TV, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Vegan a go-go, Vegan Hotspot, Vogue TV, What Not To Wear, What Would Brian Boitano Make?, Wine & Dine with Mastro, Wine Library TV, Without Borders, and Working Class Foodies.

The TASTY Awards are for food, fashion, and home lifestyle programming what the Grammys are for music and the Oscars are for Film.

The TASTY Awards Committee

Elevate your Dining Experience

When was the last time you got really excited about your dining experience?

So much so you can’t wait to get back and try it again? Well, that’s how I feel about Chef Anthony Goncalves creation Bellota, his restaurant within Restaurant 42 atop the Ritz Carleton Hotel in White Plains NY. 

Bellota is all about Tapas (small plates meant for sharing). The pricing is moderate and if you choose your wine carefully you are set for an amazing value driven, taste buds smiling dining experience. 

I sampled 4 dishes, Pulpo a la Planca, House-Cured Salt Cod Fritters with Garlic Aioli, Bitoque (Skirt Steak, Organic Egg, Toasted Country Bread) and my favorite of the evening the Brasied Pork Belly (Espresso-Honey Glaze,Spicy Pepper Puree, Sunny Quail Egg).

All the plates were amazing in there own way. To fully enjoy the completeness and thought fullness that goes into each of these dishes one only has to make sure to have all the components of what ever particular dish your experiencing,  on the fork at the same time.   In my opinion, Chef Anthony Goncalves, hit it out of the park, with his Pork Belly and I feel it deserves close inspection.

  

Given its square shape one is most inclined to cut in from the corner. The first bite starts with a delicately thin crunch from a caramelized top micro layer. Beneath, a plush soft underbelly with a balanced savory saltiness melts in your mouth, followed by an every so slight sweetness of the chocolate caviar (dont ask me how he makes it, because I haven’t the slightest idea) and finishes with the bright and tangy spicy pepper sauce. As though that wasn’t enough with the second bite, the addition of the fried quail egg and  it’s runny yolk creates a whole new dimenision of texture and flavors. 

Frankly, I cant wait to go back to try some other Tapas dishes as well as some of the in house made Charcuterie. 

Story and photos: Simon Feldman 

Brick Oven Pizza

Brick Oven Pizza at the Harvest on Hudson Restaurant.
Story and photos by Simon Feldman

If your a fan of thin crust pizza, like I am, you might want to stop by the Harvest on Hudson restaurant in Hastings on Hudson, NY. While they make a variety of toppings for their brick oven pizza, I had the good fortune to catch up with Harvest’s Executive Chef Vincent Barcelona today. He recommended I try the daily special pizza. Pear, Gorgonzola and Ricotta drizzled with honey.

I was glad I took him up on his suggestion. At first bite the slightly crispy crust quickly yielded to the sharpness of the gorgonzola, only to be soften by the sweetness of the pear and honey, while the ricotta smoothed the way for the next titillating taste. Overall I was impressed with this pizza's big flavor profile and creative selection of ingredients. I would recommend it to any pizza enthusiast. While they call them personal size pizzas they seem big enough for two to enjoy, and you can always get them to go. You can find out more about Harvest on Hudson on their web site www.harvest2000.com

Ancient Cures Modern Chefs

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Join the Chefs at Harvest on Hudson restaurant as they create artisan meats using salt curing methods. For more information contact Harvest on Hudson Hastings, NY