NRA Show Blog

Star of the Bar joins Floored!

By Nathan Greene, Resident Mixologist
International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event Star of the Bar winner

My name is Nathan Greene, and I am excited and honored to be a part of the Floored! team. I suppose I got this gig because I was named the 2010 International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event “Star of the Bar” competition winner back in May. *grins*

That competition, which I found on Twitter no less, has completely changed my life. When I submitted my video to be considered for the semi-finals of the competition, I was fresh out of Crescent School of Gaming and Bartending, having graduated from their 3 month Beverage Management program here in Las Vegas, NV. Life issues forced me to reevaluate my career path a few months earlier, and because I was having trouble, especially in this economy, finding even just a barback position right out of school (I actually ended up sending out 41 applications, going on 9 interviews and 5 call back interviews overall to no avail), I thought I’d show some initiative and try my hand at creating cocktails in hopes that I could build my resume since I lacked experience in the industry.
 
Competition was tough; I was up against creative amateurs and well-known mixologists, but ultimately and amazingly, my “Kiwi Berry Serinitea” was voted the winner, and life has been a whirlwind since.

Turning the other cheek

By Chef Jeremy Hanlon, Food & Trends Contributor
National Restaurant Association NRA Show 2010 Hot Chef Challenge winner

Getting the most for your money is on everyone’s mind these days! Whether a restaurant owner, manager, or home cook it is always important to create as much value as you can out of your purchased products. When I was fortunate enough to train in San Sebastian, Spain at ARZAK, the most important lesson I learned was that each aspect of an ingredient has a purpose. I remember after picking parsley leaves for garnish, my first reaction was to throw away the stems…normal right ?!? No – not at ARZAK.  Instead, they would place them between two silpats, slide a rolling pin across the top to break the fibers, and then blanch them in order to use them as garnish on plates.

Is it time to get geosocial?

Social media has become part of daily life for many Americans. Businesses are following suit by creating marketing campaigns and promotions around their guests' online and mobile habits.

While Twitter and Facebook still rule the field, newer channels are gaining ground. Location-based social or geosocial networks are among the newcomers presenting opportunities for restaurants.

These geosocial networks are games with rewards played on smartphones. When users visit  restaurants, movie theaters, retail stores or tourist attractions, they “check in” on their mobile devices.

Most services also offer an option to add comments or share information on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Users earn points for each check in. In some cases, they earn badges or buttons after a certain number of check ins.

Some networks also let users redeem points for rewards. In addition, most services let the user who checks in the most times at a certain location earn titles (mayor, duke/dutchess, etc.).

Several companies have built a solid reputation with their geosocial features, including Foursquare [a 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) education session presenter], Gowalla, Yelp [also an NRA Show 2010 presenter] and Booyah (creator of MyTown and InCrowd). Facebook, with 500 million-plus users, just launched its location-based application Places last week. Trend-watchers are speculating on how Facebook will expand the concept, but the company announced that information from other networks will integrate with Places.

Lombardi goes to Hollywood

 
Photo courtesy of Emmys.com

 By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Lombardi Company, an International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show exhibiting company, will participate in one of the 62nd Primetime Emmy® Awards’ official pre-parties in Hollywood.

The Emmys has a rep for being one of the most “glitz and glam” celebrity-watching, parties of the year. Winning cocktail recipes from the recent Lombardi Company Recipe Showdown will travel to Hollywood to be enjoyed by some of TV’s biggest stars.

If you’re looking to share in this people-watching frenzy, sip these Recipe Showdown winning libations - after all, it's what your favorite celebrities will be drinking at the 2010 Emmys.

Bull Dog
2 oz. Lombardi Southern Lemon Liqueur
1 oz. Red Bull
Shake and strain over ice
submitted by anonymous late nighter


Lisa’s Lemonade
Layer of Muddled Strawberries
Fill glass with ice
1/2 Lombardi Limonata
1/2 Club soda
submitted by Lisa Goecke

Comedian, writer and talk show host Jimmy Fallon (NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) hosts The Emmy Awards, airing live coast-to-coast on NBC, Sunday, August 29 (5-8 p.m. PT, 8-11 p.m. ET).

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

By Chef Jeremy Hanlon
National Restaurant Association's NRA Show 2010 Hot Chef Challenge winner

I spent a few days this week in The Outer Banks of North Carolina. Every summer my family gathers to relax on the beach, hang by the pool and of course eat great food and drink summer cocktails. Since there are 15 of us (including 5 kids under 6), the eating and drinking aspect is never enjoyed in small quantities (blogger’s note: always drink responsibly!). Each couple is responsible for preparing at least one dinner and purchasing cocktails, wine or beer for the group. Being the only “chef” in the family, I am called on regularly for advice, discussion and assistance, which I enjoy because I get to share my tips and am able to spend time with each couple versus a big group. 

The 10 Best New Restaurants in America

Line cook Pauline Drumm (left), chef de cuisine Derek Hanson (middle), and line cook Adam Hungale (right) keep the kitchen moving at Laurelhurst Market in Portland, Oregon.

Once again, we ate our way across the country in search of the best new restaurants. These 10 fantastic spots--from casual places with communal tables to high-end, white-tablecloth affairs--prove that the American restaurant scene is alive and well, and more delicious than ever.

Laurelhurst Market - Portland, Oregon
3155 East Burnside Street, 503-206-3097, laurelhurstmarket.com
The Story: Part steakhouse, part butcher shop, 100 percent ode to all things meat--this is "The Year in Food 2010" distilled into a single restaurant. A chalkboard--with a cow diagram and "cuts available tonight" menu--hangs near the open kitchen in the industrial space. All the good steakhouse cliches (fun, raucous) without all the bad ones (super-expensive, boys' club).
The Team: Owners Benjamin Dyer and Jason Owens and chef-owner David Kreifels (all partners in supper club Simpatica Dining Hall).
Must Order: Meat! More specifically, beef. Try cuts like culotte (a.k.a. baseball steak), rib eye, or hanger steak. Throw in a side of Millennium Farms creamed corn for good measure.
What's in a Name: It's a nod to both the neighborhood where the restaurant is located and the name of the mini mart that used to inhabit the space.
The Recipe: Rib-Eye Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Walla Walla Onion Rings

Miller Union - Atlanta
999 Brady Avenue, 678-733-8550, millerunion.com
The Story: Miller Union takes the southern meat-and-three tradition and tweaks it. Gone are the steam tables, Formica tables, and dusty decor. In their place are farm-fresh meats and veggies, a modern farmhouse feel in a warehouse space, and a light but satisfying menu.
The Team: Chef Steven Satterfield, a master of vegetable cookery and former executive sous-chef at Atlanta favorite Watershed, owns the restaurant with general manager Neal McCarthy.
Must Order: Griddled chicken made with heritage breed Poulet Rouge; the seasonal vegetable plate.
What's in a Name: The restaurant is built on the site of the Miller Union Stock Yards, which closed in the 1970s.
The Recipe: Crispy Chicken with Green Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, and Bell Peppers

Bakke: Litchfield chef hobnobs with stars at NYC movie premiere

All of the big names were at Tuesday night’s New York City premiere of the movie “Eat Pray Love” — Julia Roberts, Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem … Colin Thomas. Who? Colin Thomas. You know, from Litchfield? Used to work at the Ponderosa down there? Right, that Colin Thomas.

via www.sj-r.com

Curb your enthusiasm at Taste of the Nation Chicago

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

An insider tells Floored! that Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Chicago’s event co-chair and Hub 51 restaurant (a past National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show International Back-of-House participating restaurant) co-owner RJ Melman has scored a sweet silent auction “get” for tomorrow’s party-goers – a walk-on role for two on the HBO comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

Taste of the Nation Chicago
August 12, 2010
The Aragon Ballroom
1106 W Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60640

Tickets are still available.

Blogger's note: Update to Floored! blog post "Chicago's chefs cook to end childhood hunger".

Photo courtesy of Movie Wallpaper

NRA Show winner heads to "Eat, Pray, Love" in New York

By Derrek J. Hull, Blogger-in-Chief

Colin Thomas in Litchfield, Ill., is heading out for an all-expense paid trip to the New York City premiere of the new movie Eat, Pray, Love today, courtesy of the National Restaurant Association and Sony Pictures. Thomas is the lucky grand-prize winner of the drawing that was held at the Association’s 2010 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, together with 20 others who won tickets to advance screenings of the film across the U.S.

NRA Show 2010 attendees had the opportunity to enter a drawing in the World Culinary Showcase for movie tickets and the grand-prize trip during the four-day event, which was held May 22-25 in Chicago. Eat, Pray, Love stars Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem and opens in theaters on August 13.

A New York Strip state of mind

By Chef Jeremy Hanlon
National Restaurant Association's NRA Show 2010 Hot Chef Challenge winner

After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, I worked and lived in Manhattan for 5 years. I left behind a Wall Street job and memorable steak dinners, compliments of my employer, to follow my passion for cooking and the hospitality industry. Although my pursuits allowed me very little free time, I always found a way to sneak in visits to local eateries. To discuss all of the many amazing acclaimed and unknown (10 seat) restaurants in New York would be defined as a novel, or a long night out with a couple dozen foodies - you pick!

Regardless of the venue though, like many meat lovers, I have the occasional craving for a great steak! If you eat meat, you understand this feeling that turns into an obsession, until the cut of your choice gets placed in front of you. I personally go through phases with different cut preferences, and am influenced based on time of year, geographic location and of course the preparation. Whether it is: A) classic steak house, B) French bistro, C) Korean BBQ or D) some American fusion twist, when I am craving beef I will choose E) any of the above.