Daily Loaf

In just a few months every culture vulture in Tampa Bay will be descending on the new Stanley Saitowitz-designed home of the Tampa Museum of Art and its inaugural exhibition, A Celebration of Henri Matisse: Master of Line and Light. But as the winner of this item, you and a friend will get to escape the crowds and go on a private tour of the Matisse show and the museum with its highly personable new director Todd Smith and CL art critic Megan Voeller. Then you’ll top off your tour with lunch at Sono Cafe, which isn’t just any museum cafeteria; it’s being run by Mise en Place.

Current High Bid: $50.

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HCC’s Visual and Performing Arts Series presents Danny Hoch’s (pictured) critically acclaimed one-man show, Jails, Hospitals and Hip-Hop — with a twist. Accompanying lone actor Curtis Belz’s eight monologue characterizations – which include Flip, a good ol’ boy from the Midwest who has come to identify with urban hip-hoppers; Bronx, a sidewalk vendor who gets pinched for selling without a license; and Sam, a prison guard with an anger management problem (evidenced by his beating a prisoner nearly to death) –are musician Matt Wetherington and choreographer/dancer DeMario Henry. Wetherington’s original score includes mixing on stage and live guitar; Henry shows off fresh hip-hop moves and dance, and his hip-hop troupe, the VYB Dance Company, kicks off the show. Sept. 17-19, 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., Hillsborough Community College – Ybor Campus, Performing Arts Building, Corner of Palm Avenue and 14th St., Ybor City,  $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors, free for HCC students, faculty and staff, 813-253-7695. – Lily Reisman Read the rest of this entry »

This week, life threw a massive curve ball at Creative Loafing Media. Taken over by the NYC-based hedge fund to whom we owed a ton of money, each employee processed the news in a different way: sadness, optimism, relief. Me? I got shit-faced. On great wine. I figured if my family’s legacy is going down [my parents founded Creative Loafing and my brother was CEO until last Tuesday], I should consume voluminous amounts of quality juice. Fast. However, the questioned remained … which ones? So many choices, so little time to race and get to the promised land.

Obviously, I needed something high in alcohol. These sorts of wines emerge from hot areas, where the grapes grow fat with sugar and the resulting wine has more punch (sugar converts to alcohol in fermentation). Napa, Sonoma, Barossa Valley (Australia), Washington State (yes, there are areas where it isn’t miserably rainy), and a host of other delicious choices for the perfect Zen state of non-thought. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the culture surrounding celebrity chefs that’s sprung up in recent years worldwide, our own local culinary heroes usually spend much of their time behind the line instead of in front of the cameras. Our annual Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll is your chance to recognize your favorite knife-wielding madman (or madwoman)!

Right now, the race is tight. Here’s a rundown on the top vote-getters so far: Read the rest of this entry »

When I was a kid, I compared myself to everyone. One teacher called me “other-directed” and it wasn’t until my twenties that I realized that wasn’t a glowing compliment. I carried a bit of this into adulthood, and perhaps it shows up in my voyeuristic sneak peeks at what wine drinkers are sipping. As a wine writer, it’s good to have my sights on the scene, so I ask bars, restaurants and wine retail shops from time to time to reveal what you’re drinking.

It appears that you guys, after an Anything But Chardonnay run, are migrating back to this classic white. Rathbun’s in Atlanta sees plenty of action in its Edna Valley Chardonnay. But co-owner Cliff Bramble reports an educated price variance in what people are choosing – in the under-$40- per-bottle category, people order a “chardonnay,” whereas in the upper price tier, customers request selections from specific wine regions – aka AVAs – like Carneros or Russian River. Same goes for other varietals like pinot noir or malbec, as in the delicious Terrazas Malbec from Argentina they pour by the glass.

Vinocity Wine Bar in Atlanta constantly scours for quality, underpriced wines. Owner Ian Smith’s best sellers are Poppy Pinot Noir, Plungerhead Zin, Bloom Gewurztraminer and one of my favorites, Quivira Sauvignon Blanc. Looking pretty good there.

In Tampa, Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits and Mise en Place Restaurant echo the chardonnay boon but Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, August 11: Publix Apron’s Cooking School
Hispanic Techniques. Learn to inject Latin flavor into your cooking in this four-part series of cooking classes. The course menu borrows from many Hispanic traditions, and includes: rellenos de papas; rice and beans with calabaza; salted codfish stewed in tomatoes and olives; coconut ice cream;  cucumber soup; hearts of palm salad; pupusas; Honduras torrijas (ladyfingers in syrup); empanada de pino (meat turnover); bistec a lo pobre (traditional beefsteak); pastel de choclo (corn and meat pie); turron de vino (wine meringue); ceviche de pescado; aji (Andean-style Cchile paste); lomo saltado (steak with red wine); aji de gallina (spicy chicken); papas a la arequipena. $200 for all four classes. 10 a.m. Tuesdays, Aug. 11-Sept. 1., 7835 Gunn Highway, Tampa (813-926-4465)

Wednesday, August 12: The Lobster Pot
Z Fest. The Zodiac Club, a Salvador Dali Museum support group, hosts this evening of culinary delight and arty conversation, offering half price entrees like lobster bisque, oysters Rockefeller, lobster tail, filet mignon and more.  The Lobster Pot offers Zodiac Club members the same “surreal deal” through the end of August. RSVP to victor.g.santiago@me.com. 6:30 p.m., 17814 Gulf Blvd., Redington Shores (727-291-8532)

Wednesday, August 12: Bern’s Fine Wines and Spirits
Potluck Wednesday. Beat the mid-week dinner blahs by stopping in for SideBern’s gourmet take-away — and enjoy a complimentary mini-wine tasting while you wait. This week’s one-stop wonder is duck confit cannelloni, with roasted hazelnuts, arugula and caramelized onion. $19.95. 5-8 p.m., 1002 S. Howard Ave., Tampa (813-250-9463) Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this past week:

Cool-N-Save: An eco-friendly energy saver for your air conditioning unit (Video): Jennifer Meier writes about how the Cool-n-SaveTM system affixes to the top of most home air conditioning units, resulting in a substantial drop in ambient temperature of up to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The Cool-N-Save(TM) system has also been rated by the US Department of Energy and EPA as an Energy Star Partner.

Signs of hope: are our environmental efforts making a difference?: Linda Taylor shows us an example of how environmental efforts can make a difference, even if they take years to come to fruition.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Florida Aquarium and Mise en Place are partnering up to raise awareness for World Ocean Day by offering a special sustainable seafood menu for two weeks at the restaurant. Beginning the week of June 8th, Mise will donate $3 for each sustainable seafood three-course meal, which will cost $35, or $5 for each dinner with a wine purchase until Saturday, June 20th, to benefit the aquarium’s Marine Science Conversation and Education programs.

What is sustainable seafood and why is this important? Tom Wagner, the Public Relations manager at the Aquarium, explains that “Sustainable seafood is about becoming educated about where the fish you eat is coming from, how it is being caught, and making sure there is enough of the particular fish to be able to keep reproducing in the oceans”. Overfishing, as Tom explained, is one type of problem that has become hazardous to our ecosystem. Overfishing stems from the fish being caught before they are of reproductive age, thus making that fish stock below normal levels and overall effecting the the marine ecosystem.
Read the rest of this entry »

Starting July 1, Sous Chef Ferrell Alvarez, Marty Blitz’s right-hand-man for many years at Mise en Place, is moving to the Executive Chef slot at Cafe Dufrain. Also making the switch in October is Ty Rodriguez, General Manager at Mise.

Ferrell and Andy Bonnemort, owners of Cafe Dufrain, couldn’t be happier, although they came to learn of Chef Ferrell’s interest in a round-about way. Ferrell Bonnemort called Chef Ferrell (yes, same name, different genders, different pronounciations) for a reference on another candidate and when she described the position, he said, “Hey, I might be interested in that.” At first, Ferrell turned him down, since she wasn’t interested in “stealing” away a chef from a fellow indie restaurant owner. But Chef Ferrell doggedly pursued the position, also asking if Ty Rodriguez could be considered for the General Manager opening (Cafe Dufrain was also looking to replace their current GM, who is leaving in October to go to nursing school). A package deal made in restaurant heaven.

After Andy and Ferrell both met Ty and Ferrell, they knew they’d found the right team. Bonnemort said, “All the right elements just fell into place. We combed through over 400 applicants and Alvarez and Rodriguez are clearly who we need to take us to the next level.”  

Surprisingly, there are no hard feelings coming from Mise en Place co-proprietor Maryann Ferenc, who said, “It’s a positive thing… I’m ridiculously happy for them. All things happen as they’re supposed to…”

Chef Marty Blitz from Mise en Place

Yea, I was lucky enough to grab a $500 ticket to Saturday’s posh, celebrity-studded affair set up on the astroturf at Tropicana Field. Very well organized, I must give kudos to the people who were able to transform a ballpark into an elegant venue featuring 38 dishes from chefs all over the country. Each creation was paired with a different wine from Gallo Family Vineyards and, as a not-so-side-note, an NFL player.

Reportedly – and I might add, not surprisingly – less attended than other years, there were no lines, no waiting for the food and wine samples. But people ate up the NFL players – current and retired players signing autographs, taking pictures, chatting people up. Some bigger names: Read the rest of this entry »