Upcoming Tastings and Menus

So I meant to put this up a little while ago to give you some time to get jazzed about the upcoming menus that I will post tastings of as they come, but alas, here I am posting, and then tomorrow I will head to Coastal Kitchen’s tasting, but that just means you only have a day or two to wait for the pretty pictures and delicious descriptions.

Tomorrow I am heading to Coastal to taste the menu featuring foods from the Basque region of Europe. If you are unfamiliar, the Basque are a unique people living in a mountainous region of Spain and France (their area stradles the border). With the Sea to one side and a fertile valley to the other, Spain to one side and France to another, the Basque cuisine draws from a number of different sources for culinary inspiration. I can’t wait to taste what chef John Mehl (formerly of Atlas Foods) has come up with for us.

 Next week, I will be zipping across town to check out the New Orleans menu at the 5 Spot. General Manager Dave has been working his butt off getting this menu not only up and running, but also totally integrated with a number of philanthropic events. If you have ever wanted to donate money in a unique and exciting way to help out Katrina victims and re-enliven this oh so lively city, Dave will have many ways for you to do that.

Two weeks after that I will be off to West Seattle to explore my own families culinary heritage at the tasting for Endolyne Joe’s Brooklyn menu. With a mother who grew up on Eastern Parkway, I have eaten my fair share of knishes and brisket in my life and can’t wait to taste the versions chef Janel comes up with.

Looking forward to supplying all of you out in blog land with pictures and descriptions to get your mouths watering. Questions? comments? suggestions? Leave ‘em for us!

What’s cooking at the 5 Spot?

It might be hard to think about the next menu at the 5 Spot because our weather has been so fitting to the delicious tropical foods from Hawaii that are there now, but, alas, after 3 months we will be moving on. It was recently decided that the fall menu will be the Festival of Festivals. This will be a celebration of food festivals across the country, because what is more fun to celebrate than a celebration of food?

Next Coastal Kitchen Travel Destination

Even though we are just getting around to trying each and every dish on the Jamaica menu here at Coastal Kitchen, I have just learned that the kitchen staff are hard at work preparing for the fall menu, featuring the food, wine and decor of Casablanca. Having only seen the movies, I’ll have to wait for the tasting to let you know about Chef Nate’s delicacies and GM Madison’s tales of culture and her decorations.