Chef Tom Collichio in Charleston!!!

I wish I had known....anyway :) Courtesy of Food & Wine Magazine

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/mouthing-off/2009/11/16/Tom-Colicchio-Day-1-Dinner-at-McCradys

Day 1: Dinner at McCrady's

By Tom Colicchio
Related Categories: Chefs, Cooking, Farms, Travel, Restaurants, Ingredients

© Courtesy of Tom Colicchio
Outside McCrady's in Charleston, SC

Editor's note: Tom Colicchio, the head judge on Bravo's Top Chef (and a Food & Wine Best New Chef 1991), will be blogging every day this week about his road trip from Atlanta.

When I asked Glenn what chefs in the area were doing southern food the old-fashioned way, he named Sean Brock at McCrady's in Charleston.

Since Charleston was our next stop, we took Glenn up on his suggestion and invited Matt and Ted Lee to join us. The Lee Brothers have written extensively for this magazine, know just about everything there is to know about Charleston, and were kind enough to offer to show us around their stomping grounds.

We were treated that night to locally caught stone crab and triggerfish, as well as a house-made charcuterie selection starring Sean Brock's own Yorkshire pigs. Anson Mills grains appeared in two courses during our dinner: Farro and Sea Island Red Peas were served with a rich block of pork belly, and Carolina Gold Rice accompanied swiss chard and lamb with vadouvan. I found Sean Brock's cooking to be a mixture of the traditional and the modern, applying progressive, contemporary techniques and presentations to time-honored southern ingredients and flavors.

Sean prides himself on buying as much as possible from small farmers and fisherman in the Charleston area, and even grows some of his own food at his farm in McClellanville. After our meal at McCrady's we were all eager to meet Sean's growers, so he offered to take us to a friend's farm the next day.

Posted November 16, 2009 at 3:31 PM EST

TOP CHEF Open Casting Calls - Great Information :)

For all you great chefs and foodies....take a look at this!!

From http://www.bravotv.com/casting

NOW CASTING: Top Chef: Season 7, Thintervention with Jackie Warner, Top Chef: Just Desserts

Top Chef: Season 7

THE COMPETITION IS SERIOUS! Every season the bar gets higher, every season it means more to be the one on top – do you have what it takes to be the next TOP CHEF?

Do you KNOW you could mop the kitchen floor with the chefs on Bravo’s smash hit competition series? Well, this could be your chance to do it!

We are NOW CASTING for Top Chef Season 7!

Chefs with a passion for food, creativity, a thorough knowledge of cooking techniques and trends and oodles of charisma are what we’re looking for. We want talented, experienced chefs with that flare that puts you over the top.

Please go to HERE for complete casting information. Download and fill out an application and follow the guidelines for your video submission. Please send to us ASAP. The sooner you get the application and video (and other required materials) to us, the better!

Or better yet, bring that filled out app and video (and other required materials) down to one of our nationwide open calls. No need to bring your knives, just check required elements on the application and show up with those in hand to meet our casting producers.

THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED. APPLICATIONS AND VIDEOTAPES MUST BE RECEIVED BY DECEMBER 4, 2009 AT MIDNIGHT ET TO BE CONSIDERED. ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE AS OF MARCH 28, 2010.

TC7 OPEN CASTING CALLS

WASHINGTON, DC
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
10:00am – 2:00pm
OCCIDENTAL GRILL & SEAFOOD
@ Willard InterContinental Hotel
1475 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
www.occidentaldc.com

BOSTON
Wednesday, November 4, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
The Westin Boston Waterfront
http://www.westinbostonwaterfront.com/

ATLANTA
Sunday, November 8, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Craft Restaurant
http://www.craftrestaurant.com/craft_atlanta_style.html

NEW YORK
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
10:00am – 2:00pm
CRAFTSTEAK
85 Tenth Ave (at W.15th St)
New York, NY 10011
www.craftrestaurant.com/craftsteak_newyork.html

DALLAS
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
10:00am – 2:00pm
Abacus
4511 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75205
www.kentrathbun.com

LAS VEGAS
Wednesday, November 11, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Craftsteak
http://www.craftrestaurant.com/craftsteak_lasvegas.html

LOS ANGELES
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
10:00am – 2:00pm
CRAFT
10100 Constellation Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067
www.craftrestaurant.com/craft_losangeles_style.html

PORTLAND
Sunday, November 15, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
The Benson Hotel
309 Southwest Broadway, Portland, Oregon 97205
http://www.bensonhotel.com/

2010 Charleston Entertainment Guide

Hello all, I apologize that it has been so long since I have written a blog, but we are back up and running. Today is my birthday, and I got a really ingeniuos gift that I wanted to share with you all. I frankly didn't know that these existed, but they are a great idea, and I am anxiously awaiting when mine comes in.

What am I talking about, you ask? The 2010 Charleston Entertainment Book
http://www.entertainment-savings-offers.com/charleston-sc/book/

It has coupons and deals for great restaurants and stores and places to go have fun in your hometown, while saving money!

And the best deal, if you order now, you get the 2009 book for free to use for the rest of this year! The 2010 book ships in August or September and I'm sure is well worth the wait.

So looking forward to seeing what all is there and use it all the time :)

Have a great day all!

BACCO - A great Italian Treat

So after a recital one night, some friends and I decided we would try a new Italian place, BACCO. What a treat we stumbled into. Small, intimate and immaculate, the ambiance is beautiful with clean white tablecloths and plates and a gorgeos wine wall on the back level. The waiter was very knowledgable and all I can say about the food is AMAZING. True, homemade, Italian food. There is nothing like it. The prices are very reasonable, and the portions are perfect and customizeable (they have small end large portions on most entrees). Their antipasto of mized olives was a great favorite at our table, and the vegetarian lasagna and bolognese were spectacular. Highly recommended for a nice quiet dinner!

JAC JAZZ SERIES KICKS OFF TONIGHT! - The Rudy Waltz

TONIGHT! - These guys are fantastic..don't miss it and BYOW for $15 corkage :)

MAY 22

SET I: 7:30pm

SET II: 10:30pm

Don't miss THE RUDY WALTZ Upstairs at Mistral TONIGHT! This trio is a continuation of the jazz trio tradition moving forward into the 21st century, featuring its founding member, percussionist Ron Wiltrout. They play standards in their own way and often seek out less commonly played tunes for their repertoire. Pop song arrangements are also presented, but throughout all of the music there are elements of deep interaction and freedom. This piano trio features Ron Wiltrout on drums, Richard White, Jr. on keys and Jake Holwegner playing acoustic bass.

TICKETS + MORE INFO THEJAC.ORG 843.641.0011

CharlestonCulture.com Launch Party

The Charleston Arts Coalition, a creative hub for all disciplines in Charleston's creative community, will launch its first project, CharlestonCulture.com on Thursday, May 14 from 6 to 8 pm at Robert Lange Studios followed by an after party at 9 pm at Shine. Space is limited, RSVP necessary. The event is free to members and $5 donation to non-members. CharlestonCulture.com, an open source website accessible simply by signing up, fulfills the Coalition's promise to provide a virtual gateway to the creative arts community of Charleston. The website promotes and gives the general public access to all creative disciplines in our community through profiles, calendar listings, postings and more. Sponsored in part by the Charleston Visitor's Bureau, the site broadens public access and participation in the arts and culture of the area.The Charleston Arts Coalition offers this website to Charleston's creative arts community free of charge with a goal of creating and uniting a dynamic and thriving creative arts environment. Members of the Charleston Arts Coalition will receive premium calendar listings, profile space and postings on the website. Individual membership is $30 per person, and business membership is $50 per business or organization.There will be food provided by Shine, wine from British Wine Merchant, music by DJ Icebread & Door Prizes! For more information about the coalition, to get involved or to take a survey, visit www.charlestonartscoalition.com.Space is limited, RSVP necessary. Please RSVP to chasartco@gmail.com.

Terrace Theatre Makes a Big Hit!

Most of us who have lived here for the last few years remember the closing of the IMAX theatre at Fountain Walk downtown. What a fantastic place to see nature IMAX films like 'Everest' and also to see the rare blockbuster on IMAX like the Harry Potter movies. Well now, the biggest movie theatre in Charleston is back! Mike from Terrace Theatre is now the proud owner of the Hippodrome, which is expandable and retractable to suit his great arts films as well as the blockbuster movies of summer. For the grand opening, they have the new Star Trek film, which after seeing it last night is a must for for old trekkies and trekkers of new!

Finally a mainstream movie house in downtown that will bring Charleston a little bit of everything.

Check out their website: http://www.terracetheater.com/

Please look at our website; http://www.charlestonscstyle.com