You've been waiting patiently...

It's coming.

305 East Coast Edition

I recently rolled down to South Beach for a weekend.

Here's the footage.

Sunshine Skyway

Hammer Down

Albion by night

Straddling the Great River@ the Shore Club

New friends @ the Raleigh

... they just taste better@ 4:30

Just a couple examples of South Beach's absolutely amazing Art Deco architecture.

You remember it from Miami Vice... the fastest Sport in the world (played with a ball). Also the unofficial home of old school Cubans.

Nice views from the Albion

The Beach @ SoFi district

Tiff 3.0

Tiff version 3.0 lanuches yesterday...here are some highlights.

They have no idea what's coming.

Time to eat. It was a good omen when we had to head down Trader Vic's lane to get here (it once housed the legendary TV's & Tiff is no stranger to the Tiki Puka Puka bowl.)

Who knew the Vietnamese were known for their Mojitos?!?!

There's no turning back now.

Fly the Virgin skies

So I've been following this whole Virgin America (the airline not the reality show - not that I'm opposed) thing for a while now. And maybe I've even signed their petition.

Well today I would get my proverbial wings.

While they have been flying for 8 months, this is the first chance I've had to embark on a journey with them as they do serve limited routes (currently just combos of LA, SF, NY, DC, LV and Seattle with Boston and Miami allegedly not far behind).

I must say that it's one of the few flights I actually wanted to be longer. Brand spanking new A320s. Chromotherapy lighting (which I was first hooked on at the Nordic Light [http://www.nordiclighthotel.se/en/Experience-the-hotel/Hotel-rooms/Deluxe-Mood/] in Stockholm). Great seat-back infotainment and gaming. They certainly kick the a$$ of the other alleged low-cost carriers. Another home run from Sir Richard.

Day 2..........An Orgy of Food...(ref. M. Viner)

This was the day we all truly thought we would - at multiple points in the day - literally explode.


We didn't puss around with wafer thin mints. Full Throttle. Hammer Down. Tilt your head back, let's finish the cup (props to Mike D, Ad Rock and MCA).


If Molto Mario's rotund size is any indication, we know how he got there. When it's this good, it would be hard to turn it down.


First stop (after Le Pain Quotidien b-fast of course) was Mozza. I've already been a few times and it only gets better.

We met some new cougar friends and bonded over some fine Italian fare much of which we were too busy consuming to properly document...and that's...o.k.

We did catch Super Mario (as he will be heretofore known) just before he boxed up this delecatble smattering of pizzas.

...and then there were 4. 4 Sugars that is. In that tiny little cup of espresso. I think Mitch lost a little control of 'Bad Mitch' and didn't realize that this would eventually lead to the 1st Food Coma of the day.







If you squint, you can see Diane Keaton behind Mitch's head. The only reason I point this out (it's certainly not for her cinematic acheivements) is that her table knocked out a lot more than we did (girl was puttin' it away) and she still manages to weigh less than my boots. What the hell?!?!



PAUSE





INVOLUNTARY NAP



We Now Return to the Orgy of Food already in progress.



So...



It's evening.



We hear there's a new BLTSteak on the strip now occupying the former hallowed halls of Hollywood legend Le Dome. They have big shoes to fill. Very big.



Word on the streets is that Jilly F. knows somebody who knows somebody or something like that.



We arrive. We sit. For some reason we are thoroughly stalled by the menu layout so we decide to knock out a few apps and salads to get things rolling.



And then, before we even know what happens, you can smell in the air the gleeful panic of the gastronomical apocalypse...



The Executive Corporate Chef peeks out from that back room where all of the magic happens. Turns out that this is the 'somebody' I mentioned earlier. (Big ups to Jill) He says his hellos and is on his way back to combine strange and not so strange things into culinary delights.



From then on...it's as if we are being challenged. It's the Thuderdome of dining. We order two things, they send out 3 or 4 - compliments of the chef they tell us. I _know_ we were all sated by the end of the salad course but that was just the tip of the Titanic iceberg. By that point we had been seduced by the popovers, chicken liver pate and charcuterie. I don't even think I can recollect with accuracy the dishes we had afterwards for I would unfairly leave out something just based on sheer volume of plates.



This, however, is the result...taken at a point in the evening when we could still move. Before the second involuntary food coma.



Le WHO?

Westside Til I Die (with apologies to Dre, Pac and Snoop) PST

Rollin back out west you know it all starts with the almighty In-N-Out!

MmmmmmHmmmm That IZZ a Tasty Burger (Sorry Sam).

Of course one would need a beverage to wash that down =

Which would, in turn, be followed by Katsuya...and some beverages to wash that down...Natch

...and to think this was only the beginning.

It's finally Mardi Gras!

After all of the buildup - it's finally here. We couldn't have asked for better weather on this trip. We dodged the rain bullet no less than 3 times.

Today we are celebrating the actual Mardi Gras day at one of the largest Mardi Gras celebrations in southern Louisiana - downtown Lafayette.

MmmmHmm - KingCake. The corner stone of any nutritional breakfast.

I ask you - where else can you get a Fo Dolla Pork Steak sammich while some boys are throwin down some mad dominos in the background?!?

B.F.F.
New F.F. - or at least for the duration of Mardi Gras. (Yes, she is standing on a cooler)

What Mardi Gras day is complete without some boiled crawfish?!?

L'aissez les bon temps rouller!

Behind the scenes on Avery Island

As many of you know, I like it hot - food, cars, girls...pretty much everything. So, it's a natural that I now take you on a behind the scenes look at the most legendary hot sauce in the world - Tabasco.

We spent the better part of the day learning the intricacies of the world's most beloved hot sauce. After a day of debauchery in New Orleans it was welcomed. I won't go into all of the details here but you can find out all of the information you need along with some great images all packaged nicely in a coffee table book called Tabasco: An Illustrated History (http://www.amazon.com/Tabasco-Illustrated-Shane-K-Bernard/dp/0979780802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202365316&sr=8-1)

Our first stop on 'the Island' (sounds like an episode of LOST) was the Tabasco Deli. This is a quaint little store that sells items and supplies for the people that live on the island. They also make a killer boudin po-boy...or two. If Hurley had access to Dharma boudin I'm guessing he'd never want to leave the island.

After we were sufficiently fueled up, it was time to go deep into Tabasco land...

Our first stop was to the Mash Warehouse - Ground Zero for the red stuff.

Our first Tabasco guru was Hamilton. A kind man who has literally worked at Tabasco longer than I've been alive. They first harvest the tabasco peppers and turn them into a bright red mash (with a small amount of salt). That mash is then stored for 3 years in these whiskey barrels and allowed to ferment. Afterwards, some vinegar and salt is added and that is your basic process. Believe me, it is much much more detailed than that but I will spare you the 4 hour instructional here - blogger is far too slow to upload. Buy the book instead. We were fortunate enough to actually be able to sample some of the pepper mash from one of the barrels which was undergoing the fermentation process. It's' AMAZING. I almost think they should make a reserve sauce sans vinegar which is directly derived from this mash. It is killer tasty.

After Hamilton regaled us with information on the process and why they salt the barrel tops, etc it was on to meet with our second Tabasco guru Shane. He handles the historical and archival element relating to the sauce and everyone involved with it.

We got to see a number of unique items that are tucked away into the archives. Letters, prototypes, historical bottles, wartime items and the like including the special bottles which are used in such presidentail stalwarts as the White House and Air Force One.

It was truly a unique opportunity. Damn that mash tastes good!

Special thanks to Shane and Shannon for arranging this.

Bacchus, Booze and Bowl

The Road to New Orleans

Another morning = another opportunity to try some delectable delights. Today, we're off to New Orleans for a VIP super bowl party which just happens to be located at a historic antebellum mansion on St. Charles which just happens to be right in the path of the most raucous of all New Orleans parades - Bacchus (the Greek god of wine http://www.kreweofbacchus.org/html/index.htm ).

The Royal Sonesta used to be THE balcony spot in the Quarter for Mardi Gras. As you can see, some things have changed since Katrina. While it was a fairly packed city - it was nothing like years before. The Quarter remained largely untouched but many businesses here - notably restaurants - are hurting. You can see more about that and some of the more devastated areas of town that I did not hit on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - New Orleans edition which just premiered the other night on the Travel Channel.

It's good to see an old friend - the Hotel Le Cirqe - in Lee Circle back in business and celebrating the season.

Let the mayhem ensue. But first thing's first. Time to go to Bourbon for some beads, boobs and beverages.

Is THIS a bad sign?

More Food Porn. Lunch in the Quarter @ Chartres House.

...because I knew you were going to ask for it. ;>
I don't have a lot of images from the Super Bowl/Bacchus fiesta. I took mostly video of that and will see if I can get some of it uploaded here. This image should give you the general idea though. AND, the Hulkster was the King of Bacchus so you know Hulkamania was in full effect...BROTHER!!