BOBBY FLAY

For the third year in a row, Hamptonites will have the amazing opportunity to indulge in the tastiest food around at Dan's Taste of Two Forks. Presented by Farrell Building Company, famed Chef Bobby Flay will serve as the host of the main event on Saturday evening, July 13th. The event takes place at Sayre Park in Bridgehampton. This culinary event is known as the food and wine event in the Hamptons, where attendees can sample the best dishes from local restaurants, sip on wine from local vineyards, and sample goods from East End purveyors. The event will also feature music from DJ Phresh. A portion of this year's proceeds will go toward All For the East End, an organization dedicated to generating new and creative sources of funding and support for the non-profits of Long Island's East End townships.

Earlier this week, City Harvest's Leadership Council hosted its second annual signature fundraising event, A Mid-Winter Escape. The event took place at Apella and had a Mexican-inspired theme. Local restaurants, including Hill Country Chicken, Toloache, El Toro Blanco, Gran Electrica, Momofuku Milk Bar and more, set up shop for the evening serving guests delicious bites from their restaurants. The event also featured tequila tastings and margaritas in sticking with the Mexican theme. Guests could also participate in the silent auction, which featured items contributed by Bobby Flay, tickets to NY sports events, and more. The event even had some throwback music with a special live performance from Nine Days, best known for their smash hit "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)." More than 220 guests attended the event and raised nearly $800,000.

This weekend, it’s all about eating across Manhattan. Not that all weekend’s aren’t but these next few days serve up the kick-off of New York Food and Wine, the last weekend of Madison Square Eats and the grand-opening of Jeepney Filipino Gastropub. Here’s the delish round-up.

New York City Food & Wine Festival

Tomorrow night, kicks off the fifth annual New York Food and Wine Festival. This foodie fest is all about eating and drinking for a fantastic cause, as a part of all event proceeds go toward initiatives to end hunger. Filling your belly with fine food and drink has never been so fun or forthgiving. Choose from a slew of epicurean-focused events, seminars and festivities from The Slanted Door Dinner hosted by Charles Phan to a Paula Deen Brunch. Juniper fans will delight in the Gin Revolution! seminar at The Vault at Pfaff’s while beer lovers can chug their lunch at the Beer Glass Tasting with Spiegelau & Captain Lawrence. Most of the Food Network star hosted events are sadly sold-out, but you can still get your starry fix at the Times Talks seminar with Bobby Flay & Giada De Laurentis. Happy wining & dining!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Sorry Jewish Holidays, but this weekend's upcoming New York City Wine & Food Festival is really stealing your thunder. As we've been hyping for a while now, the Food & Wine Mag-sponsored event is going on this weekend, September 29- October 2, and promises to forge a complete foodie-overhaul on our town.

In addition to the undisputably fantastic eats, the weekend also promises to bring together some of the most exciting chefs and culinary personalities from around the country. A-list eaters such as Eric Ripert, Anne Burrell, Guy Fieri, Anito Lo, Alex Guarnaschelli, Bobby Flay, Michael White and Sandra Lee are among the headlines who will be in attendance during the three day ride. Oh yea, there's also a Times Talk with Ferran Adria hidden in the middle but, sadly, it's already completely booked.

Hey foodies, it's back! The annual Food Network Wine & Food Festival hits NYC Thursday, September 29th-Oct 2, and we couldn't be more excited. This year's line up includes a whole slew of seminars, meet and greets, special speakers, celebrity personalities and our personal favorite -tastings! The massive, star-studded agenda features some amazing events including:

• Cake Decorating with Duff Goldman and Charm City Cakes
  
• Patron Tequila's The Art of the Taco presented by Creekstone Farms hosted by Bobby Flay
• TimesTalks with Guy Fieri
• Cocktails and Caviar at Dream Downtown hosted by Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos
  
• Rock & Roll with Morimoto and Friends - A Sushi and Karaoke Soiree
• Whole Foods Market presents New Culinary Discoveries with David Bouley

What do cabbages, chilies, cancer-fighting antioxidants and deliciousness all have in common? These are the remarkable properties of kimchi: a spicy, healthy wonder of a dish dating back to 7th century Korea.

Fortunately for New Yorkers, kimchi is readily accessible in its many tasty transmutations. It can be found on menus across the island on burgers and pizza and remoulades (oh my!). You can hop on over to Koreatown—located between 31st and 36th Street, Fifth and Sixth Avenue—to experience the spicy stuff in its traditional preparation. Muk Eun Ji on West 32nd Street is a popular haunt for kimchi-crazy Koreans and New Yorkers alike. You can also check out the foodie-favorite Kimchi Taco Truck. This nomadic food stand uses kimchi as a common ground to unite all of its international taco treats, including the popular tofu-edamame falafel taco topped with a spicy kimchi yogurt sauce.

With Restaurant Week nearing its end, we figured we better make a reservation and fast. We ended up choosing Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. We’ve always been a fan of Mr. Flay but had never been there, and we were eager and excited to check it out.

What a disappointment. We decided to forgo the uninspired Restaurant Week menu and instead chose a few items from the regular dinner menu. To start, we ordered the Fresh Cut Tuna Nachos and the Cremini Mushroom Quesadillas. These were the best things that we ate, the tuna nachos were paired with some delicious tortilla chips and we enjoyed the ceviche-like feel of the tuna. The Cremini Mushroom Quesadilla was tasty as well; it was topped with Fontina and Ricotta cheese and a fried egg, and had a nice flavor.

Gamblers head to Vegas to try their luck at the Roulette tables, while Foodies head to Vegas to discover a whole new way to discover the Strip. When in Vegas, stop by these eateries and have the best bites of your life!

Chef: Jose Andres

Restaurant: China Poblano

Hotel: The Cosmopolitan

Best Eats: The luxury The Cosmopolitan exudes is like no other hotel on the Strip and dining at China Poblano changes the scene. You’ll walk into a casual dining experience, a combination of Chinese and Mexican cuisine! Where else can you get dim sum and tacos in the same place? Try the “Carnitas” tacos, a soft taco encasing braised baby pig, crunchy pork rinds and spicy salsa verde; taste and savour “When Pigs Fly”, delicate, soft steamed buns filled with a sweet, Chinese BBQ pork stuffing.

The General Store - Silver Springs, MD
Fried chicken that not even Bobby Flay can beat.

If you want comfort food, the General Store is the place to go. Even Bobby Flay caught word of co-owner and chef Gillian Clark's cooking and challenged her on his show "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" on Food Network; Clark won. It seems that this fried chicken is one to beat, but if you're not the chef-type, then it's just the one to eat.

The Low Down:
Cuisine: American - Traditional
Closed Mondays
Price Range:$4-$15
Contact: 6 Post Office Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Call (301) 562-8787


Ben's Chili Bowl - Washington, DC
If it's good enough for President Obama, it's good enough for me.

It doesn't matter if it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, when you want chili, Ben's Chili Bowl is the place to go and has been since 1958. Just ask Chirs Tucker, Bono, Bill Cosby, and President Obama, who are just a few of the famous customers Ben's has had over the years.

The Low Down:
Cuisine: American - Chili
Hours: Open early and closes late, everyday
Price Range: $3-$10
Contact: 1213 U Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009. Call (202) 667-0909

Breadline - Washington, DC
A baguette that will make you swear you're in France. Bread undeniably belongs on any list of comfort foods, so what kind of list would this be without Breadline? At Breadline, you can get comforting sandwiches with a bit of an exotic flair; such as eggplant, zucchini, and roasted red peppers, with an olive tepenade on a baguette, or prosciutto di parma, marscarpone, gorgonzola and fig jam on walnut bread.

The Low Down:
Cuisine: Deli/Quick Bites
Hours: Open Monday-Friday for breakfast and lunch
Price Range: $5-$10
Contact: 1751 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Call (202) 822-8900

Just when you think you can take a breather after Halloween the family calls for your Thanksgivings plans. Thanks to Bobby Flay and the Food Network, when your family gives you the cold shoulder, Mulled Red Wine Sangria will warm your insides.

Ingredients:

1 bottle Spanish red table wine
¼ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup brandy
3 tablespoons sugar
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation:

Combine wine, juice, brandy, and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Heat until sugar is melted. Add the orange and lemon slices. Let simmer for five minutes. Serve in heat resistant glasses.