Cobaya for a Cause: November 18th @ The Dutch, Miami Beach, FL

THE DUTCH AT W SOUTH BEACH TO HOST HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF DINNER

Local Miami Chefs to Join Andrew Carmellini for Dinner & Silent Auction November 18, 2012

COBAYAS FOR A CAUSE

Miami is no stranger to hurricanes, and when Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast last week, thousands of businesses and residents were left struggling for survival.  In an effort to provide relief for the victims of ‘Sandy’, chef Andrew Carmellini and his team at The Dutch at W South Beach Hotel & Residences have teamed up with Cobaya – Gourmet Guinea Pigs, the organizers of Miami’s premier underground dining events, to gather renowned Miami chefs and businesses to join them in a five-course dinner and silent auction taking place Sunday, November 18, 2012.

“We got rocked up in New York, some much worse than others. Many people like myself have roots in both the tri-state and South Florida, so I knew I could count on the culinary talent of Miami for help. Cobaya has been instrumental in this rally,” says Carmellini.

Priced at $250 per person all-inclusive, the special evening will bring together some of our region’s most notable chefs including Antonio Bachour (J&G Grill), Michelle Bernstein (Michy’s), Aaron Brooks (Edge Steak), Jeremiah Bullfrog (gastroPod and the upcoming Freehand), Richard Gras (J&G Grill), Brad Kilgore (Exit 1) and Andrew Zimmern’s AZ Canteen joined by The Dutch’s stellar culinary team, chef de cuisine Conor Hanlon, pastry chef Josh Gripper and head bartender Rob Ferrara. Guests can expect signature dishes and chef favorites for each course, expertly paired with wine and cocktails and Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink will be on hand to pour his Michael's Genuine Home Brew and help out in the kitchen. . The evening starts at 7:00 p.m. with cocktails by BarLab and canapés in the lush Grove at W South Beach followed by dinner on The Terrace at The Dutch.

All of the participating chefs are Cobaya alumni in one way or another, and we are thrilled by the incredibly generous and unhesitating response by local chefs to the call for help. We hope that our group of guinea pigs responds in the same fashion. We have a block of tickets that we are taking requests for and will conduct a lottery this Friday November 9, 2012 to fill available spots. Though this is pricier than our usual Cobaya events, it is a stellar lineup and a worthwhile cause, and we hope you feel the same.

We also encourage you to come ready to bid on some fantastic items for the silent auction, which will feature an array of items from hotel stays (W corner suite!!)  and spa days to autographed cookbooks (Schwartz's "Michael's Genuine Food", Hedy Goldsmith's "Baking Out Loud") and dinner certificates (The Dutch, Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Harry's Pizzeria, Edge Steak & Bar, Bourbon Steak, The Bazaar, and more!). Cobaya also will be contributing four guaranteed seats for a future Cobaya dinner to the auction.

ALL PROCEEDS from the dinner and silent auction will go directly to NYC Food Flood, a fund started in concert by Carmellini and fellow New York chefs, Marco Canora, Seamus Mullen and George Mendes, joining efforts to generate funds directed to relief efforts in their own backyard. You can follow NYC Food Flood on twitter @NYCFoodFlood.

To request seats, please email your request to cobayamiami@gmail.com and specify how many spots you would like. We will be conducting a lottery to fill our available spots on Friday November 9, 2012. You will then need to book your seats via PayPal by Monday November 12 (a link will be made availably on the Cobaya website). So please respond quickly if you're interested.

Please help Cobaya support this worthy cause.

The Dutch is located inside W South Beach Hotel & Residences, 2201 Collins Avenue, in Miami Beach, Florida, 33139.

Derby Day Drink - The Mint Julep

When it comes to drinks for Derby Day, there's the Mint Julep and then there's nothing else.  The mint julep and the Kentucky Derby have been kissin' cousins for a long, long time.  Spring is here and it's hot in South Florida.  This drink is sure to keep you cool and refreshed while you watch and wish for your horse to come in!

I've been busy at the Blind Tastes Speakeasy mixing up mint juleps all night and we've finally nailed down a solid recipe to pass along so I'll share it with you below.  Don't forget that Bourbon Steak will be mixing up juleps like crazy for $5.00 tomorrow so be sure to come to the party dressed in your Derby Day best and ready to have fun and stay refreshed.

Bourbon, simple syrup, mint, & a stainless steel Julep Cup is all you need...

There are two schools of thought on the mint julep.  One says that the julep is a drink to savor and the other says that the julep is to be consumed rapidly.  Members of the savory club will use a higher proof bourbon to combat the melting of the ice over time that will water down the drink slightly.  Those who drink quickly will not pay attention to proof and instead focus on their favorite bourbon to add flavor.  Both sides will agree to stay away from the more premium bourbons whose flavors need not to be ruined in a cocktail.

Here's what you'll need...

8-10 mint leaves
1oz simple syrup
3oz bourbon
crushed ice
additional mint sprig for garnish/aromatics
1 stainless steel julep cup or other drinking vessel of your choice

I tend to fall in the middle but slightly to the rapid consumption side.  I've always found that Woodford Reserve makes for a great mint julep, especially if you're using a stainless steel julep cup.  Stirring will frost the cup and the cocktail will stay ice cold with minimal melting goin' on.  Woodford is a 90.4 proof (45.2% alcohol) bourbon with nice notes of wood and very floral on the finish.  I like the way the floral notes blend with the mint.  It's also not very sweet which is key because we'll be adding simple syrup.

To begin, take your mint leaves and gently muddle them in your julep cup.  You really don't need to go nuts here.  Just a light muddle will release the oils of the mint to get them rockin'.  Next, add your simple syrup.  I like to give a little stir here too to marry the mint and sugar water together.

Now you'll need your crushed ice.  You can crush it easily in a blender but the heat from the blender will produce some water so be sure to strain the ice out before adding to the cup.  The alternative is to take a towel and put your wrap your cubes in it and then beat the crap out of it with a rolling pin or a wooden muddler like I do.  You'll want to fill it to the rim or above the rim.

The next ingredient is the star of the show - the bourbon!  pour it over the ice and then grab a bar spoon and stir until the outside of the julep cup begins to frost.  If you're using a glass this may be tough to achieve so you can just move on to the next step. 

Ok, you've got your bourbon in there, it's icy cold and you're ready to go bottoms up!  But wait!  Add a little spring of mint to the drink.  When you sip the drink, the aroma of the mint will tickle your nose and make your julep taste even more awesome.  Pro tip: that mint is still good!  Pluck the leaves and use it for your next julep!

The Mint Julep

So, there you have it.  I hope this improves your Derby Day experience and that you'll enjoy a couple juleps while cashing in on your winning ticket!

Kentucky Derby Day 2012 - Bourbon Steak, Aventura, FL!!!

Race fans and bourbon fans take heed!  The 138th running of the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, May 5th!  This year we will be heading back to Bourbon Steak in Aventura, FL for another fantastic Derby Day experience.  Last year was an awesome time.  The ladies came dressed to impress in big hats, and the fellas enjoyed the $5 mint julep specials while hoping their horse came in for a nice payday.  Blind Tastes will be giving away more prizes this year!  Once again, we will be randomly handing out numbers for the field of horses numbered 1 through 20 for the first 20 attendees to show up.  The holder of the number with the winning horse will win a prize!  We'll also have a prize for best hat that will be determined by a number of factors so complex they can't be divulged in advance!

The kind folks at Bourbon Steak will once again be opening up at 5pm and offering $5 Mint Juleps!  Derby Day attendees can also take advantage of May being National Hamburger Month by wolfing down one of Chef Gabe Fenton's BBQ BLT Burgers. Betting, Bourbon, and Burgers is the trifecta lock of the century!!! It doesn't get better than that!  Wait, maybe it does!!  Bourbon Steak is also holding a horse betting workshop with Ron Nicoletti, handicapper for Gulfstream Park, this Friday!  Stop in and learn the ins and outs of the Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta bets to make your Derby Day experience even more enjoyable*!

Stay tuned to Blind Tastes for more Derby Day fun facts and trivia leading up to the big race on Saturday and be sure to be there LIVE at Bourbon Steak this Saturday to watch the race! 

*Blind Tastes thoroughly enjoys gambling and encouraging others to take part, responsibly of course.  We are total enablers and fully believe that any sporting event is way more fun when there's money on the line.

Derby Day Sweepstakes!

The 137th Running of the Kentucky Derby is a mere four days away so I decided today was a good time to let the festivities begin!

Blind Tastes presents: the Derby Day Sweepstakes!  

Here's how it will work - Each day, starting tomorrow and ending on Derby Day on Saturday, there will be one trivia question posted at a random time, i.e. whenever I remember to do it.  The first person to reply with the correct answer will win a $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate!   Check out their list of Miami locations!

Check back daily and win!

BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE!!!

The nice people over at Bourbon Steak have gotten into the Derby Day spirit and will be opening up the bar area a little bit earlier than usual.  Wear your best Derby Day attire!  The Kentucky Derby will air on the big screen and all Mint Juleps will be half-priced!

click photo to enlarge & salivate (photo credit: michaelmina.net)

They've got awesome burgers there, too!  In fact, Bourbon Steak's Bar Burger was recently named as a Top Tier Burger by The Chowfather in his Tiers of a Burger post. 

So, remember to check back here daily for your chance to win the $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate and then check out Bourbon Steak this Saturday starting at 5:00pm for the Kentucky Derby!

Bourbon & Blues @ Bourbon Steak

This past Wednesday, I headed up to Aventura to check out Bourbon Steak's "Bourbon & Blues" night where they offer 25% off all bourbons, 1/2 price on select cocktails, live blues, and a new bar menu that offers small bites and custom burgers. For a guy like me, anything involving discounted bourbon and live blues is a huge winner but the burger did a good job of adding to the good time.

After sipping a few bourbons and listening to some kickass country style blues from the "Nouveaux Honkies", I decided that I would give their new burger menu a shot. For anywhere from about $12-$18 you have your choice of beef, lamb, falafel, turkey, and/or salmon as the base of your burger. Bacon is an additional $3 and seared foie gras is an additional $18. A fried egg is an additional $2 but, hey, its organic...

Once youre done selecting the base flavor, you are allowed to select up to 6 items to add to the burger from the following catagories: cheese, veggies, greens, and sauces. I went with the beef burger ($14) with bacon ($3), bourbon caramelized onions, pepper jack cheese, shaved jalapenos, mesclun greens, and the "special sauce" that had been recommended to me. The result was a pretty kickass burger with lots of flavor. The combo of the shaved jalapenos and the special sauce was awesome and probably made the burger for me. I loved the crunch of the jalapenos and their heat combined with the flavors of the special sauce. The onions were a nice complement too. The only buzzkill was that they forgot my bacon... The bartender gave me a side and didnt charge me the $3 but it kinda sucked because I ate the bacon AFTER the already killer burger. With bacon added to each bite, Id have been in burger Xanadu. The only complaint outside of the bacon incident would be the bun. Restaurants need to realize that the bun is a key part of the burger and a weak bun base can cause much discomfort. In this case, the bottom of the bun was super hot and kinda moist. Being trained in burger CPR, I knew to flip the burger onto its thicker top bun to let the bottom cool and salvage it. I didnt like having to do that but Ive become accustomed to it.

I also chose to add a trio of duck fat fries to my burger just because it seemed like the right thing to do. It kinda sucked that it was an extra $5 to do so, but hey, youre in Aventura. Gotta pay the tax... The fries were pretty frickin good though. My favorite was the garlic fries paired with onion sauce. The fries paired with the spicy ketchup were a close second. The paprika fries paired with bbq sauce didnt really do anything for me though.

The 3 different bourbons I sampled were all great brands but all overpriced. Then again, youre in Aventura and the prices werent that far off what you would see elsewhere. Add that to the burger and fries plus tax and tip and I was at about $70. I didnt feel bad about it though. Sure, there wasnt a sole in there within 20 years of my age, but I had a great time listening to the band, chatting with the bartenders, and chowing down on a pretty tasty burger paired with a nice bourbon selection. I hear that they have a different band that also plays there so I'll probably go back again on another Wednesday to check it out.