Oregon Truffle Festival

If you find yourself in my home state of Oregon at the end of the month, make sure to stop by Eugene (home of the Ducks) and check out the sixth annual Oregon Truffle Festival that will run from January 28-30.  And if you can still get tickets, make sure to attend the Grand Truffle Dinner on January 29 where you will enjoy a four-course meal prepared by top chefs from the Pacific Northwest.  Naturally each dish will feature truffles, and also will be paired with great Oregon wines.  Get your tickets at www.oregontrufflefestival.com. 

via Robb Report

Food Porn of the Day: $69 Haute Dog

I couldn't sleep last night and ended up on the couch switching between Family Guy reruns and the Cooking Channel.  On the latter, I saw this $69 hot dog that I must someday eat.  It's the creation of Serendipity 3 in New York in honor of National Hot Dog Day - it's June 23 so mark your calendars - and features a standard foot long dog topped with tasty goodness such as black truffles, duck foie gras with black truffles, heirloom tomato ketchup, truffle butter, and Dijon mustard infused with black truffles.  Not exactly a Costco dog.

How Much for a Bowl of Noodles?

I love me a bowl of beef noodles.  I do not love me a bowl of beef noodles to the tune of $324.  That's the going rate for a special bowl of noodles at Taipei restaurant Niu Ba Ba, which translates to Beef Father in Chinese.  So why is this dish more than thirty times the normal price of a typical bowl at any other noodle house?  The real answer is that the proprietor just made up the price based on what his VIP clientele told him would be the most they would pay for a bowl of his best beef noodles.  We're all for indulgent behavior, but paying more than three bills for an effing bowl of noodles is just plain stupid. 

via Wall Street Journal

Eat at a Thai Treehouse

I still have fond memories as a kid playing in my buddy's tree house.  His parents built it with a zipline setup that ran the entire length of the backyard.  It was awesome.  But perhaps not as awesome as the treepod at Thailand's Soneya Kiri By Six Senses resort where up to four diners can enjoy a great jungle-themed cuisine 16 feet in the air among the native massang trees.  Don't worry, you won't have to actually climb up a tree to get to your bird's nest.  Instead, the whole contraption is hoisted up and the servers will reach you via zipline.  Oh, and btw, the rest of the luxury resort is pretty fabulous too.

via Hotel Chatter  

Food Porn of the Day: Triple Chocolate Truffle Pizza

Check out this gastronomical creation we found on Gayot.  The triple chocolate truffle pizza is a Nutella spread over a pizza crust topped with truffles and is offered at the Avalon Hotel Beverly Hills during their Choco-Sutra all-you-can-eat chocolate buffet served poolside every Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 10pm.  I think I've got some Nutella at home...I wonder if I can make my own version using some Boboli pizza crust. 

Where to Celebrate NYE in LA

Los Angeles-based readers: if you still haven't decided where you're going to be celebrating come the evening of December 31, check out this list of NYE 2010 celebrations by Zagat.  A few years back, I did the late night seating at Sushi Roku in Santa Monica.  That was a fun way to ring in the new year. 

Billionaires' Gift List

Another day, another gift list for the holidays. This one comes from The Sun and is a list of gift ideas for the rich. Scratch that, for the super rich, i.e. the nine-figure net worth set.  The priciest gift on the list is a three-week cruise on a 164 ft yacht for about $42 million, after which you get to keep the boat.  A more "affordable" option is a Charlie Palmer dining experience for a mere $150K.

Food Porn of the Day: Bacon Pecan Brittle

Bacon is good.  Pecan brittle is good.  Combine the two and you get delicious awesomeness.  This bacon pecan brittle by Leah's Pralines is made fresh in small batches out of the best ingredients.  You can buy a two half pound bags for $23.

Gifts for Foodies, the Luxe Edition

If you're looking to get a gift this holiday for that foodie in your life, check out this list by Luxist of some tasty (and luxurious) food gift ideas.  I'd be pretty happy receiving either the Special Reserve Ossetra caviar or the lobsters from Browne Trading Company.

Food Porn of the Day: Chubby Wubby Cookies

It's the holidays so diets and healthy eating be damned.  And if you love chocolates and you love cookies, you'll probably love these Chubby Wubby cookie sandwiches by Chocolate Gourmet.  Made of various flavored ganaches scrumptiously squished between two chocolate studded cookies, these treats are perfect for a cold winter snack with your honey.  20-piece packs go for $32.

Via Cool Hunting

Food Porn of the Day: Ocean and Land

I saw this on Zagat and almost started to cry: oven-roasted bone marrow with butter-poached, brioche-crusted lobster.  Seriously, how decadent does that sound.  If you happen to be in NYC, please get yourself to Veritas and have this dish for us.

Black Chocolate

Looking for a stocking stuffer for the chocolate lover in your life?  Check out this limited-edition Black Collection chocolates by Compartes.  Each chocolate truffle is made with organic fair trade chocolate infused with premium ingredients including Macallan Single-Malt Scotch, black truffles from Italy, Japanese black sesame and wasabi, and Black Guiness Stout Beer.  Buy a box of 20 chocolates for $55.

via Cool Hunting 

Lobsta Truck

You know who's probably really pissed about the whole Twittering food truck revolution thing that's been going on the last few years?  The OG Mexican food trucks that have been showing up religiously at street corners and company parking lots for decades.  They're probably thinking what the hell es un kalbi taco???  Well they're probably going to be rolling their collective eyes when they hear about the latest food truck incarnation, the lobster truck, or rather Lobsta Truck.  If you live in LA, follow them on Twitter to find out where you can get their $11 lobster roll made with fresh lobster.  Yup, that was 11 bucks and fresh lobster.  Damn I miss LA.

via Zagat

I Was Bidding on the Truffle?

This truffle recently sold for an eye-popping $144K at an Italian auction.  Why do we suspect that the winning bidder may have been thinking he was bidding on something else? :D

via Extravaganzi

Get Thirsty in NYC

“Underground Wine Society.”  That’s the tagline for The Thirst, a series of “secret roaming dinner and cocktail parties” that is being set up in NYC by Todd English and Alan Philips.  The first dinner will take place on November 18 and will feature a four-course dinner paired with cocktails and wine.  You can reserve your spot here but you won’t find out the location of the dinner until a few days before the event. 

Napa Truffle Festival

If you don’t get a chance to visit the Bay Area this month for some truffle goodness, perhaps you should try to head up to Napa Valley on December 10-12 for the Napa Truffle Festival.  This epicurean’s dream event brings together six Michelin-starred chefs who will provide cooking demonstrations as well as showcase their talents during the truffle dinner on Saturday evening.  In addition, some of the world’s leading truffle scientists – yes, this is a real profession – will provide their insights on the tasty fungus.  The event will take place at the Westin Verasa Napa and a number of the local restaurants will be offering seasonal truffle menus during the festival weekend.  Ticket prices range from $15 to $1,325 for the three-day Truffle Gourmand pass.  Part of the proceeds will benefit The Hunger Project and Feeding America.

Truffle Love in San Francisco

If you’re a fan of the decadent truffle, you’ll need to head up to San Francisco sometime this month to take part in the city’s Fiesta del Tartufo where restaurants all over this great culinary town showcase various truffle dishes.  Participating restaurants include: Acquerello, Delfina, Perbacco, Poggio, and Palio d’Asti.  Make sure to get your fill before they start doing something silly like ban truffles.

via Zagat

Cigars and Oysters Make for a Happy Sunday

If you happen to be in Virginia this weekend, make sure to check out the Celebrate the Vices of Virginia event taking place on Sunday, November 6 at the Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, VA.  Your $125 ticket will get you your fill of oysters, roasted pig, bourbon, local wines and regional craft beers.  In addition to all that goodness, there will also be a cigar-rolling exhibition.  Proceeds will go to the Arcadia Center, a non-profit organization that promotes local and sustainable food sourcing, so you can go ahead and indulge in good conscience.    

 

My Kind of Breakfast

Normally during the week, I'll get myself a fairly healthy breakfast of eggs and fruit. On the weekends though, I like to indulge a bit and have some belly-busting pancakes and bacon. If you're looking to really indulge, you've got to check out the deep-fried French Toast with froie gras served at Chicago's The Publican restaurant. Now that's the proper way to start your morning.

via seriouseats.com

Dinner and Cigars at Cache

With all the smoking Nazi's in SoCal, it's nearly impossible to enjoy a cigar, especially to enjoy one during a nice meal. That's why we were just tickled when we learned from Urban Daddy about the Cigar Night Dinners at Cache in Los Angeles. For $150, you'll be treated to a five-course meal paired with three cigars. To make a reservation, call 310-399-4800.