This year, my Perpetual Sous-Chef, Rithy Nuon couldn't help me out because he has his hands full with his newborn daughter though he said he would have loved to have gone. Did I also mention that he has a 3 year old as well? Yep... he has his hands full these days.
So since I needed an extra hand, I circled the wagons and contacted a gentleman who follows my blogs and is a self-proclaimed "grill enthusiast." Dustin Cunning and his Wife, Kelly stepped in and helped me out tremendously. Dustin wasn't just blowing grill smoke when he says he can work the grill - he suffered through 100 degree heat over a super-hot grill to perfectly cook more than 200 Angus beef sliders without a single complaint, and after that torture he said he'd love to help out next year! Well Dustin, consider yourself hired...
Kelly and my Wife, Amy arrived early to set up and decorate the tables and of course they did a great job. I can honestly say that this year was probably one of the smoothest years ever, and I owe a huge thanks to my team!
Let's talk about the food...
When I planned the menu this year, I did so with an amount of bravado that I haven't had in years past. For the first time in ACOW history, I decided to take a few grills out and cook on-site. Normally, I cook everything in advance and then hold it in a hot-box, but I really wanted to step things up this year for the VIP's. This meant that I had to deal with lugging out an extra 250 lbs of equipment but in the end, it was worth it. The patron's enjoyed Angus beef sliders, grilled salami skewers and Thai chicken satay right off the grill on top of some great artisen cheeses, a pesto bar, prosciutto-stuffed mushrooms, fresh fruits and berries and of course Fresno State's award-winning wines! I spared no effort this year and even made stone-ground mustard from scratch. It was definitely one of the best spreads I've ever put out, and the squirrels inside my head are already pounding rocks together for next year!
"This is a wine-tasting event, right?"
YES! And let me tell you, there were some fantastic wineries pouring this year! With more than 80 wineries in attendance, there was no way I could visit them all (and if I had, I wouldn't be able to remember anything to write about...), so let me tell you about some of the highlights. I've been really impressed with the Blossom Trail Wineries these days and two of them stuck out as winners in my book. Z Wines and Ramos Torres both had me coming back for more and I would have honestly been happy enjoying their wines all day (I actually HAVE enjoyed Ramos Torres at their tasting room on more than one occasion...) Z Wine's Tempranillo is a delighfully refreshing red with a full body and just the right amount of tannins. Ramos Torres' Conversations blend literally had me coming back for thirds... and fourths... and fifths... (thanks Fabian!). Other standout wines (that I remember) were Norman Vineyard's Cabernet Sauvignon, Castoro Cellar's Sauvignon Blanc and a suprisingly delicious Rose from Engelmann Cellars. Yes, rose... I've never been a huge fan of rose but my winemaker friend Bret Engelmann managed to impress the heck outta me with his new vintage. I enjoyed other great wines as well, but I was really trying to focus on some of our local wineries, and I'm glad I did. Kudos to all wineries that showed up to pour and we're looking forward to you all coming back next year!
I also need to mention some of the great food (besides just mine...)! Even though restaurant attendance was down this year, those who showed up were busy putting out some incredible food. My friend Chef Karsten from Erna's Elderberry House brought his absolutely exquisite duck pate and served it on butter leaf lettuce cups (nice touch Chef...), Chef Vatche from Cracked Pepper Bistro was serving up his famous bread pudding, Chef Scott Sauer from Max's won my vote for "best steak skewer" with marinated mozzarella, grilled New York strip and cherry tomatoes, the guys at Roe were giving out some very refreshing sushi and of course, Joyce at Sadie Mae's Catering was busy serving up their popular barbecue dishes! Nobody left hungry and if they did, it was their own damned fault...
Also, as promised here's a picture of a dog dyed to look like a circus animal...
No comments:
Post a Comment