Taste of Tennis Aces it Again

With the official start of the U.S. Open tomorrow, everyone's excited and all the top tennis talent is in town.  I'm of course all about it, and have started to observe the season early, with Thursday's awesome Taste of Tennis event at the W Hotel that I cover each year.  I'm happy to report both an elevation in talent (Serena!) and the food really aced it. Let the games begin!

Before we get to all the tennis talent, let's talk about the food and the awesome star-studded chefs.  Some of the names have been on the Taste of Tennis docket for a few years now, and they keep folks coming back, while some chefs like Barbuto's (and Top Chef Maters) Jonathan Waxman and culinary TV personality, Gail Simmons made their debuts this year.  I hope they'll be back next year, along with some of these awesome veterans:

Marc Murphy of Landmarc
John Mooney of Bell, Book & Candle
Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto
Craig Wallen of Spasso
Kerry Heffernan (Top Chef Masters Season 4)
Roberto Deiaco of Armani Ristorante
Daniel Holzman of The Meatball Shop
Brian Ray of Buddakan
Frank Maldonado of Sazon & Sofrito
David Craine of BLT Bar & Grill
Emma Hearst of Sorella
Julian Medina of Yearba Buena
Marco Porceddu of Asselina
Fernando Navas of Sushi Samba
Adriano Ricco of STK Out
Marc Anthony Bynum of M Bynum Anthony
Chris Leahy of Lexington Brass
Angel Elon of Baking by Design
Peter Andino of Heartbeat
Jehangir Mehta of Graffiti
Romuald Jung of Bagatelle NYC

My Favorite Eats:
While everything at the event was delectable, there were a couple of stand-out dishes that kept event goers lined up and swooning over each bite.  Here are my personal faves that have inspired me to try some of these restaurants in the future.

Sea Scallops with Potato Foam from Armani Ristorante - Surprised that this place actually exists, it was even more astounding to see a huge line of people waiting to try it.  Once I got a look (and a whiff), I understood why.  The giant sea scallops were impressive, and cooked to perfection, sporting a beautifully caramelized crust.  But the most interesting part was the light-as-air potato foam that was served along the side, as well as the fragrant baby artichokes, kissed with a bit of truffle flavoring.  It was wealth on a plate so to speak...very Armani.

Gnocchi a la Parisienne from Bagatelle - Being a total sucker for gnocchi, I really enjoyed this bite sized portion, placed in a wide serving spoon.  Even though it was a small bite, a lot of thought went into it--the tiny gnocchi dressed with truffle pesto and additional truffle sauce. Since the flavors were pretty strong, I immediately comprehended the small portion - it was another luxurious dish worth trying at the actual restaurant.

Arroz Negro Paella from Yerba Buena - Originally I wasn't even going to go for this, but then the friendly Yerba representatives including Chef Medina talked me into it.  Deliciously out of this world, the squid ink rice was perfectly cooked and contained deep seafood flavors from the white fish, calamari and scallops.  I liked that it was pretty light despite a complexity of ingredients, dressed with a green pepper sofrito that gave it an earthy edge.

Roasted Stuffed Fig from Asselina - Another big highlight for me, this was presented beautifully on a rustic wooden board.  Chef Porceddu proudly displayed the perfectly round figs, which were enveloped by a golden prosciutto blanket and stuffed with creamy goat cheese and fresh herbs.  It reminded me a little bit of The Spotted Pig's Devils on a Horseback, which is a fabulous combination of sweet and savory.

Red Velvet "Love" from Baking by Design - Since I'm a huge dessert person, I couldn't wait to dig into these little beauties, which were presented in adorable little parfait cups.  Layered with the red velvet cake, cream cheese mousse, raspberry jam and chocolate rice crispies, it was the most interesting rendition of a deconstructed red velvet.  I loved digging down all the way to the bottom of the cup and mixing in the jam with the decadent cake - heavenly!

Heavy Hitter Tennis Talent:
Besides photographing all the awesome tennis stars on the "green carpet," I got to see them again at the event, a lot of them actually lending a helping hand to the chefs.  It was so neat to see them pitching in, with their aprons on and serving customers, chatting them up and really interacting.  It was a brand new element to this event, and I thought it was a great move.  Here's who was present:

Serena Williams (2012 Wimbledon winner and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist - USA)
Bob and Mike Bryan (2012 Olympics Gold Medalists - USA)
Victoria Azarenka (BEL)
James Blake (USA)
Sam Stosur (AUS)
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Janko Tipsarevic (SER)
Mardy Fish (USA)
Mirjana Lucic (CRO)
Tommy Haas (DEU)
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK - my home country!)

I hope you're all excited about the games, which start tomorrow.  And look out for my upcoming U.S. Open guide to good eats!

Taste of Tennis Serves Up the Goods

This year was my second year attending the BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis, held at the 49th/Lex location of the W Hotel. Mainly due to the fact that I’m such a tennis freak, I love to see all the tennis players interact with NY’s most famous chefs. Although most of the culinary prowess at this event comes from NYC, representatives from Miami, Puerto Rico and Australia also brought it. In fact, the official culinary host of the event was legendary chef, Michelle Bernstein who’s often a guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef, a guest on Martha Stewart, as well as owner of two popular Miami restaurants, Michy’s (which I’ve been to) and Sra. Martinez.

As part of my media coverage of the event, I got to work the “Green Carpet” along with the other paparazzi. That’s right, I was one of them, getting all up in everyone’s shizzle, getting the tennis stars and the chefs to smile for the camera and getting the best shots possible. By that, I mean the same shots everyone else was getting, as is customary at red carpet-style shoots. It was great fun, I tell ya.

Culinary Stars that Represented:
From super high end Park-Ave type restaurants such as South Gate, Asellina, Dovetail to edgy establishments such as The Meatball Shop, Sorella, Public, Rayula and more, the scope of cuisine was eclectic and wonderfully contemporary. I loved seeing all the chefs come through the green carpet, workin’ it. They had a fun time in the spotlight, some of them like Brad Farmerie of Public and Daniel Holzman & Michael Chernow of The Meatball Shop really hamming it up. Here’s everyone who was there:

Michelle Bernstein of Michy’s and Sra. Martinez
Peter Andino of Heartbeat at the W Hotel
Roberto Bellissimo of Zylo Tuscan Steakhouse
Marc Anthony Bynum of M Bynum Creations
David Craine of BLT Bar & Grill
Brad Farmerie of Public
Luisa Fernandes of Best Chocolate Cake in the World
John Fraser of Dovetail
Shea Gallante of Ciano
Emma Hearst of Sorella
Kerry Heffernan of South Gate Restaurant
Daniel Holzman & Michael Chernow of The Meatball Shop
Wendy Israel & Angel Elon of Baking by Design
Humberto Leon & Ashley Palma of STK
Anita Lo of Annisa
John Mooney of Bell Book & Candle
Bill Moore of Push Cart Foods
Fernando Navas of SushiSamba
Mario Pagan of Laurel Kitchen/Art Bar
Michelle Park of Kyotofu
Marco Porceddu of Asellina
Brian Ray of Buddakan
Adrian Richardson of La Luna Bistro
Maximo Tejada of Rayuela
Gabe Thompson of Dell’anima
Marc Vidal of Boqueria

Tennis Stars that Represented:
As mentioned, one of my favorite aspects of the evening was seeing my beloved tennis stars in person (just a few inches away from me). It represented the beginning of U.S. Open fun that officially starts on Monday the 29th.

While the official tennis host of the evening was supposed to be Andy Roddick (as per usual), plans changed last minute and for the better, I think. James Blake became the official tennis mayor of the event, and even last year’s U.S. Open champ and my personal favorite, Rafa Nadal made an appearance. I couldn’t be happier to see the smiling Spaniard arrive, and while he seemed a bit uncomfortable in front of the cameras, he was a good sport, and hung around for a bit. Here’s who else besides James and Rafa attended from the tennis circle:

Mardy Fish (USA)
Gilles Simon (FRA)
Marin Cilic (CRO)
Victoria Azarenka (BEL)
Kei Nishikori (JAP)
Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
Heidi El Tabakh (CAN)
Tommy Haas (GER)
Bojana Jovanovski (SER)
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
Janko Tipsarevic (SER)

Food:
Once I got to the actual event, I was pretty starving and couldn’t wait to sample the fabulous-looking goodies on display. While there were many great options to choose from, these four stood out to me:

Duck Confit Sweet Plantain Pionino & Paella Croquette from Laurel – This was the second thing I tried and it made quite the impression on me. It was the quintessential tapas plate, a fried croquette with a creamy delicious inside that was further dressed with the most exquisite pimenton & saffron rum cream. The sweet plantain was also fried to perfection, embellished with another ingenious sauce made of port-rum and goat cheese. The two nibbles provided a great juxtaposition of sweet and salty – my favorite.

Heirloom Tomato Salad from Boqueria – Although this dish was one of the simplest, it was just plain ol’ tasty. The tomatoes were fresh and colorful, with a mix of red and yellow. Creamy goat cheese and salty anchovies gave the salad some punch, the anchovies especially being wonderfully smokey and salty. It was a great combination and a nice way to refresh the palate after a lot of heavy dishes.

Love Balls from The Meatball Shop – It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for the Meatball Shop, and once again they delivered the goods. Serving up a Mediterranean lamb ball with pesto over a summer corn salad, the dish was unexpected and interesting. My favorite aspect was the corn salsa, which was super crunchy and gave it a breath of lightness. Even though their table was positioned on the outskirts of the main dining room, people still flocked to it, more so, I think.

Chocolate Cake from The Best Chocolate Cake in the World – I’ve tasted this cake before at another event and remembered how yummy it was. Its beauty lies in simplicity, sheets of crunchy cake (almost wafer like), enveloping velvets of gooey, dark chocolate. The whole thing just oozes with indulgence and it’s fabulous in small doses.

Aside from the evening satisfying your above average food and tennis junkie, it’s also a benefit for the New York Junior Tennis League, which aims to provide “free services to more than 100,000 New York City youths ages six to 18 each year”—simply said, a fantastic organization that hopes to cultivate more U.S. Tennis talent, something that’s a bit lacking in the current tennis circuit.

I want to wish all the players the best of luck in this upcoming U.S. Open tournament…and let the games begin!

Foodista Interviews Bravo's NYC Housewife, Alex McCord About the B'Klyn Culinary Scene

I had quite the eventful night tonight, being a part of the media crew at the annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis event, which takes place just a few days before the big U.S. Open tournament at Flushing Meadows.  Held at the W Hotel on 49th Street and Lexington, the event, currently in its 11th year, intermingles talent from the culinary world with the star-studded talent from the Tennis world.

Aside from the amazing tennis champions such as 2003 U.S. Open Men's Champion,  Andy Roddick, 2009 U.S. Open Women's Champion, Kim Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva, Victoria Azarenka, Justin Gimelstob and more, there were other celebrities worth observing and chatting with.

One such T.V. personality includes Bravo's NYC Housewife, Alex McCord and her hubby, Simon Van Kempen, who are both known on the show for their love of parties, dressing up like nobody's business and just having a grand ol' time, as you can see from the above picture. 

I had the opportunity to sit down, one-on-one with Alex and steered our conversation to my favorite topic - food.  Since Alex and Simon reside in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, I picked Alex's brain about some of her favorite places to eat in the nabe.  She not only answered the question, she went above and beyond, offering up places she likes to frequent for date night, dinner with the kids and other fun occasions including her favorite dessert place.

Check out her video here and please chime in with your comments and thoughts.

A big thank you to Alex for participating in this video - it was a pleasure!