Foodbuzz Sure Knows How to Throw a Party
Thursday, May 28, 2009 by Michelle
I'm kicking myself as I'm writing this very belated post about the fête thrown by Foodbuzz at David Burke Townhouse earlier this month in celebration of surpassing their one millionth food blog post milestone. Why am I kicking myself? Because Sue of Food Network Musings, who dutifully posted her write-up of the event the day after it happened, is expecting "a detailed report on everything from the hamachi to the butterscotch panna cotta" from me and I don't want to disappoint her! Now that weeks have passed between then and now, let's see how I do.
As I was catching up with Devon and Ryan at the door, I tried a Crusted Crabcake with Poppyseed Honey and Kumquat-Jalapeno Jam. I figured this out after the fact... after I ate two of them. I was so blown away by the flavor of the jam that I didn't quite hear the server tell me I was eating crab. Once I checked my coat, I moved on to the Hamachi with Watermelon (pictured above). This was definitely one of my favorite hors d'oeurves of the evening, as I felt the watermelon really freshened up the flavors.
As I was catching up with Devon and Ryan at the door, I tried a Crusted Crabcake with Poppyseed Honey and Kumquat-Jalapeno Jam. I figured this out after the fact... after I ate two of them. I was so blown away by the flavor of the jam that I didn't quite hear the server tell me I was eating crab. Once I checked my coat, I moved on to the Hamachi with Watermelon (pictured above). This was definitely one of my favorite hors d'oeurves of the evening, as I felt the watermelon really freshened up the flavors.
Sue and I (click for a fabulous picture of the two of us) grabbed a couple of glasses of Prosecco from the bar before making our way to the "main event" at the back of the restaurant. We didn't get too far...
The Beef Dumplings were deep-fried, crispy, and delicious. Of course, I was so eager to try them that I burned my mouth a bit. That'll teach me! After allowing myself some time (not much) to recover, I tried a skewer of Spicy Citrus Shrimp. The heat wasn't too overwhelming and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. Yes, I ate more than one.
The main room was pretty crowded by the time Sue and I made our way back there. Since she had already done the rounds to see "what was what," I let her navigate me from one food station to the next.
Entering the room, we found the first table of seafood offerings: Scallops Ceviche with Ginger and an assortment of Sushi. We bumped into Christo from ChezWhat? who told us that we had to try the Truffle Pineapple Sauce being served with fresh shellfish at the back table.
The Truffle Pineapple Sauce looked like butter and tasted like heaven. I probably would have eaten it directly out of that bowl if I were allowed to! But I behaved myself and had the server drizzle some of the sauce over the Fresh Lobster and Fresh Crab and Jumbo Shrimp that I had piled onto my plate.
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the food and the number of people in the room, Sue and I wandered over to one of the small tables at the back of the room, which is where we ran into Sarah from Tales of Expansion and where we met Emily and Mark from The Gourmand & the Peasant. That is also where I met my first Lychee Martini. Why, hello there! Where have you been all my life?
Just when I thought I couldn't possibly stuff any more food into my body, I spied the meat carving station.
I skipped the Salmon with Horseradish Sauce (someone remind me to tell the story of how I ruined salmon for myself... and my boyfriend) and asked for a slice of the Roast Turkey. They were out of the beef for the time being, so Heinrihs gave me a few extra slices. He later came over to deliver some slices of the beef that had just been brought out from the kitchen. Such service!
Heinrihs was a good sport about the picture-taking. I think he must have posed for at least five shots with me. That's because I kept laughing every time Sue told me to lick my lips. Speaking of licking my lips... let's skip ahead to dessert!
The Apple Tartlette was delicate and crisp. A great start to the deluge of desserts. We had heard that the bartender at the front of the restaurant was making the Lychee Martinis with actual lychees in them, so before we committed to any more dessert, Sue and I went back up front for another drink. Okay, okay, so we grabbed a couple of warm Fried Cream Puffs on our way. Who could resist those?!?
Now that's what I'm talking about. My second Lychee Martini was infinitely better than the first because 1) it had a lychee as a garnish, 2) it was cold, and 3) the accent of fresh thyme was much more pronounced. With our cocktails in hand, we headed back into the den of dessert... which really only lead us to the bit of hallway connecting the front of the restaurant to the back. Turns out, that was the best place to stand because we got first dibs on all of the dessert coming out of the kitchen!
Cheesecake Lollipops of various flavors. I snagged one covered with chocolate and one covered with cherry. As you can see, I had a bit of trouble juggling the cocktail, the dessert, and the camera.
The pictures come out much better when you hand the camera off to someone else. And, I had a hand free to grab another Fried Cream Puff! But wait! There's more!
By this time, Sue and I were feeling pretty full, so we decided to split the Butterscotch Panna Cotta and the Nutella Milkshake. When the tray of Grapefruit and Crème Fraîche Bites came by, the voice inside my head told me to let the tray pass me, but Sue convinced me that I couldn't leave the restaurant without trying it. I'm glad I did because the citrus dessert wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be - or as rich as I thought it would be - and was the perfect "last course" of the night.
Thank you, Foodbuzz, for throwing a fantastic party and for continuing to give me the opportunity to step foot in restaurants I otherwise couldn't afford and the chance to meet (and reunite with) other incredible food bloggers! I can't wait until the next event!
Taste As You Go Disclaimer: I was provided with the opportunity to attend this event at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about my experiences. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Beef Dumplings were deep-fried, crispy, and delicious. Of course, I was so eager to try them that I burned my mouth a bit. That'll teach me! After allowing myself some time (not much) to recover, I tried a skewer of Spicy Citrus Shrimp. The heat wasn't too overwhelming and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. Yes, I ate more than one.
The main room was pretty crowded by the time Sue and I made our way back there. Since she had already done the rounds to see "what was what," I let her navigate me from one food station to the next.
Entering the room, we found the first table of seafood offerings: Scallops Ceviche with Ginger and an assortment of Sushi. We bumped into Christo from ChezWhat? who told us that we had to try the Truffle Pineapple Sauce being served with fresh shellfish at the back table.
The Truffle Pineapple Sauce looked like butter and tasted like heaven. I probably would have eaten it directly out of that bowl if I were allowed to! But I behaved myself and had the server drizzle some of the sauce over the Fresh Lobster and Fresh Crab and Jumbo Shrimp that I had piled onto my plate.
Feeling a little overwhelmed by the food and the number of people in the room, Sue and I wandered over to one of the small tables at the back of the room, which is where we ran into Sarah from Tales of Expansion and where we met Emily and Mark from The Gourmand & the Peasant. That is also where I met my first Lychee Martini. Why, hello there! Where have you been all my life?
Just when I thought I couldn't possibly stuff any more food into my body, I spied the meat carving station.
I skipped the Salmon with Horseradish Sauce (someone remind me to tell the story of how I ruined salmon for myself... and my boyfriend) and asked for a slice of the Roast Turkey. They were out of the beef for the time being, so Heinrihs gave me a few extra slices. He later came over to deliver some slices of the beef that had just been brought out from the kitchen. Such service!
Heinrihs was a good sport about the picture-taking. I think he must have posed for at least five shots with me. That's because I kept laughing every time Sue told me to lick my lips. Speaking of licking my lips... let's skip ahead to dessert!
The Apple Tartlette was delicate and crisp. A great start to the deluge of desserts. We had heard that the bartender at the front of the restaurant was making the Lychee Martinis with actual lychees in them, so before we committed to any more dessert, Sue and I went back up front for another drink. Okay, okay, so we grabbed a couple of warm Fried Cream Puffs on our way. Who could resist those?!?
Now that's what I'm talking about. My second Lychee Martini was infinitely better than the first because 1) it had a lychee as a garnish, 2) it was cold, and 3) the accent of fresh thyme was much more pronounced. With our cocktails in hand, we headed back into the den of dessert... which really only lead us to the bit of hallway connecting the front of the restaurant to the back. Turns out, that was the best place to stand because we got first dibs on all of the dessert coming out of the kitchen!
Cheesecake Lollipops of various flavors. I snagged one covered with chocolate and one covered with cherry. As you can see, I had a bit of trouble juggling the cocktail, the dessert, and the camera.
The pictures come out much better when you hand the camera off to someone else. And, I had a hand free to grab another Fried Cream Puff! But wait! There's more!
By this time, Sue and I were feeling pretty full, so we decided to split the Butterscotch Panna Cotta and the Nutella Milkshake. When the tray of Grapefruit and Crème Fraîche Bites came by, the voice inside my head told me to let the tray pass me, but Sue convinced me that I couldn't leave the restaurant without trying it. I'm glad I did because the citrus dessert wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be - or as rich as I thought it would be - and was the perfect "last course" of the night.
Thank you, Foodbuzz, for throwing a fantastic party and for continuing to give me the opportunity to step foot in restaurants I otherwise couldn't afford and the chance to meet (and reunite with) other incredible food bloggers! I can't wait until the next event!
Taste As You Go Disclaimer: I was provided with the opportunity to attend this event at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about my experiences. All opinions expressed are my own.
