FOODSERVICE MONTHLY'S Sauce on the Side

Save the Date: April 26 ... Restaurants: Sign Up Today for 'Dining Out for Life'

For all my chef friends and restaurateurs: Dining Out for Life is April 26 ... and they need your restaurant to particpate.

What Is Dining Out for Life?

On Thursday, April 26, over 150 restaurants throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area will donate 25-100 percent of their proceeds to Food & Friends.

Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraising event involving the generous participation of volunteers, corporate sponsors and restaurants. In exchange for their financial support, restaurants are listed in a city wide marketing campaign in an effort to increase customer traffic.

In 1991, Dining Out For Life was created by an ActionAIDS volunteer in Philadelphia. Dining Out is now produced in 60 cities throughout the United States and Canada.

More than 3,000 restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special day of dining to the licensed AIDS service agency in their city. More than $3 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of 60 outstanding HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout North America. With the exception of the annual licensing fee of $1,150, all money raised in these cities stays locally.

Dining Out For Life International is a 501(c)4 nonprofit.

Here is a random, partial list ... just to give you a feel for the company you will keep by joining your fellow restaurateurs ... click the link here for the complete list ... it's impressive:

Annie's Paramount Steak House, Ristorante Tosca, Bistrot Du Coin, Hank's Oyster Bar, Busboys & Poets, Dino Restaurant, Le Chat Noir, BAR-CODE Restaurant, Beacon Bar & Grill, Cashion's Eat Place, The Federalist, Firefly, Fujimar Restaurant, Mintwood Place, Perry's, Pesce, Pizzeria Paradiso, Ray's The Classics, Tabard Inn, Urbana Restaurant and Wine Bar, Utopia Bar & Grill, Veranda, zpizza

If you want to learn more or you're ready to sing on click here: Sign Up a Restaurant

If you want to be in all the promo material the deadline is Friday, February 24 ... but the reality is you can join the cause at any time ... think about doing it today.

You can follow on Twitter: @foodandfriends or LIKE them on Facebook.

It's all about the right thing to do ... and then we need to go to your restaurant on April 26, enjoy a great meal and make a difference!

 

 

Unintended Consequences ... A Fine Meal at Acacia Bistro & Wine Bar

I thought I would use this week's hot buzz word combo ... before retiring it to the hackneyed bin ... but I figure I can get away with a good "unintended consequence."

I stopped by Calvert Woodley Wine & Spirits the other day to pick up a bottle of Dolin vermouth for my favorite drink du jour ... the Rob Roy made with Dolin, Highland Park 12 and Tillen Farms naturally sweetened Merry Maraschino cherries.

Across the street and down a block is where I found my unexpected Van Ness, Washington DC pleasure ... the Acacia Bistro & Wine Bar, the new home for chef Ravi Narayanan. I'm not really into reviewing food anymore but I had a great meal ... simply, it tasted like someone cared. And the dish I kept thinking about was the Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Mascarpone. The chef was in and after lunch we talked. In this hospitality world, even after he tried to tell me he didn't know anyone in Washington, it turns out his sister was best friends with my dear friend, the late Joan Hisaoka. With that wonderful connection, I knew Ravi had to be a good guy ... and he can cook, too.

Narayanan describes his kitchen work as based on his interpretation of “terroir cuisine” which embraces a sense of place, culture and history. He said, “Cuisine of the moment, cuisine natural, and cuisine   inspiration are the three pillars to my philosophy.”

He is the midst of introducing a new menu at Acacia that is “healthy, natural and a mix of  classic, modern Mediterranean Cuisine."

Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Mascarpone

Serves 4 – Main Course

2# - Butternut Squash – halved, wrapped in foil

6 cup – Butternut Squash Stock – Note Below

1 each – Onion, chopped fine

4 T – Unsalted Butter, separated in half

1 ½ cup – Arborio Rice

5 T – Parmigiano Reggiano, grated fine

1 t – Salt

4 T – Mascarpone

Olive Oil – As Needed

1.     Pre heat oven 450’

2.     Cut squash lengthwise in half, drizzle each half with olive oil and wrap in foil.

3.     Place squash on baking sheet and roast till soft.

4.     Place squash pulp in bowl, and heat stock till simmer.

5.     Heat over medium heat sauté pan and add ½ butter.

6.     Add onion to sauté pan and sweat. DO NOT BROWN ONION.

7.     Add Arborio Rice till rice is coated with butter and onions.

8.     Add stock to rice till stock just covers risotto and always stir.

9.     Continue to stir risotto and add stock when it has been absorbed.

10.  When all liquid has been absorbed add salt, squash pulp, and remaining butter OFF HEAT.

11.  While stirring add parmigiano Reggiano

12.  Divide risotto among 4 plates, and place marscapone on top.

13.  Enjoy.

Note: Squash Stock – After roasting squash I make a stock with the roasted butternut squash stock skin, seeds, 1 garlic clove, 1 small onion, 1 carrot diced, sprig of thyme, bay leaf, sprig of parsley, water to cover. Cook stock for 1 hour and strain into pot. Make sure that you have 6 cups for recipe.

RIS Walk 60 ... Day 2

Yesterday I wrote about Day 1 of Ris Lacoste's journey to add walking for a purpose to her life. I hope that Day 2 was just as rewarding ... and Day 3 will be easier. If you read my post, you'll see I talked about the rigors of staying within a set schedule ... today my walk couldn't happen until after 4 p.m., but I did make it happen and I feel good about myself.

I got a couple of calls about the iPhone app ... the one I use is Nike+ GPS and you can view it in iTunes here. It's $1.99 and that's it ... you'll be amazed with all you can track, view and enjoy, that is if you committed to walking and running.

I also particpate in the The President's Challenge. The President's Challenge is a presidential awards program to motivate all Americans to start and maintain a regular physical activity program for health and overall well being. The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) recognizes both youth and adults for 6 weeks of physical activity on at least 5 days a week: adults are eligible for the PALA if they are active at least 30 minutes a day or if they walk 10,000 steps a day measured by a pedometer; youth ages 6 to 17 are eligible for the PALA if they are active 60 minutes a day or walk 11,000 (girls) to 13,000 (boys) steps a day. A log for the PALA may be downloaded from the program Web site
www.presidentschallenge.org.

Considering the attention exercise and food have gotten recently, you might think this initiative is a recent creation ... no, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports was established as the President's Council on Youth Fitness, on July 16, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower after the President learned the results of a report indicating that American children were less fit than European youth. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy expanded the mandate to all Americans as well as youth. We've been working toward fat and lazy for some time now, ignoring the warning signs and efforts to get us up and out.

OK, enough of all this ... consider walking, consider supporting Ris (I do) but must of all, do it for yourself. We'll check back with Ris in a week or so and see how's she doing.

 

Take A Walk on the West End ... With Ris!

Ris Lacoste, chef and owner of RIS, has declared she is going to to walk an hour a day for a "healthier, happier 2012."  She started today and I hear that 30 folks showed up to support her effort and hit the streets of DC. And it just so happens, today is the first day of American Heart Month.

Now Ris says she will walk from 12 noon to 1pm following a designated daily route that originates from her restaurant, RIS, at the corner of 23rd and L Streets, NW.  I started walking as a primary source of exercise on April 16, 2008 ... at the time I was 25 pounds overweight at 185, the highest weight of my life. The hour commitment is perfect but I bet Ris will have to be more flexible with the time slot -- her life is busier than mine and I have shuffled that hour from early in the morning to after 7 p.m. in the summer ... I just insist on daylight. Just like today, I couldn't walk with Ris, but as you can see from my Nike plus chart, I fouind my hour at 8:35. Thursday will be an afternoon walk when I get back from a DC meeting.

Back to Ris: The new program, RIS Walk 60, also supprts a heart-healthy cause. For every mile walked, Ris is asking walkers to donate $1 to the George Washington Women’s Heart Center. “The program’s mission is to save lives and improve the quality of life for women at risk of cardiovascular disease in Washington, DC,” said program director Dr. Jannet Lewis, M.D. Anchored by five outstanding cardiologists and leaders in their fields, the program has a special interest in reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in women. “Although heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, many women do not understand their greatest health threats,” she added.
 
Ris’ mother died of heart disease in 2010, making the cause all the more personal. “As a chef I realize I am in the unique position not only to feed people fresh, whole foods, but also to walk with them on the path to better health,” Ris added, “I hope that everyone will join me as we walk together for our own health and the hearts of the women we love.”
 
I will be walking in support of you Ris. The goal of the program is to walk 25,000 miles in 2012 to raise $25,000 for the GW Women’s Heart Center. For more information visit RIS online (www.risdc.com) or call (202) 730-2500.

OK ... here comes my spiel on walking. I know I started on April 16, 2008 because I still have the info up on my section of the Nike plus website. When I started, I did it with a special Nike shoe and my iPod nano. Today, I don't need any special shoes but can do everything through my iPhone app. I mean everything except the actual walking. It tracks and posts my time, miles, pace, calories burned and best times. It tracks by day, month, year ... I set goals ... I participate in challenges with people all over the world. Now it is true that all the lingo is for runners ... but we play along side them. And there is no cheating. I walk and the phone will upload the data. I can give info on the weather and my mood and it tracks that. It all works to motivate me. And as you can see, the GPS gives me a map of my day's trip.

I also use a webite info area on walking at about.com. I get the Baumgarnder newsletter and read it for tips, news, health information, equipment sugggestions, exercise routines.

So Ris, do whatever it takes to motivate yourself. I know you have a strong will, but we all need support. The great thing is you can walk anywhere ... from the beach to the flat grid of Chicago to the colorful neighborhoods of Queens to Central Park. In my neighborhood I've made friends, learned some secrets, found about $30 over four years and found an abandoned asylum. It's all good.

Everything usually comes up with unintended consequences ... mine was as I gained an appreciation for being properly hydrated, I lost a taste for Diet Coke. From two or more a day, I now have one a year, maybe. Actually, I would rather have a real Coke ... so I'll buy an occasional Mexican Coca-Cola made with pure cane sugar.

WALK ... walk for yourself, walk for a healthier life, walk for Ris ... whatever it takes ... go for a walk.