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MadTown Shakedown preview

Saturday, January 25th, 2014

I’m looking forward to being a “celebrity” judge for the inaugural MadTown Shakedown, a bartending competition taking place at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 at HotelRED.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $10, which includes tasting and judging, and can be purchased at HotelRED. All proceeds go directly to REAP Food Group.

According to a release, the competition will have a format similar to the show “Chopped” in which contestants do not know the ingredients until just before they’re on the clock. The other judges and I will rank the drinks on appearance, aroma, flavor, balance and originality, and ticket-holders will vote for their favorite as well.

The brainchild for MadTown Shakedown came from Bar Consultant and Mixologist Dy Godsey, who approached HotelRED Executive Chef John Bauer about organizing the event together.

“I like to put on cocktail competitions and wanted to do one with an element of surprise for the bartenders, and to do all this for the benefit of a local partner,” Godsey said. “I approached Chef John Bauer about this idea, and he understood it immediately. We started working together to make the MadTown Shakedown happen.”

A reception from 5-7 p.m. precedes the event and includes live music by Patrick Ferguson. Contestants so far hail from Forequarter, Merchant and Nostrano.

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A Halloween meal

Saturday, October 26th, 2013

Remember in elementary school, you would be blindfolded, touch cold noodles and be told they were brains? Since it’s Halloween, I thought I’d see if I could make a full meal out of “scary” or gross-looking foods typically made at this time of year:

Appetizer

Spicy Cheddar Witch Fingers. I found endless recipes for fingers, but this was the only one made of cheese.

Entrees

Pork Dumpling Brains. Apparently if you soak the dumplings in chile-sesame sauce and then serve them in a clear container–say, a lab jar–the dumplings look like brains.

Worms-in-Dirt. Leave it to Martha Stewart to make hot dogs look like real worms. I like that this is a salty version instead of the traditional sweet version.

Dessert

Zombie Brain Jell-O Shots. The final product looks amazing, but there are many steps in the recipe. I want to yell, “chilled monkey brains” (from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) as I serve these.

Beverage

Drunken Spider. Of course, no “holiday” meal is complete without a cocktail. This is a martini that looks like a spider is coming out of it.

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Food & Wine Festival shopping list ’13

Saturday, October 19th, 2013

In its second year of organizing the Food & Wine Festival, the Isthmus has done a much better job. More wine, more food and more demonstrations have made the ticket price worthwhile. Here are some of my favorite items that are worth trying (and buying) if you see them in stores:

  • Lander Jenkins Chardonnay and Silver Buckle Chardonnay, both distributed in Madison by Rutherford Wine Company. I’m not a chardonnay guy at all, but the staff pushed them onto me, and they were both surprisingly not dry, almost Riesling-like.
  • Organic sunflower oil from Century Sun Oil in Pulaski. It’s a good replacement for olive oil and has several health benefits. Supposedly, it’s perfect for making popcorn.
  • The Morel & Leek Jack Cheese and the Natural 2 Year Sharp White Cheddar Cheese from Renard’s Cheese in Door County. I told the owners that the 2 year is as a good as any five-year cheddar I’ve had. The morel works perfectly with the Jack.
  • Chocolates from Roots Chocolates in Wisconsin Dells. I can’t believe I had never heard of them. I enjoyed several different kinds, including the espresso and the Kalli MahTah (salty and briny).
  • Wisconsin Amber Cheddar spread from Sugar Brook Farms in Verona. As the name implies, this creamy delight is made with Wisconsin Amber beer from Capital Brewery.
  • The French Gimlet at Johnny Delmonico’s. This version uses vodka, St. Germain and fresh-squeezed lime juice.

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