From Spoon: One of the high points of a media trip I participated in last month to the “Whiskey Trail” in Tennessee and Kentucky happened the very first night, when we stayed at The Hutton Hotel in Nashville. This chic and comfortable luxury property was named to Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List for 2010; the magazine called it “the first hotel to truly capture the city’s sophistication.”

Chefs at work in the Beard House kitchen

At a special dinner that evening for our group of journalists in The Hutton’s sleek, yet warmly appointed restaurant, 1808 Grille, I met executive chef Charles Phillips, who impressed me not only with his contemporary American food, but with his easygoing manner. His enthusiasm for his work and his welcoming smile seemed to exemplify modern Southern hospitality.

Chef Charles Phillips

Chef Hus Vedat

The Hutton is owned by Philadelphia-based Amerimar Enterprises, which also owns a property referred to as The Hutton’s “sister” hotel – St. Ermin’s, featuring similar luxury in an historic building in Westminster, London (It was named to Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List for 2012). The executive chef at St. Ermin’s restaurant, The Caxton Grill, Hus Vedat, collaborates regularly with his U.S. counterpart, so it seemed natural for the two of them to present a dinner together at The James Beard House in New York City.

The “London Meets Nashville” dinner on May 16 was the chefs’ first experience cooking at the storied Beard House – the former home of the late, great James Beard where both big name and lesser-known chefs present dinners that benefit The James Beard Foundation. The logistics and menu took four months to plan and finalize; Charles and Hus collaborated on every detail.

As guests – fans and friends of both hotels – gathered on the Beard House’s back patio on the warm spring evening, sipping champagne and Tennessee Julep cocktails (made with Benjamin Prichard’s Sweet Lucy Bourbon Liqueur), passed hors d’oeuvres gave us our first tastes of the inventive menu: English pea shooters with chantilly; gougères with chicken liver mousse; mofongo with aïoli and chickpea flour–crusted bay scallops with curried tomato confit. Clearly, this was not going to be the traditional English and southern food mash-up some might have expected.

Settled at our table in the second floor dining room – Beard’s former bedroom – we were wowed by each course. The first was named “beet textures” – a golden square of jellied beets, beet powder and beet crisps with fried goat cheese. The second was equally intriguing: nuoc cham escolar, served with appropriately named purple sweet potato velvet and micro bok choy. Next came bresaola (air-dried beef) with a salad of radishes, white asparagus and baby lettuce, followed by merguez-cornbread stuffed quail and porchetta with spiced labne. Dessert was equally distinctive – and delicious: chilled peanut butter soup with chunks of ancho-chili spiked dark chocolate and short bread grissini.

The evening was clearly as memorable for the chefs as it was for guests. “I will remember the buzz of conversation, the fact that friends, family, business partners, supporters and JBH members all came together and connected over dinner,” said Charles. “There was a great energy in the air. This is why Hus, myself and our team do what we do, if our food can in some way help bring us together and provide a delicious memory, we are happy!”

MANY MORE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDE SHOW

Click to view slideshow.

From Shutter: Unlike some of my recent “Photo of the week” this one is not full of technical and lighting information.  This photo is more about the food and composition.  With great window light in the restaurant, I would have been crazy not to use it.

In celebration of spring I wanted to share this photograph I took for The Farmer’s Table restaurant on Commercial Street in the heart of the Old Port in Portland, Maine.

Inside this unassuming restaurant Jeff Landry, chef / owner specializes in seasonal locally sourced American cuisine in a casual and relaxed environment. In addition to his excellent food, I have enjoyed having what started as a client relationship turn into a friendship.

In a tribute to the season we created the above photograph of fiddleheads and ramps.  The first sign of edible springtime.

Shooting Data

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens: Nikon 24mm-70mm f/2.8

Focal Length: 70mm

Exposure: f/9@1/15th second

ISO: 250

Lighting: window light camera left.  Silver reflector camera right.

The atrium

When you enter Revel at the beach level, you are not immediately in the casino; that space – designed by the same stage designer who created Celine Dion’s Las Vegas show set – is two levels up, on the same floor as most of the resort’s restaurants, its nightclubs (including the titillating burlesque club, Royal Jelly), a performance venue and soon, shops. Two more levels up, and accessible only to overnight guests, is the hotel. Its expansive lobby includes tucked away bars and sitting areas, the uber-cool In/Out Pool, which sadly, we did not have time to loll about in, the spa (complete with a  beautifully tiled, coed bath house), and perhaps the resort’s most unusual feature, the SkyGarden. It was foggy and cold on our visit, but we were still impressed by this large (almost 2 acres) outdoor space seemingly suspended above the ocean, with plantings and sinuous glass-block paths connecting various seating areas with fire pits.

The In/Out Pool

The bathhouse at the spa

We were at Revel to experience the restaurants, especially two of the”big names” – Azure by Alain Allegretti and American Cut, the steakhouse by Iron Chef Marc Forgione. It was our good fortune to find both of the chefs in residence, and while we won’t reveal too much here, pending an upcoming story in the Travel section of The Record, we will tell you that both offer spectacular experiences in food, service and atmosphere. Another instant favorite eatery was Mussel Bar – a combo Belgian bistro and rocking roadhouse with great staff and, naturally, mussels offered a number of delicious ways anchoring the gastro-pub menu.

MUSSEL BAR

Mussel Bar

Mussel Bar

The huge beer selection at Mussel Bar

Garlic frites at Mussel Bar

Mussels, naturally, at Mussel Bar

AMADA

Amada Dining Room

Tapas at Amada, clockwise from top left: white sangria, charcuterie, salad with blue cheese and spicy almonds, tortilla

AZURE

AMERICAN CUT

Iron Chef Marc Forgione,  American Cut Steak House

Still to come are a four-story nightclub and a beach club that will offer the pool party experience with a distinct plus – the ocean. Stay tuned.

ROYAL JELLY BURLESQUE CLUB

MORE IMAGES IN SLIDESHOW

From Spoon: Growing up, all I knew about Mexican food was what I thought of as tacos – those crispy corn shells (that always shattered when you took a bite), stuffed with ground beef seasoned with mystery spices from a packet, shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and if we were going really exotic, avocado. And although I’ve now eaten Mexican food at higher-end places like (the original) Rosa Mexicano in Manhattan and casual joints -  Taco Trio in South Portland, Maine (those are Ted’s photos on their website) and my favorite converted diner car dive in Paterson, NJ, I know there’s so much more to Mexican cuisine than enchiladas and guacamole.

I’ve never been to Mexico City, but Ted has, and he’s often talked about the abundance of incredible street food there. So when chef Ivy Stark‘s book, “Dos Caminos Mexican Street Food”, landed on my desk at The Record, I thought using one of her recipes would be perfect for a Cinco de Mayo column.

I met Ivy last year at the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival, and I was impressed not only with the food she was serving from the Dos Caminos booth at an outdoor event, but that this enthusiastic, personable woman presides over a group of lauded Mexican restaurants – there are 6 of them in total. I was even more excited about using the book when I read a reference to the “The Pooh Cookbook,” in her introduction -  Ivy, the “Popovers for Piglet” page in mine is well-thumbed too!

It was hard to choose a recipe, but having had Ted’s carnitas tacos a couple of times, I wanted to try Ivy’s very different preparation. Ted’s cook on top of the stove, and are just pork simmered in lard; Ivy’s include orange juice, Coke, condensed milk and spices and spend most of their cooking time in the oven. Yes, the recipe calls for 8 pounds of lard, which I’m sure will freak some readers out (Hi Mom). But somehow, the lard pulls the fat out of the pork, giving it tenderness and flavor without greasiness. The recipe isn’t complicated, just a little time-consuming, and it makes a lot. The roasted serrano pepper salsa is super hot (for me) but an important component of the tacos, which are the real thing.

The column and recipe are HERE.

From Spoon: After a long season of root vegetables, I am hungry for dishes with spring’s bright green produce. Especially asparagus, which I can’t seem to get enough of – breakfast (with soft-boiled eggs on toast), lunch (in a salad with goat cheese and tomatoes) and dinner (grilled, roasted, in pasta – you get the idea).

For a recent weekly column in The Record, we featured a fresh spring risotto with asparagus and crab, one of many enticing recipes in chef Bill Granger’s new book “Simple Honest Food.”  The restaurateur, TV food show host and author of several books lives in Australia, where it is now autumn, but lucky for us, we are on the other side of the globe.

The column and recipe are HERE.