Videri Tasting Party - Confections

When you become a food blogger you get invited to awesome, fancy, private tasting parties all the time... right? Wrong. Typically you are updating your social media feeds in hopes of winning a contest, which is how I was able to snag a seat at Videri's tasting party from Facebook for their newly released confections.

I visited the Videri Chocolate Factory when they first opened their doors and was impressed by its space, feel and most importantly, the chocolate. Still, I craved more-- Videri's lounge was underutilized and only offered a line of chocolate bars. Fast forward eight months to Videri launching a line of chocolate confections.

After a short presentation from the crew and an introduction to each new confection from the new confectioner, Helen, we finally got a chance to taste.

When we first started the tasting party and got to view the treats, I automatically assumed that the Bee's Knees would be my favorite of the bunch. But it's funny thing when you assume... the Bee's Knees features a liquid center of a cajeta caramel, a caramel from slowly cooked milk rather than melted sugar. Once you bite into the dome shaped chocolate a stream of oozing cameral flows from the inside. Hints of honey pair with the stream of caramel, making it unique from other caramel chocolates.

The other caramel treat was the Venus De Milo. Simply stated, this is my favorite chocolate treat I've had all year. It's a perfect bite of chewy and gooey caramel. The seemingly simple pair of sweet and salty are brought to new depths inside of this piece of chocolate. After "forcing" myself to try the other confections, I returned to gorge myself with these squares of chocolate heaven.

Teaming up with Videri's typical cast of chocolate character will be its seasonal/rotating truffle. The first one to debut is the Chai Tiger. As the name suggests, the Chai Tiger was made with specially selected chai tea. Hints of spices accompanied this truffle but overall, a bit underwhelming from what I was hoping for as I didn't detect much chai.

When we were introduced the Mamasita, I started to imagine Sofia Vergara as a chocolate bar. But no, it is the Videri version of a spicy chocolate. For me the confection offered little heat and could've used a bottle of sriracha.

The final stop on my tasty journey was the Turkish Coffee truffle. Strong, bold, and powerful, Turkish coffee delivers a heck of a punch and this towering piece of chocolate is no different. Biting into this truffle is like sinking your teeth into a coffee-filled grenade. Personally, I found it abrasive, but then again I'm not a coffee freak.

Videri's expansion doesn't stop with their new confections. Getting a couple minutes to chat with Co-CEO Starr Sink, she informed me that Videri hopes to open a coffee bar sometime after Valentine's Day. With a wide smile and exuding hospitality, Videri were gracious hosts, which speaks just as much as their delicious chocolate and exciting new confections.

Mandolin

I'm a sucker for a good homecoming, like when Allen Iverson made a triumphant return to Philadelphia, running to the middle of the court to kiss the 76ers' logo. So after I read the Independent Weekly's story on Mandolin chef Sean Fowler coming back to his childhood neighborhood to resurrect a seemingly haunted location, I couldn't help but root for him.

2519 Fairview Road served as the clown at the putt putt course, taking restaurants in and then spitting them back out. The questions around town swirled as Mandolin prepared to open-- would Fowler make it in a space considered to be toxic? Why would Mandolin triumph when places like EVOO, Mangia Bistro, and Eat have failed? More importantly, how is the food?

Carpaccio of Spanish Mackerel

After realizing that we were severely under dressed, Sara and I scanned the menu for our first course. Giving me the hand to order our app, my initial desires were for the seared foie gras but that didn't work with Sara's gluten allergy. So onto the spanish mackerel carpaccio we went...

Wonderfully bright citrus greens evelated the thin and fishy mackerel. Together the flavors were on point but when separated from each other, the dish didn't have the same impact.

Hickory Grilled Steak

Since Sara's discovery that she is gluten intolerant she has craved red meat to fill the pasta and bread shaped hole in her soul stomach. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, the savory and juicy steak popped with flavor from the dijon glaze.

Grilled Sheepshead

When I ordered grilled sheepshead, Sara expected something on the plate to be smiling back at me. But unfortunately for her, the sheepshead on the menu referred to the fish.

The fish had an amazing sear which gave the skin a wonderful crunch. The grilled cucumber was nicely salted and worked well with the effervescent quinoa. Although, a sauce could of tied each ingredient together to give harmony to the dish.

Fig Pudding

In a celebratory mood, we decided to each get our own dessert. Unshackled by any gluten restriction I decided on the fig pudding. The orange sherbet was the star of the dish, giving moisture to the cake and a citrus tang to the pudding. The lavender-black pepper tuille was also something to marvel at but didn't really work in the dessert as a whole.

Trio of Sorbets

The only choice that Sara had availabile to her were the trio of sorbets. Flavors are constantly cycled but each of the flavors were bright and refreshing. An excellent way to end the night.

Fowler's homecoming brought great food, excellent service, and a new hope to 2519 Fairview Road.

Visit Raleigh guide - Angus Barn

Over the summer I was contacted by the people of the Great Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau to write some articles about the Wake County's best restaurants. For someone who has no culinary training or taken a journalism class in my life, this is accomplishment goes way beyond anything I ever thought I'd accomplish as a blogger. While all my work is yet to be released, here is one I wrote about the legendary Angus Barn.

http://www.visitraleigh.com/articles/view/Angus-Barn/1034/

Angus Barn

Published: 09/01/2011

by Elliot Acosta

You might have heard about the Angus Barn during a discussion about the juiciest steaks in Wake County. You might have read about the Angus Barn's award winning wine cellar while browsing Wine Spectatormagazine. You might have been told about the Angus Barn's knowledgeable and friendly staff that rivals the best in the country. Or you might have been on Twitter when Payton Manning's generous tip was tweeted to the world.

The word about this prime steakhouse is out and everyone from Raleigh and beyond knows about it. Sitting upon the same hilltop since 1960, the Angus Barn's red barn building has been a landmark of top quality cuts of beef with world-class customer service. Under the direction of Chef Walter Royal, the kitchen focuses on cooking tremendously succulent beef to perfection. Midwestern corn-fed beef is aged inside of the Angus Barn's onsite facility. Together with the aging process and Royal's mastery of the kitchen, the steaks at the Angus Barn become divine.

An unapologetic huge piece of steak, the Angus Barn's marvelously marbled 22-ounce prime rib melts in your mouth. Chef Royal's world renowned cooking has earned him high honors from such organizations as the Restaurant Guild International whom recognized the chef with the distinction of a "Five Star Chef of the Year." Hearing of Royal's great feats in the kitchen, Food Network invited the chef to battle against one of their famous Iron Chefs. Pitted against Iron Chef Cat Cora, Royal was able to reign victorious by a large eight-point margin. His famed ostrich satay that he used to defeat Chef Cora has been included to the Angus Barn menu, giving you a tiny piece of Kitchen Stadium.

9401 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh; 919.787.3505; www.angusbarn.com.

Chowing down on the prime rib my Senior year before Formal