Jackie and I are recently back from a week long food adventure. Our first stop was San Francisco for the Fancy Food Show where we unveiled a new line of Rub with Love sauces, glazes, and some additions to our classic rub line. Being a huge fan of crabcakes, my personal favorite is the Crab Cake Mix, but be sure to check them all out and let me know what you think!

While in San Francisco, we had the opportunity to eat at Aziza — a fantastic nouvelle-Morrocan-Turkish restaurant in ‘the aves’. I really loved the cinnamon and powdered sugar-crusted bastilla, and the celery and vanilla martini. A–16, on Union Street, proved a little too popular for it’s own good. We waited an hour and a half for our reservation, but had some terrific charcuterie, enjoyed the nice wine list, and preferred their pastas over their pizzas. What a great food scene — I can’t wait to go back!

Next up was Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. We were invited to cook a dinner by Tyler Florence of the Food Network and jumped at the opportunity. We arrived to both sun and snow, but our dinner for 250 people on Friday night was the highlight. We served star anise-cured salmon with shiso yogurt, eggplant tingmo with bruleed mango, seared black cod with Chinatown side pork and bok choy-shiitake stew with ginger broth, and of course, our triple coconut cream pie! We had a few celebrity sightings like Counting Crows, Neil Young and Liz Phair, but no a-list actors, darn it.

This Valentine's we are trying something new and hosting a big private dinner in the Palace Ballroom for ‘annual lovers night’. We’re going to have a dueling piano team onstage to take your favorite song requests. Maybe the tune that was playing when you got engaged? Or the prom song that you danced cheek to cheek to. I remember mine specifically. It was Barry Manilow’s "Brandy", and Elton John’s "Goodbye Yellowbrick Road"...ahhhh isn’t that sweet? I’m really looking forward to the night. As a matter of fact, I’m going to spend the night behind the oyster bar with my honey, Jackie. Check our events page to see what we’re serving.

We’re looking forward to the sunny days of Spring???

~ Cheers, Tom & Jackie