Category: Blog (Page 10 of 30)

The Arizona Highland Celtic Festival, July 16-17: Food and Beverage

July 13, 2011 / / 0 Comments

By Ray Pearson

“I love coming to this event. It’s like taking my tummy on a tour of foreign countries. The desserts are my favorite”, gushed 10-year old Ernie Ripko, from Southern California, at last year’s Arizona Highland Celtic Festival. Celtic snacks, entrees, and desserts are the culinary main attractions at this annual event. This year’s festival takes place July 16 and 17 at Foxglenn Park in Flagstaff.

For the Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Society, Celtic (“kel-tik”) refers to a celebration of the culture of eight regions in Western Europe, created in Roman times. In today’s world, they are the countries of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the regions of Cornwall (England), Brittany (France), Asturias and Galicia (both in Spain), and the Isle of Man.

 

 

“It’s very important to us that our food vendors present authenticity and the highest quality of foods representing the Celtic regions”, says Jude McKenzie, president of the society.

Available to festival goers is a variety of hearty meat and shepherd’s pies, sausage rolls, corned beef, beef burgers from the shaggy, long-horned Highland “coos”, and shrimp, chicken, or fish, all served with a side of chips (French fries). The Scottish conundrum known as haggis is also available. Despite major eye-rolling of (usually uninformed) naysayers, haggis is a tasty, hash-like meat dish (best enjoyed with a single malt Scotch). When it comes to those desserts young Ernie is so fond of, he’s in good company. Welsh cakes, cooked on a griddle and served warm, are made in various flavors including raisin, cinnamon, and lemon, topped with sugar. Shortcake, a cousin of Scottish shortbread, is served with strawberries and whipped cream. Reminiscent of the way special ice cream treats that are served throughout the UK, the ice cream vendor serves soft ice cream with tangy flavors, colorfully swirled around the outside of the cone or dish.

When it comes to beverages, McKenzie lights up. “We believe we are the only Celtic festival that serves alcoholic beverages representing all eight regions. At two locations on the field, we present ‘Spirits of the Celtic Regions’, served by knowledgeable staff.” Whiskies, wines and brandy represent most of regions. Perhaps the most unusual drink comes from the Isle of Man. ManX Spirit is actually a proprietary blend of various Scotch and Irish whiskies, with the color removed. Three different Irish beers, along with soft drinks, round out the drinks available at the festival.

 Click here for more information about the Arizona Highland Celtic Festival such as location, hours, and activities.

Photo Tips for Shutterbugs

July 7, 2011 / / 0 Comments

By Ray Pearson

It’s summertime in America, and the open road beckons. Whether you prefer wandering quaint country roads, rushing down interstates, or tracing Route 66, one thing is certain – the trusty camera is a wonderful co-pilot on such adventures.

Fast forward a bit, to when travel season is but a fond memory, and those friendly (but in all honesty—frightening) invitations to “C’MON OVER AND LOOK AT OUR VACATION PICTURES!” start filling up the voicemail box. Really, why didn’t they just buy post cards? I don’t care how cute your kid is eating a drippy ice cream cone; 12 pictures of the experience is excessive.

Here are ten suggestions to make your photos the most sought-after show in the neighborhood:

  1. Photograph in less-than-ideal weather – oncoming storms are awesome

 

 

2.) Photograph at dawn and at night – immediately “something different”

 

 

3.) Include people you encounter – especially if they are doing something exciting

 

 

4.) Photograph especially colorful food or restaurants 

 

 

5.) Photograph from different perspectives – get down to kid level

 

 

6.) Be willing to pull over when something unusual pops up – road trips are great for this

 

 

7.) Include an interesting foreground – this leads the eye to the main subject

 

Interesting foreground gives the picture depth of personality

 

Uninteresting foreground

 

8.) Photos do not have to be tack sharp to be interesting – blurring conveys action

 

 

9.) Include special activities from your vacation – it’s an exciting world

 

 

10.) Include details from unusual accommodations – rustic B&Bs are great for this

 

 

About Ray

Ray is a nationally recognized single malt Scotch expert. He recently retired after 16 years within the spirits industry, including four as Glenfiddich U.S. Ambassador. Ray currently presents educational whisky seminars and tastings for corporate events, destination management companies, and national whisky shows. He is a photographer and member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association.

For more articles from Ray, you can visit his blog:

whiskymeister.wordpress.com

And of course check out all of his Whisky 101 articles right here at intotheSoup.com.

The Arizona Highland Celtic Festival, July 16-17: Activities and Attractions

July 5, 2011 / / 0 Comments

By Ray Pearson with Photos By Betsey Bruner

Overheard at last year’s festival:

  • “C’mon, Dad, I want to learn more about raptors and geology.”
  • “Did you know a labyrinth is a maze?”
  • “That kid over there is younger than me, and she’s playing the bagpipe. Can I do it?”

Nope, the Arizona Highland Celtic Festival is not a super camp for young brainiacs and prodigies. One of the things it is, however, is a once-a-year opportunity for families and folks of all ages to become immersed in “things Celtic”. In fact, the motto of the group presenting the festival is “To present, promote, and preserve Celtic culture.” This is usually done through fun activities, where the learning sneaks in the back door.

 

An exotic bird show is a major educational attraction

For the little ones, The Kids’ Area offers a wide range of interactive situations like digging for potatoes in Ireland (actually a kiddie pool filled with wood chips, hiding real potatoes). For the little- bit-older set, there’s the oatmeal toss, with gallons of the gooey stuff available to lob at ogres and denizens of Celtic mythology (and learn the importance of the humble food in Celtic history.)

 

Get your kids excited about careers in agriculture!

Single malt whisky tastings,  black powder firing re-enactments, spinning and weaving demonstrations, and the straight-backed, shoe-clacking precision of Irish dancers are just a few of the crowd-pleasing activities happening throughout the weekend. Over the years, workshops have become immensely popular. This year nearly a dozen will be offered, including hands-on opportunities to play the musical bones, spoons and the bodhran, learn about Celtic salt and how it’s harvested from the sea in several Celtic regions, and hear tales of Celtic myths, legends, heroes and villains.

A black powder demo for the gun lovers

Jewels in the festival crown include athletic competitions (brawny guys do not throw telephone poles, they toss the caber), Highland dance competitions (did you know the Highland Fling is based on a war dance?), and Piping and Drumming competitions. Clans (families sharing a common ancestry) and Celtic organizations welcome guests to discover genealogy, family history, and modern-day links to the Old World.

 

You’ll never look at another telephone pole without thinking, “How far could I throw that?”

Authentic, high-quality food and merchandise, representative of the Celtic regions, are the mainstays in the vendors area, along with opportunities for such unusual things as printing your personal coat of arms and family history. This year, the insanely popular Wicked Tinkers and the always fun, Knockabouts, will get the crowds into the spirit of the weekend. New entertainers include Bua, a group of Irish singers, and Tramor, a group of pan-Celtic performers, including a Welsh bag-piper.

 

The Geographer’s Cafe: Mexico City, Mexico

June 22, 2011 / / 0 Comments

By RF Burton

So I am on a plane to Stockholm, which will be the second stop on a journey that will take me to almost 60 countries. You see, I recently got a job with a company that has offices around the world and part of my gig is to get to know them all. This is an exceptional opportunity that has its challenges, not the least of which is a lot of time away from family, yet I can’t help but believe this is one of those lifetime opportunities that you can’t pass up. I am looking forward to sharing the fun, non-business parts with you. So let’s back up to my first stop – Mexico City.

I chose to start in Mexico because it was “geographically desirable” (a.k.a reasonably close to my point of departure,) but still culturally very different from the US. I knew I could get a feel for the challenges of international operations. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by our office manager and a tour guide, Sergio Perez.

Sergio was a top-notch guide. He was worldly and fluent in both English and French. He seemed to know everything about Mexico City, though he conceded that if he didn’t know the particulars of something he could easily “make up a good story.”

Massive Organ at the Catedral Nacional

Our first stop was Zocalo or Plaza de la Constitucion at the heart of the city. The Plaza is built on top of the ancient Aztec city now under excavation. While it doesn’t look like much, you can get a glimmer of the old structures and carvings in a corner of the plaza.

I arrived on a Sunday so many popular attractions like the Palacio Nacional were closed, but we did get to tour the Catedral Nacional which actually deserves a full day of tour on its own.

The Catedral Nacional

I love cathedrals. They’re a contradiction of sorts– public and yet sacred and they all come with tons of legends. My favorite tale from this one was the story of the “poison crucifix”. Supposedly, a bishop had the habit of kissing the feet of a Jesus on the crucifix when he arrived each day. One day, an enemy of the bishop’s placed poison on the feet of the statue in and effort to off the bishop. When the bishop knelt at the feet of the statue, the statue came to life and raised his feet. While this action saved the bishop from the deadly kiss, the poison penetrated the white marble of the crucifix turning it black. Whether this account is legend or fact, I’ll leave to your personal beliefs; but either way, it’s a wonderful explanation for the statue’s unique ebony appearance.

The Palacio Nacional

While the the opportunity to tour the city was limited, the food was abundant. Unfortunately, Mexico City is too massive and confusing for me to give you precise directions to the restaurants. Add to that the fact that we needed a driver who, apparently, was formerly army and our protection, and I decided it was best to keep my head down and not ask too many questions.

Business meetings take place over meals in Mexico City and I was treated to the “best of.” The first night, we went to a Mexican fusion restaurant, Pujol, in the Polanco area, where we enjoyed an eight course tasting menu. We drank Don Julio Reposado with a tomato juice taster, so the incredible spread was more like an incredible blur. You know what they say; “One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.” That probably explains why the highlight for me was the first dish. It came in a large clay pot filled with corn husks for flavor. Inside, baby corn on sticks were served in a coffee-based sauce. I also remember liking a mushroom dish covered in mole. Luckily, my host grabbed the bill because I think it was beyond my bank account.

The next evening we had another “business meeting” at a true Mexico City establishment, Hacienda de los Morales. This is a gorgeous place that takes you directly to colonial Mexico. Built in the 16th century, it is like stepping out of the city into a different world. Like the architecture, the food was traditional. I had pork medallions in a guacamole sauce and a local merlot, and since it is taboo to talk business at these introductory business meals, we had some good conversation as well.

Experiencing this taste of the real Mexico was quite an eye-opener. The people I met were sophisticated, intelligent and very civilized in their approach to business.

Next Stop: Stockholm, Sweden

Paso Part 2: Eat, Sip, Savor, Repeat

June 9, 2011 / / 0 Comments

So, where did we leave off?  Oh, I remember, my amazement at the fact that I’m now writing sequels, or as my editor so blithely informed me, “It’s a series you bone head!”  Can you believe I pay her?  Oh well, welcome to my second in the series on Paso Robles, CA – The Food.

When a town has a town square, it makes complete sense to head right into the heart of that town. I grew up in rural Washington State and as I drew nearer to the heart of Paso a little bird of happiness leapt right into mine.  This is farm country (be still, be still!). Better yet, it’s farm country with award winning wines, cutting edge restaurants and the awesome chefs that are changing the culinary scene even as we speak.

My first taste of Paso was Bistro Laurent, a name that seemed completely out of place, yet at the same time, so very right. Temperate al fresco dining, a “something for everyone” lunch menu, and a waitress who knew how to make a decision for me; warm potato and goat cheese salad and a glass of Albariño = Happy Heidi. Sated and kind of ‘glowy’, I set out for my tour of The Abalone Farm.   

Abalone has been harvested from the central coast for over 200 years, is a dietary staple for most locals, and a Holy Grail for shellfish connoisseurs and uninitiated visitors alike. This is because Abalone isn’t something  for which you need acquire a taste, for once you taste it, it acquires you. Preparation: The simpler, the better. Pound it out to less than 1/4 inch thick, dip it in eggwash, coat it in Panko, and fry in butter (prefferably Kerrygold), 2-3 minutes per side. Pair with a Local Paso Wine and all will be well.

My next culinary stop takes me to Artisan, a restaurant that is owned and operated by two-time James Beard Nominee Chef Chris Kobayashi. While Chef wasn’t in the building, his wife and partner, Shandi, made the dinner a winner. We started with a little plate of charcuterie and a melt-in-your-mouth, please-pick-me-up-off-of-the-floor foie gras. Place a piece on your tongue and pair with a glorious Viognier. I was an even Happier Heidi. After much conversation and more taste sensations of beer-based Fondue and a big plate of vegetables (great goat cheese salad) everyone finally acquiesced to my request for the rabbit ragu, and not a single soul was sorry for that decision–except maybe the rabbit. A few more flights to share? Why the hell not?! Needless to say, we closed the joint! Keep it up, kids.

The next evening I met Michael Cervin for dinner at Robert’s Restaurant and Wine Bar. They have the best chairs EVER!! Seriously, so comfy and relaxed I could have spent the night. Back up… I couldn’t possibly go a step further without mentioning our waiter, Trevor.  He came poppin’ over with his pompadore and some serious happy! He was infectious, educated about everything Robert’s and just a joy!  Thanks for the great night T!

Chef Ryan Swarthout (we’ve decided that his next dining establishment will be Swarthy’s) is the culinary star behind Robert’s, and he makes it his own with a passion that comes from his heart, and a freedom to create that comes from the owners: Smart folks. Ryan is one of those guys that comes across understated, shy smile, kind of quiet, but once you get him to talking he comes alive like a battery operated toy! Passion suits him, and it shows in his product. I could go on and on about his food (which is wonderful) but I prefer talking about him.  

My deepest desires must be written all over my face (yikes!) because he pulled up one of those comfy chairs and we talked food, wine, and why we do what we do. I’m not sure if it was the hour he spent with us, the molten chocolate dessert he presented to me, or a combination of the two, but it pushed me into Exponentially Happy Heidi-mode. We closed that joint, too!  Damn, I love my job! 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Il Cortile. The Carbonara I enjoyed there was excellently prepared, the service was spot on, and they went to extra special lengths to make sure that the wine paired perfectly with the meal. 

That concludes the second in my series of blogs gushing about the treasures of Paso Robles. I’ll be back soon with my final outpouring of affection for the Wine of Paso, but in the meantime, you can revisit my blog about the people—Paso Part 1: Go for the Friendly, Stay for the Fun.

Paso Part 1: Go for the Friendly, Stay for the Fun

May 20, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Have you ever visited a place where you instantly felt welcome, comfortable and excited all at the same time? Paso Robles, CA is one of those places, and given my druthers, I’d be writing this from there.  Alas, I pen this piece not from the glorious vineyard-kingdoms of Halter Ranch, Denner Vineyards or Silver Horse; nor from a fine food sampling of Artisan’s foie gras or Chef Ryan Swarthout’s braised pork belly. Nope. The bittersweet reality is that I’m at home, hoping that my pining will inspire you to enjoy an escape to the Central Coast of California.

There is a plethora of reasons why a destination like Paso Robles is so desirable. To name a few: It’s one of the most picturesque areas of the United States, the food is outstanding, it’s widely accessible by plane, train, and automobile, and—need I even say it?—the wine is outstanding. Trust me when I tell you that all of these aspects of Paso Robles remain ingrained in my memory, bathed in a golden light or something like that. However, the real heart and soul of Paso is the people.

Upon my arrival and check-in at Enterprise rental car, the sales clerks who seemed genuinely interested in my itinerary, made several suggestions for dining, and even gave me a free upgrade! This trend of superior customer service followed me to my hotel, La Bellasera, where the front desk girl, Lauren, rearranged some bookings to get me a room with a small pool. She also downloaded a map for me so I could find Brad Buckley at The Abalone Farm.

Abalone anyone?

I could write about Brad all day long. He’s automatically endearing and as sincere as they come. He gave me a personal tour of the farm, which is set high atop a windswept bluff overlooking Morro Bay. I was awestruck. Sometimes the sheer beauty of nature takes me by surprise. He lives on the property (lucky guy!) and at the end of the tour he asks, “So, do you have time for snacks?”  Duh!?!?

If you’ve never tasted abalone raised on the Central Coast of California and lovingly prepared by Brad Buckley, you have not lived! He showed me the sustainability and all-organic components of these farm-raised mollusks; from how they are bred, to the harvesting process, to their many wonderful culinary applications.

Brad Buckley–Abalone King and New BFF

While we dined on perfectly prepared abalone—in both “rustic” and “trimmed” styles–we shared a small bottle of Silver Horse Syrah, and I found myself becoming fast-friends with Brad. It was as if we’d known each other forever and all was right with the world. So, when I said, “Can you come on my show tomorrow?”  He said, “Duh?!”

After good snacks and good company, I was back on the road. My destination? The center of Paso at a place called Vinoteca for my ‘meeting’ with the Mental Marketing Girls, Maryann Stansfield and Nancy Hoover. These were the ladies who organized my little adventure to Paso, so naturally, I was a little nervous. Sometimes PR people don’t quite understand what I’m all about, but geez, it was fun at first sight with these ladies!  We kicked off our very serious, professional, conference with a quick flight of local wines, and then we walked around the corner to one of the funkiest joints you’d ever expect to find in a farm town – Artisan!

More New Friends: Maryann Stansfield, me, and Nancy Hoover

We’ll save the food review for the next installment of Paso – The Food, but let me say that these wine country folks (Trevor, Ryan, Anthony, Bill, Becky, Lowell, Michael and the lovely Shandi) set the stage for a perfect 3 days. Oh, and um, we closed that funky joint the first night. Maryann, Nancy and I all had some sort of “grass roots” in our being and I felt, once again, completely at ease, comfortable and welcome. Go figure.

And so, should the travel bug bite you, head to Paso Robles, CA for the “friendly”, and stay for the food and wine. These people are real and they give a damn.  They love what they do and they want you to love it, too! (Ahem—I expect to see that on a billboard when I return).

I expect to see this on a billboard too.

Last but most certainly, not least, I tip my hat to my new friend Michael Cervin. He’ll be getting lots of accolades as I progress through this series, but just let me say that it was a pleasure to hang with such a gentleman during my stay in Paso Robles. He drove, he planned, he opened the doors, he cracked me up, and he helped…a lot! 

Stay tuned for the sequel “Paso – The Food”…shit, wait a minute, when did I start doing sequels? Oh well. I guess it was only a matter of time.

Contact Heidi@intothesoup.com for tickets to the midnight showing. Costumes encouraged. 

 

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