My Ticket to Fame and Fortune

Jason and I were fortunate enough to attend the Food Network ShopRite Grand Tasting on Sunday morning. What follows is a healthy dose of food porn. Enjoy.

We collected some great swag: magazines, a small griddle, an egg pan, Food Network gift cards, a shocking amount of Diet Coke, biscotti, breadsticks, coffee, olive oil. At one point, fueled with both wine and greed, Jason grabbed a pomegranate from a POM display. It’s stationed there on top of a can of Illy coffee.

Quality Meats’ Filet Mignon was delicious and tender.

Green and Blacks Chocolate. This is the kind of display that I’d ask for as a dying wish.

Jason enjoyed lots of beer. His pick was the Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale.

Barilla Pasta booth. The tortellini was creamy and tasty. I think there may have been some pancetta action going on there.

Favorite dish of the day: Cabrito’s Braised Pork Butt and Spicy Hominy Stew. I told Chef David Schuttenberg that is was my absolute favorite, and he did a shot with me to celebrate. It had a ton of heat and was so flavorful. Definitely making a trip out to Cabrito soon.

This is the DJ Chef. He’s available for parties and special events. He spins and cooks at the same time.

I lost Jason at one point (well, several points, actually - there was a decent amount of alcohol), and I later found him talking animatedly to this gentleman about absinthe. They were discussing various works of art that were produced under the influence of absinthe. I pulled Jason away when they started (drunkenly) talking about Edgar Allen Poe. It felt like junior year of high school all over again.

Some sort of tasty bite.

Jason got extremely excited about Wild Turkey American Honey, but it was far too sweet for me.

At the beginning of the event, he worked hard to present himself as a connoisseur of fine wines and spirits. The drunker he became, the less convincing he grew. By the end of the event, he stopped saying things like “That Cabernet was slightly oaky,” and he started saying things like, “Take a picture of me with that Wild Turkey Girl!”

She’s a pro. She had 100% photo approval power. And a paddle.

Green tea cupcakes. Yum.

The Food Network’s Sunny Anderson was extremely gracious, bubbly and nice. She gave Jason some suggestions about great restaurants in Jersey City. We’re TiVoing her show now.

This person walked up to let Sunny know that he was in love with her and that he’d just made her “Spicy Mac and Cheese” the night before. We heard him talking about Spicy Mac and Cheese all over the place, and we later introduced ourselves by saying, “You’re Spicy Mac and Cheese Guy!”

Smith and Mehta compete to be the Next Iron Chef. The Secret Ingredient is … APPLES!

Jason doesn’t even bother with putting on a sober face anymore.

Bruschetta with Muir Glen Tomatoes.

Scones with Sarabeth’s preserves.

Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Bobby Hellen’s Boudin Noir Tarts with Lardo Struesel.

Cruise Food!

Seafood bites.

Cookies with preserves.

I really enjoyed the tomato bisque from ShopRite. I grabbed the recipe, and I’m going to make it for a comforting, autumn dinner.

Eggplant Ratatouille.

Spring roll.

Chicken with Progresso breadcrumbs.

Pear cocktail, you seduce me.

Jason and beer, BFF.

Treats from Rosa Mexicano.

Bill Peet’s delicious steak tartare.

Seared tuna.

A surprisingly tasty treat: Michael Crain & Al Stephens’ Candied Butternut Squash Root Beer Float Amaretti. I loved this one! Sweet but not overpowering. Unique. The ice cream was heavenly.

Avocado Apple Salad.

I dig Nuts+Nuts.

Wrap from the Diet Coke display.

We were only ten minutes in when we started talking about how we had to go again next year. As we left the event, I realized that Jason was considerably drunker than I was. I walked him up to the High Line where we sat and enjoyed the park, and I plied him with Diet Cokes and mineral water until he stopped talking to strangers and complimenting people on their babies. Creepy when any guy does it. Even creepier when a drunk guy does it.

(A good time was had by all.)