Globe Summit, Part2: 15th Feb 2011 Chef Mauro

Part2:
15th February 2011 Contemporary Mediterranean Cusine
Chef Mauro Colagreco

Born in Argentina of Italian and Spanish decent. Found his love for gastronomy under the most renowned chefs of France at the time, Bernard Loiseau. Then under the wings of the three Michelin stared Chef Alain Passard, he perfected his craft. In the last village on the French side, on Highway La provance, right before the Italian border; Chef Mauro found his secret spot: A place where he opened The famous Mirazur restaurant. The influence of the great mentor he worked under is evident. if not by the food itself, then by the philosophy of food. Contemporary french cuisine enterprise from Chef Bernard; and the grand infatuation with creme du creme produce from a restaurant's secret garden Chef Passard . Folling his Latter mentor's path Mirazur earned its first Michelin start one year after it's opening. and the year after Chef Mauro was named Chef of the year by the most influential restaurant Guide, Gault Millau. A title that has not been bestowed upon any non-French chef since the creation of the guild in 1965.

Again as the case with Chef Rudolph (Part 1) the ingredients seem to play vital role in his cuisine, yet perhaps the Gardner spirit within Chef Mauro will be the tipping point in the Globe summit, for someone who picks his own produce might be able to find a secret garden in Riyadh.

Studio Lunch 15th February 2011 295 SR
1:00-3:00 PM

Chilled Ravioli of Lobster
with sea urchin, potato mousseline and nyons olive oil

Roast John Dory
with pan seared foi gras and
fairy ring mushroom sauce

Compote of Fig and Thyme on Sable Breton
with almond paste ice cream


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Gala Dinner 15th February 2011
650 SR
8:00-10:00 PM

Carpaccio of Scallops
grany Smith apple and Oscietre caviar

Prickly Artichoke Salad and Fennel
black truffles and candied lemons

Big Scampi
onion consomme with bone-marrow and roots

Wild Sea Bass
cleriac mousseline and black melanosporum truffle sauce

Pear Soup with Ginger
coriander cannelloni and yogurt ice cream

For reservations feel free to visit: Artofdining.net

Four Leading Chefs .. A Montage of Taste. Part 1

Hosted by the Globe Restaurant in Al Faisaliah Towers, an event that is promising a spectacular firework of tastes, that will leave your taste buds satisfied for a long time. Four world renowned Chefs are invited to bring this event into reality From the 13th to the 18th of February 2011. For an informing interview about event, as well as a good overview visit this link at Oasis Magazine's official website.

PART 1:
14th Feb 2011 California Coastline
Peter Rudolph

Executive Chef at Madera, Rosewood San Hill in Menlo Park, California. A graduate of California Culinary Academy. Started his career in the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Ray, Ca and then to Atlanta he continued his journey where he became the Sous Chef at The Dining Room and Chef De Cuisine at Jer-ne, The Ritz Carlton. Couple of years later he became the Executive chef at Novito, Ritz Carlton, California. At Novito Chef Rudolph started to shine as a new and promising chef in the Coastal Region of California . Two years later he was named one of Starchefs.com rising stars. His final step before his current job was at the famous Campton Palace in San where he served as the Executive Chef .
Chef Rudolph is well known for his unique cooking style, which is playful as well as sustainable. Squid risotto is one of many dishes the Chef has done in the past. Amazingly it has no rice! it is actually rice size pieces of squid, cooked in their own sauce. At the present I've read that the Chef is leaning towards American Style Gourmet food, that concentrates on Bold notes and smoky wood fire grill undertones.

Seafood, Birds or meats; the Chef seemed to be able to deliver it all. But will he be able to deliver here in Riyadh where the seas are hours away and the pronounced organic movement of California, is just starting to appear!


Update:
We at artofdining.net got our hands on served menu for lunch and dinner for that day... Have a peek at the taste bud festival Chef Rudolph is preparing:

Studio Lunch 14th February 2011
(Prepared by Guest Chef Mauerner)
295 SR
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Guanaja dark chocolate 70%
Foie gras, banyulus- green apple jelly and olive oil emulsion

Blackberry dark choclate sauce 65%
Roasted pigeon, black elderflower and kohlrabi

Sage chocolate and Gorgonzola cheese
Crunchy black olive bread, olive marmalade and rocket cress

Warm Chocolate Pastries
Stuffed with Kalamansi citrus fruit


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Gala Dinner 14th February 2011
650 SR
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dungeness Crab Salad
With Sea Urchin. Osetra Caviar, Celery

Marinated Shellfish Salad
With Avocado, Citrus and Pepper Cress

Roasted Driver Scallops

WithHearts of Palm, Carrot Uni Sauce, Horseradish

California White Bass
With Swiss Chard, Artichoke, Sun chokes,
Veal Sweetbreads and caper tarragon sauce

Roasted Prime Beef
With Foie Gras Mousse, Black Trumpet Mushrooms,
Bulger wheat and Huckleberry Sauce

Coffee Tart
With Chocolate Sorbet, Anise Cream

For reservations feel free to visit : Artofdining.net

Indonesian Food Festival at the Windrose

For an overview of this event at the Windrose restaurant at Hotel AL Khozama check out the beautiful article 'February for food' written by Oasis magazine that is partnering with us in this wonderful exploration of Food at the Riyadh Food Festival.

February for food article



Here is the calendar for the entertainment for this event:

Feb 4th (Friday) Dog dog glonjor 10 Dancers.
Feb 5th (Saturday) Ria Jenka 4 Dancers.
Feb 6th (Sunday) Traditional Indonesian Song.
Feb7th (Monday) Saman Dance 13 Dancers.
Feb 8th (Tuesday) Tari Piring (dance with carrying Plates) 9 dancers.
Feb 9th (Wednesday) Kuda Lumping (dizzy Horse Dance) 6 Dancers.
Feb 10th (Thursday) Rumingkang Dance 5 dancers .

La Piazza Italian Restaurant with Chef Mauro

Arriving a bit earlier than the scheduled time had it's benefits. A cup of espresso in the lobby was something i desperately needed. When the time was near for the fully booked opening of the Italian Food Festival at La Piazaa Restaurant, my colleague and i started walking around the restaurant area, at the entrance of the restaurant was the setup for the festival. A buffet style festival it seemed with a pasta station on the other side headed by Chef Mauro.

A live violin solo, gave the introduction to the Italian culture, right after that was the entrance of the Guest of Honor, his excellency Valentino Simonetti, the Ambassador of Italy. What would be a more perfect start for this event than trying some of the guest chef's pasta. Talking to Chef Mauro at the pasta stand, was a fulfilling experience.

He is a charming Chef that is visiting La Piazza Restaurant in Riyadh from Le Meridian Abu Dhabi. Originally he is from the Charming Sicily in the South of Italy, hence his preferred Italian style is southern Italian cooking. I asked the Chef to make me some pasta of his choosing. He likes it simple, and so do I, simple is best. Starting with a nice pour of DeCecco Italian Olive pour, and following that with some sliced Garlic, and finely minced onions, the aromas started to fill the air around us. Ingredients are always makes a difference, he said; echoing what his excellency The ambassador said in his opening speech. According to Chef Mauro, Tomatoes taste differently in different regions of the world, some are better for certain foods more than others. A tomato pasta eaten in Sicily will not taste the same as a tomato pasta eaten outside of that region; it is not necessary that it will taste bad, but it will taste different. Next was a pinch of spicy peppers, then some sliced olives, finally some minced tomatoes and of course some tomato puree (you almost always expect tomato puree in southern Italian food as apposed to the northern where tomatoes are less in supply). I Had a hard time at this point keeping my fork away from the sizzling food that was being cooked, the aromas were absolutely appetizing. while the tomatoes cooked the DeCecco Pasta was being boiled (i believe it was Conchiglie- shell shaped- which was one of Chef Mauro's suggestions, my guess is because it is an excellent shape for light tomato sauces), a couple of minutes later the Chef added the Pasta to the frying Pan and started cooking it with the as well. The final product was done when he moved it to a plate and finely sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese. Now comes the real test, will it taste as good as it smelled! We sat on a table in Al Bustan Restaurant (since all La Piazza tables were already taken after our long talk with the Chef). The first bite was amazing, the second was spectacular, it by all means exceeded its aromas. One could almost taste each one of the ingredients independently, yet at the same time blending to make the perfect combination. The last time i had such a good Pasta, was a Pumpkin ravioli home made at at friends house in Padova (close to Venice) .

The buffet had a variety of selections such as: Steamed Lobster (Catalana style), Braised beef with Polents, Chicken Cacciatora, and Thick crusted Pizza. a thick crusted pizza (Sicily style i guess).
By far i think the Pasta was the best highlight of that evening, but i am not sure if Chef Mauro will always be the one making it.

I was told by the chef and the Managers of the festival that Chef Mauro will be giving Italian Cooking lessons every night between 7-8 PM (cost is SR200, minimum 2 people, Max 5 people per night, Food that you make is included).

I also was also told by Chef Mauro that he will be helping in making a set menu in addition to the buffet, so customers to the Italina Food Festival in La Pizza Riyadh would have the option between the two (i would definitely go for the menu over the buffet)

The cost for the buffet will be SR180 +15% service
The cost for the Menu will vary (according to what is chosen, and the menu of the day)
Even though we did not sit in La Piazza, we were able to have a look at it. The setting was casual, the attendance was colorful, the Chef was spectacular


For reservations click here or Contact The Sheraton Hotel Riyadh.
if u need any additional questions you can always email us at artofdining.net

Riyadh Food Festival - Sheraton Riyadh

As promised here is the first update for the Riyadh Food Festival :

Sheraton Riyadh
La Piazza Italian Restaurant

Sheraton Riyadh Hotel is hosting an ITALIAN FOOD FESTIVAL at their La Piazza Restaurant as part of hotel's participation in the upcoming RIYADH FOOD FESTIVAL organized by the Supreme Commission for Tourism Antiquities.

Chef Mauro will be the guest Chef at La Piazza Restaurant in Riyadh, and he will also be teaching about the secrets of Italian cooking (Yet to verify if these are actual cooking lectures/talks) from 7-8PM from the 4th - 13 Of Feb
Opens from 6PM to 11:30PM.

For Reservation to La Piazza Italian Food Restaurant press here
For more information please visit their Facebook Page at http://on.fb.me/italianfoodfest

Riyadh Food Festival Participating Hotel Restaurants

Contacting the SCTA per email was a fruitless attempt. Here is the preliminary info that artofdining.net was able to find for the Participating Riyadh restaurants:

Participating Hotel Restaurants in Riyadh:
1- Sheraton Hotel Riyadh - Italian
2- Al Kuzama Hotel Riyadh - Indonesian
3- Four Seasons - Asian/Japanese
4- Intercontinental Riyadh - Spanish
5- Marriott Riyadh - sea food
6- Riyadh Palace - Indian
7- Holiday inn ( al kaser) - Lebanese
8- Holiday Inn (Izdihar) - Moroccan
9- Hotel Novotel Al Anoud - French
10- Hilton Garden Inn - Curry Food

all Participating Hotel Restaurants will start this food fest on the 4th and end on the 10th for the exception of :
Four seasons 5- 11
Marriott started today the 2nd,
Riyadh Palace starts tomorrow the 3ed.

We will be posting detailed information about each of the restaurant events as we receive them.