The Dinner Club

On November 17, 2012, the Rourke Drive (R.D.) Dinner Club was born.  If you asked me a few years ago to start a neighborhood dinner club, I would’ve probably looked the other way.  But this idea came from our neighbor as a way to help us all get together and share a meal during the winter season when we don’t get to see each other so often.   We decided to start small and rotate from home to home on a monthly basis. I would like to eventually expand it out beyond the selected few so that the other “Rourkies” can have the same dinner club experience.  My street alone has plenty of potential when it comes to food.  From Spanish, Columbian, Brazilian, Italian, Irish to Korean, the R.D. Dinner Club could be the talk of the town.  Besides the food, dinner club will be a time for everyone to get to know their neighbor more intimately and possibly become close friends with someone they may not have known.

Being the “foodie” that I am, I thought I would take to the lead in getting things kicked off.  Not knowing how to run a dinner club, I did some “Googling” to figure out where to start, what to do, and how to present it. My first instinct was to just jump right into it by sending out invites and cooking.  But, what I had learned was that I needed a structure to the dinner party, and a theme. 

So, on October 25, 2012 at 8:13pm, I sent this meal to those selected few:

"What's up Community Family?

Yes, it's about that time! We've been talking about it for a while...The first monthly R.D. Dinner Club is right around the corner. You're probably thinking "R.D.??? What the..."  Yes, I had to give it an official name, "Rourke Drive Dinner Club." How original, huh? But, reason being is that when this gets going, every community is going to be doing it, so we need to remember where it started.

Anyway, the R.D. Dinner Club is Set for this date:

Event: R.D. Dinner Club
Date and Time: Saturday, November 17th, 2012 @ 7 P.M.

Please R.S.V.P. to this email by November 9th, 2012.

Yours truly will be preparing the meal; I just ask if you can bring the beverages, please and thank you, of course!

I'm thinking that the very first meal will be a little bit comforting....Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Southern Comfort Food!!!

Well, I hope all of you can make it because this is going to be EPIC!!

Your Community Food Chef"

A few days after, I finalized my meal. What my guest didn't know was that this menu had a Creole/Cajun twist.

Main Menu

• Southern Fried Chicken w/ Cajun Dust Seasonings (to the right)
• Smoked Mac' & Cheese w/ Crawfish and Bacon
• Braised Kale w/ Cajun Sausage
• Famous Cornbread "So good, makes you want to slap your mamma!"
• Southern Sweet Tea

 Dessert Menu

• Old Fashion Pound Cake w/ Fresh Strawberry Compote & Coconut Rum Whipped Cream

With an ambitious meal planned, I had my hands full.  Thankfully my wife helped me with the dessert, decor and of course, the clean up! Needless to say, everything turned out pretty well, but there were some things that I would've done differiently. 

Lessons Learned

1. Treat a three hour event, as if it was two days - preparation is key here; leave ample time so you won't feel rushed and you can enjoy everything else around you.
2. Even if you have a grocery list defined, don't shop, make preparations and cook all in the same day. Grocery shop one day, prep another and cook the day of the event.  That way if you do forget something you're not scrabbling around at the last minute.
3. If you work full time, try to take time out for yourself to get the aforementioned completed. You will be surprised on how much time you will need to do these things, including cleaning the house for your company and setting the table.

Overall, it was a successful night and my guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves. For those of you that hosted dinner parties before, what were your challenges? What would you do differently?  And, what were some of the themes that you came up with? Feel free to leave comments or questions that you may have.

If you would like a recipe to one or more of the items mentioned above, follow me on my blog and vote for what you want! For the most votes, I will be releasing the recipe within the next month.

Your Community Food Chef
Follow me on Twitter: @yourcfchef

Self-Taught, Self-Trained and Self-Motivated, BUT No Expert!

In my first article, “Introducing: Your Community Food Chef,” I presented myself as a person who is passionate about food and shared the story of how it all began.  But, I never really talked about the driving factor that inspires me to become a better cook.  I will be the first to say that I am no expert, nor do I not have any classical training.  From the beginning, everything that I cooked became a trial and error scenario.  Just ask my wife about the “crab-cake fiasco” that she had to live through when we just dating back in college!

Over the years, I have experimented with different spices, flavors, textures, smells, cooking methods and techniques…you name it!  However, I’m 100 percent positive that there are hundreds of other ingredients and methods of cooking that I’m not accustomed to.  The accessibility of the product, expense of the equipment, or simply the price of an ingredient (i.e. Truffle Oil) are some of the reasons that my explorations in the kitchen have been limited.  However, my desire to grow has forced me to find alternative ways to learn how to develop new flavors and not to limit myself just because I can’t afford a piece of equipment or rare ingredient.

So from my point of view, the best alternative for satisfying my hunger (no pun intended) was to have the chefs cook for me!  A number of people have asked me what kinds of food I had the privilege of eating? Well, to name a few: venison, buffalo, alligator, ostrich, truffles, truffle oil, sweetbread (an interesting one, Google it!), cactus, yucca, raw oysters, conch, hearts of palm, and various herbs and spices. The list can go on and on, but whatever I’m eating, I always try to put myself out of my comfort zone and try to avoid the obvious choice. Don’t get me wrong, I like the occasional steak and potatoes.



A few years ago when I was visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico, I ate at this local establishment where I could’ve easily had a dish with rice, beans and pork with the staple spices.  Instead, I chose to eat a whole red snapper fish (fish head included!) with ingredients that I was unfamiliar with. Yes, this definitely was a bold choice, but if I didn’t introduce my palate to these new flavors, I will never learn and grow as a cook.  When I go out to a restaurant I have a habit of asking the waiter/waitress questions about my meal. The next time you find yourself at a restaurant of your choice, try asking what’s in the dish that makes it so unique, if you can’t figure it out. You’ll be surprised what answer you get back.  Usually they tell me, unless it’s a family recipe, in which I can appreciate the protection of a trade secret.  

Garlic and Ginger Chicken (Grilled) w/
Spicy Sweet Potatoe Hash - On top, Mixed
Greens (Arugula & Baby Spinach) dressed
in a Dijon & Citrus Vinagerette

I guess the moral of this story is that don’t be afraid to try to something new when it comes to food.  You just might like it or might not! But taking the risk is worth it. If you have a passion for cooking or just plain ol’ eating, try this: become a participant in a food forum.  Here are some of the most popular forums that tend to draw my attention; eGullet, ChowHound, Mouthfuls Food Forum, and Cheftalk Forum.  You’ll be astonished on what you learn!

One last thing, you might be wondering how that crab cake experiment turned out. Let’s just say I haven’t made another attempt on making those crab cakes, but I will in due time.  Since then I think I redeemed myself by making this dish to your right.

Your Community Food Chef

Follow me on Twitter: @yourcfchef

There's More to Mississippi Than Just Southern Food, and Mud Pies!

During my travels for work, I came across a unique place for dinner that impressed me and excited my taste buds…

Cristina’s International Cuisine (CIC) –  Restaurant Owner and Chef, Cristina is very hospitable and after talking to her during and after my meal, I could tell she had a passion for food and cooking.

Owner and Chef Cristina Green (left) and Food Critic, Lamar Burrell (right)

The restaurant, itself, seats approximately 60 customers and was recently remodeled to fit Cristina’s style and her vision.  I felt comfortable and the atmosphere was relaxing.  The experience was similar to visiting your grandma’s home and she simply took care of you, with delight; treated you like family!

I had the pleasure of eating there on October 29, 2012 and when I did I was instantly hooked to her food and her personality.  All of her food is cook to order.  She has a very eclectic menu of different cuisine, such as French, Italian, Spanish, Thailand, Japanese, Peruvian, Mediterranean, Brazilian, Mexican, and Venezuelan delicacies.  Not knowing what to order, I blindly asked her to pick and fix me a meal for my dinner.  To my surprise, Chef Cristina brought me out a Spanish dish called Salmon a la Costa Vasca with whipped mashed potatoes.  This dish was superb! No salt or pepper needed for this dish folks!  All of the seafood tasted fresh, every molecule of food had depth of flavor, and even the plate presentation was immaculate. Let’s just say, I left there happy and full.

I asked Cristina, “Are all of your ingredients fresh and homemade?” Cristina stated “Yes, including my seafood…all of my seafood is flown in for preparation. The salmon was shipped whole and fileted by my staff in the kitchen…before any plate hits your table, I will make sure it’s up to my standards before it is served.”  

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Well, where is this restaurant located?”  CIC is located in Tupelo, Mississippi on 725 N. Gloster Street.  They are open on Monday and Thursday 11:00am – 9:30pm and Friday and Saturday from 11:00am – 10:30pm.  So, if you ever find yourself in the area, you have to visit Chef Cristina and her wonderful restaurant called Cristina’s International Cuisine.  

Like her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cristinas-International-Cuisine/515609815134333

 

For more information about the restaurant visit: http://www.cristinasintlcuisinellc.com/ 

Food “4” Thoughts, this was mine…so what’s yours?

Introducing: Your Community Food Chef

Hi Everyone,

I'm Lamar.  This is actually my very first blog, so I want to take some time to tell you who I am and what this blog is all about. I just turned 30 years old a few weeks ago (a huge life milestone) turning the BIG  “3-0”, forced to me reflect on who and where I am in life. My list of reflections included being married to my beautiful wife of three and a half years, having loving parents and an accomplished older brother, as well as a very supportive family who have been the backbone of my success.  I have a great career and actually enjoy what I do every day.  So, I asked myself this question, “What am I most passionate about?"  I am passionate about lots of things, like my family, my faith, drawing, playing video games (Yes, I know!), and watching movies. But, there is one thing that trumps all (besides my faith and family) and that is COOKING.

Since I could remember (possibly since I was 4 or 5 years old), I used to watch my grandma prepare meals in the kitchen every time she babysat my brother and I.  I believe this is where it all started.  If you read my ‘About Me’ section you might wonder, and ask yourself, “If he is so passionate about cooking, why didn’t you become a chef?” Well, I can explain…let’s fast forward to high school and college.

When I was in high school, my interest changed probably just like everyone else.  I began to think about girls, sports, and just plain old getting through high school into the college of my choice.  Before I got into my college of choice, my interests changed again and I began to think about what I thought I wanted to do with my life. A few occupations came in mind that paid pretty well; computers/technology, business, engineering, or medicine.  Only one of these choices interests me; the computer/technology industry.  I had taken some computer courses back in high school, and I remember saying that “I can do this for living.”   It’s now 2012, I am now a successful IT Risk Consultant.  But 10 years strong, the burning desire to be around the culinary scene has been dwelling inside of me.

So that’s why, I decided to start this blog. Yes, I've used other social media sites, but in my opinion this is not the same. So, “What is this blog about, you ask?” As a reader and a participant, you will be able to share recipes, tips and tricks for meal preparation, favorite restaurants in your hometown and cities you’ve visited, and of course, the cuisines of the world. As the author and a home chef, I will be able to share my explorations with food, hand crafted recipes, as well as, the journeys that have brought me to where I am today and adventures yet to come.

If you want to know more about me, my mission, and what I am trying to accomplish, please feel free to add me on Google+.