Daily Pampering: Master Chef classic in Beaver Creek

by Melanie Nayer on

Beaver Creek is more than just fancy slopes and skiing. This January, celebrity chefs will convene in Beaver Creek for the 13th Annual Beaver Creek Master Chef Challenge, and you can have up-close-and-personal seats with some of your favorite chefs (for a fee, of course).

Bon Appétit is sponsoring the a yummy three-day epicurean affair, which takes plans Jan. 27-29. The event includes an awe-inspiring Master Chef Challenge, intimate cooking classes, an après-ski cocktail seminar and a Grand Tasting at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch.

In the kitchen:
John Besh – Chef: August, Besh Steak, Luke, La Provence, American Sector, and Domenica (New Orleans)
Joey Campanaro – Chef/Owner, The Little Owl (New York); Chef, Kenmare (New York), Owner, Market Table (New York), Village Bele (Philadelphia)
Stephanie Izard – Executive Chef/ Partner, Girl & The Goat (Chicago)
François Payard – Pastry Chef, FPB (New York, Las Vegas, Japan and Korea), Payard, François Chocolate Bar
Jacques Van Staden – Chef, London Club (Las Vegas); Vice President of Food & Beverage Operations, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises
Jose Garces – Executive Chef, Mercat a la Planxa (Chicago); Owner/ Executive Partner, Garces Restaurant Group (collection of restaurants in Philadelphia)
Marco Canora – Co-Owner/Chef, Hearth and Terroir (New York); Finalist on”Next Iron Chef”
The price? Master Chef Classic lodging event packages are available starting at $522 per person, which includes two nights of lodging, two days of lift tickets and one ticket each for the Master Chef Challenge and the Grand Tasting. This package is available Jan. 27-31, 2011.

Event-only ticket packages are also available including a Master Chef Package for $475, which provides one ticket to the Master Chef Dinner, Master Chef Challenge, Grand Tasting, one Seminar (choice of Chophouse/Wine Seminar or Osprey/Cocktail Seminar) and one Cooking Class (Marco/Splendido or Joey/Park Hyatt).

The VIP package is $575 and includes the Master Chef Package offerings plus early admittance to the Grand Tasting for exclusive access to the Chefs. The Just a Taste Package for $165 includes tickets for the Master Chef Challenge and the Grand Tasting.

Latest al Qaeda threat targets hotel buffets

by Melanie Nayer on

According to a report from the Department of Homeland Security, al Qaeda terrorists have targeted buffets at various U.S. hotels and restaurants as their latest terrorist threat. USA Today reports the threat is “credible” and hotels have been briefed and are on alert.

According to USA Today:

While the report says that hotel industry security officials have been briefed about the potential threat, Joe McInerney, who runs the industry’s chief association in Washington D.C. – said that federal officials say that “there is nothing specific” in terms of a potential threat against hotels so the industry isn’t immediately worried although it is taking action.

Here’s what CBS reported:

The plot, uncovered earlier this year, is said to involve the use of two poisons – ricin and cyanide – slipped into salad bars and buffets. Of particular concern: The plotters are believed to be tied to the same terror group that attempted to blow up cargo planes over the east coast in October, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In online propaganda, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has praised the cargo attack, part of what it called “Operation Hemorrhage.”

The food poisoning threats are credible, and the Dept. of Homeland Security says public health officials are on alert. There hasn’t been any indication as to what hotels are being targeted or which ones have been briefed.

We want to know: Will you still eat at a hotel buffet this holiday season?

Worlds most expensive beer made from Antarctic ice

by Kraig Becker on

Australian beer maker Nail Brewing revealed the secret behind its latest ale, which set a new record for the most expensive beer ever produced when it was sold at auction last month. The new limited edition brew, which was produced and sold for charity, was made from melted Antarctic ice.

Dubbed Antarctic Nail Ale, the beer first went on the auction block to raise money for the Sea Sheperd Conservation Society, an organization dedicated to protecting whales and other sealife around the globe. On November 3, a single bottle sold for an amazing $800 AUD (roughly $780), setting the new record for the worlds most expensive beer in the process. That auction was just the warm-up however, as another bottle went up for sale on November 19, smashing the new record. That second bottle sold for a whopping $1850 AUD ($1805)!

The beer was created by John Stallwood, the owner of Nail Brewing. Stallwood’s brother-in-law is part of the crew on board a Sea Sheperd ship, and recently visited an iceberg floating in the waters off Antarctica. He collected some of the ice there and flew it back to Tasmania, where it was melted and then passed on to Stallwood to use in the beer.

I’ve had some expensive beer before, but $1850 for a single bottle? I’d have to nurse that one for a really long time.

Daily Pampering: Royalton hotel serves up $495 punch at Forty Four

by Melanie Nayer on

How much would you pay for a good drink? If money is no object (and in Daily Pampering, money is no object), you might consider shelling out more than $500 for a good punch.

Morgans Hotel Group’s Forty Four at Royalton hotel in New York City, and the bar’s all-star team of bartenders known as The Cocktail Collective, created a punch that pretty much beats out any punch Mom used to pour. Comprised of Blue Mountain – 21 year old Jamaican rum, fresh squeezed lime juice, demerara syrup, allspice dram and finished with a dusting of fresh ground Blue Mountain coffee and nutmeg, the punch cashes in at $495 (tip not included).

Forty Four is known for its innovative cocktail menu, which focuses on pre and post prohibition cocktails presented over crushed, cube and freshly chipped rocks of ice. The “Classics” section of the new cocktail menu pays homage to the finest hotel bars from around the globe with cocktails such as the “Hotel Nacional” and the “Vieux Carre”. New “Originals”, created by “The Cocktail Collective”, include dynamic Gin drinks like the “English 75” and the “Hocus Pocus”, and a soothing and witty Rye based contribution called, “The Reconciliation”.

Intrigued? Order up!

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Are airlines bad for your health? Five perspectives on plane food

by Tom Johansmeyer on


Lately, it seems like the easiest way to lose weight is to fly regularly. There isn’t much to munch on in the skies, as airlines have cut back on just about anything that looks like an amenity. Fatty foods have been replaced by none at all, which is great for your waistline, right?

It turns out that you can still pork up on a plane, even if you think the dismal state of customer service leaves you with a barf bag and nothing to expel into it. DietDetective.com has done a bit of digging and rated the airlines with “Health Scores” to reflect the quality of their high-flying fare.

Even at 35,000 feet, the mighty have fallen. According to Charles Stuart Platkin, PhD, MPH, public health advocate, editor of DietDetective.com and visiting assistant professor at CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, “This year United provided the ‘healthiest” choices in the sky, while Continental had a fall from grace, US Airways received the lowest rating, and Virgin America and Delta were the least cooperative (and also received a low health rating).”

So, let’s take a look at five airlines and what makes them good for you … or not:1. United Airlines
United Airlines finally has something to celebrate: its grub. According to DietDetective.com, you can score a Tapas snack box on flights of two hours or longer – in fact, it’s the top seller. If your flight stretches to more than three hours, “United has a plethora of choices, but I really like the Turkey sandwich at 600 calories including the sauce and chips — skip those if you want to save the calories,” notes Platkin.

Finally, a reason to fly United!

2. JetBlue
It isn’t surprising to see JetBlue on the list, as it’s a perpetual high scorer in terms of customer service. The airline that treats you like a human being, it seems, also believes in feeding you like one. But, DietDetective.com warns you not to take advantage of the largess the airline provides: “Try to stick with no more than one snack. Just because they offer more doesn’t mean you have to take them, especially if you’re not hungry.”

Moral of the story: don’t let kindness turn you tubby.

3. American Airlines
The service may suck – the American Airlines flight attendants were singled out in a recent study of the worst airlines in the United States – but the “Boston Market Chicken Caesar Salad with chips and dressing is a pretty good meal choice.” If you go with the Cheese & Cracker Snack Tray, DietDetective.com advises, “[j]ust skip the cracker packages.

Oh, and steer clear of the beverage cart!

4. Delta Air Lines
Is it any shock that the worst airline in the United States was also the least cooperative with DietDetective.com? The company notes that Delta wasn’t helpful at all in providing nutritional information, adding, “I had to contact them repeatedly – they are back to their old ways.” You can do pretty well with the food, though: “Delta’s individual snack choices are not very good, but their meal choices on longer flights are reasonably healthy. Still, they can do much better.”

Warning: “Skip the turkey, egg salad and Canadian bacon croissant at all costs.”

5. Continental Airlines
There isn’t much here to celebrate, according to DietDetective.com. Go with the almonds, as “it’s really the only snack choice that has any nutritional value.” If you’re at a loss for other options, Platkin says that “if I had to choose, the Savory is probably the best — just watch that fruit-and-nut mix. In terms of meals, for breakfast, the yogurt is not too bad. For lunch or dinner, the Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad is the obvious best choice so long as you watch the dressing — that could put it over the top.”

Who cares? This is moot, of course, as a result of the merger with United.

[photo by WordRidden via Flickr]