El Plato Supreme - (Paul Rudd, Seth Rogan & Bob Odenkirk's Super Bowl XLVII Commercial)

Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd & Bob Odenkirk give it up to El Plato Supremè if only we could afford a commercial during the NFL Super Bowl XVLII, imagine what we could accomplish.

The Brandy Alexander

January 31^st is National Brandy Alexander Day. Being that its an old school drink that doesn’t receive the proper attention it deserves in this day & age we figured we would help to enlighten everyone about what exactly this drink is.

The Brandy Alexander is a sweet, brandy based cocktail consisting of Cognac and Crème de Cacao that became popular in the early 20^th century. It is a play or variation of an earlier, gin based cocktail that was simply called an Alexander.

(for the Entire Recipe, click Read More)

Meat Trolley

You know this is dope. 

Smoke & Mirrors

Don't ever say there isn't a message in the music. No Malice & Ab-Liva promote a strong dose of reality with this new gem.

Legends Connectin'

One asking for another's hookup and a third replying with the assist. 

Sadat X, AZ & OC #PayHomage

Hublot becomes the first Official Timekeeper of the Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles, California: Hublot CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe stood center court at STAPLES Center last night to present Executive Vice President, Business Operations, Jeanie Buss with a sparkling new Hublot Clock symbolizing a new partnership which makes the Swiss Luxury Watch brand the Official Timekeeper of the Legendary NBA Team.

Boasting 16 NBA titles, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the most storied franchises in the NBA and one of the most popular teams in the world. In the heart of the city, a Lakers game effortlessly fuses basketball with fashion, celebrity, luxury and excitement. With Hublot, now the Official Timekeeper of the Los Angeles Lakers, the City of Angels will not miss a second!

Don't Halfstep On Game Day, Bust Out A Few Recipes From Chef Aaron Sanchez & Impress Your Guests

When people ask you what you will be doing for the Super Bowl they really mean what are you cooking & drinking as well as where will you be watching the game. If you haven’t starting making plans yet you need to get on the fast track quickly. No one should wait until the last minute to pick up the needed libation mixers and finger foods to keep the party jumpin’ no matter what team prevails in the end. Although he is a certified Celebrity Chef, we prefer to refer to Chef Aaron Sanchez as a down to Earth, beast in the kitchen who creates the kind of dishes even the most judicious of tongues can’t turn down. 

Having met Chef Sanchez at a few events, you get the feeling this is the type of guy you can sit and shoot the breeze with over strong drinks without ever realizing your in the presence of kitchen royalty. For Super Bowl XLVII Chef Sanchez has laced our readers with an authentic recipe right from his stash-box.

Your guests will think your making the big money or have catered in something special when they get a taste of these Carne Asada Tacos w/ Roasted Tomatillo Salsa & fresh made Pickled Onions. 

The recipe is incredibly easy to follow and provides for about 8 servings. If that isn’t enough for you, make em early and enjoy em all alone. Then when your guests arrive and wonder what has the house smelling so amazing, tell them “I dunno must be something I burned prior to your arrival.”

Thanks for hook up Chef! 

(for the Entire Recipe, click Read More)

The 6th Annual Roots-Picnic

The McGangBang

Nothing new in the South, the McGangbang is catching on like a wildfire on the West Coast. For those that don’t know exactly what a McGangbang is, that is when you snuggle a McChicken sandwich cozily inside a Double Cheeseburger. 

As far as we know this has been around since 2008. 

Arbol Knife Block

ArbolKnife Block $125 - $180

The Yolkr™

Separating egg yolks from the whites can sometimes be a messy task that can result in broken yolks and raw egg covered fingers. Seasoned chefs can even tell you that sometimes the old egg just doesn’t break how it was expected too and that can cause a problem in recipes and diets where either the yolk or whites needs to be omitted. Well in steps a handy little gadget that will help to alleviate all of your egg working woes and its name is Yolkr™. Made from high-grade toxin-free plastic that is dishwasher safe, this a cool toy to have in the house so that people can be amazed at all the fun stuff you own and they don’t.

Check em out at: www.Yolkr.com

Chef Ralph Pagano Opens Alba on Collins, in Sunny Isles Beach

SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. – (Jan. 14, 2013) – Solé on the Ocean and Executive Chef Ralph Pagano are pleased to announce the official re-launch of Alba, a seaside Italian restaurant and lounge located at 17315 Collins Ave., inside Solé on the Ocean hotel. Overlooking the glimmering sands and turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the 130-seat indoor/outdoor beach-chic concept serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

“Sole’s pristine beach, groovy design and incredible sunrises and sunsets seduced me like a siren,” says Pagano, whose effervescent personality has landed him multiple TV roles, including the host of Lifetime Television Network’s “All Mixed Up” and Travel Channel’s award-winning “Pressure Cook.” Ralph has battled Bobby Flay on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and been to Hell and back with Gordon Ramsay on the original season of FOX’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”

Pagano’s flavor balance stems from a lifetime of culinary travel mixed with Italian style and classic French technique, creating what he calls “vacation cuisine.” His approach to Alba’s menu is centered on casual fine dining and offers the freshest seafood and pasta, both à la carte and family-style.

The menu offers a daily variety of fresh seafood and shellfish, including legendary Florida Stone Crabs, Stingray Oysters, Maine Lobster Cocktail, Colossal Shrimp Cocktailand Maryland Lump Crab Cocktail.  A selection of fresh fish is available and can be prepared simply grilled, Fra Diavolo-style with clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari in Arrabiata tomato sauce, or topped Oscar-style with colossal crab meat, hollandaise and jumbo asparagus.

Chilosa Hot Sauces, Ubiquitous Heat & Flavor

Saying that we have an affinity for hot foods would be downplaying our fondness for all things hot & spicy. I know many people out there feel that a hot sauce is a hot sauce, but real spice heads know the truth. And that truth is that the importance of the flavor far outweighs the significance of the fire. When you get your hands on a hot sauce that literally can be applied to anything you don’t want to let go.

ChilosaHot Sauces just so happens to be one of those brands.

Whether your looking for something good to go on that Carne Asada Burrito, some Black Beans & Rice or even your slow smoked Baby Back Ribs, Chilosa Hot Sauces pack that perfect ratio of heat to deliciousness, you know where you feel the burn, but still get to enjoy the deep smoky flavors. Its really that good. We used the Green Hot on a recent batch of Tamales and couldn’t stop pouring it on our Carnitas batch.

Other favorite recipes we found ourselves addicted too in our test kitchens after getting the 3 pack of Hot, Green Hot & Real Hot was to make Eggs Benedict in the AM and Veal Parmesan in the evening for that perfect balance throughout the day of heat and great grub.

Chilosa is made from all natural ingredients so you know you can’t go wrong there. Available in a 3 pack or for individual purchase this great Hot Sauce is another American Made gem that needs to be spoken about.

If you have a friend who considers themselves a spice junkie or hot food lover, this is the ideal gift to grab them for their next birthday, simple and to the point it says you care about what goes into their bellies and nothing says love more than that.

Check out the site for more info and how to order: www.JolucaFoods.com

More photos after the jump

African Rhino Peri Peri Sauce

January 16^th marks National Hot & Spicy Foods Day. One of our favorite things to do on this day is to try out different sauces we have never seen or had before and working them into some of our classic recipes. One of our latest finds was African Rhino Peri Peri Sauce, which is made using exclusively grown peppers directly from Botswana & Mozambique. 

Made by the good folks over at the Kalahari Pepper Company, this sauce can go on just about everything from seafood to poultry and beef. We use it in our Huevos Rancheros & as a dipping sauce for our hot wings, which we will be doing in abundance this coming Super Bowl and you should too.

Check out their site for more info: www.KalahariPepper.com

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Le Palais Des Thes

When the temperatures drop you’ve got to keep the body warm inside as well as outside. Many people take that as a cue to start guzzling homemade liquor-heavy concoctions that do more harm than good for the body.

Le Palais De Thes makes gourmet blended teas that provide you with healthy nutrients and natural antibiotic properties such Green Tea, oolong Tea, Black Tea, White Tea & Rooibos, an incredible South African legume that is high in antioxidants and low in caffeine.

Check the site out and step your Tea game up. Much healthier than coffee and delivered in some elegant packaging that can be left out like a display piece, they are an upper echelon brand that actually promotes health, vitality and positivity.

www.LePalaisDesThes.com 

Happy 48th Slick Rick The Ruler

Grilled Chicken Tostaditas w/ Queso Fresco, Charred Tomatillos & The Supreme Bacardi & Ginger Ale

We vowed to start off 2013 on a healthy note and we have been doing fairly well in our test kitchens, what about you? No worries if you haven’t, the year is still young and we have plenty of ideas to help keep you on track while still enjoying the most of each and every day. 

Today’s ROTD: Grilled Chicken Tostaditas w/ Queso Fresco is a play on a recipe we picked up at a local Spanish restaurant that makes the most amazing Queso Fresco & Charred Tomatillos in house you could ever imagine having. For this version we chose to use skinless breasts, but should you prefer to use boneless skinless thighs they work just as well if not better than breasts. 

Also included is an incredible drink that pairs perfectly with this meal in the form of a classic Rum & Ginger Ale, a delicious drink that’s not so strong that it takes away from the marvelous flavor of your meal.

Enjoy!!

(click Read More for the entire recipe)

ROTD: Strawberry Salad Smoothie

Starting off the year on a healthy note never anyone in our book. We promised ourselves that we were going to eat as little processed or pre-prepared food as possible this year, we wanted to put this incredibly healthy recipe up for everyone to try out. This Strawberry Salad Smoothie recipe makes for a gluten-free & vegan beverage that will surely help power you through the morning as well as help cleanse the body of a lot of the artery clogging goodies we consumed throughout the holiday season.

Enjoy.

(click read more for the Entire Recipe)

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

National Spaghetti Day is a day we like to celebrate (especially seeing as how it landed on a Friday.) This is a day where we try to get all of friends and family together to cook up a huge meal where everyone can sit around and talk about good times from our past as well as hopeful future plans. 

This recipe isn’t really Spaghetti at all, but more of a way to get people to try new things they haven’t experienced before. Nothing is wrong with trying new things, so long as they aren’t deadly or illegal, in the even they are, then you are on your own.

Happy New Years & Enjoy Spaghetti Day.

(for the entire recipe click read more)

Ice Cubes in the Tea

Food = Hope

Celebrate January 2013 at your local Benihana w/ these specials.

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HIBACHI SHRIMP AND CHICKEN FOR TWO ONLY $36 Share two hibachi shrimp and chicken entrées, served with Benihana onion soup, Benihana salad, hibachi shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, mushrooms, homemade dipping sauces, steamed rice and Japanese hot green tea. This month's Chef's Special entrée pairs well with the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. This is one of our most popular wines with citrus-kissed flavors like mango, papaya, and pineapple with aromas of vanilla and honey. Available through January 31st. The Chef's Table birthday certificate is not applicable to the monthly Chef's Special. Not available in Las Vegas, Hawaii and some International locations. Click here to find a location near you. Must be 21 to purchase and consume alcohol. Please enjoy responsibly.

SEAFOOD DIABLO ONLY $20 Enjoy sea scallops, calamari, shrimp, assorted vegetables and Japanese udon noodles grilled in a homemade spicy sauce, served with Benihana onion soup, Benihana salad, hibachi shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, homemade dipping sauces, steamed rice and Japanese hot green tea. This month's Chef's Special entrée pairs well with Kung Fu Girl Riesling. It's a lightly sweet wine with refreshing acidity and notes of apricot, kumquat, nectarine and lime leaves. Available through January 31st. The Chef's Table birthday certificate is not applicable to the monthly Chef's Special. Not available in Las Vegas, Hawaii and some International locations. Click here to find a location near you. Must be 21 to purchase and consume alcohol. Please enjoy responsibly.

A NEW YEAR MEANS A BRAND NEW LOUNGE SPECIAL - BENIHANA DINNER BOAT Try this month's Lounge Special - the Benihana Dinner Boat for only $16*. Served with salad, edamame, Benihana onion soup, California roll, hibachi shrimp on a skewer, colossal shrimp and chicken grilled in garlic butter, steamed rice and fresh fruit. *Not available in all locations.

ADD YOUR KABUKI KIDS TO YOUR ACCOUNT Update your account and preferences today and add your children ages 12 and under.

SHARE THE FOOD, SHARE THE FUN, SHARE THE EXPERIENCE Looking for a great gift idea? Benihana gift cards are available online and in-store.

STAY CONNECTED WITH BENIHANA We love to see and hear what our Benihana fans and The Chef's Table members love about Benihana. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter or Youtube to share your stories and photos or see what we're up to. Instagram user? Make sure to tag your Benihana photos and follow us to get a behind-the-scenes look at what we're working on (benihanarestaurant). Make sure to check in on Foursquare or check out our Pinterest page and re-pin your favorite entrees, sushi rolls, beverages, monthly Chef's Specials or photos of our chefs.

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