Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
Sandwiches are quite possibly the world’s best food idea, as far as I’m concerned.  These items come in all different sizes and shapes.   They come layered between almost anything and the fillings vary as much as our cultures.  Man do I love a good sandwich.  I think that that they are a superior food due to the fact that they are designed to be hand held, with the exception of a couple classics, so there is no need for china or flatware.  Besides coming in all shapes …

Braciola is an item that I grew up eating every Sunday at grandma’s house for dinner.  It was one type of braised meat of many that we would enjoy during our Sunday dinner.  I always went for it before the sausage, meatballs or braised short ribs.  The reason for this was simple… it was something that we only had on Sundays. During the week we might have meatball parmesan sandwiches, Spicy Italian sausage in a white bean, and escarole braise or even short ribs with polenta,  but never did we …

Stir Food Group’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Elli Benchimol
There’s a reason cranberry sauce pairs so well with Thanksgiving dinner, it’s sweet and tart bright berry fruit compliments tender turkey and stuffing slopped with gravy like no other…
Keep that pairing in mind when pairing for your special Holiday with friends.  There are several grapes and styles of wine that go with Thanksgiving dinner.  To start with fun: sparkling reds.  These slightly sweet juicy reds, satisfy the need for bubbles, while still complimenting that sweet-tart cranberry flavor profile.  The newest and …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
I don’t know if it’s a mountain thing or if it’s just me but during my time spent in the Colorado Rockies I grew very fond of game birds.  It seemed like every year when the restaurants would awaken from their late summer slumber their menus would be riddled with all types of game birds.  It was during this time that I learned how well these items worked with the all of the great flavors of the fall.
Quail which is probably the most common of these small …

Stir Food Group’s Director of Wine and Spirits, Elli Benchimol
The third week of November is dedicated to Beaujolais Nouveau in France, this luscious, juicy, and fruity wine is in a class all it’s own…
Many wine critics criticize the wines marketed as Beaujolais Nouveau as simple or immature. Wine critic Karen MacNeil has compared drinking Beaujolais Nouveau to eating cookie dough.  Made from the Gamay grape, the Beaujolais region in southern Burgundy makes some pretty amazing wines, especially from the many premier crus.  The “nouveau” style is done by a different …

Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
 I like many others really enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich, onion soup with a gratine of gruyere, some welsh rarebit, even a slice of New York style cheesecake.  It is all of these things that make cheese such a wonderful ingredient to cook with.  So why is this particular item so well suited for so many different things?  Some of the simplest reasons might be that first it’s just plain good and we want to get the flavor of our favorite anyway we can, which leads me …