New York is the focal point of all things "foodie"; at least that's how I feel after enjoying over 3 years of lavish wining and dining in the Big Apple when I lived there. And oooo, how I miss those days where the moment I found a hot new restaurant, I'd be dialing on my phone a month ahead to try to get dinner reservations at these highly coveted locales. How many times was I disappointed to hear the busy tone forever and ever? From Bouley to Per Se, to WD-50, persistence paid off and I was eventually able to get a table, although it was sometimes just at the bar or for lunch. And I've gotta say, every meal was worth the effort!
So what's a foodie's passion these days? I do own a load of cookbooks from various chef's that I've followed but it's sometimes hard to translate the recipes in print and you wish the chef could show you a demo. Well I just came across a fantastic event in October that will allow you to have a hands-on cooking experience with the "Who's Who" of the NY restaurant scene. No kidding, the chef's list has names like Jean-George, Bouley, Morimoto, Portale, etc. It's called the New York Culinary Experience and surely an experience indeed! A 2 day course will get you in the kitchen with fellow amateur chefs and you get to cook with the chef of your choice (total of 4 chefs as classes run in AM and PM with a panel session for lunch.) It does come with a hefty ticket price of $1395 plus tax, but that's probably a total of what I would pay for 4-5 pricey dinners at the restaurants these chefs operate so maybe it's worth it if you get to mingle and have direct access to their techniques. If I can think of a good occasion to "gift" myself, I think this is one item I'd like to sign up for. Check our their website for the 2009 details and to reserve a spot for 2010 if you're the "affluent" kind :-) http://nymag.com/nyce/about.html
