YOUR COCKTAILS PAY FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Eat. Drink. Be part of something BIG. Texas-size. Save the world. Your tab (81% of it) goes directly to improve the energy efficiency of our host - LaGrange on 10/13 from 5 pm to midnight. Below is the flier for the event. Share it with friends. .

Participate in the first-ever Texas Carrotmob at 2704 Elm Street in the historic Deep Ellum neighborhood and support the community.

As you know, there are a lot of social issues to worry about, and a lot of concerned citizens worrying about them. However, we’ve found that a lot of the methods out there to enact change are often very negative, too difficult or impractical for the average person to participate in, or simply ineffective.

Enter the concept of Carrotmob: what if we created a situation where businesses and consumers helped each other out? What if we directed conscientious consumers to a specific store to make the same purchases that they normally make everyday already—and in return for the benefits the business receives, the business would promise to put some of the additional profits towards solving a social issue? Well that, my friend, is Carrotmob.

First, we partnered up with Net Impact DFW and TEDxSMU Idea Week teams.

Second, we put a bid out to 12 Dallas restaurant and bar owners asking them to bid a percentage of 10/13 gathering towards increasing the energy efficiency of their place.

Third, we gathered some brilliant minds and formed the first-ever Carrotmob Charette team of energy efficiency professionals to make recommendations to the restaurants how to do more with less.

There was tough bidding going on. The highest bidder was LaGrange, at 81.5 percent of revenue being plugged back into their business for energy efficiency improvements.

We just miss the secret sauce - YOU - to come and make the money rain on LaGrange.

Follow our blog at http://dallas.carrotmob.org to see the "how, when, who, why". We will make this event a huge success, spectacle and FUN. All you have to do is show up.

Halloween Horror Dinner in Hong Kong

Halloween Dinner with Horror
28 – 31 October 2010

Halloween is a time for ghosts and disguises and this Halloween the well known Italian coffee brand – CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882 is also disguising itself into a ghost restaurant, amazing you with delicious food and an interesting horrifying atmosphere.


CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882 has prepared a delectable 3–course set menu, to start this thrilling Halloween adventure, you can choose between –

Vampire Blood Soup, beetroot soup with bacon, lemon juice and fennel and with flying bats – baked grissini – a delicious soup that arouses your appetite with its refreshing sourness;
or
Monster Heart Salad, a heart shaped vegetable salad of bell pepper, chickpea and mashed eggplant – the bell pepper seasoned by vinegar and on the outside, chickpea and mashed eggplant pate, garlic, lemon juice, thyme and basil.

The highlight of the Halloween dinner no doubt is the main course and the four choices will bring different excitement to the menu –

Midnight Pasta, squid ink pasta with zucchini – the Executive Chef prepares this otherworldly dish fresh to order. The al dente pasta is bewitched by black squid ink, haunting it with authentic Italian flavor and then is possessed with sautéed Halloween themed zucchini. It's frighteningly good!

The Wild Beast, roasted lamb chop with Italian ham and asparagus roll – red wine reduction roasted lamb chop and delicious Italian ham and asparagus roll, served with beef reduction flavored potato mash, presented in the shape of a spider;

The Mummy, scallop chicken breast bacon roll with cous cous – features a corpse of fresh Japanese scallop and juicy American chicken breast rolled and pan-fried with bacon, lying on a sand ground of healthy cous cous, topped with barbecue sauce of red wine, orange juice, butter and cream;

Black Sea Pizza, seafood ink pizza – squid ink crispy pizza topped with squid, tomato sauce, Italian mozzarella and parmesan cheese, a simple yet tasteful combination.


The perfect finale to the Halloween Dinner with Horror adventure –

Bloody Eye Ball, passion fruit macaroon with pumpkin mousse, shredded coconut chocolate and raspberry sauce – passion fruit macaroon made with painstaking care, the tastes of passion fruit and pumpkin cream match surprisingly well, added gradations of sweetness with shredded coconut chocolate.


In Hong Kong, CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882 (www.caffevergnano.hk) outlets are at:
Shop UG221, The ONE, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui (Tel: 2907 3817)
Shop 1021A, Elements, 1 Austin Road, West Kowloon (Tel: 2196 8340)
-


CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882 Halloween
Three-Course Set Dinner Menu
(28 – 31 October 2010)

Appetizer
Vampire Blood Soup
(beetroot soup with bacon, lemon juice and fennel and with flying bats)
or
Monster Heart Salad
(a heart shaped vegetable salad of bell pepper, chickpea and mashed eggplant)

Main Course
Midnight Night Pasta
(squid ink pasta with zucchini)
or
The Wild Beast
(roasted lamb chop with Italian ham and asparagus roll)
or
The Mummy
(scallop chicken breast bacon roll with cous cous)
or
Black Sea Pizza
(seafood ink pizza)

Dessert
Bloody Eye Ball
(passion fruit macaroon with pumpkin mousse, shredded coconut chocolate
and raspberry sauce)

Coffee or Tea

My 3-course Chocolate meal on the Big Island: Huggo's

Hawaiians are nuts about chocolate. And they love to celebrate. So when an event like the annual Kona Chocolate Festival comes around, everyone gets involved. One of my favorite restaurants on the Big Island, Huggo's even created a special chocolate menu to serve the week of the festival. And it was so popular, it sold out before 8:30 pm on the Tuesday night before the festival. The only reason I got to even taste it is they knew I was coming so they saved one for me because they knew I was a judge for the Kona Chocolate Festival.

I did not even realize how lucky I was.

As you entered Huggo's you were greeted by Miss Chocolate Hawaii and Miss Chocolate Hawaii runner-up. It was off to a beautiful start. But looking at those gorgeous girls, I do not really believe they eat much chocolate. Perhaps I should be named Ms Hawaiian Chocolate Eater. I am certainly getting more than my share this week.


The Chocolate Festival Menu started with cacao nib and guajllo chili crusted seared yellow fin tuna.

Next came the 6 0z. Filet Mignon with crispy polenta, Hawaiian Chocolate Cake, toasted meringue and Kula Strawberry compote.

I knew the dessert would be wonderful because the last time I judged the Kona Chocolate Festival Huggo's won first place for their dessert. Conrad, the new chef, seems ready for the challenge.


www.konachocolatefestival.com

www.huggos.com



Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who adores chocolate. She has judged many festivals: chocolate, coffee, chili and cookies and others. (I may need to move on from C soon, anyone know of festivals that start with D?)

She enjoyed Big Island Candies oatmeal cranberry Macadamia nuts while writing this article. (she is doing a NO CHOCOLATE FAST to prepare for the Kona Chocolate Festival) http://www.konachocolatefestival.com/