Posts categorized 'Foodie Faves'

Rare Petrossian Caviar now available

Caviar: A Taste of the Wild

Central Market is proud to be able to offer the very finest wild caviar currently available in the United States--
Petrossian's Imperial Special Reserve Persicus Ossetra.

This carviar is smooth, buttery, and imbued with the flavor of the Caspian Sea. True connoisseurs will  notice that the eggs are large, glossy, bold in color, and full of flavor.  It is exceedingly rare with limited qualities available.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Imperial Special Reserve Persicus Ossetra is the "best of the best.." At Central Market, North Lamar we have a very limited supply of this rare treat in 30 gram glass containers at $770.

Call any of the stores for availability or to reserve yours.

Santiago Premium EVOO premieres at Central Market

I just can't seem to ever have enough olive oil as there is always a new one out there I must try. This goes for the new Santiago Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil now on sale at Central Market.

Derived from estate grown olives, this oil is a blend of frantoio, arbequina and leccino olives. You will find it fruity to the nose with a light to medium intensity and a slight hint of cut grass. The hint of grass conveys to the palate also with a slight acidity and hint of pepper. Drizzle this over a fresh grilled fish for the simple elegance it can bring. Perhaps a mesclun salad with orange and pistachio to accent the fruit flavor of the oil. Then again a fresh baguette dipped into this oil would suffice but the addition of some fresh sage leaves would really accent the grassy note of the oil. Possibilities are endless but the supply is limited, so stop by Central Market and have a taste of this Chilean masterpiece.

So Tasty so Easy

With the terrific seafood sale going on this weekend at Central Market you might be looking for a quick and flavorful dish to take advantage of the great value. The shrimp is at an incredfible $4.99 a pound, so if you are like me some will got to the freezer and and the rest will hit my menu for the weekend.

I especially like to make shrimp for shrimp cocktail, as once the shrimp is cooked the only other thing needed is a dipping sauce and perhaps lemon wedges. This weekend there will be tastings of the Ojai Cooks Bite Back Tartar Sauce and Sassy Seafood Sauce.

The Bite Back Tartar Sauce is great with seafood of all kinds, from tuna fish to crab cakes, even lobster rolls since this is a hot and spicy citrus mayo with jalapenos. Cocktail shrimp and breaded shrimp both go well with iths sauce too.

The Sassy Seafood Sauce is a perfect balance of heat and sweet. Sassy is truly a grown upcocktail sauce. With chunks of tomato, bell pepper, jalapeno and ginger, this sauce is amazing with anything that swims... and is better than catsup with meatloaf, veggie burgers, classic burgers and barbecue. But you don't need to take my word for it. Look for the demos this weekend at Central Market. Ask any Foodie for help finding your choice of these flavorful tartar or cocktail sauces.

 

Balconi Cakes from Italy - just arrived!

We're guessing most people loved the occasional Twinkie as a kid. Sure, you're not dying to admit that, but it's a fair guess.  Then we get older, we realize that the sponge in those sponge cakes might actually be sponges and maybe we shouldn't put that in our bodies.

Finally - a solution that's molto bene!  On a recent trip to Italy we discovered these DELICIOUS individually wrapped cakes from Balconi.

The company specializes in the production of tasty cakes in flavors like chocolate and tiramisu which are prepared using recipes with natural ingredients.

Each cake is made using only raw materials that contain no GMO ingredients, hydrogentated fats, colorings or preservatives.

Best of all they are PORTABLE! and ready to eat. Add your favorite gelato or ice cream for a satisfying and mouth- watering treat. Supply is limited so be sure and try both the Tiramisu and Chocolate flavors to see which is your favorite. These will arrive in stores Thursday or Friday and I predict they will be an immediate hit.

Fast Easy with Simplifast

Fasting with Simplifast

Thinking about a detox? Fasting is a popular way to lose weight, cleanse the body, and improve well-being. But, fasting can leave you feeling dizzy, tired, and hungry. Simplifast is the first ready-to-drink beverage that contains everything you need to sustain a fast.

Now available at Central Market, Simplifast comes in three flavors--Lemon, Strawberry, and Blueberry. Unlike other products, Simplifast contains 11 grams of fiber, pure lemon juice, pure organic grade B maple syrup, as well as vitamins and minerals. So, if you're ready for a fast, make it simple... try Simplifast.

More Than a Matter of Taste

It's More Than a Matter of Taste

Olive oil is the single, most digestible of the edible fats. It helps us assimilate vitamins A, D, and K and contains essential acids that cannot be produced by our own bodies.

The best extra virgin and virgin olive oils are processed through cold or mechanical pressing. It's a natural, chemical-free process involving only pressure, which produces a low level of acidity. Most olive oils are filtered through cotton; unfiltered oil appears cloudy because tiny particles of olive settle to the bottom.

Make sure to swing by for Central Market North Lamar's Italian Fest (October 2-4th) and try il Rustico di casa Asaro--it's 100% Italian, unfiltered, loaded with polyphenols, with a grassy, buttery taste. Great for dipping, in salad dressing, or drizzled on soups or pasta!

 

Gluten-free Just Got Better

Udi's Lemon Struesel Muffins...

You will not believe these are gluten-free!!! Honestly, Udi's makes some of the very best breads and baked goods I've ever tasted. And with these muffins they've really raised the bar on gluten-free. I'd definitely keep them in my freezer "just-in-case" a gluten-free friend dropped by for a cup of tea. On second thought, I'd probably eat them myself!

At Central Market North Lamar, we have a variety of Udi's products in the frozen foods section. Stop by and ask for a sample.

NEW: Catering Platters and Box Lunches for Less

Are you in charge of ordering for your office or planning an upcoming coffee or lunch?

Our new catering menu has some great new options - and, even better, you'll find new, lower prices on some of our best-sellers!

For example, the popular breakfast pastries platter is loaded and sprinkled with fresh fruit for only $20. Delicious breakfast tacos in a variety of ingredients are $1.99 each; or the best boxed lunch (sandwiches, pasta salads, fresh fruit and a cookie!)  are now only $8.99 each.

Call Catering or download the online catering menu for all the excellent Central Market options!

Discovering Bologna as an Insider

While on a recent trip to Italy in search of new items to bring to Central Market,  I was the guest of a most unusual man. To protect his identity, I will not name him. However, I can tell you that he is an avid Foodie in the truest sense.

Known for his philanthropy and benevolent actions in the area of Bologna, he is also an aficionado of his region's history and its contributions to the world of food and wine.

While visiting his unassuming 24-room villa in the countryside just outside Bologna, I was first treated to the most remarkable Italian sparkling wine I have ever tasted.

Named "Testarossa", it was a wine of incredible finesse with pinhead-sized bubbles that seemed to flow endlessly in the glass. With nuances of grass, grapefruit and citrus fruit, it finished with only the slightest hints of yeast and toast. The overall, off-dry flavor stood in direct contrast to the often cloyingly sweet profiles one often finds in the sparkling wines of Italy. This was a mere hint of what my gracious host was about to reveal was housed in this vacation villa.

He explained the villa was used rarely, even though it was crammed with a world traveler's collection of 50 years of globe-trotting.)

Imagine a collection of  24,000 bottles of wines. In it were oenophiles' dreams, including every vintage of Chateau Lafite Rothschild dating back to the late 1800's.

Tiny rooms packed wine treasures from floor-to-ceiling, in sizes ranging from standard 750 mls to one enormous bottle that holds the equivalent of 80 standard bottles of champagne.

I asked if security was an issue. Turns out the entrances to many of the rooms were downsized after being filled so that if anyone should ever try to make off with the wines they would have to carry them out with only a bottle in each hand to fit through the narrow exits.

There was whimsy mixed with the serious. The oldest vintage I saw was a bottle dated 1713. Romanee-Conti's, Chateau D' yEquem, Amarones, Ports, Madeiras were all well represented. A world map marked out every country he had visited. There were only three countries he has yet to visit.

His passions were not limited only to wine. I was led on a tour of eight more rooms and on to another floor above a staircase with magnums flanking each step.

Therein was a collection of over 65,000 menus spanning the world of food from coronations, weddings and festivals. It included menus from Papal visits. Plus three sets of menus from the Titanic's fateful voyage. Every Michelin restaraunt was included. Picture stacks upon stacks upon drawers upon cabinets upon walls lined with menus. In many of the rooms, even the ceilings had to covered with menus to accommodate the collection.

This was a memorial to the food and wine of the world's greatest chefs spanning decades.

Other rooms (yes, there were more...and more...) housed more than 2,400 Nativity sets from all around the world. (Some medieval.) From primitive art to those of iconographic gilt, artist, craftsmen and primitiveists were all represented. Most notable to me were Krakowian examples and a remarkably futuristic nativity set by Frank Loyd Wright.

This was my first night in Bologna and the hunt for great foods had only begun. I'll write more later of the finds that were to follow, but what a wonderful and inspiring evening this was to introduce to the one of the great food meccas in the world that is Bologna.

Have you indulged yet?

Are you hooked on Emmi Swiss Premium Lowfat All Natural Yogurt yet? Creamy texture, large fruit pieces and those flavors: Pink Grapefruit, Black Cherry, Muesli and the brand new selections – Coffee, Vanilla Bean and Berry Pomegranate. This is certainly not your everyday yogurt, and the best news is, Emmi is on sale right now at 4 for $5 – that's a savings of $.25 each.

INDULGE!!