thomas keller

The sweet twang of bluegrass music served as the backdrop Saturday afternoon for a celebration that some said had been a long time in the making. "A lot of times, marriages don't last as long as you've been working on this building," Gov. Joe Manchin joked as he talked to residents and fire department members who had assembled under sunny skies to mark the grand opening of a new fire hall in Hedgesville. The department recently relocated to its new state-of-the-art fire station along W.Va. 9.

A lot of times, marriages don't last as long as you've been working on this building   -Joe Manchin

 

A central bar, lively dining room space and other traditional design elements continue to define the modern bistro or brasserie in America, regardless if the menu's authentic French or not. In the last couple years, especially in 2008, the bistro and brasserie trend seems to have swept through major cities. L.A. saw the openings of Bin 8945, Brass Cap and French 75 around 2006, followed by comme Ca in West Hollywood, Anisette Brasserie in Santa Monica, Chaya Brasserie , and The Hall at Palihouse in mo

Seasonality is the cornerstone of good cooking, I believe, but I don't often say this because it seems like everyone these days is saying that. Just like in France, if you go to a bistro in 15 different parts of the country, you're going to have 15 different experiences. They may all have steak frites for sure, but they'll all have different tastes because the animals are raised differently in different regions.   -Michael David

 

Thomas Keller, famed Napa Valley chef and restaurateur (The French Laundry, Bouchon, and Per Se, among others) will sign copies of Ad Hoc , his latest cookbook of family-style recipes, at Books-A-Million's Brookwood Village location on March 22 from 4 to 5 p.m. Copies of the book are $50. Details: 870-0213; www.booksamillion.com . (The harder ticket to get is the sold-out Chef's Dinner held that evening at Highlands Bar and Grill.)  

It's the newest thing to hit home cooking this year, as trend-inspired cooks and flavor maniacs find the machines and how-to's to make sous-vide at home. The $79 class at Sur La Table is sold out and waitlisted. It helps that the machine prices have come down – think $450 instead of $1400-$4500 – so it's only going to eat part of my paycheck instead of all of it.  

This recipe is inspired by two people. One is Jeffrey Steingarten, the author of " The Man Who Ate Everything ," and my former employer, who introduced me to the merits of air-dried poultry (and to the art of spit-roasting in a Roto-Broil). The other is Thomas Keller, author most recently of " Ad Hoc at Home ," whose recipe for " My Favorite Simplest Roast Chicken " on Epicurious deserves the accolades it has won from 371 reviewers.  

Folks are gearing up for Saturday's official grand opening ceremony of the new Hedgesville Volunteer Fire Station at 4217 Hedgesville Road. The event is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it will be open to the public. County and state officials, including U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., are expected to attend. Providing live music will be the Back Creek Valley Boys, and light refreshments will be available.

It's exciting because it's our new home, and it will benefit the community   -T R Keller

 

The Third Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine ( April 8-11, 2010 ) is positioned to continue its reign as the signature West Coast culinary event with such celebrity chefs as Thomas Keller , Wolfgang Puck, Michel Richard , Gary Danko , Hubert Keller , Tyler Florence , Iron Chef Morimoto, Charlie Trotter , Jacques Pepin , Iron Chef Michael Symon , Rick Tramonto , Jonathan Waxman , Ming Tsai , and Michael Chiarello to name a few. This four-day celebration will bring together more than 60 prominent chefs and over  

The tradition of breakfast for dinner is a strong one in many households. Sometimes the menu includes bursting veggie-and-cheese omelets and English muffins, other times there's pancakes and bacon, or sausage. A shallow bowl of cheesy grits with a fried egg cradled on top adds a Southern twist.  

The French Laundry is sui generis, and I would never tell you not to go there. I have had my share of 20-course meals there, albeit mostly in the restaurant's earlier days, and a long evening of Thomas Keller's precise, detailed cooking is something you will probably never forget. (It could not be more different from the glossy bistro cooking at Bouchon , his Petit Trianon of a restaurant in Beverly Hills.)