Roli Roti

Disclaimer:  This following post may cause panting, fainting, hot sweats, jaw pains, dreams, and an increase in hormones.

Yes.  It really did.

Like 4505 Meats, Roli Roti is a meat and sandwich vendor located at the Farmer's Market outside of the Ferry Building.  Unlike 4505 Meats, though, they only serve twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays.  Is it worth going?  I might just fly back to San Francisco for a weekend to savor their amazing porchetta sandwich once again.

Call me crazy, but if this sandwich does not make the new show "Best Sandwich in America", I may just kill Adam Richman and his team at The Travel Channel.  This is one of the, no scratch that, THE best sandwich I have ever had.

4505 Meats

If you're going to be in San Francisco, I highly recommend making a visit to The Ferry Building.  Ride a trolley car down the Embaracadero, take in the sights of the beautiful San Francisco Bay, get off at The Ferry Building, take a walk inside, and savor the smells of all the beautiful artisinal vendors that await you.

The Ferry Building has a little of everything to satisfy the foodie inside of you.  Save your appetite, though, and after venturing through, make sure to take a walk outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, to visit the Farmer's Market outside.  This is where you surely will not be disappointed.

4505 Meats is a small meat vendor serving freshly grilled meats to patrons visiting the Farmer's Market.  The smell of the grilled meats intoxicates you, attracting you closer to their chalkboard menu portraying some of the best items you possibly could imagine at a Farmer's Market.

Turducken sandwich?  Duck Sausage?  Fried Turkey Leg?  Yes, please.

Mercedes-Benz Dinner at James Beard House/ Taqueria

At the end of October Mercedes-Benz sponsored a four-course dinner for 50 VIP guests at the James Beard House in New York City.  Chefs and cooks from ABC Kitchen, Eleven Madison Park, Restaurant August, and Locanda Verde all teamed up to create one spectacular course each for one very high end meal.

Bring on the red carpet

This was my first time inside the famous James Beard House.  James Beard was an influential American chef and food writer who passed away in 1985.  The James Beard Foundation was named in his honor, which annually recognizes and praises chefs and food writers across the country.  Peter Kump, a former student of James and founder of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), purchased the brownstone home of the late James Beard and preserved it as a gathering place for the general public to enjoy the artistry and talents of established and emerging chefs.

Not having much prep work, and having a car waiting for us outside, Chef Dan Kluger, I, and Minh, one of the chefs from 11 Madison Park took a field trip to buy staff meal for everyone.  We traveled to the lower east side to Taqueria, a favorite taco restaurant of Chef Kluger.  Taqueria has a lot of style and is real deal Mexican, even listing a photo on the wall of everything they don't offer that is stereotypical.  It's "crema fresca", not sour cream, get it right.

Taken from Yelp.com

Eataly: La Pizza

"It's every chef's wet dream."

A culinary mecca in the heart of NYC.  Eataly is the largest Italian food and wine marketplace in the world, housing 50,000 square feet of artisanal products, in a former toy building in the heart of the Flatiron district.

Brought to you by the Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich group, Eataly is a site to be seen.  If you're a self-proclaimed foodie, walking through this culinary phenomenon will leave you in nothing short of awe and amazement.

Five different restaurants.  Nine different vendors.  Walls upon walls and endless aisles of fresh cheeses, breads, farm-fresh produce, dried pastas, olive oils, wine, cookbooks, specialty meats, fresh seafood, coffee, gelato, and so forth.  If you haven't walked through Eataly yet, now is the time.

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

Arguably the biggest restauranteur in New York City and possibly the country, Danny Meyer's name is synonomous with hospitality.  He is the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which includes such New York restaurant institutions as Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Shake Shack, North End Grill, Untitled, Maialino, Blue Smoke, Union Square Events, Cafe 2, Terrace 5, and his business "school" Hospitality Quotient. 

"Virtually nothing else is important as how one is made to feel in a business transaction.  Hospitality exists when you feel the other person is on your side.  The converse is just as true.  Hospitality is present when something happens for you.  It is absent when something happens to you.  These two simple propositions - for and to - express it all."