Devour Downtown Signature Drink Competition 2011

DEVOUR DOWNTOWN 2011

DRINK SIGNATURE CONTEST WINNERS

                                                GREY GOOSE

Winning Drink: Peach Paradise Froth

Bartender: Kenny Gardner

Restaurant: Tavern on South

Recipe

1 1/2 oz Grey Goose, 1 oz St. Germain, 3/4 oz Lime Juice, 3/4 oz Pasteurized Liquid Egg White, 1/2 oz Simple Syrup, 2 slices of peach
In a shaker muddle 2 slices of peach with simple syrup. Add Grey Goose, St. Germain, Lime Juice, Egg White, and a scoop of Ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a large rocks glass. The egg white will rise to the top to make a froth on top of the cocktail. Garnish with an orange peel.

2nd Place
Bartender: Candace Anastasio
Restaurant: St. Elmo Steak House
Strawberry Basil Cooler

Recipe

Grey Goose Orange 1 ½ oz, Fresh Strawberry puree ½ oz, Fresh Basil (crushed/ rolled) Fresh Sweet Sour 1 ½ oz
Over ice in a High Ball
                                               3rd Place

                                               Bartender: Brooke Showalter
                                               Restaurant: shelBi street caFe & Bistro
                                               Golden Goose

Recipe

2oz Grey Goose, 3/4oz Ginger Brandy, 3/4oz Mango Puree, 1/4 Fresh Lime, Barritts Ginger Beer (or Gingerale)
Chill a Cocktail Glass. In a shaker of ice add Grey Goose, Ginger Brandy, Mango Puree, and squeeze 1/4 of a fresh lime. Shake until chilled and strain into cocktail glass. Top with a good splash of Ginger Beer (or Gingerale). Garnish with a lime.

HENDRICKS GIN

                                          Winning Drink: Scottish Right      

                                          Bartender: Amy Marie Fischer
                                          Restuarant: Scotty's Brewhouse

Recipe

2 oz. Hendrick's Gin, 3 Lime wedges, 6 Mint Sprigs, Simple syrup, 1 1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice, 1 1/2 oz. Pomegranate Juice
Muddle limes, mint & simple syrup. Add all other ingredients with ice. Shake in tin, pour in a highball glass. Enjoy!

2nd Place

                                                       Bartender: Chris Nelson

                                                   Restaurant: Severin Bar and Grill

                                                    The Hendrick's Experience

Recipe3 oz Hendrick's Gin, 6 leaves fresh basil, 6 slices cucumber, 2 lime wedges, 2 lemon wedges, splash of 7up
In a mixing glass combine 6 leaves fresh basil, 5 slices cucumber, 2 lime wedges, and 2 lemon wedges. Muddle. Add 3 oz Hendrick's Gin and a scoop of ice. Shake until well chilled. Double strain into a chilled martini glass. Top off with splash of 7up. Garnish with a cucumber slice.

3rd Place

                                                      Bartender: Robert Young

Restaurant: McCormick & Schmicks

                                                             Strong Hendricks

Recipe

3 cucumber slices, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 3/4 oz Hendricks gin, 1 oz Rodney Strong sauvignon blanc
muddle 2 cucumber slices, add 1/2 oz simple syrup, 3/4 oz Hendricks gin. Shake vigorously. Strain into martini shell. Fill with Rodney Strong sauvignon blanc .

KNOB CREEK

                                           Winning Drink: Bitter Creek

                                           Bartender: Ruth Flores

                                           Restaurant: Elbow Room Pub

Recipe

1 1/4 oz knob creek, 1/2 oz orange liquer, splash Bitters, splash of sours, garnish with orange sliceAdd each ingredient in a mixing glass, shake and pour over the rocks

2nd Place
Bartender: Eleisia Rock
Restaurant: Harry & Izzy's

Honey Bee

Recipe

8 grapes, 1/2 oz. honey simple syrup,  1 1/2oz. Knob Creek, 1/2 oz. apple juice
muddle 8 grapes with 1/2oz. of honey and a splash of simple syurp.  Add Ice add 11/2oz. of Knob Creek, add 1/2oz. of apple juice. Shake, Strain in to a martini glass. Garnish with two frozen grapes cut in half dip cut part into sugar and put on skewer.

3rd Place

Bartender: Michael Gray

Restaurant: Turner's at the Canterbury

Wayworn Road

Recipe
.25 oz. Black Pepper Corn Syrup, 3-4 dashes Jerry Thomas Bitters by Bitter Truth, Snapped Thyme Sprig, 2 oz. Knob Creek Bourbon, Topped with Sparkling Water Peligrino (preferred)In shaker Snap 1 sprig of thyme, add 3-4 dashes of Jerry Thomas Bitters by Bitter Truth, add .25 oz. Black Pepper Corn Syrup, add ice and 2 oz. Knob Creek Bourbon. Shake well and strain into Old Fashioned glass full of ice. Top with Sparkling water, Peligrino is preferred. Garnish with a thyme sprig and lemon twist.


Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Devour Downtown Winterfest 2010

Devour Downtown 2010 continues through February 6 at 43 restaurants in, where else, downtown Indy. For those not in the know, DD gives special prices for lunch and dinner menus. It’s a “Hi, how are you; try us out” system which works well for all involved. You get a great deal on a place you might not try otherwise and they get a chance to show what makes them special.

One of the 43 eateries, The Severin Bar & Grille, inside the Omni Severin Hotel, 40 Jackson Street, embraces the slow down (because who has time to completely stop these days?) and smell the roses attitude, offering an upscale eatery with a twist. That twist comes in the form of Joseph “Twist” Adamo, the executive chef who has arrived in Indy and created the custom menu with his own brand of cuisine.

Sharing his years of experience in the Palm Beach scene and adding a dash of London life, the six-foot-plus chef presented me with their entire Devour Downtown menu for a review.

So, what do you get for $30? Three courses with a choice between two items in each category of appetizer, entrée and dessert. The first course offers Hudson Valley Duck Empanada and Ahi Tuna Nicoise. The empanada, stuffed with wild mushrooms, sits atop spicy Sofrito sauce, and the Nicoise salad is laid out picture-perfect in a deconstructed fashion.

The second course came in the form of Grilled Beef Churrasco, tender slices of steak accompanied by braised Swiss chard and Pico de Gallo. This dish could easily be considered the Severin Signature dish, worthy of the drive from the ‘burbs. The alternate choice, My Seafood Paella, was served in a quantity for two. Mussels, Clams, Mahi Mahi, shrimp, haystack calamari, chorizo and saffron arborio rice combined in a delicate balance of juicy, seafood heaven. Can one spot have two signature entrée dishes? It may be possible with the Severin.

My favorite course, desserts, came as a difficult choice. Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake is served from-the-oven warm with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce because as Chef Adamo puts it, “I’m just a warm chocolate cake kind of guy.”

To be fair he adds a nice little twist to the Three Layer Carrot Cake by encasing it with white chocolate and surrounding it with assorted berry jus. A signature dessert which should easily please every chocolate lover and every carrot cake lover, which covers, um, pretty much everyone. Maybe it should be called the Chocolate Carrot Twist Cake.

In an era where Chefs are culinary rock stars, Adamo is a combination of Eddie Van Halen cuddlyness and Steve Perry coolness, on a much taller frame.

Bottom Line: The Severin offers the perfect spot for an after-work gathering place for martinis, smooth jazz and unique food. And, of course, the ultimate cool Chef "Twist" Adamo; what more could you want?
For a complete list of participating restaurants and menus, visit www.devourdowntown.org. For information on Severin, visit www.omnihotels.com.

If you have a restaurant, performance or unique event you would like reviewed, e-mail Elizabeth@gottago.us. Me, I will be right here, Faithfully.