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The Golden Palate®: Where to Stay on Long Island: The Garden City Hotel & Polo Steakhouse Named LI’s Newest Golden Palates®: Big City Style and Elegance, Prime Steakhouse, Fabulous Brunch, Red Door Spa, and Indoor Pool, this is THE Place to Stay! (Garden City, New York)

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Fred Bollaci

The elegant Garden City Hotel, a landmark synonymous with traditional Old World elegance on Long Island since 1874 in beautiful, upscale Garden City, in the heart of Nassau County, minutes to great shopping and dining and easily accessible to all of the island and New York City, has recently completed extensive renovations that will ensure its position as the premier luxurious lodging destination on Long Island, and the Hotel and its restaurants have been named Fred Bollaci Enterprises Golden Palate Partners®.

The Garden City Hotel is the place for luxurious lodging, professional service, and the ultimate in pampering with a new Red Door Spa and Salon, and fitness enthusiasts will appreciate a heated indoor pool and fitness center, as well as fine dining at Polo Steakhouse and Polo Lounge. The Garden City Hotel is Long Island’s number one spot for meetings and is a much sought after venue for beautiful weddings and special events. I have attended events here and can tell you they do a fantastic job! In the summer, enjoy outdoor dining on the terrace, or pedal around the charming, elegant, historic village and beautiful surrounding residential neighborhoods with one of their bikes. No matter the season, there is always something going on at The Garden City Hotel–whether a sumptuous Easter or holiday Brunch, gorgeous Christmas decorations, or mint juleps for the Derby or celebrating the excitement at nearby Belmont, this is where you want to be!

Below: The luxurious Red Door Spa.

Fitness enthusiasts have access to a heated indoor pool, fitness center, as well as bikes to enjoy during their stay.

Polo Steakhouse serves lunch M-F, dinner 7 nights, award-winning Sunday Brunch, and Saturday Afternoon Tea. Known for 28-day dry aged USDA Prime steaks, chops, and signature entrees (such as Grilled Swordfish and Scottish Salmon), Executive Chef Michael Mandato’s classic and innovative features are some of Long Island’s best. The interior, designed by Italian designer Marcello Pozzi combines classic steakhouse ambience with modern luxury, featuring hand-laid, mahogany herringbone floors, deep cabernet colored textiles, and comfortable, stylish, tufted leather armchairs. Add in top notch service and an extensive wine list, Polo Steakhouse is not to be missed!

Above: Polo Steakhouse.

Above: The shellfish station at the sumptuous Sunday Brunch, a Long Island favorite!

The Garden City Hotel is a pet-friendly property.

Below: one of the spacious, comfortable guest rooms.

In nice weather, enjoy a bite in the al fresco patio bar!

See you on Long Island, and be sure to tell the folks at The Garden City Hotel that Fred Bollaci sent you!

The Garden City Hotel

45 7th Street

Garden City, NY 11530
516.747.3000

Posted in Destinations | Tagged dining, garden city, hotel, lodging, long island, luxury, meetings, polo, red door, spa, special events, steakhouse, weddings | Comments Off

“Wine and Business After Hours” Featuring Fabulous Wines Hosted by The American Fine Wine Competition at Papa Hughie’s Seafood World in Lighthouse Point, FL a Big Success! Stay Tuned for More Upcoming Events!

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Fred Bollaci

Above: Shari Gherman and Monty and Sara Preiser, Founders of The AFWI.

Last night kicked off the season for a series of exciting events sure to please wine lovers in South Florida! “Wine & Biz” is south Florida professionals’ best opportunity to meet new and old friends, network with other business professionals, enjoy amazing wine and awesome food while supporting a very important charity. Of course, I was in town, so I made sure to attend! It is a great way for wine and food lovers in the Palm Beach-Broward-Miami-Dade area to meet and sample many great, wines at one time you won’t likely find elsewhere!

Wendy Rosano of Terra Fiamma in West Delray pouring wine for thirsty guests!

The first event was held at Papa Hughie’s Seafood World in Lighthouse Point, and featured the finest all-American wines from the competition, which takes place each January (the 10th annual will be in 2017 in Fort Lauderdale-Miami), as well as great food and an all around feel-good great time.

The event took place from 6:00-8:00 PM, at $49 per person, which includes 50+ AFWI award-winning wines, seven+ pairing courses, and lots of great networking

THE MENU:

Sesame Seared Tuna
Thai Chicken Skewers
Shrimp Cocktail
Caprese Salad
Fried Calamari
Seafood Vinaigrette Cups
Conch Fritters
and a Couple of other Chefs Treats!

THE WINES- All wines are from the AFWI- each wine was personally invited to participate in the Judging and the wineries are not charged. This ensures only the best wines produced are poured. Many of the below wines received Gold and double gold medals at the Judging.

There are always special wine guests joining the events!

Featured wines poured included:
Cab Sauv DAOU Reserve 13 $58 Cab Sauv Pride 12 $125 Cab Sauv Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V 11 $135 Cab Sauv Vinoce 12 $125 Cab Sauv Grgich 11 $185 Chard Frank Family 13 $45 Chard Acacia Sangiacomo 13 $45 Chard Cairdean 13 $46 Dry Riesling V. Sattui Dancing Egg 14 $25 Late Harvest Ch. ST Michele Eroica Gold 13 $30 Dry Rose Tedeschi 14 $25 Late Harvest Reynolds Family Naughty Sticky 06 $20 Merlot Castello di Amorosa 12 $39 Merlot Y. Rousseau Pepe 13 $50 Petite Sirah Allora 11 $65 Petite Sirah Paravel 13 $82 Pinot Noir Laeticia La Coupelle 13 $60 Pinot Noir Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vyd 13 $60 Pinot Noir BRYTER Cadeau 13 $55 Pinot Noir Domaine Anderson Dach Vyd 12 $60 Port Robert Hall 13 $36 Red Blend Deerfield Ranch Red Rex 12 $32 Red Bordeaux-Stye Blend Muscardini Rancho Salina 12 $60 Red Bordeaux-Stye Blend Barrister Rough Justice NV $22 Red Bordeaux-Stye Blend Juslyn Parry’s Blend 12 $80 Sauv Blanc Russian River Vyd 14 $25 Sauv Blanc Red Cap Rutherford 13 $27 Syrah Prix 09 $65 Syrah Cache Creek 11 $25 Syrah Deerfield Ranch 11 $32 Viognier Zina Hyde Cunningham 14 $30 White Blend The Winery SF The Peoples Blend NV $20 ZIN Joseph Cellars 11 $35 ZIN Saddleback 12 $45 ZIN von Strasser 11 $40

In case you missed it, mark your calendars! The next event is Tuesday, September 13th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Novello in Boca Raton, featuring the amazing cuisine of Chef Angelo Romano.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wine-biz-at-novello-benefiting-nami-palm-beach-tickets-26852683098

Tickets may be purchased in advance, online by clicking the above link.

For more information, visit: www.americanfinewinecompetition.org, or call Call: 561.504.0206

Posted in News and Interviews | Tagged after hours, american fine wine competition, broward, charity, fort lauderdale, lighthouse point, palm beach, papa hughies, wine and biz, wine and business | Comments Off

Spotlight: Renowned Chef Vincenzo Betulia of Osteria Tulia/Bar Tulia, Dishing Up Authentic Rustic Italian Cuisine! Fred Bollaci Enterprises’ Inaugural Golden Palate® Charter Member in Naples, Florida!

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Fred Bollaci

This month’s Spotlight features my inaugural Golden Palate® Charter Member for Naples, Florida, renowned Chef Vincenzo Betulia of Osteria Tulia/Bar Tulia! Chef Vincenzo was born in Sicily and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He launched his culinary career at age 14 in an Italian restaurant in Milwaukee working as a pizza maker and later as a chef. Betulia worked with famed Chef Paul Bartolotta in Milwaukee and at Spiaggia in Chicago, and alongside Michael White (NYC’s Altamarea Group), and attended the Kendall Culinary School in Chicago. While on vacation, he fell in love with Naples and the laid-back, Southwest Florida lifestyle. Vincenzo worked as Chef at Campiello in Naples for 9 years before opening his namesake restaurant Osteria Tulia, reminiscent of a charming Italian farmhouse. Next, he opened Bar Tulia, a gastropub next door. Today, both are considered among the top restaurants in Southwest Florida, commensurate with establishments in big cities like New York, Chicago, or San Francisco, yet with the friendly, small town, Naples vibe, and the caring, hands-on attention to detail of Chef Vincenzo.

As my followers know, my Golden Palate® Partners, especially my Charter Members, are a family of great chefs/restaurant owners, selected for their skill, as well as for being great, dedicated professionals and all-around great people! It is a pleasure to introduce Chef Vincenzo! In the following dialog, you will get to know him and I highly encourage you to dine with him when you are in beautiful Naples and tell him I sent you!

Q. What do you credit your restaurant success to?
VB: I credit the success of my restaurant to the passion, soulful determination, drive, and desire to want to serve great food and provide great service. I lead by example and I’m always at the restaurant. I work the line, prep food, interact with every employee daily. My staff knows I’m behind them 100 percent, and in return they give me 100 percent. I’m very fortunate.

Q. Favorite cookbook?
VB: I don’t really have a favorite cookbook. I do own books, and if it happens to be a cookbook, it’s not really for the recipes, but because I believe in the chef who wrote the book. Right now I’m enjoying “Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef” by Massimo Bottura.

FB: Lol!

Q. Culinary professional(s) you admire most? VB: There are many culinary professionals I admire for many reasons. The chefs I admire most are Massimo Bottura for his vision of pioneering “Alta Cucina” (elevated Italian cuisine) in Italy; Paul Bartolotta for his simple yet amazing Italian cuisine and for mentoring me, Daniel Boulud for his jovial yet amazing French restaurants across this nation; Thomas Keller for his perfection, Mario Batali for waking up America to rustic Italian food done his way…there are too many to mention.

Q. Your favorite ingredient? VB: Olive Oil.

Q. Your personal motto? VB: Make it nice…do it with passion or don’t bother.

Q. What do you do differently? VB: I integrate myself with my staff and create a passionate and soulful culture in my restaurants. This creates a very positive work environment. I’m not different from any one of my employees. I don’t take them for granted.

Q. What gives you the most pleasure in your job?
VB: Pleasing people through my food. Making them remember their grandparents and heritage from taste. It’s called taste memory. It transports them back into time.

Q. What do you enjoy in your free time?
VB: I’m a huge soccer fan, so I watch a lot of it…as well as my kids’ soccer games. Drink wine. And spend time with my wife and 3 boys.

Q. Favorite wine(s)? VB: Barbaresco.

Q. Favorite Dessert? VB: Espresso!

Q. Favorite vacation destinations? VB: Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland…depends on my mood…lol!

Q. Favorite holiday? VB: I don’t have a favorite holiday. I typically work most all of them, so my favorite holidays are my days off.

Q. Favorite family traditions? VB: We have many traditions revolving around holiday foods. We eat particular things like Pasta con Le Sarde (Sardines) for St. Joseph’s Day, and Arancine (Sicilian-style Rice Balls) at Christmas. These are two things I look forward to eating especially!

Q. How did you choose to come to Naples? VB: Sun, no snow, and a welcoming town looking for some good food.

For more information about Osteria Tulia and Bar Tulia, visit: www.osteriatulia.com, and www.bartulia.com

Chef Vincenzo will be featured in the Winter 2016-17 issue of Venu Magazine in Fred Bollaci’s Golden Palate Appetite Column!

Posted in Florida Golden Palate Partners, Golden Palate Charter Members | Tagged bar tulia, charter member, florida, naples, osteria tulia, vincenzo betulia | Comments Off

Recipe: Golden Palate: Hotel Jerome’s Signature BBQ Spice Rub, Aspen, Colorado!

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Fred Bollaci

The Outdoor dining area at Prospect at Hotel Jerome in Aspen, CO.

Recipe courtesy of Hotel Jerome

Hotel Jerome’s BBQ Spice

Enjoy this while BBQ season is still going! Rub on your favorite ribs or steak for excellent flavor!
Ingredients:
2/3 cup paprika
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Reserve in sealed container.

Posted in Fred Bollaci on Dining | Tagged bbq, hotel jerome, prospect, rub, spice | Comments Off

Grato: Chef Clay Conley’s Lively Neighborhood Italian Eatery in West Palm Beach, FL

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Fred Bollaci

Building upon the phenomenal success of Buccan, Imoto, and The Sandwich Shop in Palm Beach, Chef Clay Conley has ventured across the bridge into West Palm to create a lively, fresh, flavorful “neighborhood” Italian restaurant, with his hallmark innovative twist to classic Italian cuisine, fresh pasta, and pizza. Grato (Italian for grateful) features a bustling bar and spacious dining room, creating a welcoming ambience for families of the surrounding historical neighborhoods to downtown professionals and foodies from all over South Florida, flocking for handmade pastas, brick oven pizzas and wood-grilled entrees. The open kitchen provides a look into the show within, with the wood-burning oven taking center stage–it’s like Buccan meets Italian!

Grato brings a needed dose of hip, happening, “big city” style and sophistication to the neighborhood just to the south of Okeechobee Blvd. along Dixie Highway. Conley brought a modern, sophisticated addition that transformed the dining scene on Palm Beach, making it younger, hipper, and cooler, while delivering very high standards of quality, service, and overall experience. It appears he has done the same in this area of West Palm. What was once a warehouse is now one of West Palm’s most talked about and enjoyable restaurants. Meet and mingle over drinks at two bars–one a traditional bar with televisions, craft cocktails, beer, and great wine list, and the other overlooking the wood-burning pizza oven. Enjoy friendly, accommodating service and an exciting array of small plates, freshly-made pastas, wood-fired pizza, and entrees to choose from. It is hip, casual, fun, cool, sophisticated, and tasty all in one!

For starters, we enjoyed the Meatballs with Broccoli Rabe Pesto over Polenta, and the AMAZING Fennel with Olives and Citrus Salad– so light, and healthy. It was love at first bite. In fact, it reminded me of a salad I enjoyed in Taormina, Sicily once.

We asked our server what her favorite cocktail was from a tantalizing list, and she immediately singled out the Moscow Mule. Admittedly, I had never had one, but felt adventurous. Once I tasted it in the frosted copper mug, I’m glad this was my first! I’ll be back!

If you are looking to “carbo-load,” this is definitely the place! So, if you are racing the next day, pasta at Grato should be on your list. They are made in-house, cooked properly “al dente,” and come with a variety of preparations that look as great as they taste. Call them “modern interpretations of classical Italian dishes.”

Paccheri with Sunday Gravy and Ricotta.

Bucatini Carbonara with Peas, Guanciale, and Egg.

Orecchiette with Olives and toasted breadcrumbs, was great! All pastas were homemade and were served hot and “al dente” as they should be.

For wine, the list offers something for everyone. I was impressed that Grato carried Wolffer Estate Summer Rosé from Long Island, a favorite summer wine in The Hamptons, from one of my inaugural Signature Members! Anyplace in South Florida, an area that hosts a lot of New York visitors and is home to a lot of New York transplants clearly knows what they are doing if they feature wines from Long Island! In fact, this wine typically sells out directly from the winery before summer is over! It was crisp, fruity, light, delicious, “summer in a bottle” I like to call it. Perfetto! Round of applause for featuring Wolffer! We also had to try the pizza, since I heard good things, it is great for sharing, and since they devote a large actively visible part of the restaurant to it, I felt we needed to at least sample it. The pizza was cooked to order, not overdone, the dough was good, not too thick, not too thin, a little chew and a little crunch, and toppings were enjoyable.

Pizza with Fontina, Broccoli Rabe, and Pepperoncini.

Entrees include Wood-Roasted Herb-Marinated Rotisserie Chicken, a Burger, a 12 oz. New York Strip, and Red Snapper with crispy potato cake, garlic spinach, and artichoke beurre blanc.

If you save room for dessert, definitely try the Panna Cotta!

Grato serves lunch and dinner daily, and a very popular Sunday Brunch with items including Ricotta Pancakes, Truffled Lobster Frittata, Ham and Fontina Crespelle (crepes), and Breakfast Pizza (ham, asparagus, fontina, and egg). Grato has been awarded the Fred Bollaci Enterprises Golden Palate® Certificate of Excellence and is definitely worth checking out!