Food-o-File
Casting calls, film premieres, cliff-hangers, and Lance's high-carb diet: Get the scoop here
By Virginia B. Wood, Fri., July 30, 2004
Cliff-hanger
Last week's truncated review of the restaurant 7 was not an intentional cliff-hanger, and we apologize to the restaurateurs and everyone who called wanting to know what else Rachel Feit had to say about the new seafood eatery. The review appears this week in its entirety along with two others that were somehow lost to a glitch in modern technology.
Eat Like Lance
According to an Outdoor Life channel interview with his personal road chef, Tour de France-winning cyclist Lance Armstrong consumes massive amounts of carbs to fuel his daily participation in the grueling stages of the legendary race. Huge plates of spaghetti, plenty of rice, and big bowls of cereal are the bill of fare hours before the race. Once on the road, musette bags packed with high-energy power bars and potassium-rich bananas keep the legs pumping while water and sports drinks ensure hydration and electrolyte balance. These items aren't exactly haute cuisine, but they appear to get the job done, considering the Texan's record of success. Once the racing is over and the celebrating begins, there is a radical adjustment to the menu, however. After winning an unprecedented sixth Tour de France title, Armstrong and his devoted U.S. Postal team members were joined by more than 400 of their friends at a gala celebration dinner at the InterContinental le Grand Hotel in Paris on Sunday evening, July 25. You can bet there was plenty of champagne all around! Here's the inside scoop on what they ate:
Amuse bouche: delicate fish tartare with pavot greens, roasted onion with balsamic vinegar and smoked duck on skewers, and cold leek and potato soup with fresh cream;
Entrée: tuna carpaccio with mustard seeds, crisp with apricot and golden sesame seeds;
Plat principal: filet of braised veal, cannelloni of chanterelle mushrooms and New Zealand spinach with pine nuts, white dandelion leaf, and baby carrots and lemon caramel with spices;
Dessert: a sumptuous buffet of desserts and cheeses, coffee, and tea.
Event Menu: July 31
Open Casting Call
Saturday, July 31, 10am-2pm, Crowne Plaza Hotel (500 N. I-35): Granada America Casting is looking for 12 talented chefs or charismatic aspiring restaurateurs with star potential for a new reality TV series. The scout who called described the series as "The Apprentice meets The Restaurant," with a nationally famous chef in the Trump role. The celebrity chef will observe the chosen contestants competing in "all aspects of fine dining and restaurant management to determine who's got what it takes to open their own eatery." You must be 21 or older to participate, and additional eligibility requirements will apply. Other casting events will take place in Atlanta, New York, Boston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Francisco, and possibly other cities. For more info, contact the casting hotline at 800/485-2280.
