| Riverbank's new Thai infusion
With the opening of Siam Fine Thai Cuisine in September, Wayne Luong completed a perfect Asian trifecta. Luong is a strong advocate for city business and dining, and this hip, upscale Thai venue on the west bank of the Genesee is a fine complement to his already successful tandem East End sushi and dim sum complex. Tucked into the left rear corner of the new Corn Hill Landing complex, it takes a bit of digging to unearth this gem. What you will find is three levels of bright but minimalist dining, with a bright but minimalist menu.
THE FOOD The menu here is not as extensive as some Thai restaurants. There are about a dozen entres, but each can be varied by the additions of beef, chicken, shrimp, squid or tofu. While the selection may be limited, quality is not. As an example, jumbo shrimp were used in our entre as opposed to the medium variety used in many places.
Hearty: Art contest for students promotes eating a healthy breakfast
Crisis Control Ministry held its annual Wee Care art contest last week for preschool to fifth-grade students in the Kernersville area. There were 140 entries this year, compared to 97 last year. Eight schools were represented. The preschool through second-grade students drew pictures that encouraged people to eat a healthy breakfast. The third- through fifth-grade students decorated cereal boxes. They gave their cereal brands such names as Mega Shark Bites and Wee Care Flakes. The winner's artwork will be used on the poster for this year's cereal drive, and the winner will get a birthday party at the Winston-Salem Children's Museum. Each entrant got a participation ribbon. The cereal drive will be held April 23-27.
Enter to Win 'Fast Food Nation'
Inspired by the bestseller that revealed the unpleasant truths behind America's fast food industry, Fast Food Nation combines an all-star ensemble cast with interlocked human stories. When a marketing executive for the fictional Mickey's burger chain is told there's a nasty secret ingredient in his latest culinary creation called 'The Big One,' he heads for the ranches and slaughterhouses of Colorado to investigate. What he discovers is that the reality of the situation is a bit difficult to swallow. From director Richard Linklater comes Fast Food Nation (rated R) starring Greg Kinnear, Wilmer Valderrama, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Ethan Hawke. The DVD from Fox Home Entertainment is available in stores March 6 and includes audio commentary, a documentary featurette, and a series of Flash animation shorts from the "Meatrix" series.
He can stand the heat, so he's still in the kitchen
Lately Adam Bebawi is giving all his time to his fledgling catering company. His devotion to work has its upsides - like discovering a love for wine and snails, and a distaste for filo pastry. This self-confessed "quiet guy" prides himself on keeping his cool in the kitchen and a positive outlook on life. Adam Bebawi, 27 Shot at: Kanva on St. Laurent Blvd., where his brother works as an architect. Occupation: "Caterer for Olive Orange. I'm the co-founder and co-chef." His dream job: "This is it." Greatest achievement in catering: "We catered the SNC Lavallin Christmas party for 400 people at Marche Bonsecours. We had a 12-foot raw bar with oysters and shrimp on ice. And then there was this huge buffet - it was quite a spread." At midnight he's most likely to be: "Hosting small dinner parties for friends." People say he looks like: David Blaine.
New Web Site Features Iowa Food Stories
Iowa Arts Council Folklife Coordinator Riki Saltzman has developed a web site about place-based Iowa foods – highly differentiated food products with strong ties to where and how they are grown or processed. You can visit this unique site, which includes audio, photographs, and downloadable documents, at www.iowaartscouncil.org/programs/folk-and-traditional-arts/place_based_foods/index.htm. "Place-based foods have a unique taste that often has to do with an ecological niche and/or the ethnic or regional heritage of their producers," says Saltzman. "These are the foods that we seek out to eat locally when we visit a particular place, purchase as souvenirs or gifts, or hunt down in specialty shops. Food is not just about sustenance. We want foods that have a story." Saltzman developed the web site with the support of a $10,000 grant from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which also funded her initial research, the Iowa Foodways Project: Taste of Place.
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