Weekly Chef And Menu Report: The Week Of December 30, 2013
Every week, we take a look at some new chefs and menus that have appeared across the country. Here's this week's roundup:
Celebrating the 20-year anniversary of its digital ordering hub, PizzaNet, and the acceptance of its first-ever online order, a large pepperoni, mushroom and extra-cheese pizza, Pizza Hut is offering its customers 50 percent off any medium or large pizza that is ordered online until January 10, according to a press release.
For a limited time, Burger King is offering two new sandwiches, the Rodeo Burger and the Rodeo Chicken Sandwich, for $1 each on its value menu. The Rodeo Burger consists of a beef patty topped with crispy onion rings and sweet and spicy barbecue sauce on a sesame seed bun. And the Rodeo Chicken Burger includes the same ingredients with a chicken patty instead of a beef patty.
In celebration of Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, Francois Payard is offering Nkwanta Galette, a take on Galette des Rois, known as a King's Cake traditionally eaten on the holiday, through Jan. 6, according to a press release. Traditionally, a small favor is hidden inside the cake, providing temporary royalty to whomever finds it in their slice. Francois Payard partnered with Valrhona to create a flaky puff pastry filled with a thin layer of almond cream and a rich chocolate ganache. The galette is made with an exclusive selection of 64% chocolate from Nkwanta, Ghana and presented with a complimentary handcrafted Nkwanta chocolate tablet to provide the full experience of this intense single-estate cocoa bean from Ghana. Valrhona's purchase of the Nkwanta cocoa bean helps fund a well drilling project in Nkwanta, Ghana, which provides clean water to more than 2,500 people living in the district.
Pie Face will be giving away more than 10,000 free pies in New York City until Jan. 12, according to a press release. To claim a free pie, customers must take a selfie in front of Pie Face's 50-foot billboard on 48th street and 7th Avenue and show the photo at any New York City Pie Face shop.
Throughout the month of January, W Union Square is featuring its annual Detox to Retox Hangover Menu, a cocktail/food pairing menu designed to cure hangovers and help you detox, according to a press release. Featuring Organic Avenue juices, the menu incorporates hangover alleviating ingredients, including coconut water, natural fruits, and ginger as well as food pairing suggestions such as roasted beets, yellowfin tuna tartare, and Atlantic salmon.
The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center launched its happy hour, featuring $1 oysters with a selection of dipping sauces, $10 glasses of Champagne and wines, and a special daily oyster dish for $9, according to a press release. The daily oyster dish may feature a crispy fried oyster sushi roll with lettuce and Japanese barbecue sauce or oyster eschabeche with smoked paprika and fennel. Happy hour deals will be available through the month of January.
A group of the country's most notable chef's will host the first "Chefs to the Max" dinner, the first of a series to benefit critically-injured Las Vegas food journalist Max Jacobson, according to a press release. The first dinner will be hosted at Chef Rick Moonsen's RX Boiler Room at Mandalay Bay on Jan. 19. Other chefs collaborating on the dinner are Akira Back, Megan Bringas, Bruce Bromberg, Kim Canteenwalla, Tom Colicchio, Barry Dakake, Susan Feniger, Hubert Keller, Thomas Keller, Grant MacPherson, Brian Massie, Mary Sue Milliken, Bradley Ogden, Luciano Pellegrini, Joey Romano and Megan Romano, and David Walzog with more expected to join. The beverage and mixology sponsor will be Southern Wine and Spirits, and cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a six-course dinner from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. All of the proceeds from the dinner will go toward paying Jacobson's medical bills.
We're always looking for tips about new chefs and seasonal menus, so if you think there are any that we missed, let us know!