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December 22, 2018 by Ron Wen

Media: A Feast for the Eyes and Stomach, Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham

Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

As a fan of the culinary arts scene in the Triangle, I’m always on the lookout for cool, food events and special dinners. While it’s always great to go out and eat, it’s even better when you’re talking about a one-off specialty dinner. A recent invite to Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts hit my email inbox and I was pretty excited! Any event that ties in modern art with culinary art is a winner in my book. This edition of Feast from the Furnace would be led by Chef Tyler Vanderzee from NanaSteak. But my big question is: How can you cook a meal in a super-hot glass blowing furnace?! Well, I was about to find out…

Entry to Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Entry to Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Inside of Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Inside of Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

If you haven’t spent much time in Durham, it might be a bit tricky to find Liberty Arts! Located on Pearl Street on the E. Durham side of things, Liberty Arts is a bit off the beaten path and in a lot surrounded by a bit of fencing and barbed wire. But don’t let that look scare you because you’re going to find some amazing things behind that steel, sliding door! Inside, I meet Liberty Arts board member Ilene Hadler who has extended me the invite to tonight’s dinner. We grab a glass of wine at the open bar and then we go on a tour of the Liberty Arts collective and space which is really impressive.

Touring Liberty Arts in Durham with Ilene - nctriangledining.com
Touring Liberty Arts in Durham with Ilene – nctriangledining.com
Happy diners at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Happy diners at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Raleigh arts community but Liberty Arts certainly takes it to another level! This collective of a dozen artists and creators cover a broad swath of eclectic mediums. The artists at Liberty Arts hand-make everything from metal masks, woodwork, typography, smoking pipes and more. During the Feast from the Furnace dinner, guests are encouraged to wander around and explore the workshops of each artist. There’s also a store up front offering up a variety of pieces to the public. We head on back to the dining room area where the guests are assembling with glasses of wine and beer in hand.

Leigh and Aubrey speaking at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Leigh and Aubrey speaking at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

The dinner is opened up with some words from Liberty Arts board members, Leigh and Aubrey. We’re given some backdrop to Liberty Arts, the upcoming dinner and glass-blowing artist, Elijah Leed. Elijah gets the evening started working a molten ball of glass in the super-hot furnace (2,000 degrees). With the help of an assistant they are able to blow out and shape the glass into well-honed cup. And as the glass-blowing exhibition moves along, our dinner is being prepped by Chef Tyler and his team. They’ve got a lot of the ingredients in carbon steel pans which are able to withstand the intense heat in the furnace!

Glass blowing with Elijah at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Glass blowing with Elijah at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Chef Tyler prepping the meal at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Chef Tyler prepping the meal at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

I’ve managed to take a look at the menu from our master of ceremonies, Leigh and it looks like we will be having the following four-course meal:

  • Wild ramp naan with charred artichoke and Greek yogurt with caviar
  • Roasted scallop with parsnip puree and charred shishito pepper
  • Blackened beef short rib with acorn squash and red mole sauce
  • Poached seckel pear with goat cheese, almonds and dates with honey
Scallops and peppers for Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Scallops and peppers for Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Ramp naan with artichoke and caviar at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Ramp naan with artichoke and caviar at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

I watch the culinary prep the dishes and they are quickly searing a lot of the ingredients in the furnace before quickly assembling the small plates for the guests. It’s a smaller dinner, maybe 30 people but we are all happily enjoying and waiting for our meal, seated at two sets of tables. Our first course comes out, a seared green naan with a spoonful of artichoke and dollop of caviar. It’s a fun, green appetizer with plenty of mouth-feel and texture. Chef Tyler is certainly getting pretty creative for tonight’s dinner!

Seared scallop with parsnip puree at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Seared scallop with parsnip puree at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Blackened short rib and squash at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Blackened short rib and squash at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

Dishes #2 and #3 are the highlights of Feast from the Furnace. The seared scallop is cooked just right and placed on top of a creamy and sweet, parsnip puree. A well-seared pepper plays off the entire dish offering up some spice and flavor along with the scallop. It’s a good looking dish with a lot of color and nice presentation. The short rib is more of a classic presentation that feels like autumn. Paired with the soft, seared squash, you get a lot of beefy chew along with the mellow, chocolate mole sauce. A fun mix of American and Mexican on one plate!

Pulled glass at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Pulled glass at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

Elijah continues with his glass blowing demonstration and a heated, globe of glass is brought into the main exhibition area of Liberty Arts. He and his assistant, pull and the tug the glass until a long, cylindrical rope is pulled out across the room. It must be at least 25′ long and it’s left to cool on some wooden frames. It’s pretty incredible how malleable this molten glass is, but it obviously takes some serious skills to work in this medium!

Prepping dessert at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham - nctriangledining.com
Prepping dessert at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com
Seckel pear with goat cheese, dates and honey at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham -
Seckel pear with goat cheese, dates and honey at Feast from the Furnace at Liberty Arts in Durham – nctriangledining.com

We head back to our table where we are served up dessert, a seared pear topped with goat cheese, dates and a small cookie. It’s a clean and tasty preparation for fruit and the dripped honey adds a bit of sweetness to enhance the plate, well done! As the tables clear, I say goodbye to my hosts and head out into the night, full and happy! It’s not every night that you’re treated to a feast for the palate and for the eyes. But Feast from the Furnace does just that, offering up a glimpse into the artistry and talents of the wonderful collective at Liberty Arts (Picture gallery below). If you’re a curious diner, check out their website and look for details on the upcoming Feast from the Furnace dinners. They have upcoming dates for January 19 and February 16. I promise you that they will be offering up some great culinary and artisanal skills for the evening. It’s an adventure that a Triangle foodie should experience at least once in their lifetime!

 

Feast from the Furnace

Liberty Arts

918 Pearl Street

Durham, NC 27701

919.294.8006

Location on Google maps

 

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Filed Under: Durham, Events, Media

April 16, 2016 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

Event: Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha Fundraiser for Rise Biscuit and Donuts

Event flyer for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Event flyer for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

When it comes to biscuits and donuts, you can count me in! As a fan of Rise Biscuits and Donuts, you can bet I was excited when I got notice of their upcoming Big Biscuit Brew HaHa event. A fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and NC Triangle Man & Woman of the Year competition. Rise’s Gray Ferguson is the sponsor for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha and funds raised during this event will go to L&LS. At $35 a ticket it seemed like a great way to raise money for a great cause AND chow down on some biscuits, donuts and beer on April 7, woohoo!

Crowd waiting for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Crowd waiting for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

What makes this event really cool is that the six Rise Biscuit and Donut chefs were paired with local celebrity chefs from Poole’s Diner, Crooks Corner, Pazzo, 18 Seaboard, Mateo along with six NC breweries to create biscuit-donut and beer culinary trifectas. I showed up a bit before 6pm at the Rickhouse and there already was a line formed out front.

Lines for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Lines for the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Once we were let inside, we each go three tickets to vote on our favorite biscuit, favorite beer and favorite pairing of all three. Additional tickets were available for $1 each so I grabbed 10 for the evening. As my friends and I went from table to table it became readily apparent to me that I was NOT going to finish all six offerings. I figured I would be good for three before passing out from carb overload. While the biscuits were not full-sized, the donuts were the real deal and the beers were maybe 6 oz. pours. But we’re talking about 3 carb bomb categories here, so the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha is not for the faint of heart or stomach.

Pork belly biscuit and stout donut at the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Pork belly biscuit and stout donut at the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

Everyone was excited and working hard at either prepping dishes or chowing them down. I really enjoyed the shrimp biscuit (with tomato, cabbage and hot sauce) from Matt Kelly at Mateo which came at things from a different angle. And all the donuts were awesome but definitely full of sugary calories, yum. Room was a bit tight in the Rickhouse but staff made their best efforts to keep tables cleared for the large crowd.

Championship belts at the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining
Championship belts at the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

I made it to about my 4th biscuit-donut-beer combo, a tender porchetta biscuit and tapped out, no mas! My stomach was in no shape to eat any more so it was time to enjoy the scene at the Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha. For the event, there were three ornate “championship belts” for the winners which was a very nice touch. And while I didn’t get to stay for the entire event, I did hear that the porchetta biscuit from Pazzo-Rise Southpoint and the beer from Fortnight (lemon shandy) won the evening along with the Rise Carrboro-Crooks Corner for their pairing.

BigBiscuitBrewHaHa-PorchettaBiscuit#1
Porchetta biscuit at the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in Durham- NC Triangle Dining

All in all I’d have to say that the 2016 Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha was a rousing success for Rise, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society along with the foodie crowd at hand. Great food, great fun along with lots of money raised for a great cause. Here’s to a 2nd year of the Big Biscuit Brew Ha-Ha in 2017 and there’s still time to donate to Gray Ferguson’s campaign as the L&LS Woman of the Year, here!

 

Filed Under: Durham, Events Tagged With: Biscuits

March 23, 2016 by Ron Wen 2 Comments

News: Bull City Vegan Chef Challenge, April 1 to 30

BullCityVeganChefChallenge2016

A shout out to all you vegans in the Triangle! Don’t miss the upcoming 4th Bull City Vegan Chef Challenge going down in the month of April. Visit one of the participating restaurants serving up their signature Vegan challenge dish, try the dish out and rate it on multiple elements. Vegan challenge dishes will be presented in the appetizer, entree ($7 – $15) and dessert categories and there are currently 15 Durham restaurants competing! Votes will be tabulated and the winner crowned at Ponysaurus Brewery on May 7.

Check out the Triangle Meatless Monday event page where the Vegan Chef Challenge dishes will be profiled in advance. Then go forth and eat!

 

2015 BCVCC Participants

 

Beyu Caffebullcityveganchallenge_edited

The Cupcake Bar

Dos Perros

Durham Co-op Market

The Federal

Geer St. Garden

Gocciolina

Guglhupf

Happy + Hale

Luna

Monuts

Parker & Otis

The Parlour

Parts & Labor – Motorco

Pinhook

Rise

Saltbox

Filed Under: Durham, Events, News-Upcoming Tagged With: Vegan Restaurants

March 19, 2016 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

News: The 2016 Doughman Race Rolls into Durham

DoughmanLogo

Have you ever wanted to eat, race, bike and swim all in the same day? Well you and a team can give it a shot at the 8th Annual Doughman in Durham on May 28 (registration opens on April 1). I’ve had the chance to volunteer for the Doughman several times and it’s always a blast! For those who want to compete, register a team of four athletes who also love to eat! It’s a team relay race (quadrathalon) with four legs of running, biking and swimming (kiddie pool, anyone?). Costumes are heavily encouraged and part of what makes the Doughman, the Doughman race.

There will be four great dishes, served by local Bull City restaurants, to fuel you up before each leg. And certainly challenge your competitive enthusiasm… And then after each leg is run, cross the finish line as a Doughman team to be showered with accolades and applause to celebrate your gastro-letic skills! Doughman has been running and eating its way through Durham for 8 years and is a great way to raise money for their charity SEEDS, an organization focused on teaching the community respect for the earth through gardening and growing food.  So get involved with Doughman by competing, volunteering or sponsoring the event. It’s all for fun, a great charity and some Durham spirit! More details forthcoming…

 

2016 Doughman Race

Race on Saturday- May 28, 2016

Registration opens on April 1st

Durham

Filed Under: Durham, Events, News-Upcoming

March 12, 2016 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

Media: The 30th Annual Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh, Fun for Foodies!

ToastTriangle2016-Guests-Logo

The Triangle has been booming when it comes to food, drink and foodie events! One local favorite is the Toast to the Triangle, a fundraiser for the Tammy Lynn Center which supports developmentally disabled individuals. As luck would have it, I received an invite to be a judge for the Toast to the Triangle’s culinary competition. So as you can guess, my proverbial tail was wagging as I headed off to the McKimmon Center at NC State for the start of the 30th annual Toast to the Triangle!

Mura table at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Mura table at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle, Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Inside the McKimmon Center, the crowd was already gathering and local restaurants were setting up in the event space. I spied favorites such as La Farm Bakery, Mura, Faire, Azitra, the Point, Rise and many more delicious options on the floor. The silent auction items and beverage options sat in a second room and was rife with NC State and Duke basketball paraphernalia. Heading to a back room, I meet up with McGavock Edwards who was running the culinary competition for Toast to the Triangle.

Gina and Jeff, entree judges at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Gina and Jeff, entree judges at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Sam, Debra and Josh, dessert judges at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Sam, Debra and Josh, dessert judges at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

We’ve got twelve judges for the evening: three each for the appetizer, entree and dessert categories along with three for visual presentation. It’s an eclectic group of foodies, bloggers and media peeps along with one citizen judge (Josh) and one celebrity judge (Debra Morgan from WRAL)! And we’re all pretty excited to dig into the food, stat! I take a look at our list of entries, we’ll be blind-tasting the samples and we’ve got 10 for the entrees, phew. We’re asked to judge on presentation, aroma, flavors, marriage of flavors and then overall impression of each dish. From one to five for each element with a max score of 25 for each plate.

It’s obviously going to be a marathon, not a race trying to cover 10 different plates. We start off with a curried seafood dish which is a tasty mix. Next up is a seared tuna medallion with cream sauce. And the food just keeps on coming, hah! It’s tough judging because when you start off, you have to set a baseline and you don’t know what’s coming up. My scores are all in the lower 14 – 22 range and I’m feeling a bit like the E. German judge. Chatting with the other judges, we’re all waiting for the wow dish. And it finally shows up for the last tasting: a white chocolate baguette with brie and bacon along with a raspberry sauce for dipping. A play on the traditional monte cristo sandwich, bam!

Crowd at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Crowd at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Our work here is done and I am already pretty darn full. On the event floor the Toast to the Triangle is crowded and bustling. I meet up with my guest and we start grazing at the tables. I get to try out a couple of the apps and desserts that I missed during the judging but don’t really have much room at this point and time.  Lots of local folks from the food scene are here tonight including G. Patel from Eschelon and Chef Steve Zanini from Faire, everyone’s happy and enjoying the evening!

Rise display at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Rise display at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

Before the awards are announced, we get to watch a video on the Tammy Lynn Center and it’s inspiring. A mother who refused to give up on her developmentally disabled son and wanted to change the world for those facing those exact same challenges. Steve Daniels from ABC 11 is the emcee and I’m happy to see him call up our entree winners: La Farm Bakery for their monte cristo and Neomonde for their cool presentation of a falafel disc and pickle plate with spicy harissa sauce, yum!

La Farm Bakery at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
La Farm Bakery at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
The Saleh family and Neomonde at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
The Saleh family and Neomonde at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

After the awards are done, winners for the Toast to the Triangle raffle are announced. I had bought some tickets to contribute to Tammy Lynn Center but really didn’t expect to win but surprise! My name gets called out for the first of four prizes, tickets to the NC Symphony and dinner at Bella Monica: winner winner, Italian dinner! Before I even step away from the stage, my name gets called again for the second raffle prize but I’m passing on this one. Please choose another name, Steve Daniels!

Faire and Chef Steve at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining
Faire and Chef Steve at the 2016 Toast to the Triangle in Raleigh- NC Triangle Dining

We finish off grazing at some of the tables and get some treats to go rather than see it go to waste after the event. And then we’re off into the evening, happy and full! So thank you so much Toast to the Triangle, Tammy Lynn Center and McGavock for having me as a judge for your fun, foodie event. It was a great success and here’s to 2017 and raising more money for a great charity.

 

2016 Toast to the Triangle

Supporting the Tammy Lynn Center

McKimmon Center on NC State campus

 

 

Filed Under: Events, Raleigh

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