Where's the party?... It's right here.

US Open, Executive Chef Michael Lockard was a guest on the Today show on Monday, September 6th. He was the star of the kitchen, preparing three different varieties of lobster rolls. The US Open is currently taking place in Flushing Meadows, and Chef Mike is at the helm. Check out his signature recipe below!

Recipe: Lobster roll with lemon aioli

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lobster meat, poached and shelled
• 8 hot dog buns
• 1 ounce Romaine lettuce, chiffonade
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter
• 1 cup celery
• 2 tablespoons tarragon leaves, chopped
• 1 pint mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

To make the lemon aioli, combine in a large mixing bowl the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic. Add cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Mix well.

To make the lobster mix, mix the lobster meat, celery, tarragon leaves and lemon aioli. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly toast the bun on a griddle in the clarified butter. Place the lettuce in the bun and top with the lobster mix. 

Serving Size
Makes eight servings

You can see Chef Michael’s entire segment at the link below.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38997561/ns/today-foodwine/

As the US Open begins its qualifying week, Levy Restaurants, the Food and Beverage Partner at the US Open, has some amazing stories on the horizon. Check out the link below!

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/19/celebrity-chefs-to-serve-competitive-food-at-us-open/

August 14, 2010

A retirement party was held in the honor of Michael Judge with the LA county public defenders office at the Center of Cathedral Plaza on Saturday, August 14th.   The event took place on the outdoor plaza where guests enjoyed food, drinks and dancing.

Several themed food stations were created to highlight Mr. Judge’s favorite foods. Chef Nelson created a special rice pudding recipe to accompany the south western style station which included a nacho bar and mini quesadillas. The southern food station featured crispy fried chicken with hot sauce, collard greens, corn bread and warm peach cobbler.

Guests enjoyed a memorable slideshow presentation recognizing Mr. Judge’s many accomplishments. Guests danced the night away to a live band under the illuminated cathedral.

Justin Bieber Fever

August 11, 2010

Levy Restaurants hosted a VIP Pre-concert Reception for Justin Bieber on August 11th. The event was for a group of fans that purchased VIP tickets for the Sound Check.

The guests were treated with a light reception of “Kid Friendly All American” style food, the majority of the guests were 5-15 years of age. Chef Marc Llyod created a fun menu to consist of chicken tenders, mini sandwiches, hot dog bar and of course desserts. At the Bar we had fountain sodas and root beer and orange creamsicle floats available for all of the guests.

Although Justin Bieber was not able to be in attendance for a meet & greet, the guests were surprised with meeting Jessica Jarrell as well as Justin’s Back up singers and dancers.

August 17, 2010

Returning again this year is an event of a lifetime fantasy driving camp - Tony Stewart’s “Smoke Show”.  Tony, aka “Smoke” will be at Texas Motor Speedway on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 to raise money for children in need in North Texas and the Tony Stewart Foundation.

There are only 30 coveted spots available for this event.  Guests will learn to drive an authentic NASCAR race car on The Great American Speedway® with Tony Stewart’s personal feedback.  Not only that, they will have a front row seat for viewing the Smoke Show.  That’s right; participants will ride as a passenger while Tony Stewart drives at top speeds around the track!

Tony will be around all day long, so sign up today - learn what its like to be "Smoke" - and help support North Texas Children.  Reserve your spot by calling 817-215-8564 or for more information, go to www.speedwaycharities.org and select the Texas Chapter page.

July 28, 2010

1,017 people and 537 dogs filled the plaza of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for the 4th Annual Downtown Dog Day Afternoon. The social canine event of the year attracted dogs of all breeds and their humans for a festive evening of mingling, music, pet-related vendor displays, and great food.  Several dogs were also on display for adoption. Levy Restaurants served assorted sandwiches, desserts, beverages and Dodger Dogs to celebrate the theme. Several staff members including servers, culinary staff and managers were on hand to help serve the downtown community.

July 21, 2010

The Walt Disney World Participant Association is a group of businesses that operate on Disney property, but are not owned by Disney.  The business range from food service vendors, hotels and banks.  Once a month the association meets at one of the members’ venues.  This gives the venue the opportunity to showcase their product and it gives the members the chance to network and build relationships.

This summer, the Levy Family of Restaurants at Downtown Disney has had the opportunity to host the WDW Participants Association Luncheon; with Fulton’s Crab House hosting in May and Wolfgang Puck Grande Café in June. 
       
More recently, Portobello and co-sponsor AAA hosted the WDW Participant Association Lunch.  Guests were greeted with Strawberry or Peach Italian Sodas and enjoyed passed wood burning oven pizzas and crostinis.
     
The guests indulged in Portobello favorites, including Chicken Farfalle, Rigatoni Calabrese and house made Tiramisu.  The lunch was also accompanied by raffle and door prizes donated by AAA and other WDW Participant Association members.
      
Every year, the luncheons hosted by Levy Restaurants are by far the most popular, with record setting attendance.

July 18, 2010

Reinhold Environmental hosted an event at Charlotte Motor Speedway on July 18th, 2010 for their 200 guests which traveled in from different parts of the United States.  The group had been in Charlotte for a few days hosting a seminar and ended the last day with the ultimate racing experience. They chose Jeff Gordon’s NASCAR Racing Experience riding as a passenger reaching top speeds of 170 mph around the race track. Levy contributed to the successful event entertaining them with Southern hospitality and dining them with our famous pulled pork barbecue and fried chicken. The hosted bar was a nice touch helping the guests to unwind and keeping everyone hydrated with record breaking temperatures reaching 100 degrees. 

This event at Charlotte Motor Speedway was truly a social event for them and mingling with the guests it was very obvious they were having a great time.  They loved the experience of being in the garage, seeing the track from the inside and actually taking the laps rounding the high banks of the mile and a half track. We are sure if they weren’t a race fan before, they are now… 

July 17, 2010

Levy Restaurants at Scottrade Center in St. Louis Missouri, hosted a pre-show VIP reception for the Lady GaGa concert, one of the biggest selling concerts of the season.  The Bud Light Zone Restaurant was transformed via the magic of pipe and drape, black and silver linen, blue candle centerpieces and a DJ with LED lighting, into an exclusive night club for all of the guests to enjoy. 

Guests were first delighted with tasty passed hors d’oeuvres such as Mini Hamburgers, Voo Doo Shrimp and Crab Rangoon.  There were four Chef’s Tables set up featuring an Artisan Cheese Table, a Farmer’s Market Vegetables, Dips and Spreads Table, an Asian Sizzle and a Tuscany station.  At the Appetizer Stations guests were delighted with such delectable treats as Dim Sum, Chinois Salad, Bruschetta D’Italia and St. Louis’ own Toasted Ravioli.  To top off the cuisine guests were presented with an assortment of passed Dessert Shooters. 
While Lady GaGa herself did not make an appearance herself, one might have been fooled into thinking she was by all of the Gaga impersonators. 

July 13, 2010

On July 13th Sir Paul McCartney made his first ever appearance in Utah, playing to a sold out crowd of nearly 25,000 screaming fans at Rio Tinto Stadium.  Fans poured in from all across the state to see this legendary singer perform live; for many it was a once in a lifetime experience.

The iconic singer did not miss a beat during his 36 song set that included classic Beatles songs, Wings and Solo hits.  Meanwhile at Levy Restaurants it was all hands on deck to make sure that while McCartney’s hits pleased the eardrums we were taking care of people’s taste buds. Whether fans were in the mood for a cold beer and a hot piece of pizza from the concessions stands or veal osso bucco with saffron risotto in Budweiser Club Real, Levy Restaurants was there to serve.

The concert ended with a six song, two part encore with fireworks and confetti that were simply icing on the cake. For those lucky enough to work the show, when the smoke from the fireworks cleared and the last bit of confetti fell to the floor, even the few non McCartney enthusiasts could not help but walk away singing a little “ Hey Jude.”!