Friday, June 30, 2017

#FoodieFriday with #Wine - @degustibusnyc Cooking School @Macys with #ChefErikRamirez of #llamaInnNYC paired with @ViasWine

Note: This is NOT a Compensated Post - I WON this experience!

I won the De Gustibus + What Should We Do?! Contest and learned a ton! (The post I am linking you to is a sponsored post, that is the contest I entered.)

While I have a ton of events I literally HAVE to recap, I am being naughty and sharing an experience I won access to today. I couldn't resist, this is #FoodieFriday on the interwebs, how could I NOT put up something foodie fabulous? Especially when that something is being paired with WINE!

























My mom has been taking me to Macy's Flagship Store in New York City since I was a child and I literally had no idea that there was a cooking school inside the store!

























The Peruvian Demo and Dinner with Chef Erik Ramirez of LLAMA INN in Brooklyn, New York included Exotic Food Destinations: Persia, Argentina and Peru with wine pairings provided by Vias Imports and water provided by Acqua Panna S. Pelligrino (a butterfly has gotta stay hydrated!).

















THE MENU:

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Gooseberry Leche,Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys
















Above: Menu Starter: Gooseberry Leche - this was such a delicious, refreshing starter paired with the Camps D'Estels Cava Brut Rosé - off to a GREAT start in my opinion!

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Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, Muña, Gooseberry, Cancha, Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys
















Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, Muña, Gooseberry, Cancha, Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys


















Above: Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, Muña, Gooseberry, Cancha - just in case you are wondering, yes that is the same salad, in the bottom photo it was plated on custom plates for Chef Erik's Restaurant. I can't begin to describe how delicious this salad was. One of the ingredients used Muña, is good for folks with arthritis, aches and pains as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Cancha is a peruvian corn nut - I had never tried either one before and it had been ages since I last had beets. I live for salads in the summer and this one is definitely going into rotation on my summer menu planning. The flavors literally burst in my mouth! The creaminess of the cheese and the crunch of the corn nut were such a pleasant contrast!

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Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys



Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys

Fluke Ceviche, Dashi, Banana, Aji Dulce paired with a glass of Finca La Emperatriz Viura Cepas Viejas 2012 (RIOJA) White Wine, Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys





















Above: Fluke Ceviche, Dashi, Banana, Aji Dulce paired with a glass of Finca La Emperatriz Viura Cepas Viejas 2012 (RIOJA) White Wine

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Duck Sausage, Cilantro, Jasmine Rice, Beer, Spinach paired with a glass of Fince La Emperatriz Terruño 2010 (RIOJA) red wine, Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys






















Above: Duck Sausage, Cilantro, Jasmine Rice, Beer, Spinach paired with a glass of Fince La Emperatriz Terruño 2010 (RIOJA) red wine. I wish I had moved the Spinach a bit so you could actually see the rice and duck a bit better. I did like this one, and I am a cilantro lover, but I would personally dial the cilantro back just slightly on this one when I prepare it, just personal preference, and the Chef did mention that because he uses the stem instead of the leaf in his dishes the Cilantro flavor comes through a bit bolder. I would also remove any raisins in the duck rice. I love raisins but for some reason, just raw, not as ingredients in my cooking. For example I am Puerto Rican and many Puerto Ricans use raisins in their pasteles, and I do not like mine with raisins. So this recipe would get a few changes to make it my own but I would definitely re-make it as I love rice and sausage and the duck sausage was a nice surprise.

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Dessert: Black Carob, Banana, Peanut, Chocolate, Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys
















Above: Dessert: Black Carob, Banana, Peanut, Chocolate - I have to apologize here, at this point I was not cleaning the silverware with my napkin and the placemat was looking 'lived in' by this point, but that's a good sign right?

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THE WINES:

Camps D'Estels Cava Brut Rosé, Vias Wine, Vias Wines, Vias Imports, Finca La Emperatriz Viura Cepas Viejas 2012 (RIOJA), Finca La Emperatriz Terruño 2010 (RIOJA)


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Middle: Camps D'Estels Cava Brut Rosé (SPAIN) Suggested Retail $19 (ALL the folks at my table all wanted seconds on this one, including me! And for good reason! I love my sparkling stuff and I have a dry palate and this really knocked it out the park on both fronts for me!) - and see what I tell you all the time about wine, it doesn't have to cost a million to taste like a million! The grapes are 100% Pinot Noir, harvested by hand, with hints of ripe berries and strawberry jam. Alcohol: 11.9%

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Far Right: Finca La Emperatriz Viura Cepas Viejas 2012 (RIOJA) Suggested Retail: $45 This white wine is from a 70 year old vineyard produced in Spain that gives you a bit of white fruit, honeysuckle flowers, bananas and pastry notes and was paired with the Fluke Ceviche during our meal.  This is a young wine, No Aging with Alcohol coming in at 12.8%

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Far Left: Finca La Emperatriz Terruño 2010 (RIOJA) Suggested Retail: $39 This 100% Tempranillo from Spain was paired with our Duck Sausage dish during the meal. 100% Tempranillo Grapes aged for 16 months in 80% French and 20% American Oak Barrels coming in with the highest Alcohol content of the wines featured at 14.7%

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Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys


About Chef Erik Ramirez

His bio on starchefs is so good I am actually linking you there! You can find Chef Erik at Llama Inn which is located at 50 Withers Street in Brooklyn, New York - after this tasting I definitely want to try out the restaurant!

Above: Chef Erik was nice enough to take time to talk to attendees who wanted to thank him or had additional questions and I couldn't resist this candid shot!

Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys























Above: One thing I needed to point out is that this was NOT a press event, I was seated in the back and instructed expressly not to use Flash, now I don't have one of those huge paparazzi type of lenses and I didn't bring the tripod, which was for the best there would have been no way to set that up and really be able to enjoy the class and not have the equipment in someone's way, so I have to say I was quite proud of my DSLR camera. I think I'm getting better and it's definitely time to upgrade my Camera and my lenses! Chef Erik was nice enough to let me take this shot at a much closer range than I had the opportunity to take all night which was great!

About DeGustibus Cooking School:

De Gustibus Cooking School by Miele was founded in 1980 and is currently owned by Salvatore Rizzo and was founded by Arlene Sailhac.

Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys


Chef Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn NYC, De Gustibus Cooking School, Macys













Above: Owner and class emcee, Salvatore Rizzo is in the middle of both shots above. I couldn't resist nabbing a shot of him nabbing a shot of the team! I love shots better when folks aren't looking directly at my camera!

There is literally only three things to remember about De Gustibus:

You will:

- Meet and Learn From World-Class Chefs
- Eat Delicious Food
- Taste Exquisite Wines

MY TAKE:

Retail therapy as the school is located within Macy's Herald Square and a great dinner paired with great wines, SCORE!!!

YES and YAS to that!

As a single gal in the city I highly recommend this for a date night for so many reasons. It's not a dark movie theater, there is no pressure of 'am I ordering something too expensive from the menu', it is more of a demo where you watch the chef and not hands on, so no worries about getting some strange stain on your favorite outfit either. It's fun and pressure free - literally the making of a perfect first date. Works just as well for a girlfriends night out, a gift to a friend for their birthday (there was a birthday girl who attended the class in fact!) an anniversary gift, literally you name it, and it works!

Chef Erik's demo was well paced, his food was flavorful and bold, the wine pairings were great and I will definitely be re-creating these dishes at home, with my own spin of course! It was great to attend a Cooking School experience where I just got to enjoy as well. Most of the Cooking School Experiences I have had so far, many of which I have shared here, were totally hands on - which has it's merits as well don't get me wrong, but sometimes a tired butterfly just wants the meal to be prepared for her by someone else! It was nice having the courses and wine pairings selected for me so all I had to do was enjoy.

And I would definitely throw it out there that they might want to consider a Press Only Event/Class. Only other Editors and Food Influencers get each other when we stop to take a ton of photos, help each other with staging, shine our cellphone flashlights on a fellow Editor's plate to give them better light, having to clean the cutlery ourselves between each course, stuff that I can see how easily it would distract someone who doesn't get it. And you guys know I love my 'pour shots', but that is one thing I couldn't quite capture because that took place before the glasses were brought out.

School is out for summer but classes pick back up in the Fall - hopefully I can pair up with De Gustibus to do something special for my butterflies when classes resume in the Fall!

Let's use this as a fun focus group, butterflies what would your dream dinner be and who would the chef be?  What master class chef would be YOUR choice for an upcoming cooking class? Would you add a favorite wine or go with spirits/cocktails? I personally would love to see a class that paired a good bourbon with the meal as I have been obsessed with Bourbon's lately.

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FTC Disclosure: I won my seat at this event, this is neither sponsored nor is it compensated and all opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Coming Strong this #ShoeSaturday with @AttrentiShoes New York City Shoe Launch held @GansevoortMPD Plunge Bar + Lounge

How has summer been treating you so far my butterflies?

For me it's been a bit of something I have backed far, far away from lately. Blog Events. You know those things we attend and cover that don't mostly pay us, you know 'free commercials'.

I haven't been about them for awhile now. There I said it.

It's been a rare event to get me out of hiding. I have attended more this summer than my usual, just slower than my normal getting them posted.

Then one day TWO events that for the most part overlapped time wise, lured me out of hiding, so like any NYC smarty pants I attended the one closest to me first, then scrambled like a maniac to get to the second one.

I haven't yet covered the first one, mums the word on that one because I want to work on something special for YOU too, so I am sort of covering that day out of order (you will find that happening a lot this year - what I can say, I have been so busy living my life that it's left me with less time than usual to blog about it.)

I arrived too late to enter a great raffle that was drawing literally when I got there, here is a shot of the CEO drawing the lucky winner:

Moraima DiMare CEO of Attrenti Shoes, Attrenti Shoe Launch Gaansevort Hotel Meat Packing District Plunge Bar and Lounge, New York City, Rooftop Lounge
About Attrenti

Attrenti is a comfort high heel shoe developed for socially active and fashion minded women. It's an adaptable and adjustable high heel shoe that combines comfort and style. Their patent-pending clip and rail system allows straps to shape around a woman’s individual foot to provide a superior fit. Their removable and adjustable straps give women the ability to change their look throughout the day. Each shoe is able to be transformed into countless combinations on one shoe base.  Attrenti's heel also features interchangeable 4 inch heels that utilize a simple push button system. The shoe comes in a variety of colors, designs and themed specialty heels, and women are able to switch from stiletto to block heels with just a click of a button.

Here is a  video that describes the shoes in much better detail and lets you see the system in action:




This was my second rooftop event of the day which was nice, those views are an amazing reminder of just what it is I love about this city. Those moments above the hustle and bustle of the city are so peaceful and when they align with sunset the view is even more spectacular.

Sadly,  we didn't get to try them on personally so I borrowed the PR rep and asked if she would mind if I took some 'shoe cam' and she was kind enough to comply:

Attrenti Shoes Black Base with White Wraps Shoe Cam Shot



















Here is a Lifestyle Video of the shoes:



That Shoe Jewelry Box for the heels and crystals in that video though! YAS and YES to that!

THE GIFT BAG:

Gift Bag from Attrenti Shoe Launch























This is the first time a gift bag completely knocked it out the park for me, it was literally as if someone had personalized it to me specifically, the contents included:

- The show stopper was the POET+JOY Wrist Wrap Clutch.  Mine is called "Graphite Pop w/Bag Swag" (which is the dangles!). I love the metallic accent and tassel on this one. I am a handbag freak. I may have let out a squeal when I saw this! But it is the hand-written note that made my day. It's an art that I thought was slowly dying.

The note said:

"We hope you enjoy wearing your Wrist Wrap Clutch as much as we love designing them. It is designed to keep your hands free to mix, mingle, & be your fabulous self!

Slip it on your wrist, climb into your happy shoes, & join us on the adventure we call Poet + Joy" ~ Mel Poet & Joy Chapman

CLASSY!

The Nude Bon Bon and Merlot Fizz colors from Poet + Joy are next on my hit list!

- The "If You Feel Like Dancing Earrings in Turquoise and Gold" by Ettika made me smile - I love Turquoise, especially in summer, these earrings will get so much use!

- The silver "Spring Bracelet" by Durrah Jewellery with the magnetic travel closure, sterling silver plated in rhodium is also going to get a ton of use. It pairs perfectly with the Wrap Bag by Poet + Joy too.

- Repairing Essence Daily Moisturizing Lotion by Deity - This is actually for HAIR, not face and I can't wait to try it out with Amino Acids, Herbs, Collagen, Jojoba and Vitamins I am sure my hair is going to drink it in.

- So Cozy Splash Swim Leave-In Treatment + Detangler is a lightweight conditioning treatment that protects, repairs and restores damage caused by pool chemicals, salt water and the sun. Spray on dry or damp hair, spray a bit on BEFORE your fun in the sun to protect against sun exposure, as it contains high doses of Vitamins A, D, E as well as UVA/UVB filters and antioxidants and vitamins.

- Suitable You was actually the tote bag all these goodies were contained in, I am not familiar with them but look forward to learning more! They help you build a work wardrobe that fits your style and budget. and having the clothes come to me so I can try them on at home instead of a dressing room sounds like a total SCORE to me!

- There was a cute high heel shoe necklace in there too which is on the right side of the Wrap Clutch in the photo above.

MY TAKE:

I love that you can buy the base for your normal shoe size, but if you have issues like a high instep or are wide width you can size up the strap, you can place the front strap where you need to in case you have a bunion, they are literally conforming to YOUR particular foot. Check out the Product Builder page, The Attrenti Shoe Kit comes with a shoe base pair, 3 different heel widths and a pair of Swarovski Crystals for $299.95 (regularly $399.95) during pre-order only and straps are sold separately. I also love the different widths of the heel, I have never been a stiletto girl and like a wider heel thickness.

And if anyone has 'problem child' feet like me and have had to go custom, you know just how sky high custom shoes can be, I can assure you it's WAY more than this and they are no where near as cute.

The swag bag was literally all that, but didn't include the shoes because they are still in pre-order.

I definitely need a pair of review units in my life as soon as they are available. I already hit the product builder and built my dream pair, being a New Yorker I will start with Black of course, with criss cross toe strap, criss cross wide ankle strap and since I am an April Baby, the Swarovski Crystal has to be 'Diamond' for me of course! I am also living for the Ruby Crystal, as Red is an Aries color.  I see some cute Instagram posts in my foot future!

Get Social with Attrenti:

Twitter -  https://twitter.com/AttrentiShoes
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/attrentishoes/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/attrentishoes/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Attrenti-1094175377346623/

Might not hurt to post on their social that you heard about the Attrenti Shoe launch on Ascending Butterfly and would like to see a giveaway too! Wink, Wink, Hint, Hint! :-)

So tell me butterflies what would your custom Attrenti Shoes look like? Tell us what Color (Black, Nude, Pewter), Strap type and Crystal Color you would choose?

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FTC Disclosure: This was a press event for Editorial Consideration, and all opinions are 100% my own!  This is NOT a compensated post. However if they would like to bribe with me shoes as a Thank You I will rock them hard! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Not your mama's #WordlessWednesday a #WineWednesday with @VivancoWines - today YOU play #sommelier! #spon

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

Delicious Decisions!

You know I am never quite capable of going completely Wordless on Wordless Wednesday, so I thought today I would come strong with a Wine Wednesday sponsored by Vivanco Wines and let YOU play Sommelier.

Which wine would YOU select?

The Vivanco Viura Tempranillo Blanco Maturana Blanca Rioja - (Much like me) Tempranillo, thrive with cool nights and slow ripening. Pale-yellow with green hues; clean and bright. Expressive, intense and complex (again much like me!) with aromas of citrus fruit, green apples and white peaches, underscored by elegant floral hints.

OR

The Vivanco Crianza 2013 Rioja - Bright cherry-red in color. Intense aromas of fresh, ripe red fruit, with spicy and licorice notes, accompanied by elegant toasty and smoky hints. (Being obsessed with Bourbon's as of late so I can definitely appreciate smoky notes!)

I LOVE their motto:

"Wine Sustains Us. It Empowers Us. It is Who We Are. " ~Vivanco Family Vineyards
Vivanco Viura Tempranillo Blanco Maturana Blanca Rioja, Vivanco Crianza 2013 Rioja, White Wine, Red Wine, Rioja, #WineWednesday, Wine, Wine Glasses,

Above: Left: Vivanco Viura Tempranillo Blanco Maturana Blanca Rioja and Right: Vivanco Crianza 2013 Rioja - Don't you just love my bling-blingy Wine Glasses?

My Take:

I hope someday soon to be able to take a tour of the vineyards and do a tasting as well as visit The Vivanco Cultural Museum! The Museum houses modern and functional collections that the family has acquired over the years. The collection includes everything from wine labels, to tools, manifestos and fine works of art by masters like Juan Gris and Pablo Picasso. The museum is an enterprising and ambitious initiative, and has become an international point of reference about wine, its history, production techniques, research and all cultural and artistic events that revolve around it.

The weather here in New York City has been sweltering! A nice glass of wine and a spot under the Air Conditioner where I can write in peace sounds perfect for Wine Wednesday!

So tell me butterfly which wine would you select the red or the white, and what would you pair it with?

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FTC Disclosure: Wines were provided to Ascending Butterfly for Editorial Consideration, and all opinions are 100% my own!  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.