Weird Chocolate Stories

TasteTV and Chocolate Television fans: As beneficial as good chocolate is to humans, the same cannot be said for the animal world.

Greedy parrot suffers death by chocolate

One kea's binge session on dark chocolate proved deadly, leading international journal New Scientist has reported.

The kea was found dead outside a hotel kitchen in Mt Cook village. It had eaten more than 20 grams of dark chocolate, presumably stolen from a rubbish bin.

Chocolate to be used to control wild dogs

DEATH by chocolate could provide a new method of pest control, scientists say.

This blog from the contributors, producers and correspondents at TasteTV at TasteTV.com. technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food, Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking, Restaurant Reviews, Chef, ITV, fashion, seafood

Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon - December 9th

Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon - December 9th

Chocolate aficionados, fanatics, buyers and journalists can experience the finest in artisan, gourmet & premium chocolate in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon highlights feature chocolate tasting, demonstrations, chef & author talks, wine pairings, and ongoing interviews by TasteTV's Chocolate Television program.

• Artisan and Premium Chocolatiers
• Top-end Wineries, Spirits & Beverages
• A full day of events, demos, tastings and speakers
• Chocolate-themed Fashion and Styles
• Celebrity Chocolate Tasting Panel
• Screenings of Chocolate Programs

A sample of salon participants includes L'Artisan du Chocolat, Mignon Chocolate, Decadent Tastes, Yum! Chocolate, Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur, Chuao Chocolatier, Le Creuset, Swissmar, Putumayo World Music, Chocolate Television, and much, much more.
Go to http://www.LAChocolateSalon.com

Yearlong Search Finds Eleven Men Who Don't Like Chocolate

TasteTV and Chocolate Television fans should take a seat. In what is a pretty blasphemous report, some scientists have concluded that the craving for chocolate is not based on a spiritual level, but is actually to colonies of bacteria growing in your gut. In this report the scientists claim that for some people it is due to not only colonies of bacteria, but bacteria that are --- GASP --- immune to the appeal of chocolate entirely.

The co-author of the study is Sunil Kochhar, who is in charge of metabolism research at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Even though Nestle paid for the study, it is said to have been delayed for over a year because they couldn't find 11 men -- on the planet Earth --- who don't eat chocolate. (note to readers: don't expect to seem them at any of our Chocolate Salons.)

Through various analysis, it was determined that in some people cravings, obesity, and diet could be explained by what's in their stomach. Of course, this isn't news to anyone who is lactose intolerant.

This blog from the contributors, producers and correspondents at TasteTV at TasteTV.com. technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food, Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking, Restaurant Reviews, Chef, ITV, fashion, seafood

Celebrity Chefs Update - Nigella Lawson

The Chicago Tribune reports that Nigella Lawson, star of "Nigella Bites" on the Food Network and author of "How to Be A Domestic Goddess," is going to be at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago in November to titillate the locals, as well as promote her new Food Network show called "Nigella Express."

Though she doesn't officially qualify for the TasteTV list of Sexy Chefs, or even Sexy Dishes, she does qualify as "a very appealing Chef," which is our version of second place.

In case anyone is wondering, to be fair, we are not comparing her to well-known female celebs listed as Sexy such as Vanessa Hudgens, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Amanda Beard, Tila Tequila, or even Jessica Alba. TasteTV has its own standards, which our TasteMakers Social Club helps produce.

This blog from the contributors, producers and correspondents at TasteTV at TasteTV.com. technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food, Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking, Restaurant Reviews, Chef, ITV, fashion, seafood

Dark Restaurants: The New in Eating without Light

Unlike some world travelers, we at TasteTV had never heard of these dark restaurants before, but it sounded like a great idea for a TasteTV dining and tasting event. If anyone else thinks this is a good idea, just post a comment. (do it with the light on, of course)

"The first dark restaurant in Asia is officially opened on the 23 December 2006. This restaurant, located in Beijing, China, has its interior painted completely in black. Customers are greeted by a brightly lit entrance hall and will be escorted by waiters wearing night vision goggles into the pitch dark dining room to help them find their seats. Flashlights, mobile phones and even luminous watches are prohibited while in this area.

The meal will be taken in this environment with the complete loss of vision. By starving one’s sense, your other senses are stimulated to full alert – all so the theory goes – and your food will taste like it’s never tasted before. In case you are wondering about the washrooms, they are all brightly lit.



The dark restaurants are initially a project of the Blind-Liecht (Swiss German for blind-light) foundation. The foundation works to create employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired people. Their first venture, the blindekuh in Zurich, opened in 1999 and is claimed to be the world's first dark restaurant. Since then, the restaurant concept has been subsequently replicated elsewhere, including Paris, Berlin, London and multiple cities in Canada, United States, Russia and Australia. The one located in Beijing, China is the latest addition."Via Spluch

Not quite...San Francisco is the latest addition, with TasteTV's SF DARK - Dark Dining (www.SFDark.com)

This blog from the contributors, producers and correspondents at TasteTV at TasteTV.com. technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food, Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking, Restaurant Reviews, Chef, ITV, fashion, seafood

TasteTV Announces Dark Dining in San Francisco

DARK Dining in San Francisco by TasteTV and Million Dollar Dinner takes you into another realm of dining, one where all of your senses are expanded and focus on the food, the taste, the sound, the company and more...because you are dining completely in the dark.

Dark dining is not low light dining, it is no light dining! TasteTV's food, wine and lifestyle editors have tracked this growing culinary experience across the globe and are now bringing it to Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. During the evening, for two entire hours, guests will eat, drink, talk, and enjoy entertainment in complete and total darkness. The flavors and textures of thir food will take on an entirely new dimension, as will the quality of their conversation (or perhaps of their dates).

The launch chef for these events is Chef Lisa Hines, owner of the Bella Cucina Cafe, and associated with Bravo's Top Chef program.

A TasteTV Dark Dining Dinner experience includes:

• A delicious Three-course meal
• Wine carefully paired to go with your meal
• Some of the best dinner companions you can imagine
• TasteTV TasteMaker status for you and your food, wine & restaurant loving friends
• Entertainment in the form of music, spoken word, and more
  

DARK Dining SF will take place in September on Friday evenings at 8pm, in San Francisco. Location information, and reservations, menu, and the chef's bio, can be found at the Dark Dining SF site, http://www.SFDark.com. For information about TasteTV's San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, go to http://www.SFChocolateSalon.com.

This blog from the contributors, producers and correspondents at TasteTV at TasteTV.com. technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food, Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking, Restaurant Reviews, Chef, ITV, fashion, seafood

Jason Priestley and 90210 Wine Tasting?

Amy Rosen of the National Post in Canada reported:

Jason Priestley and Terry David Mulligan do some swishing and swilling at various wine regions as co-hosts of Hollywood and Vines, a new show on StarTV. The Barenaked Ladies' Steven Page is a Canadian oenophile who owns a piece of Canada's Vines magazine. A handful of Canadian celebs are dipping into the wine business. It all raises the question: Is this a recipe for deliciousness or are they corking disaster? Amy Rosen investigates

Jason Priestley's involvment in such a wine show is confirmed by Celeb Talk, Wine Expression, and TV Guides. The website for the program, which airs apparently now on the Travel Channel or Star-TV - maybe - is here www.hollywoodandvinestv.com

By the way, Wine Expressions has their own version of this type of show, which you can see here.



This blog from the contributors, producers and culinary correspondents at
TasteTV at TasteTV.com

technorati tags:TasteTV, restaurants, video, content, food,
Chocolate, wine, recipes, cooking,
Jason Priestley,
Chef, ITV