{"id":19570,"date":"2010-11-29T22:24:22","date_gmt":"2010-11-30T06:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/?p=19570"},"modified":"2010-12-01T21:29:50","modified_gmt":"2010-12-02T05:29:50","slug":"just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/","title":{"rendered":"Just In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Top Chef All-Stars<\/strong><\/a> starts this Wednesday, December 1st on BRAVO — Bravo to that!\u00a0 Here’s the contestant line-up<\/a>, which includes Fabio Viviani<\/a>\u00a0from Season 5.\u00a0 He has a restaurant in Moorpark, California — Caf\u00e9 Firenze, where Bonnie<\/a>, our traveling Guest Blogger recently dined.\u00a0 She raved about her experience, thus we’re certainly\u00a0rooting for him.\u00a0 Other\u00a0Top Chef All-Star picks will be selected after first airing.\u00a0 Until then, Bonnie<\/a> reports about her meal by Fabio.\u00a0 I think she’s in love.\u00a0 I sure wish she’d get a camera, as her Fabio photo and most didn’t turn out.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I appreciate the report and wish I’d been there.\u00a0 Go Fabio!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio.\u00a0Fab<\/em>ulous!<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s how I would sum up our dinner Saturday night at Caf\u00e9 Firenze<\/a> in Moorpark, California.<\/p>\n

BRAVO TV’s\u00a0Top Chef Runner-Up and upcoming Top Chef \u201cAll Star\u201d contender Fabio Viviani was on hand to greet us and, after spending several hours at his restaurant, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. While he is just as charming off the screen as he is on it, it is his food that truly stands out as exceptional.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In fact, the five course tasting menu that Fabio designed especially for us was magnificent, but since we let him use his own discretion rather than ordering from the menu, I can\u2019t remember every detail. \u00a0There were three appetizers, including a silky smooth Imported Burrata Mozzarella, a pasta with homemade Duck sausage and a pancetta wrapped Jumbo Shrimp filled with gorgonzola cheese.\u00a0 I think the latter was the best shrimp I have ever<\/em> eaten.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The entr\u00e9e consisted of grilled Colorado Lamb with braised pistachios \u2013 a truly unique combination of flavors – and the desert was something so creamy and luscious that all I can remember is how delicious it tasted, rather than its name.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And dinner was a lot of fun too, thanks to bartender Damiano Carrara. What\u2019s with all the charming Italian men at Caf\u00e9 Firenze<\/a>? \u00a0I don\u2019t know, but Damiano\u2019s accent and prowess with a bottle — ala Tom Cruise in \u201cCocktail\u201d \u2013 was quite the show. \u00a0His signature cocktails, one made with 2 Nite Vodka from Italy and the other with pomegranate were the perfect accompaniments to our tasting menu.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At this point I probably have convinced you about the food, but I have to inspire you with the interior design as well. \u00a0Naturally, everything has been imported from Italy (Firenze is the town where Fabio was born) and no detail was spared.\u00a0 So don\u2019t forget to check out the coffered ceilings and stunning chandeliers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Moorpark isn\u2019t exactly known as a dining mecca, so Fabio\u2019s restaurant stands out as an exceptional experience.\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait to go back!\u00a0 Good luck on Wednesday night, Fabio, I will be rooting for you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Note that what we had is very similar to what is called \u201cThe Chef\u2019s Table\u201d where you get five courses paired with either wine or martinis to compliment each dish for $75 each or five courses without alcohol for $50 each. \u00a0We loved this innovative concept.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

by Bonnie Flamm<\/a>, Guest Blogger, Interior Designer, Writer<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top Chef All-Stars starts this Wednesday, December 1st on BRAVO — Bravo to that!\u00a0 Here’s the contestant line-up, which includes Fabio Viviani\u00a0from Season 5.\u00a0 He has a restaurant in Moorpark, California — Caf\u00e9 Firenze, where Bonnie, our traveling Guest Blogger recently dined.\u00a0 She raved about her experience, thus we’re certainly\u00a0rooting for him.\u00a0 Other\u00a0Top Chef All-Star […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1024,1,1716,3538,320,1038,1215,90],"tags":[1708,2591,4420,2584,4421,1714,1718],"yoast_head":"\nJust In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio. - Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"FoodBlog\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/\",\"name\":\"Just In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio. - Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-11-30T06:24:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2010-12-02T05:29:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#\/schema\/person\/d13703add5ff9ca85c0ddc52a749afd2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Just In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/\",\"name\":\"Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog\",\"description\":\"The GOOD, the BAD & the FUNNY regarding FOOD -- From Yikes to Ooo La La\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#\/schema\/person\/d13703add5ff9ca85c0ddc52a749afd2\",\"name\":\"FoodBlog\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c19d9e96af073cbd98cee27dd686fae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c19d9e96af073cbd98cee27dd686fae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"FoodBlog\"},\"description\":\"Shelly Borrell is a Freelance Writer -- Please visit www.ineedtext.com to learn about offered services.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\"],\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Just In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio. - Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"FoodBlog","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/","url":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/","name":"Just In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio. - Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-11-30T06:24:22+00:00","dateModified":"2010-12-02T05:29:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#\/schema\/person\/d13703add5ff9ca85c0ddc52a749afd2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/just-in-time-for-top-chef-all-stars-fantastic-food-fun-fabio\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Just In Time For Top Chef All-Stars: Fantastic Food, Fun & Fabio."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/","name":"Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog","description":"The GOOD, the BAD & the FUNNY regarding FOOD -- From Yikes to Ooo La La","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#\/schema\/person\/d13703add5ff9ca85c0ddc52a749afd2","name":"FoodBlog","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c19d9e96af073cbd98cee27dd686fae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"http:\/\/1.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c19d9e96af073cbd98cee27dd686fae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"FoodBlog"},"description":"Shelly Borrell is a Freelance Writer -- Please visit www.ineedtext.com to learn about offered services.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com"],"url":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19570"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19570"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19622,"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19570\/revisions\/19622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ineedtext.com\/FoodBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}