Mother's Day is Sunday, May 14th

Toby Joseph, executive chef for the St. Regis Hotel in Houston, told me that he has accepted the position of executive chef for the new St. Regis Fort Lauderdale in Florida, scheduled to open in September 2006.

The new St. Regis property is being built with the expectation of receiving five stars from Mobil Travel Guide and five diamonds from AAA, the highest ratings available by these nationwide raters. The hotel/resort will sit on the beach and offer unsurpassed amenities.

Joseph's departure from Houston is planned for early June. He leaves the St. Regis in great culinary stead, but with a big toque to fill. Last month The Remington, the hotel's restaurant, was named as one of the top
100 hotel restaurants in the country by the Zagat Survey.

We wish him all the best. He has been a valuable asset to Houston's culinary community and he will be missed by us all.

So...this means that the St. Regis Houston will be looking for his replacement...

If you happen to be listening to the Sunday Brunch show on Sunny 99.1 this weekend between 7 a.m. and Noon, I'll be voicing some new commercials for a great all natural sweetener called Zsweet. It's available exclusively at Whole Foods Markets in our area.

Whether your goal is reducing calories, blood sugar control or just cutting down on sugar, Zsweet all natural sweetener can help.

With Zsweet all natural sweetener as a part of your healthy lifestyle,
you can make life sweet again!

Check out their web site!

While sitting in traffic on the Katy Freeway last week I happened to glance to my right and saw a pile of rubble where Barcino used to stand at 8899 Katy Freeway. I think they closed around July 4th last year and put up "Closed for Remodeling" on their marquee. I was sorry to see the restaurant close. They made a valiant effort to become a neighborhood tapas restaurant with Chef Russel Cunningham at the stove. I don't have the faintest idea why it didn't work. It was a nice place with good food and entertainment.

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I spoke with Tim Keating and he told me he's back in Houston. We reported to you on February 22nd that Keating was in Austin working with Beau Theriot
(The Brownstone) on a concept called Comanche Canyon Ranch.

I guess Keating missed Houston because he's left the project in Austin and is back in town now. Can't wait to see what his next move will be. I wish he'd
start cooking again somewhere soon...I miss his risotto!

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On Monday May 15th laidback manor will host a wine dinner featuring wines from
J. Lohr. The event will take place at 706 Main Street near Capital at the laidback manor restaurant in Houston. The evening will begin with passed canapes and a few surprises from the kitchen.
This is an adventure not to be missed!

This will not be your "run of the mill" wine dinner,
it will be educational, fresh, and fun!

MENU
amuse bouche
smoked bay scallop ~ “fresca” jelly

crystal clear tomato soup
gulf shrimp “croutons” ~ celery bubbles

vanilla cured atlantic salmon
steelhead trout roe ~ preserved mushrooms ~ potato foam

braised berkshire pork belly
chilled puree of english peas & mint ~ crème fraiche “a la” LN2

foie gras “parfait”
stewed strawberries ~ lime mousse

poached lobster
white bean “gnocchi” ~ garlic soup

“maple leaf” duck breast
liver parfait ~ puree of pistachios ~ reduction of curry

roquefort blue cheese “rillettes”
granulated honey ~ cracked peppercorns ~ dried fruit

“chocolate”

$145 per person, plus T&T (includes wine pairings)

Call to reserve your spot today 713-227-0402 or
email Reservations@laidbackmanor.net.

There is only one Champps Americana restaurant left in Houston - in the Uptown Park center off of Post Oak Boulevard.

On May 1st the company closed two Houston area locations: 11681 Westheimer and 17575 Tomball Parkway. Apparently these locations were not profitable.

(I've never been to Champps. I don't know anyone who has been to Champps and I never hear anyone talking about them. Hello? Champps PR people...
where are you?)

To Champps Staff: If you'd like to email your resume to me I will try to find positions for you through my job bank.

You may remember we reported months ago that O'Rourke's Steak House on Montrose had closed. We were shocked but owners John O'Rourke and Sam Hernandez promised they would return...and they have.

They have opened in the former Charley's 517 location at 517 Louisiana, downtown Houston. The name of the new restaurant is Charlie O'Rourke's.
They are open for lunch and dinner.

In 2002 Brent Clanton, who at the time was program director
of a Houston radio station, asked if I'd like to do a radio show
based upon my food, wine & dining online publication called
Cleverley's Newsletter.

I invited Mark Stevens to be my co-host on the program and
the Stevens&Cleverley show was born.

As executive producer of the Stevens&Cleverley show,
I have made the decision to discontinue production of the program.

I will continue to bring you Houston's food, wine and dining news
on the Internet, in magazines, on TV and radio.

Thank you for listening to the S&C show.
I really appreciate your support.

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We're winding up our second season on Ernie Manouse's show "The After Party." On it,
John DeMers & I discuss things culinary.

Next show:
. Wednesday, May 10th at 11 p.m.
. Re-Air: Sunday, May 14th at 5:30 p.m.

On the next show I'll talk about my visit to Lance Fegen's new restaurant,
Glass Wall. Ernie & John will talk about...well, you'll have to watch to find out.

HoustonPBS

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• Deli Chef - Rice Epicurean Market
• Catering Assistant - St. Regis Hotel
• Executive Chef - American Table Restaurant
• Asst. Food & Beverage Director - 17 Restaurant
• National Sales Account Exec & Sales Assistant - Distinctive Details
• Assistant Mgr & Maitre d' - Arcodoro
• and more...

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	Have new job listings emailed to you

Cleverley Stone, aka the 'Dining Diva,' (Houston Business Journal & Houston Chronicle) knows her way around a menu.

. Credits include food & wine editor of ME-Style & Decor magazine and Restaurants & Resorts magazine.

. Foodie on the Emmy nominated TV show, "The After Party" with Ernie Manouse on HoustonPBS/KUHT, Channel 8.

. Editor & publisher of Cleverley's Newsletter, now in its 9th year.

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Thursday, May 11th at 9 a.m.
I'll talk about "Foods of Love."
Mmmmmm...

On May 24th, with no fanfare whatsoever, Donald Chang opened his first beef-based restaurant, Texas Cheesesteaks. CHEESESTEAKS?
I've known Chef Chang for over ten years and love his cuisine...his Asian cuisine.
(Nara at Westheimer & Wilcrest and the wildly popular Uptown Sushi at Post Oak & 610.)

In fact, I might even call Chang the king of sushi in Houston. So why did he open a cheesesteak joint in West Houston at 12225 Westheimer?

I visited with him yesterday at Texas Cheesesteaks and he told me that he just loves cheesesteaks and wanted to open a cheesesteak restaurant. OK, there ya go.

I didn't taste one of his sandwiches during my visit, having just come from a meal at Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers (which is right next door).

NOTE: The Houston Business Journal's annual reader's survey just named Raising Cane's as the "Best New Restaurant" in Houston. Hmmm.

A fast food restaurant named as "Best New Restaurant" in Houston, Texas. Now doesn't that position us as a fine culinary city in the United States. Yep, that's something to be proud of, folks. But that's a whole other story, which I will tell you later. Oh, the guys at Raising Cane's protested when I called them a fast food restaurant. I said, "You've got a drive-in window...you're fast food."
But back to Chang...

The menu at Texas Cheesesteaks is short. The seating in the dining room is small tables and a very sushi-like bar that faces the chef.

Wait a minute. Chefs in sushi bars are called sushi chefs.
So does a cheesesteak joint have a cheesesteak chef?
I'll have to ask Donald.

Chang's reasoning for the seating is that a lot of people have lunch alone and instead of sitting by themselves at a table, diners can sit at the counter. (I'm calling it the cheesesteak bar.)

One thing we can be sure of, the ingredients used at Texas Cheesesteaks will be the best. Thinly sliced-to-order rib eye will be the star of Chang's steak sandwiches. And he is considering a grilled portobello mushroom veggie cheese "steak" sandwich, but he's not sure if there will be any demand for that. I said YES! (Let me know if you agree and I will pass it along to him.)

He asked me if there were many vegans in West Houston. One does not have to be a vegan to enjoy the texture and flavor of a fine portobello, especially the way that he would prepare it.

Sample Zsweet at Whole Foods, Kirby at W. Alabama, Houston, today, Thursday, May 25th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Whether your goal is reducing calories, blood sugar control or just cutting down on sugar, Zsweet all natural sweetener can help.

With Zsweet all natural sweetener as a part of your healthy lifestyle,
you can make life sweet again!
 

(If you listen to Sunny 99.1 FM in Houston, you'll hear me voicing the Zsweet commercials.)

Overview
This is a managerial position with responsibility for scheduling, planning and coordinating a wide variety of events held at FPC, including ministry programs, Presbyterian School functions, outside groups, church-wide events and wedding receptions.

For full job description and contact info click the link below.