“Fat Rice” Dinner Sold Out; Book Signing is On!
Pre-order your “Adventures of Fat Rice” cookbook to reserve a copy for the signing. Retail price is $30; pre-sale cost is $30.
As we told you last week, Chefs Eric Alexander and Courtney McDonald in 2001 from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. One of their fellow alumni and lifelong friends will be in da house next week for two very special events:
Abraham Conlon, co-owner of the celebrated Chicago restaurant, Fat Rice, will be signing his new cookbook, ‘The Adventures of Fat Rice,” on Saturday, November 19, from 2:30 to 4:30 in the Wine Mine at Carpe Vino. Then on Sunday, he’ll join us for a three-course, prix-fixe dinner of the same name, “The Adventures of Fat Rice,” inspired by the restaurant’s menu and the cookbook, which was co-written by Adrienne Lo, co-owner of Fat Rice. Unfortunately (or I suppose “fortunately” if you run a restaurant), the dinner sold out the day it was announced last week.
During a recent trip to Chicago, Gary had lunch with
friends at Fat Rice. Here he is with Chef Conlon who will
be visiting Carpe Vino to sign his new cookbook.
Abe and Eric developed a friendship forged through a mutual love of making people happy through food. The pair met at the CIA and after graduation, the trio–including Courtney who is now married to Eric–went to Washington, D.C. in 2002 to work for Chef Jon Mathieson (now executive chef for the Washington Redskins) to help open Poste Moderne Brasserie at the Monaco Hotel. They ended up going separate ways when Eric and Courtney followed Mathieson to another restaurant in Connecticut.
By 2007, Eric and Courtney had been working for several years at Carpe Vino when they hooked up again with Abe to spend 10 days traveling in France, visiting Paris, Burgundy, Champagne and Provence. When they returned, Abe came back to Auburn and worked at Carpe Vino for five months, figuring out a new plan.
He decided to move to Chicago where he met Adrienne Lo when they both worked at a Whole Foods market. This lead to travel in China and Macau, and the birth of an idea to create Fat Rice, based on their newly minted cuisine, inspired by a fusion of Portuguese and Asian influences.
The restaurant was virtually an instant hit. In 2013, Bon Appétit magazine named it to its annual list of new restaurants; in 2016, Conlon was a James Beard finalist for the Great Lakes Region; and in October, Food and Wine magazine ran a three-page feature on Fat Rice.
With a book contract from Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, Conlon and Lo worked for more than two years to complete “The Adventures of Fat Rice,” which is a bestseller on Amazon. The cookbook offers advice on equipment, spices and techniques as well as background on the culture and cuisine of Macau, plus 100 detailed recipes. The book is loaded with gorgeous photos and, uniquely, a comic-book approach to demonstrating technique.
The 320-page book is $35, but we’ll have it on pre-sale for $30 each. Just click here to email, and we’ll reserve your copy. Of course, Conlon will be happy to inscribe your book with a personal message.