UPDATE: I updated this post with a list of key tweets from this day. I reason I did this is because the twitter widget could get compromised my spammers once they realize the hashtag is embedded in my blog. You can still read all the tweets from the day by searching #brbf10 on twitter.
Today is the 3rd Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival and that means I will be tweeting like it’s going out of style. I will be using the hashtag #brbf10 to keep things organized. If you would like to join in the fun feel free to do so on twitter. Just remember to tag your tweets.
MrBaconpants: At the Bacon Fest. Just about to start!!!
MrBaconpants: Back im the hotel room. The bacon fest was grrrrrreat!
After the event is over I will be updating this post with all the tweets so they will be saved. This post will update automatically so I can not control what shows up here. Please try to keep things clean. Thanks and Enjoy Bacon!
Tomorrow is the big day and I cant sleep. I just keep watching the following video over and over again. Its a snapshot of the past years of the festival. What started out as one mans passion for bacon has turned in to a 750 person event that sells out in 25 minuets.
Tonight the Bacon Board and the guys from BBQAddicts made 75 Bacon Explosions for tomorrow’s festivities. I would like to thank everyone that makes the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival possible, it really is the premier bacon event in the world! Cant wait for tomorrow.
This is the second Bacon Elegance dinner at Cafe di Scala. The first one was last year, Heather of Bacon Unwrapped wrote a great post about it with pictures. I plan to do that same for this years event. I will update this posts with photos and our (Beth and I) thoughts after the dinner tonight.
This post is now updated with photos and our notes.
Bacon Inspired Dinner: Taste of Bacon Elegance
Cafe di Scala : February 24, 2010
644 18th Street | Des Moines, IA 50314-1043 | (515) 244-1353 www.cafediscala.com
Course I
bacon, egg and cheese napolean with a sweet garlic sausage bechaemle Drink: Coors Banquet Beer
Notes: This is what we would call the perfect breakfast. It reminded me of biscuits and gravy. Beth thought a biscuit would have been delicious with the dish, but that the pastry was a nice way to keep it light as the first course of the meal. I thought that the pastry added a bit of elegance to the dish. I need to make bacon gravy sometime in the near future.
Course II
korean styled pork belly with kim chi Drink: Pearl Vodka Martini
Notes: Beth enjoyed the food and drink pairing with this one. The Pearl Vodka Martini was able to stand up well to the strong flavors of the kim chi and the succulent pork belly. It did add something to the dish. A pork belly has three layers, a meaty part which was perfectly seasoned and tasted amazing, a fatty part which was buttery, and the skin which was a bit tough/crispy.
Course III
cream of potato soup with a chive creme fraiche & bacon bits Drink: Blue Moon
Notes: They made this soup last year and it was amazing. This year was no different. I wish I could eat this soup everyday of my life. Beth really enjoyed the velvety texture of the soup. This soup is the perfect wintery comfort food. The beer pairing with this dish was Blue Moon, a beer that we envision as a summery drink, with orange notes and light wheat flavor. It went surprisingly well with the soup. I guess in this case it’s true what they say: opposites attract!
Course IV
gorgonzola stuffed Iowa Farm Families pork loin wrapped in bacon
served over a soft polenta with Niman Ranch pancetta and demi sauce Drink: Pinot Noir
Notes: This dish had mixed reviews. It was very rich and had a lot of flavor. Sadly, not all of it was good. The bacon on the outside of the loin was fatty. A crispier bacon would have worked well with this dish. The loin itself was amazing and saved the plate. The polenta had a great flavor and texture and the pancetta was a nice touch, but some of it tasted burnt or over smoked. I thought I would have enjoyed this dish more if it came as an early course or if the rest of the meal was not as rich and heavy. The pairing with this dish, a Pinot Noir (Volpi, Barbera d’Asti – 2005), was an excellent match with the smokey flavors of the pork.
Course V
applewood smoked bacon bread pudding with a
Templeton Rye caramel sauce and Picket Fence vanilla ice cream Drink: Templeton Rye Butterscotch shot
Notes: Amazing! I love bread pudding, ice cream and bacon so this was an instant hit with me. Beth was never a big fan of bread pudding, but she loved this one, especially the Templeton Rye caramel sauce. The candied bacon made the dish, as always. The Templeton Rye Butterscotch shot was smooth and tasty, a welcome addition to the final course.
Last years dinner was great, but the dishes were safe choices to make. This year they took more risks and some of them payed off and others did not. I enjoyed the dinner and I am glad they took risks this year. It was an impressive showing of skill and guts. They took bacon to new levels last night. Can’t wait to see where they take bacon next!
Well it’s that time of year again when I make my yearly pilgrimage to bacon country. This year the Des Moines, Iowa Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival promises to be bigger and better then the following two years. With over 600 tickets selling out in less than 25 minutes and the fact that they already have over 1,050 lbs of bacon, I would have to believe this is going to be the biggest bacon event in 2010. You can see the press release and more information about the event in my previous post about it.
The event is Saturday, February 27 at the Scottish Rite Consistory but I will be leaving of the Iowa today. The goal is to make it in time for some of what the bacon event planners are calling “Bacon Week”. During the week they are having smaller satellite events at local restaurants. You can learn more about them on the events website.
While I am in Iowa I will be tweeting like it’s going out of style. I will be using the hashtag #brbf10 to keep things organized. If you would like to join in the fun feel free to do so on twitter. Just remember to tag your tweets.
I also plan to do a Bacon LIVE from my hotel room either Wednesday afternoon or night. Watch twitter for details on that. If the restaurant as wifi I may even do it at the bacon dinner. Also, Sean may call in with bacon update from Pittsburgh.
This is going to be a crazy week ahead and I will try to keep you as up-to-date as I can. If you are asking yourself “Why do I need care about whats happens in Iowa” then you are not a true bacon lover. This is the heart of bacon nation; this is where boys become men and pigs become bacon.
This week’s Music Monday is not a band but an internet radio station called Woxy. When Sirius XM started charging ungodly amounts of money to stream what you already pay 12.99 /mo. for, I started looking for cheaper/free alternatives. This is when I found Woxy.com, the future of rock and roll.
I tried listening to Pandora and Last.fm but something was missing from their streams, a DJ. Call me old fashioned but I enjoy the soothing voice of DJ telling me what I am listening too. I also like to hear their insights on the bands and any current music news they feel important enough to share. I like the human/semi-human touch of terrestrial and satellite radio.
Woxy fills my thirst for indie rock and a live DJ really well. I think it has something to do with their history. Woxy started out on the FM dial in Cincinnati Ohio, and then took the big leap to be online only once there stream was being listen to all over the world. This is why they have a radio feel to their online stream. I know other streaming stations have a DJ but there is just something different about these guys.
The music they play is a nice mix of indie rock, new and old alterative, and whatever else the DJs find lying around. For example in one day of listen to the station I heard Garbage’s Stupid Girl and the new track from the New Pornographers off a cd that’s not even out yet. There is something here for everyone and I think that’s way they hung around so long.
Check out there about page and you can learn all about the crazy history of the station and its ambitious beginnings. Woxy is ahead of its time and once broadband accesses in more accessible they will give terrestrial and satellite radio stations a run for their money.
Please support these guys so they can make it to that day. Since they now have an iPhone app and a few streaming bit rates it shouldn’t be that hard for you to add them to you list of music to listen too. When you get sick of Pandora’s robot music picker thingy, turn to the humans a Woxy.com. They know good music and they are the future of rock and roll.
This is the second Bacon Elegance dinner at Cafe di Scala. The first one 
Well it’s that time of year again when I make my yearly pilgrimage to bacon country. This year the Des Moines, Iowa Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival promises to be bigger and better then the following two years. With over 600 tickets selling out in less than 25 minutes and the fact that they already have over 1,050 lbs of bacon, I would have to believe this is going to be the biggest bacon event in 2010. You can see the press release and more information about the event in my 
This week’s 
