The Taste of Charleston held its first Iron Chef Competition on Friday, October 10 to celebrate the opening of the Culinary Institute of Charleston’s Palmer Campus. Here are some photos from the evening.

Aaron in the kitchen with emcee Mickey Bakst of Charleston Grill

Aaron creating his menu

In the kitchen

Aaron presenting his masterpieces to the judges

Saute

Slicing tomatoes

Executive Chef Aaron Deal’s fall menu uses several ingredients in a non-traditional form, like chestnuts cooked in a veloute sauce, an apple turnover spiked with ginger and the foie gras converted to a vinaigrette. Seasonal produce including apples, sweet potatoes, fall mushrooms and bok choy are featured throughout the menu.

• La St. Simon’s Bay Oysters $12- Foie Gras Vinaigrette, Apple Basil Granite, Olive Oil Toast

Harvested in New Brunswick, Canada, the La St. Simon’s Bay Oysters are known for their salty-yet-sweet taste and teardrop shape.

• Pork Cheek Tortellini $10- Pistachio Pesto, Green Apple, Ricotta Salata, Petite Arugula

The Pork Cheek Tortellini is made in-house and filled with braised pork, fresh herbs, ricotta cheese and vegetables. The pasta is made with whole wheat flour and scented with caraway seed.

• Kona Kampachi $28- Szechuan Pepper, Pineapple, Thai Basil, Sweet Potato, Petite Bok Choy

Kona Kampachi is a Hawaiian yellowtail with a rich, buttery flavor and firm texture.

For years we’ve been hearing about the positive effects of alcohol (preventing heart disease) but now a study by the Archives of Neurology has shown that people that consume alcohol have smaller brain volume than non-drinkers. Apparently, everyone loses 2% of brain volume every decade from aging, but the more alcohol consumed means a smaller brain volume. Another finding-the shrinkage was greater in women. Click here for the whole article.

“In the study, Paul and colleagues looked at 1,839 healthy people with an average age of about 61. The patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and reported how much they tippled.

• Abstainers having a higher brain volume than former drinkers, light drinkers (one to seven drinks per week), moderate drinkers (eight to 14 drinks per week), and heavy drinkers (14 or more drinks per week).
• Men were more likely to be heavy drinkers than women. But the link between brain volume and alcohol wasn’t as strong in men. For men, only those who were heavy drinkers had a smaller brain volume than those who consumed little or no alcohol.
• In women, even moderate drinkers had a smaller brain volume than abstainers or former drinkers.
• It’s not clear why even modest amounts of alcohol may shrink the brain, although alcohol is “known to dehydrate tissues, and constant dehydration can have negative effects on any sensitive tissue,” says Paul.
• The differences between brain volumes in drinkers and nondrinkers were quite small — less than 1.5 percent between abstainers and heavy drinkers.

An article in the New York Daily News (Sex addiction on the rise, from pop culture to Wall Street) tied to things together that I never thought off-the failing stock market and an increase in sex addiction. I knew people were getting shoes repaired instead of buying new, but this was a huge surprise.

According the NY Daily News, “Local sex therapists are seeing an increase in patients from the finance field, and a link between the dipping Dow and bad behavior.”

We’ll leave it at that…

Tristan will be Charleston’s unofficial “Election HQ” on Tuesday, November 4th from 5 p.m. to close. Tristan will have various food and drink specials:

• A special appetizer selection paired with a Classic Brandy Sidecar for $16
• Guests sporting an “I Voted” sticker will receive a complimentary glass of bubbly
• During the month of November, they will offer a complimentary dessert to any guest who presents a voters registration card. (Does not apply to group reservations made before October 1.)
• Chef Aaron Deal is also creating a prix fixe, three-course menu priced $55 (plus tax and gratuity) and reservations can be made by calling 843.534.2155 or clicking here. The menu will include:

~Blue Point Oysters served with a Foie Gras Vinaigrette, Apple Basil Granite and Olive Oil Crisp
~Filet Mignon will be complemented by Fingerling Potato, Heirloom Baby Carrot, Pearl Onion and a Cabernet Jus
~Toasted Hazelnut Souffle enhanced with a Frangelico Mousseline and Espresso Anglaise

I decided a few years ago that my next car will definitely be a hybrid and this is good news for those who haven’t converted yet. Lexus wants to add hybrid model as soon as possible, and may make the Lexus lineup hybrid-only.

What does this mean for the rest of the car industry? According to Treehugger, ”The importance of this is no such much in the fact that more Lexus vehicles might be hybrid, but how it can impact the whole luxury vehicle industry. If Lexus goes hybrid-only, it would be very surprising if its competitors didn’t react with similar announcements (for example, Mercedes has already announced that it wants to remove fossil fuels from its lineup by 2015). This could mean more R&D into hybrid and electric drivetrains that will eventually trickle down to less expensive vehicles, more mindshare and “halo” effect for cleaner vehicles, etc.”

Guess I’ll wait a while to purchase my next car and then maybe all cars will be hybrids!

The South Carolina Stingrays will play the Augusta Lynx at their season opener on Saturday, October 18. The game starts at 7:05 p.m.

The game launches the first of a series of new Kids Carnivals, a free family event that offers jump castles, games and more. The first Kids Carnival will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the North Charleston Coliseum. The remaining carnivals are planned before every Sunday home game.

In response to fan requests, the Stingrays are also launching Two Dollar Beers All Year, a program that offers $2 Bud Light drafts until the end of the first period. For more information, visit www.2dollarbeerallyear.com <http://www.2dollarbeerallyear.com/> .

Ticket prices range from $14-19 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or the North Charleston Coliseum box office.

The Cigar Factory hosted a neighborhood celebration at Mall Park on Columbus St. on Sept. 25. The East Side neighborhood has been so gracious by welcoming The Cigar Factory to the neighborhood, so we invited residents for food and refreshments. There was a great turn out. Here are some photos from the event.

Executive Chef Aaron Deal’s fall menu uses several ingredients in a non-traditional form, like chestnuts cooked in a veloute sauce, an apple turnover spiked with ginger and the foie gras converted to a vinaigrette. Seasonal produce including apples, sweet potatoes, fall mushrooms and bok choy are featured throughout the menu.

Here are some new dishes…

La St. Simon’s Bay Oysters $12

Foie Gras Vinaigrette, Apple Basil Granite, Olive Oil Toast

Pork Cheek Tortellini $10

Pistachio Pesto, Green Apple, Ricotta Salata, Petite Arugula

Kona Kampachi $28

Szechuan Pepper, Pineapple, Thai Basil, Sweet Potato, Petite Bok Choy

Here’s a little more about them…

• Harvested in New Brunswick, Canada, the La St. Simon’s Bay Oysters are known for their salty-yet-sweet taste and teardrop shape.
• The Pork Cheek Tortellini is made in-house and filled with braised pork, fresh herbs, ricotta cheese and vegetables. The pasta is made with whole wheat flour and scented with caraway seed.
• Kona Kampachi is a Hawaiian yellowtail with a rich, buttery flavor and firm texture.

aloft Charleston will host a live acoustic set by Columbia-based folk rocker, Richard Cortez, with special guest Adam Smith on Friday, October 24 to benefit Lowcountry AIDS Services (LAS). Doors open at 6 p.m. and admission is free.

A portion of CD sales and $5 from every Red Ribbon Martini (cherry-infused vodka cocktail) ordered will be donated to Lowcountry AIDS Services. Rooms will be available at a special rate of $99 on October 24 to offer locals an opportunity for a “staycation.”

For more information on Richard Cortez, visit http://www.myspace.com/richardcortez. For more information on the show, call 843.566.7300 or visit www.aloftcharlestonairport.com.