Passion8 folks to open American Cafe

Chef Luca Annunziata and Jessica Annunziata of Passion8 Bistro plan to open The American Cafe & Lounge May 28, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, in the Clarion Hotel at 3695 Foothills Way in Fort Mill. The place will offer a late-night menu and live music until 2 a.m. on weekends.
Passion8 offers an Italian-influenced menu that relies heavily on local foodstuffs, and routinely offers Slow Food events. This, says Jessica, will focus on "moderately priced food with an emphasis on fun."

Special dinners coming up

Dean & DeLuca chefs from its markets in Japan, Turkey, Thailand, Singapore and the Middle East, plus one from California, will join Charlotte’s to offer a multicourse dinner June 5 at the D&D Wine Room at Phillips Place, for $250 per person. The Wine Room is the chain’s first full-service, in-store restaurant. Each chef will do his own course, and there’ll be pairings of beer and wine. Charlotte’s Andres Moncayo will cook along with Eiji Murakami and Tetsuya Sakai from Japan, Wassem Mustafa from the Middle East, Ali Ronay from Turkey, Timber Suwannakoot from Thailand, Gerald Yong from Singapore and Jason Rose from St. Helena, Calif. Reservations 704-643-1664; 6903 Phillips Place Court.

The Palm hosts a Duckhorn and surf ’n turf dinner June 14. Three courses, plus reception, plus pairings is $120 ($95 for the restaurant’s 837 Club members), and the menu includes oyster shooter with wasabi tobiko and carpaccio with 2011 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley; tomato and watermelon salad with 2011 Migration Chardonnay, Russian River Valley; the 2010 Merlot with the surf ’n turf and more. 6705 Phillips Place; 704-552-7256.

Newk's opening in Rock Hill

A new Newk’s Eatery opens June 3 in Rock Hill, the third in the Charlotte area. It will host a pre-opening charity night June 1 benefiting Early Learning Partnership, which promotes literacy and free healthcare for children. Tickets for that night will be $10, and guests can donate more during the event, by writing checks or purchasing program items for donation, such as literacy tools, books, or coupons for prescriptions or clinic visits. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to ELP, and Newk's will make a matching donation, for a total of $3,000. The new location is at 2350 Dave Lyle Blvd., Rock Hill; 704-796-3720.

Mac's sauce tops in nation at Memphis in May

Mac's Speed Shop took a first-place finish in tomato sauce at the Memphis in May 2013 World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest this past weekend, which brings hundreds of teams to Tennessee and awards more than $100,000 in prizes.

Money to Second Harvest

Cantina 1511 presented a $2,000 check today to Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina: It's the promised percentage from the places' Cinco de Mayo sales. East Boulevard location general manager Vince Ponzio (left) and Stonecrest's, Phil Carter (right), presented to Shay Merritt of Second Harvest.

Liquid nitrogen cocktails require permit 'condition'

Bubble Charlotte will apparently be allowed to serve its liquid nitrogen cocktails when it opens to the public tonight. Mecklenburg County ABC law enforcement said the new EpiCentre place did receive its mixed-beverage permit, and the county health department has approved its liquid nitrogen cocktail procedure with the following "permit condition" (italic emphasis is mine):

"FOOD ESTABLISHMENT is approved for the addition of liquid Nitrogen as a BEVERAGE topper so long as the liquid is not introduced into the BEVERAGE for consumption. In accordance with FOOD ESTABLISHMENT procedure, a qualified facility representative shall educate the CONSUMER about the product prior to consumption. A FOOD EMPLOYEE shall ensure all precautions are achieved to ensure liquid nitrogen is not consumed. It is not recognized as an approved FOOD ADDITIVE and shall not be consumed by patrons."

That didn't make clear to me whether a server could hand someone a drink with liquid nitrogen still in it or not (as long as they warned them about it). So I asked the department's Lynn Lathan to clarify.

"If there is any liquid nitrogen (still in the drink)," she said, "they are to maintain possession of it until there is none left.

"When you give something to someone, they're free to eat or drink it. ... (So) if there's liquid nitrogen in it, they are not to give it to the customer."

Clinical toxicologist Anna Rouse Dulaney with Carolinas Poison Center said risk factors include "the temperature (of the drink itself and the glass it's in), the customer (and whether the customer is intoxicated) ... (and) where in the throat it hits: A sip vs. a throwdown."

(Something called the Leidenfrost effect would create an insulating vapor between your mouth and the nitrogen, so that even though the stuff is 321 degrees below 0, it would be possible to swallow it down.)

Dulaney advises that if a sip of such a drink hurts, stop immediately. If there's pain in the throat or stomach, the person should not eat or drink anything else (which would obscure medical testing) and seek medical attention.

Chef at Bubble

Chef Jason Kerton will be running the kitchen at the upcoming Bubble Charlotte at the EpiCentre. Kerton, a Culinary Institute of America grad, says he's cooked with Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill and at the Sanctuary in Charleston. He's also done food for ballparks in Akron and Charleston. Here, his lineup will include Champagne tempura: asparagus and carrot done in a Champagne tempura batter; Caprese Napoleon (tomato and fresh mozzarella stacked and drizzled with fig balsamic reduction); and sesame-crusted salmon. 210 E. Trade St.