Dear Pennies & Pens,
As you all hopefully know, I recently kicked off Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler series. Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler is a travel series that features unique travel and hospitality brands.
The purpose of Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler is to showcase travel and hospitality brands that can enhance the lives of “Pennies & Pens” aka readers of de la Pen…All Pen Everything. Throughout Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler, de la Pen…All Pen Everything will be pin pointing or recommending hotels and hospitality brands that readers should visit while in the respective cities featured in the series.
Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler will feature blog post reviews and live social media updates about the brands featured. Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler will feature hotels, restaurants, and spas in the US as well as abroad.
That brings me to the first restaurant to be featured in Pen.Point: The Seasoned Traveler which is the Culinary Carnival at Eleven:Eleven in Houston.
The Culinary Carnival took place on Sunday, June 8th. It was a sultry summer afternoon with clear blue skies and a radiant sun. The Culinary Carnival featured a sizzling roster of some of Houston’s top chefs and bartenders. With over 450 guests, the Culinary Carnival was definitely the place to be. The event benefited the young professionals group, PULSE at St. Luke’s Foundation.
The event included food and drinks prepared by the chefs and bartenders as well as classic games, a photo booth, a balloon artist, an air brush face painter, silent auction, and a Jeopardy-style culinary trivia contest.
The event featured a diverse mix of 17 culinary teams, ranging from D&T Drive Inn to Latin Bites who upped the ante on fair food by serving up gourmet treats on a stick. Meanwhile mixologists provided a break from the heat by concocting a three ring circus of cocktails.
Celebrity judges included former Houston Dynamo and managing director of Houston Dash, Brian Ching, plus Chef Roshni Mansukhani-Gurnani, Food Network’s “Chopped” champion and Season 10 contest on “Hell’s Kitchen”, helped crown the judge’s choice winner: Chef Gabriel Media of Soma Sushi for his Sapporo miso braised Kurobuta corn dog with spicy mayo.
The people’s choice winners were Chef Susie Jimenez of Trenza for a mixed seafood ceviche with avocado jalapeno mousse and Anne Large of Eleven:Eleven for her buttered popcorn libation consisting of an infused homemade popcorn ice cream over a vodka-based buttery nipple. Additional support for the event was provided by West Houston Infiniti, Titanium Tequila and Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co., Hotel ICON, Royal Sonesta Houston, and the Magnolia Hotel.
Overall, it was fabulous event and I loved the food and drinks! There were also some really cool people at the event. The Culinary Carnival is anticipated to become a regular event so stay tuned to Eleven:Eleven for details.
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything.
P.S. For All Pen Everything…All the Time — Twitter: @LoudPen Foursquare: @LoudPen Instagram: @LoudPen Tumblr: The Blogging PR Girl Google+: +LoudPen Pinterest: LoudPen Facebook: LoudPen
