'Tis the Season...for Steak! (and tomatoes)...

If your garden is brimming with tomatoes, (or you just eyed up some gorgeous ones at the Farmer's Market or even your local grocery store), then you must try this quick and easy salad recipe! From the mind and kitchen of our very own chef, this is a salad that eats like a meal!

Beef Steak Tomato Salad with a Red Wine Vinaigrette 

 Served with a Certified Angus Beef strip loin & topped with St. Pete’s Blue Cheese crumbles

Ingredients:

• 2 large garden ripe tomatoes 
• Shaved red onion 
• Plump Chef Original Shake 
• Red wine vinaigrette (recipe below)
• Mixed greens 
• St. Pete’s Blue Cheese crumbles 
• Certified Angus Beef New York strip loin 

Red Wine Vinaigrette Recipe: 

• ½ shallot minced 
• ½ cup red wine vinegar 
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme 
• ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard 
• 1 ½ cups olive oil 

To assemble:

1. Make the red wine vinaigrette 
2. Slice the tomatoes in ½ inch slices
3. Shave the red onion
4. Crumble the blue cheese
5. Toss the mixed greens with some red wine vinaigrette
6. Arrange the greens and sliced tomato on plate
7. Season the tomato with Plump Chef Original shake.
8. Garnish with shaved red onion and blue cheese crumbles
9. Dress with more red wine vinaigrette to taste
10. Season the steak on both sides with Plump Chef original shake and grill steak to desired temperature. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and plating.

And most importantly, the final step, ENJOY! 

Tasty Beverages This Week

We've been having such a great time enjoying these last weeks of summer. From the Irish Fair to the Taste of the Visa Championships and everything in between, Cork's has been living life to the fullest (as we hope you are too)!

This week, we've got some new suds for your enjoyment and a great wine feature.

We've added Summit Oktoberfest to our tap list. According to Summit, Oktoberfest is "brewed in the classic Märzen style with Northern Brewer hops from Germany. Rich, toffee malt flavors up front with a clean hop finish as crisp as the autumn air." Oktoberfest is a seasonal beer, so get it while it's here!

We also have two new bottled beer features this week. Sam Adams Octoberfest and Dark Horse Sapient Trip Ale. 

According to the brewer, "Samuel Adams Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The malt is complimented by the elegant bitterness imparted by the Bavarian Noble hops."

Dark Horse states that their Sapient Trip Ale is brewed "with a Trappist yeast strain so it is very traditional. The flavors are incredibly complex with notes of mild fruit and finishes with a bit of clove. Although this beer is higher in alcohol it is very smooth and finishes dry on the pallet."

We've also got a great wine feature this week. Bottles of Rodney Strong Merlot are just $26 and glasses are just $5. The winemaker's notes: "Plum and blueberry flavors with a touch of dried herb predominate in this soft, rich, mouth filling merlot, and are enhanced by aging in small oak barrels for a toasty, spicy vanilla character, and a lingering berry-cream finish."

So stop in this week for some tasty beverages! If you're also looking for a great deal, stop in today, Wednesday, August 17 and show your bartender some love! Summit Oktoberfest taps will be just $4 ALL day; otherwise, there's always Happy Hour. $3 for glasses of house wine, $2 for standard taps and bottles, and $3 premium taps and bottles. Not too shabby! 

S'lainte!

Taste the Taste of the Visa Championships and WIN!

Visit Saint Paul, the Saint Paul Convention & Visitors Bureau, launched a new promotion to correspond with the Taste of the Visa Championships event.

Dubbed, "Eat.Shoot.Email.Win", the new promotion encourages individuals to dine at participating Taste of the Visa Championships restaurants. Contestants simply choose one of the 14 restaurants and partake in their gymnastics-themed entree. Then, they send an email with their name, phone number (or email address), and a digital copy (picture) of the receipt for that entree to info@visitsaintpaul.com.

The randomly chosen winner will receive four tickets to the August 20th, 2011 Visa Championships in a luxury suite at Xcel Energy Center. The day includes food, refreshments, parking, and a meal with Olympic coaching legend, Bela Karolyi!

Contest rules:

• One entry per person.
• Contestants must be at least 18 years old. 
• Entries must be received by midnight on August 16. 
• Employees of the participating restaurants, Visit Saint Paul, and The Notifier are not eligible.

The winner will be notified on August 17th.

Good luck and happy eating!

National Night Out

Cork's is proud to be a part of the downtown St. Paul community! That's why we're pretty excited to hang out with our great neighbors at this year's National Night Out celebration.

Held each year, National Night Out is a community-based program that promotes "neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in our fight for a safer nation."

This year's downtown celebration will be held on Tuesday, August 2nd from 6pm to 9pm. The party will be centrally located on Temperance Street between 9th and 10th Streets, (just about a block from our parking lot).

Cork's will be serving up root beer, and Black Sheep Pizza is even providing food.  Word on the street is there will be bands, and we're even bringing the leprechaun!

So, stop on by tomorrow night for some root beer, pizza, and a great time with your neighbors! We'll see you there!

Cork's at the Irish Fair - Part Deux

Last week we let everyone know about the Battle of the Pubs Cook Off at the Irish Fair of Minnesota. (You can still get your tickets, so you can stump for Cork's)!

We also wanted to give a lowdown on our other activities at the Fair, so you can stay tuned and join us for a great time!  

The morning of the Battle of the Pubs (August 11), Chef will actually be doing a spot on the Fox 9 Morning Show at about 8:45am. Then, we'll have our A-game out in full force for the Battle of the Pubs at 7pm that evening. 

From August 12 to August 14, we'll be sponsoring the Pub Tent, and Chef will be performing a cooking demo on the Gateway Stage on Sunday, August 14, at noon. 

The Fair itself runs August 12-14, Friday from 3pm to 11 pm, Saturday from 10am to 11pm, and Sunday from 10am to 7pm and is open to the public entirely FREE of charge. 

Mark your calendars for an epic weekend of great food, fantastic drinks, and merriment like you've never seen before! S'lainte and we'll see you there!

Battle of the Pubs

Coming up in August, Cork's will be competing in the Irish Fair of Minnesota's Battle of the Pubs Cook Off. We need all of our loyal supporters there to represent for us!

On Thursday, August 11, Cork's will go head to head against other local pubs to determine who's the "farest"! For the price of admission to this event, you get all the food, drink, and entertainment you can stomach.

The fun goes down at Harriet Island inside the Pub Tent. Attendees will sample offerings from pub contestants while listening to the jamming stylings of the Wild Colonial Bhoys (who are releasing their first CD at the event). Then, attendees will vote on their favorite food and beverages.

Visit http://www.irishfair.com/content/cooktickets/ to purchase your tickets today! $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and Friends of the Fair members get tickets for only $10! (Current members call 952-474-7411 to order your tickets today).

May the best pub win!

Taste of the Twin Cities Originals - July 28

Mark your calendars and save the date for the sixth annual Taste of the Twin Cities Originals event. From 6-9pm that Thursday, you will be able to delight in everything your favorite Twin Cities Originals restaurants have to offer. As a member restaurant, Cork's is simply stoked to revel in all this fun.

Hosted at TCF Bank Stadium, this year's event will feature food, in the form of appetizers, entrees, and even desserts, as well as wine. (Attendees will even receive complimentary Riedel crystal wine glasses).

Make sure you have your tickets, as they are rapidly selling, and you definitely don't want to miss out! Ticket options are either regular admission tickets for $40 each or VIP tickets for $80 each. VIP tickets include $200 in gift certificates to member restaurants as well as early access to the event.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.tcoriginals.com/.

See you at the Taste!