Univ. of Miami School of Law to host expert wrongful convictions panel

Jeff McInnis brings southern hospitality to South Beach with Yardbird

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar officially opened today (Monday October 3rd), bringing traditional southern fare with an elevated elegant twist to South Beach.

McInnis, formerly chef at DiLido and Gigi, rose to celebrichef status as a contestant on Top Chef in 2008. His new adventure with John Kunkel (of 50 Eggs and Lime) is said to be a "down-to-earth joint that preaches the gospel of good food and good company." And, that it is. My grandparents would absolutely love McInnis' fried chicken; which takes 27 hours to make and is a 150 year-old recipe.

The menu has a made-from-scratch ethic that uses humanely treated meats and seasonal ingredients that helps support southern farmers such as Paradise Farms, The Green Railroad Organic Workshop, Worden Farm, Lake Meadow Naturals and White Oak Pastures — all suppliers of the restaurant. Everything is made in-house, even the alligator sausage.

Yardbird boasts a vast selection of over 50 different bourbons, including some hard to find brands like Pappy Van Winkle and Black Maple Hill. They also have a nice selection of bourbon cocktails. The beer selection includes many Southern breweries, including Tampa's award winning Cigar City Brewery.

Lucky Miamians were treated to a preview party on October 1st, which proved to be a teaser to whet our appetites. It will be exciting to see what McInnis delivers when the restaurant opens on Monday. McInnis was ever the gentleman, hand delivering dishes to our table throughout the evening. He and his manager Greg proved to be a formidable team, juggling dozens of cooks, servers, and bartenders while taking the time to stop and charm us ladies at intervals throughout the evening. guests were treated to goodie bags that included pickled goods and various bourbons; y-u-m.

My favorite bite of the evening was the fried green tomato BLT. It was to die for, a perfect combination of salty, spicy, and bacony. Perfectly cooked. Or, maybe my favorite was the meatloaf. Or, the fried cheese on watermelon. Oh wait, it was the fried chicken on a buttery biscuit. Heck y'all, it was all fantastic. I also managed to try every one of the six bourbon cocktails. The Southern Peach tasted of sweet tea and included a thyme garnish. My grandparents do not serve tea like this at their house. What a shame.

Some more pictures from the preview party are below. My pictures are of sample bites, not actual size. In fact, many of the entrees at Yardbird are family-sized; meant for sharing. Just like at my grandparents' house.

Yardbird is now serving dinner and will begin lunch service the week of October 10. Sunday gospel brunch will begin November 6. Hours of operation are as follows: 11AM — Midnight, Sunday — Wednesday and 11AM — 2AM, Thursday — Saturday. Yardbird is located at 1600 Lenox Avenue, one block from Lincoln Road. For more information, visit www.RunChickenRun.com.

• Fois gras with pickled watermelon

• Deviled egg

• Meatloaf

• Grilled peach wrapped in ham

• Watermelon with grilled farm cheese

• Brined chicken on the bone

• Chocolate chip cookie

• S'more and a sour orange merengue

• Apple pie

• Southern Peach

Innocent people that have been executed in the United States?

List of possible innocent persons executed in the United States. I discovered these cases through research for my paper Killing Innocents.

In a few hours, we may add Troy Davis (GA) to this list.

Brian K. Baldwin (AL)
Cornelius Singleton (AL)
Freddie Lee Wright (AL)
Thomas M. Thompson (CA)
Lena Baker (GA)
Wayne Felker (GA)
Larry Eugene Moon (GA)
James Adams (FL)
Willie Jasper Darden, Jr. (FL)
Leo Jones (FL)
Amos King (FL)
Frank Lee Smith, died on death row (FL)
Jesse Talfero (FL)
Girvies Davis (IL)
Bridget Bishop (MA)
George Burrows (MA)
Martha Carrier (MA)
Giles Corey (MA)
Lyndia Dustin, died in prison (MA)
Mary Eastey (MA)
Ann Foster, died in prison (MA)
Sarah Good (MA)
Elizabeth How (MA)
George Jacobs, Sr. (MA)
Susannah Martin (MA)
Rebecca Nurse (MA)
Sarah Osborne, died in prison (MA)
Alice Parker (MA)
Mary Parker (MA)
John Procter (MA)
Ann Pudeater (MA)
Wilmott Reed (MA)
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco (MA)
Margaret Scott (MA)
Roger Toothaker, died in prison (MA)
Bartolomeo Vanzetti (MA)
Samuel Wardwell (MA)
Sarah Wilds (MA)
John Willard (MA)
Larry Griffin (MO)
Roy Michael Roberts (MO)
R. Mead Shumway (NE)
Killing Innocents 17
Malcolm Rent Johnson (OK)
Thomas Griffin (SC)
Meeks Griffin (SC)
Odell Barnes, Jr. (TX)
James Beathard (TX)
Charles Anthony Boyd (TX)
Ruben Cantu (TX)
David Castillo (TX)
Clyde Coleman (TX)
Carlos DeLuna (TX)
Robert Nelson Drew (TX)
James Otto Earhart (TX)
Troy Dale Farris (TX)
Gary Graham a/k/a Shaka Sankofa (TX)
Lionel Torres Herrara (TX)
Jerry Lee Hogue (TX)
Jesse Jacobs (TX)
Carl Johnson (TX)
Richard Wayne Jones (TX)
Davis Losada (TX)
Robert Madden (TX)
Justin Lee May (TX)
Frank Basil McFarland (TX)
Kenneth Ray Ransom (TX)
Charles Rector (TX)
David Spence (TX)
David Stoker (TX)
Martin Vega (TX)
Cameron Todd Willingham (TX)
Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (US)
Julius Rosenberg (US)
Joseph O’Dell (VA)

Troy Davis case rekindles death penalty debate

PBS gives a wonderful discussion on the death penalty:

http://youtu.be/uhxVajsW5sc

Miami Law Students Gather Signatures to Save a Life

Miami Law students dressed in blue on Thursday to express their support for Troy Davis, a man who was convicted in 1991 for shooting an off-duty officer in 1989. Both the Miami Innocence Project and the Capital Defense Project at Miami Law helped Amnesty International and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to gather signatures in opposition of Davis' death sentence.

Today is the last day to petition the clemency board to commute Davis' sentence to life. As of Thursday, The Florida Times-Union reported that more than 600,000 petitions have been signed.

"In the wake of presidential candidate Rick Perry's execution of an innocent man, and subsequent attempts to cover it up, we fear that Georgia may be about to make the same mistake," said Gretchen Cothron, co-student director at Miami's Wrongful Conviction Project. The Georgia clemency board meets on Monday to decide on Davis' execution, which is set for Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

Wrongful Conviction Project members argue that several witnesses who originally testified against Davis have all recanted their statements, except for Sylvester Coles. "Eyewitness misidentification is the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions nationwide, playing a role in more than 75 percent of convictions overturned through DNA testing," stated a report by the national Innocence Project organization.

"This guy's life has been destroyed and now they want to take it away completely," said Nicole Devinette, who is also co-student director at Miami's Wrongful Conviction Project. She points out that Davis has already been incarcerated for more than 20 years. "It just sounds bogus."

The Troy Davis Project is one of many cases the Miami Innocence Project and The Capital Defense Project have taken on this fall. Last week, The Capital Defense Project worked to save the life of Manuel Valle, a 61-years old who was convicted of killing a Coral Gables police officer during a traffic stop 33 years ago.

On Oct. 28, the law school will host a Wrongful Convictions panel to discuss the causal factors of erroneous convictions, police corruption in Miami, false eyewitness testimony and confessions.

For more information and to sign the petition, go to Amnesty International.

Original article written by Rochelle Oliver.

James Bain marries two years after exoneration

Reported by BayNews9 Tampa Bay

By Kristy Wolski, Reporter

Polk County native James Bain made headlines when he was freed from prison nearly two years ago.

Bain spent 35 years behind bars -- for a crime he didn't commit.

DNA evidence finally cleared the wrongly convited man. Saturday evening, Bain started another chapter of his life and got married.

As a free man, Bain said he makes the most of everyday.

"This is a totally different day. It seems to be almost more hectic then the day I got out," Bain said. "Much more hectic."

Bain said he met his wife, Mallelin, at his sister's job and it was love at first sight.

Bain has come a long way from his arrest and wrongful conviction for the rape of a young Polk County boy.

He is the 246th person in the nation to be exonerated by DNA evidence. Of those 246, he served the longest prison term.

Original article is here.

Troy Davis execution set for Sept. 21st

Troy Davis to be executed Sept. 21
Posted: Sep 06, 2011 7:49 PM Updated: Sep 07, 2011 10:18 AM
Posted by Cal Callaway
ATLANTA (AP) -

Georgia corrections officials have set a Sept. 21 execution date for a high-profile death row inmate who claims he's innocent of murdering a Savannah police officer.

The Department of Corrections said Wednesday that Troy Anthony Davis will be executed at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21 for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.

A Chatham County judge signed the death warrant for Davis on Tuesday, marking the fourth time since 2007 that the state has a scheduled an execution for Davis. The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution in March by rejecting an appeal by Davis.

Davis has exhausted his appeals, but his attorney Jason Ewart has said they plan to ask the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles for clemency. The five-member panel has the power to commute or postpone executions, but rarely does so.

Davis has long said he could prove he was wrongly convicted of the killing of MacPhail. The officer was working off-duty at a Savannah bus station when he was shot twice while rushing to help a homeless man who had been attacked. Eyewitnesses identified Davis as the shooter at his trial, but no physical evidence tied him to the slaying. Davis was convicted of the murder in 1991 and sentenced.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2009 agreed he should have the rare chance to argue he was innocent before a federal judge. It was the first time in at least 50 years that the court had granted an American death row inmate such an innocence hearing.

During two days of testimony in June 2010, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. heard from two witnesses who said they falsely incriminated Davis and two others who said another man had confessed to being MacPhail's killer in the years since Davis' trial.

But Moore concluded in August that several of the witnesses had already backed off their incriminating statements during the 1991 trial -- so it wasn't new evidence -- and that others simply couldn't be believed. He ruled that while the evidence casts some additional
doubt on the conviction, "it is largely smoke and mirrors" and not nearly strong enough to prove Davis' innocence.

Davis appealed, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear the challenge in November. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected it in March.

Martina Correia, Davis' sister, said she plans to help organize rallies and events to urge Georgia's pardons board to block the execution.

"It's devastating, but we've been in this place before -- three times before," she said. "And now there are more and more people coming on board. We haven't forgotten Troy and we're working hard to step up. I'm sorry that we have to go through this, but we're going to fight like we always do."

The victim's mother, Anneliese MacPhail, said the judge's order is one more step toward bringing her family closure.

"I'd like to get it over with," she said. "For 22 years we've been going back and forth and forth and back," she said. "I don't believe it until it's done, but I sure would like to have some
peace."

Davis' case has become a focal point for the international anti-death penalty movement. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Amnesty International and
dignitaries such as former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI have all urged Georgia officials to spare Davis.

Laura Moye of Amnesty International USA, which has helped stage dozens of rallies in support of Davis, said her group will ask supporters to send letters and petitions to the state's pardons
board.

"We certainly hope the board will recognize the problems that still haven't been resolved in this case," she said. "We expect they are taking this case very seriously, and we want them to err
on the side of caution, the side of life."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Story originally posted here

Meet William Michael Dillon on Sept. 7th

Meet William Michael Dillon on Sept. 7th

DNA Exoneree, Songwriter & Recording Artist William Michael Dillon will be performing on Wednesday, September 7th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Moon (1105 E. Lafayette Street) in Tallahassee.

William spent 27.5 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. He was released in November 2008 after DNA testing proved his innocence.

Through his music, William tells his story of the pain, sorrow and injustice of a lifetime lost. He wrote the title track to his new CD, Black Robes & Lawyers, while in prison. We hope you’ll join us for an intimate gathering where you will meet William and have the opportunity to learn more about how music helped him through the horrific journey.

Admission is free. Of course, donations will be accepted and will enable IPF to continue to find and free people just like William Dillon who are wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. CDs will be available for purchase; these proceeds will benefit William.


Learn more about William Michael Dillon's case.

Many thanks to The Moon for making this evening possible.
More information: http://floridainnocence.org/

Rick Perry executed an innocent man; now he wants to be President

If you are one of the few that are not aware of Rick Perry's frightening history as governor of Texas, please look at these two sites:

http://camerontoddwillingham.com/?p=663


http://articles.cnn.com/2009-02-06/justice/texas.exoneration_1_rapist-texas-district-court-judge-texas-department?_s=PM:CRIME

Cameron Todd Willingham was executed as proof of his innocence sat in Perry's office. Perry has since tried to cover up the botched execution by staling a commission formed to review the case.Timothy Cole died in prison before his innocence could be proven. He was posthumously exonerated.

It is also important to not that Perry is the first and only candidate for President with a record of 234 executions.

Miami Innocence Project Attorney Position

*************************

Position Title: Practitioner-in-Residence/Lecturer

Start Date: Fall 2011/Spring 2012

Duration: 2 years, renewable for 1 additional year

Miami Law invites applicants for the position of Practitioner-in-Residence/Lecturer in its Miami Innocence Clinic. The Practitioner-in-Residence/Lecturer will have the opportunity to join the vibrant and supportive clinical community at the School of Law. Together with the Innocence Clinic Director, the Practitioner-in-Residence/Lecturer will help run the clinic, including guiding and assisting students in screening, investigating, researching, and litigating motions for post-conviction relief claiming actual innocence. Responsibilities may include, depending upon qualifications, opportunities for lead counsel on motions for post-conviction relief. The position is designed for a lawyer with at least 3-5 years of post-conviction experience or experience in criminal appeals. Prior experience in an Innocence Project is preferable.

Job responsibilities may also include:
a. Developing, implementing, managing, and supervising all aspects of student work on Clinic cases/projects;
b. developing new projects that are connected with the Clinic's objectives;
c. co-teaching Clinic classes on post-conviction relief, wrongful convictions, and remedies;
d. assisting with administrative and operational aspects of the Clinic, including outreach activities to publicize the Clinic's work;
e. student recruitment and professional counseling;
f. responding to public inquiries regarding the Clinic.
g. Participation in the clinic’s strategic planning;
h. liaising with student and community groups;
i. providing content for the Clinic's website;
j. assisting with the Clinic application process;
k. providing support for development activities, including grant writing and fundraising;
l. Covering cases/projects during the summer and between semesters. Depending on student interest and other needs, the Clinic may run through the summer, in which case the Practitioner-in-Residence/Lecturer would be solely or primarily responsible for teaching and supervising students and cases/projects.

The Miami Innocence Clinic is committed to exonerating actually innocent prisoners wrongfully convicted. The Miami Innocence Clinic was reviewed and accepted to be a member of the National network of Innocence Projects in fall of 2010. The clinic investigates innocence claims and litigates post-conviction motions when appropriate. Students in the clinic contribute through fact investigation, interviewing defendants and witnesses, and legal research and analysis. Investigation of innocence claims includes case screening, witness and client interviews, motion writing, and research.
Qualifications: J.D. and/or L.L.M. degree from a U.S. law school is required. Applicants must have at least 3-5 years of legal practice experience. Applicants should have significant experience in post-conviction experience and/or criminal appeals; enthusiasm for clinical teaching, student development and training; a demonstrated commitment to social justice and public interest law; the ability to work independently and as part of a team; excellent legal, analytical, organizational, and written and oral communication skills. Experience in community-driven advocacy and policy work is a considerable advantage. Experience with clinical education, project management, and supervision of student interns is a strong plus.

The principal supervisor for the position is Miami Innocence Clinic Faculty Director, Professor Sarah Mourer. The Practitioner-in-Residence/Lecturer will have the opportunity to develop and work on a scholarly agenda and participate in the academic life of the law school and in relevant academic and advocacy conferences.

Starting annual salary is competitive and depends on experience; position also provides benefits and access to university facilities. Additional compensation may be available for summer teaching.

To apply, please email a resume, cover letter, writing sample, law school transcript, and names, addresses and telephone numbers of three references by [INSERT DATE] to umwrongfulconvictions@gmail.com. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. For questions, please contact Eileen Russell at erussell@law.miami.edu.

Pulled pork benedict

Summer. Barbeques, sunshine, lazy brunches.

This is the perfect time of year to create the ultimate brunch dish: pulled pork benedict. Poached eggs, homemade pulled pork and home made barbeque sauce put a delectable Southern spin on the traditional brunch dish. Serve with Bakon bloody marys, and you will be the star of your summer brunch gathering.
Ingredients:
Home made pulled pork
Home made barbeque sauce
Poached eggs
Spinach
English muffins
White vinegar or lemon juice (1 tsp per cup of water)
Mayonnaise
Butter and jam (optional)

Poached eggs:

Poaching eggs is a delicate task. You want them to be somewhat firm on the outside, while retaining a liquid, runny, yolk. First: use fresh eggs. Take your eggs from the fridge and crack them into individual cups or small mixing dishes. Then let them rise to room temperature while your water heats up. Do not season them prior to cooking.

Bring a pot of water to an "almost boil" over medium high heat. Do NOT salt your water. Salt will cause your egg to disperse instead of sticking together. Do add a small amount of vinegar (or lemon juice) to your water. The vinegar will acidulate your water and cause the eggs to stay together rather than completely dispersing.

Once your water is "almost boiling"; which means that you see the little bubble streams rising in the water, but a full rolling boil has not begun, slowing add your eggs to the water. Add the eggs by partially submerging the dish containing the egg into the water and allowing the egg to gently fall from the dish. Haphazardly plopping your eggs into the bath will cause them to break apart and may even bust your yolk-a crime against eggs.

Room temperature eggs should only need to be cooked for approximately 2 1/2 minutes. I typically remove the water from heat and allow my eggs to cook in the water bath for about 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to gently remove your eggs from the water bath.

While you wait for your water to boil, you should pop your muffins into the toaster. This is also the perfect time to heat up your pulled pork by placing it in the microwave for approximately a minute.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on your toasted muffin. Top with spinach and your pulled pork. Gently top with a poached egg and cover in your home made barbeque sauce.
If serving one egg benedicts, reserve the top part of the muffin. Spread butter on it, and serve alongside your benedict.

Urbanspoon rocks!

Pulled pork; crockpot style

Pulled pork sandwiches are the perfect compliment to a summer cookout. They can also allow you to evoke the feeling of a summer cookout while eating on your patio during a Florida summer shower.

This recipe is simple, although it does take some time to accomplish the perfectly seasoned and falling apart pork shoulder. Good things come to those with patience.

Ingredients:
pork shoulder/'Boston butt' (approximately 3lbs)
not-beef bouillon, 4 cubes
water, 6 cups
garlic, 3 crushed cloves
molasses, 1-2 tbsp
cider vinegar, 1/4 cup

to taste:
celery salt
paprika
cumin
mustard powder
garlic salt
dried sage
cayenne
salt
blk pepper

optional:
coleslaw

Start stock by adding the water, bouillon, and garlic to the crockpot and setting it to low. This will allow the flavors to combine while you prepare your meat. Mix the spices in a small bowl; add more or less to your specific taste. You are going to use some of the spice mixture as a rub, and then will add the remaining to your stock.

Rub the spice mixture all over your pork, making sure to get every crevice. Wrap the pork tightly in plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least two hours. After marinating, allow your pork about thirty minutes to come to room temperature. If you have time, allowing your meat to sit overnight, and then preparing your stock the following morning while you meat comes to room temperature is preferred.

Fry a strip of bacon in some olive oil to render the fat. This will just add more love to your pork. Also, if you are a flavor saver like myself, you can use some of that bacon grease you have jarred in your fridge. Once the bacon fat is ready, add the pork to the cast iron skillet and sear on all sides. Searing will cause a Maillard Reaction, which adds a wonderful flavor to your pork as well as creating those crispy end pieces everyone loves. Add the remaining spice mixture to your crockpot stock and then add your pork. The stock should cover the pork shoulder.

Cook the pork in the crockpot for an hour on high, then turn the crockpot to low and cook for another four to five hours or until it is falling apart (for a 3lb shoulder).

Make your own barbeque sauce: Take the leftover stock and cool it in the fridge so that the fat separates. Skim the fat from the stock and carefully dump the top half of the sauce down the drain. You want the bottom half which has all the spices and pork bits in it. Pour the remaining stock and all it's goodness into a sauce pan. Add approximately a 1/4 cup each of ketchup and mustard. I used a balsamic/honey mustard that I found at Datz. Also add a few dashes of cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil while watching to prevent boil-over. Then lower temperature to a simmer and allow the sauce to reduce by half its weight.

Hand shred the pork and cover in sauce. You can also serve the pork naked along side a bowl of your homemade barbeque sauce. You can also top your sandwich with coleslaw for a Southern treat.

Live and Dine in Miami: Miami Magazine Party

I had the honor of being invited to the exclusive food issue party for Miami Magazine. The party consisted of a sampling of bites from some of Miami's top restaurants, as well as drink offerings featuring Chambord vodka and Herradure tequila. The event was held in the gorgeous Moore building in Miami's Design District.

The food issue of Miami Magazine not only discusses some of the best dining options in Miami, it also lists the editors' favorite dining spots in cities around the country, and gives a few sneak peeks of Miami Spice menus.

The magazine includes a short piece on Michelle Bernstein's new Miami chapter of Common Threads, a non-profit that teaches healthy cooking to children in blighted areas. The Miami chapter currently is teaching at Edison, North Miami, and Jackson, but plans on adding more schools [view Riki Altman's piece on Bernstein by clicking here]. Common Threads is a wonderful organization, and while the party was free of charge, guests were given the opportunity to donate to Common Threads. Those of us who donated were then entered into various raffles for prizes including dinner for four at Forge (no, I did not win).

With my friend and fellow law student, Omar Salazar, I grazed dishes and sipped cocktails while admiring the beautiful people of Miami's food and fashion scene. Of course, I forgot my camera, so most of my photos are borrowed, as my phone did not take acceptable photos. Here are some highlights of the bites that I enjoyed:

blue fin tuna/jamon ponzu/yuzu gelee/basil oil/feta snow from Azul

smoked marlin taco in malanga shell by de Rodriguez Cuba (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

chef Dewey LoSasso of The Forge

grilled shrimp/savory waffle/caviar/basil sauce by The Forge (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

buttermilk cake/mango pudding/mango salad from de Rodriguez Cuba (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

Maryland blue crab cake/tartar sauce/avocado from Trulucks (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

tuna tartare/wasabi/egg white/avocado from Eggs Whites Catering (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

fois gras on a crostini from Palm D'Or (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

various pastries from The Biltmore (photo from www.modernluxury.com)

Kitchen Bar 3 at BT

This week marked the third time former Sidebern's chef Jeannie Pierola has opened a pop-up restaurant in a location that normal contains a different Tampa restaurant. Pierola's first pop-up restaurants took over Pinky's and Chefs on the Loose in South Tampa. This incarnation takes place at Restaurant BT, usual home of BT Nguyen-Batley's namesake restaurant.

BT Nguyen-Batley takes the slow month of August off each summer, which provided the perfect opportunity for Pierola's pop-up concept.

KB3 offers two different menus options: a regular menu featuring small, medium, and large plates, as well as a five course tasting menu that will change each week. This week's tasting menu was focused on figs, aptly titled "Gettin' Figgy With It..."; future weeks will have tasting menus based on mangos, tomatoes, and corn.

The beer and wine menu offers a variety of reasonably priced selections, and the restaurant allows guests to bring in their own wine; the first bottle has no corkage fee, additional bottles incur a $10 corkage fee. The beer and wine menu boasts beautiful selections from Germany and France; however, the closest it gets to local beers are a few selections from California and Oregon.

The KB3@BT menu is fun and eclectic. The flavor combinations were fun and interesting; I wish I had saved room for the bleu cheese ice cream. David and I opted to try different dishes as opposed to the tasting menu.

We began with the Tuna Confit Nicoise Crostini: big eye tuna confit/haricots verts/nicoise olive/chopped egg/caper berries/espelette chile. It was a playful take on the popular salad, perched on top of a crostini. The crostini proved to be inedible, but the salad was fun and light. The olives added an interesting flavor.

We also began with the Watermelon and Persian Lime Salad: greek yogurt/celery branch/curry vinaigrette. The cool explosion of the watermelon in your mouth was fresh and fun, and the added acidity of the lime made this salad a perfect mouth cleansing dish to prepare us for our next courses.

We next moved on to a 'medium' sized plate. We debated back and forth as to which medium dish to share, as the selections were all tempting. We compromised on the Prosciutto di Parma Zeppole: rosemary doughnuts/compressed melon/parmesan snow. Rosemary doughnuts? Yes, please! This dish was, like all the dishes, a fun and playful take on an everyday food item. The funnelcake-like doughnut was both sweet and savory. This dish allowed us to create different flavors in every bite by combining the ingredients in different ways.

Our next dish was also from the medium section of the menu. I can hardly ever pass up a carpaccio dish or a deviled egg, so that is exactly what we had. Tenderloin Carpaccio: haricots verts/deviled organic egg/violet mustard sauce/hand-cut fries. This dish was wonderful. The carpaccio was light and meaty and drizzled with delicious olive oil. The eggs were creamy and delightful. The beans were fresh and bright, and the fries dipped in mustard added another dimension to the plate.

Our final dish had the most unusual flavor combinations, and proved to be one of our favorites. Coconut gnocchi? It was superb. Vadauvan Key West Shrimp: coconut gnocchi/shaved sugar snap peas/shiitake mushrooms/crushed cashews/mango tamarind brown butter. I was blown away by the gnocchi. It was a completely unexpected flavor and texture. The gnocchi were not soft and delicate as usual, they were crispy on the outside and warm and delicate inside. The shrimp were giant and grilled to perfection. The accoutrements blended nicely, nothing overpowering another flavor.

Last night was fun and adventurous. Not only for David and I, but for Jeannie, her partner Melissa Judge, and the BT staff. The pop-up restaurant endeavor appears to be a winning idea for everyone involved, and I look forward to future incarnations. As for now, David and I must decide which plates to order next time we dine at KB3@BT.

Blood may link Bundy to cold cases

Ted Bundy was electrocuted by Florida in 1989. Now, law enforcement agencies across the country are hoping that a vial containing his blood will assist them in closing cold cases dating back to 1961. Florida's Columbia County has been able to build a DNA profile from the vial of blood and will be entering the profile into CODIS (the FBI's Combined DNA Index System) on Friday.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/04/florida.bundy.blood/index.html

South Florida foodies pot luck extravaganza

What happens when you gather forty South Florida foodie fanatics for a pot luck afternoon? An amazing afternoon of delicious food and homemade cocktails, of course!

Last Saturday, I was honored to join the South Florida Foodies for a pot luck party that did not only consist of fabulous food and drinks; I also enjoyed meeting and chatting with a diverse crowd of food lovers. While the SFLF group began as a small group of food writers, bloggers, and tweeters, recent press has caused our membership to swell to over 300. I met many people I had not seen at previous gatherings, and thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie that we mutually built over our love of food. As our head diva Maude so eloquently noted, "we come here knowing nothing about each other, and we bond and create friendships over food."

Each foodie in attendance was assigned the following: create one dish and one drink. The theme was 'avant garde'. As David and our friend Omar were joining me, we needed to compose at least three dishes and three cocktails.

• Joan Nova
• Foodies

I decided to go for the avant garde with gusto. I took a course on molecular gastronomy with Asbel Reyes and Allison Beasmen (both of Sidebern's) several years ago, and relished the chance to finally use some of the techniques that they taught me. Namely, balsamic beads and powdered peanut butter.

I had one major problem in my quest. The chemicals. I searched high and low online for a store in Miami that sold them, but failed. I did find online stores that would ship the chemicals from China. But, this would take too long. So, I conceded the powdered peanut butter and decided to focus on agar agar, a vegan gelatin substitute derived from seaweed. I had seen agar agar at Wholefoods in the Asian section, so I decided to find an Asian market to peruse. Also, Asbel's original recipe called for grapeseed oil, but I had to switch that out for olive oil. Olive oil freezes at a higher temperature than grapeseed oil, so I had to adjust the cooling time for the oil.

I Googled markets and discovered PK Oriental in South Miami. A quick call to confirm they had agar agar, and I was on my way. Much to my delight, I ended up in idea heaven. PK had multiple flavors of agar agar, as well as aisle upon aisle of fun items to drive my imagination wild.

• Gretchen Cothron
• Fun foodie ingredients

My initial idea for the balsamic beads was to create a one-bite salad and use the beads in it. I found unflavored agar and grabbed it. I had our salad course--a cherry tomato with a drizzle of olive oil, a fresh piece of basil and a few beads of 'balsamic caviar'.

I then had to recreate our sandwich course. I refused to entirely scrape the PB&J idea, so I needed to improvise. I found a package of mango flavored agar. Score. I then came across Thai peanut satay sauce and decided the spicy sauce and sweet mango would make a wonderful sandwich.

For our soup/dessert, I opted for coconut cream, coffee flavored agar, and almond flavored agar. It would be part soup, part coffee dessert.

While I was in Miami shopping, David was in Manhattan for work and managed a quick pop into Chinatown for some additional ingredients that would become the most unexpected hit of the party: his Taiwanese whole sesame crabs.

Omar, also in NY, was in charge of cocktail ideas. His 'Jonestown Surprise' was an early hit at the party. However, the longer it sat, the more intense the pulverized Thai chilies became, burning tongues by the end of the event. Surprise!

• Gretchen Cothron
• David and Omar

David, Omar, and I gathered Saturday morning to create our dishes, having not tested if they would actually work. Much to our delight (and somewhat surprise), everything except one cocktail worked. To save time, I made the agar jellies Friday night, so they could sit and congeal slowly overnight. Herve This warns that allowing jellies to congeal too quickly (i.e. the fridge or freezer as opposed to coming to room temperature first) will cause a molecular breakdown that will ruin your jelly.

Here are our creations. Thank you to Maude Eaton and Jason Inasi for creating and hosting this wonderful gathering of foodies. And thank you to Asbel and Allison for the inspiration.

Cocktails:

Jonestown Surprise
Bakon vodka
Tomato juice (plain)
Wasabi Peas
Thai chilies
Spam

Combine vodka and tomato juice (1/3 vodka to 2/3 juice). Pulverize the wasabi peas and Thai chilies in a processor or bullet. Add to vodka/juice mixture. Add a few ice cubes and mix well. Serve in a shot glass with a garnish of Spam on a toothpick.

Summer Sunshine

Prosecco
Pear juice
Dried Japanese kumquats

Combine one bottle of prosecco with a quart of pear juice. Add ice and stir. Serve in small glasses with a kumquat as garnish. If you allow the kumquat to soak in the bottom of the glass, it slowly re-hydrates and turns into a nice finish to your cocktail.

Bubble Tea (non-alcoholic)

• Joan Nova
• Bubble tea

Green Tea
Tapioca pearls
Milk
Honey
Coconut cream

Cook tapioca pearls as directed on package. Steep tea; I used two tea bags to make it strong. Combine tea and milk, adding coconut cream and honey to taste. Add tapioca peals. This is best served in a pitcher with a ladle, so guests can ladle the pearls into their cups.

Foods

• Carolyn Cochran
• Tomato salad with balsamic caviar

Salad

Cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil
Olive oil (a very large bottle, you want it to be tall. I used a quart sized bottle)
Balsamic vinegar
agar agar
water

Begin by preparing your mise en place: core tomatoes (if you have a melon-baller use it; I had to use a paring knife), place a little drizzle of olive oil and a small piece of a basil leaf in each tomato. Set aside in fridge.
Balsamic caviar:

• Gretchen Cothron
• Creating balsamic caviar

Place the container of olive oil in the freezer for at least a half an hour, but not more than one hour. On the stove heat equal parts water and balsamic vinegar (I used 3.5oz of each). In a small mixing bowl, combine agar with water very slowly. You want to create a paste. You want to use 1% agar to your vinegar and water mixture; I used just over 3gms of agar to create my paste. Combine the agar paste into the vinegar mixture and stir until dissolved. Allow to slightly cool before placing in a kitchen syringe or other bottle-type instrument that will allow you to create small droplets. Pull the olive oil container from the freezer and place into a large bowl or pot. Create an ice bath around the bottle of oil. Carefully drop little droplets of the balsamic/water/agar mixture into the bottle of olive oil. As the droplets fall to the bottom of the oil container, they will congeal into 'caviar'. Once you have created enough caviar, pour the oil through a strainer to remove the balsamic caviar. You can reserve the oil for use at another time. Place a few pieces of balsamic caviar into each tomato.

• Gretchen Cothron
• PB&J

Not your Grandma's PB&J

White bread
Thai peanut satay sauce
Mango flavored agar agar dessert

Make you mango agar dessert ahead of time. I made mine the night before. You can allow the dessert to congeal in fun molds; I used heart shaped silicone molds for mine. Trim the crust from your bread, then cut each slice into four smaller pieces. Smear peanut satay on each slice. Place a mango dessert jelly on each piece.

• Carolyn Cochran
• Coconut soup

Coconut and Coffee Soup

Dehydrated coconut cream
Coffee agar dessert
Almond agar dessert

Make the coffee and almond agar jellies ahead of time. I allowed mine to conceal in ice cube trays, for the shape. Follow directions on package for cooking the coconut cream. Allow cream to cool and add in coffee and almond agar desserts. Can be served in bowls or shot glasses.

• Gretchen Cothron
• Wasabi surf and turf

David's wasabi surf and turf

Potatoes
Lump crab meat
Cream
Butter
Wasabi spiked nori pieces
Wasabi powder (or pre-made paste)
Salt and pepper
Braised beef sliced thin on the bias
Taiwanese sesame crabs, whole

Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with cream and butter to taste, added salt and pepper as desired. Gently fold in lump crab meat to taste. Mix your wasabi powder with water, or add water to your wasabi paste to create a sauce. Lay small squares of the nori on your serving tray. Place a spoonful of the crab mashed potatoes on each nori. Drizzle wasabi sauce over potatoes. Place either a whole Taiwanese crab or a slice of beef on top.