Tapas on the Trails with Chef Budd & the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

HOUSTON, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Our popular Valentine's event returns with Chef Dan Budd. Please join us for a very special evening of gourmet food and wine on the trails of the Houston Arboretum to celebrate Valentine's Day. We will have a series of stations set up along our Inner Loop Trail, each with a delicious tapas menu.

This romantic evening features a walk along our softly lit trails, with stops throughout the forest to dine on delicious courses paired with carefully selected wines. Each of the stations will feature a different dish, along with matching wines to highlight and complement each food selection. The evening ends at the Meadow Deck, overlooking our one acre pond and demonstration meadow, where guests will enjoy sparkling wine, handcrafted desserts, coffee and the company of a live owl.

Menu:

• Savory phyllo bites with fresh vegetable dips and crudites
• Roasted butternut squash bisque topped with pepitas and coarse salt
• Seasonal salad with citrus, fresh berries, spiced pecans, and infused vinaigrette
• Spice-rubbed beef tenderloin accompanied by warm rolls, port-wine deglazed mushrooms, and pickled horseradish
• Warm chocolate ganache griddle cakes and wild berry mash prepared by Chef Dan Budd
• Each course will be served with a carefully chosen wine

*Chef Budd will available to prepare tapas dessert live on television if needed for news coverage.

Our Fourth Annual Tapas on the Trails will commence February 9, 2013, at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Drive, from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. For those unable to attend the Tapas on the Trails event, Chef Budd will also be hosting The Art of Chocolate the night before, February 8, 2013, from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, 4501 Woodway Drive. During this event, Chef Budd will review the origins of cocoa and the varieties of chocolate available around the world. After a short lesson, participants will sample pairings of wine and chocolates from around the world and enjoy a demonstration of a simple and customizable chocolate recipe.

Registration details for both Tapas on the Trails, as well as The Art of Chocolate, with Chef Budd can be found on our website at: http://www.houstonarboretum.org/ Special note: Dress comfortably for your walk through the woods. The trail to Meadow Deck is approximately 1/4 mile and is wheelchair accessible. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the Nature Center building.

About The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center:

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, a lush 155-acre nature preserve, is one of the city's greatest natural treasures.  Located in Memorial Park, at 4501 Woodway Drive, the Arboretum is home to more than 75 varieties of native trees, 160 species of birds, 16 species of turtles, 10 species of frogs and 33 kinds of butterflies.  Visitors can explore and enjoy five miles of walking trails to experience nature at its most dramatic and in exquisite detail. The Arboretum grounds are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.

The Nature Center building is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Discovery Room is open every day except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and provides fun, hands-on activities and exhibits to explore nature up close.  Admission is free, but donations to support this nonprofit organization are appreciated. 

About Chef Dan Budd:

Chef Dan Budd has spent the last 23 years creating pastries and desserts in some of the world's finest hotels and restaurants in America and France. Chef Budd has been the pastry chef at such famous eateries as New York City's River Cafe and Adrienne and was the opening pastry chef of the highly acclaimed Park Avenue Cafe in both New York and Chicago. In 1998, Chef Budd was one of eight American pastry chefs who accepted an invitation to create centerpieces for President Clinton and the First Lady at the White House Easter egg hunt. He also spent 5 ½ years as an Associate Professor in Baking and Pastry Arts at the Culinary Institute of America, and currently owns Taste Budds Chocolate Desserts in Red Hook, NY.

Press Contacts:
Julie Shuford, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
[email protected] 512-695-7296

Public Contact: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
www.HoustonArboretum.org 713-681-8433

SOURCE Houston Arboretum & Nature Center