City Grocery will be hosting Top Chef Masters 2011 winner Floyd Cardoz for the Share Our Strength’s Dine Out for No Kid Hungry on September 20th & 21st.  Share Our Strength is a national organization working to end childhood hunger in the United States.  During the week of September 18th-24th, participating restaurants across the country will raise funds through a variety of ways to benefit the No Kid Hungry campaign.  City Grocery’s proceeds from those two dinners will benefit No Kid Hungry.

The evening will include a four course chef’s wine dinner with menu created by Floyd Cardoz and wine pairings selected by Chef Currence.  The menu will focus on fresh, local and sustainable ingredients.  Words can not express our excitement for Floyd’s arrival!  These dinners are not to be missed and we hope to see you there…

Menu

Heirloom Tomato Salad, Toasted Coriander and Thai Basil
2010 Riff Pinot Grigio delle Venezie

Grilled Gulf Shrimp, Radishes and Fennel
2009 Domaine Luquet Bourgogne Blanc

Braised Short Ribs and Seared Strip Steak, Oat Risotto and Kale
2008 Shooting Star Pinot Noir (CA)

Vanilla Bean Kulfi, Strawberries and Mint
2009 Tintero Moscato D’asti

Where:  City Grocery
When:   September 20th & 21st
Price:     $65 per person exclusive of tax and gratuity

Reservations are now being accepted: (662) 232-8080

On Sunday, July 31, John Currence heads to Nashville to join Executive Chef Tyler Brown, of the Capitol Grille along with a group of award-winning southern chefs, for an event with Share Our Strength in the fight to end childhood hunger in America.  This dinner and auction, hosted by The Hermitage Hotel for the past four years, has highlighted the fact that, in the state of Tennessee alone, almost 30% of children go to bed hungry each night.

Joining Chef Tyler Brown for this special evening are:

John Currence of City Grocery Restaurant Group, MS

Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner, Raleigh, NC

Hal Holden-Bache of Eastland Café, Nashville, TN

Anne Quatrano of Abattoir, Bacchanalia, Floataway Café, Quinones, and Star Provisions, Atlanta, GA

Tandy Wilson of City House, Nashville, TN

The evening begins with a silent auction and reception at 6:00 PM in the lobby of The Hermitage Hotel.  Next is an amazingly creative, multi-course dinner and live auction at 7:00 PM held in the hotel’s historic Grand Ballroom.  Tickets for the evening are $150 per person.  Reservations are required.  Contact Andrea Agalloco at aagalloco@strength.org or 202-478-6528 with any questions.  Click here to make your reservations today.

Bouré is expected to move into its new space on the Square sometime in mid fall of this year.  With the new restaurant space, comes many new and exciting changes.  City Grocery Restaurant Group welcomes new Operations Manager, Phillip Chaney to Bouré.  Although Phillip was born and raised in Tupelo, MS he moved to Oxford 20 years ago to attend the University of Mississippi, and found he would make Oxford his home.  Phil comes to us with over 18 years in the restaurant industry.  His job history in Oxford includes long periods of time at each Old Venice Pizza Company, and Newks Express Café.  He has experience as a kitchen manager, general manager, director of quality control, and opening and branding new restaurants. He is a wealth of knowledge and we are thrilled to have him as part of our team!

Phil is married and has been for 10 years and has two little boys.

The 2nd annual Great Mississippi Seafood Cook-off is set to take place on June 15th between 1pm-5pm in Biloxi, Mississippi at the Slavic Benevolent Association Croation American Cultural Center.  Last year, the inaugural event happened just one day after the oil spill.  Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar took home the gold with his Pan-Seared Triple Tail.  This year, Vish will go to the event to hand off the crown, with the hopes to keep it in the City Grocery Restaurant Group family.  Six chefs throughout MS will be competing for the gold and the winner will go on to represent Mississippi and compete in the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans. The six chefs include, our very own, Heath Johnson, Chef de Cuisine of City Grocery, Glen Clark, David Crabtree, Aaron Russell, David Crews, and Tremayne Davis.

When:   June 15th 1-5pm
Where:  Slavic Benevolent Association Croation American Cultural Center
159 Maple Street
Biloxi, MS

Chef Vishwesh Bhatt is heading to Washington DC, to participate in the Smithsonian Demystifying Seafood Event.  Vishwesh will be there alongside several chefs from the Gulf and DC regions helping promote awareness of Gulf Seafood one year after the oil spill.

Bringing together celebrity chefs, actors, activists, and leading fishing industry experts, the Third Annual Seafood Event at the Smithsonian is two days of discussions and activities dedicated to the sustainability of our world’s oceans.

The Third Annual Seafood Event will take place at The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History June 8th and 9th, 2011, and will provide consumers with new guidance in selecting seafood that ensures lasting health for the oceans and their families.

For more information, please visit site

National Museum of Natural History
Baird Auditorium
10th & Constitution Avenue, NW

The results are in for The Best of Oxford 2011, and City Grocery Group was named the best of in several categories!

The Best of the Best: Chef John Currence
Best Chef: Chef John Currence
Best Restaurant:  City Grocery
Best Fine Dining: City Grocery
Best Happy Hour: City Grocery
Best Breakfast:  Big Bad Breakfast
Best Bartender: Spencer Posecai of Snackbar

To read the articles, click here

Thank you Oxford for continuing to support City Grocery Restaurant Group!

Chef Currence is off to NYC again to participate in the 9th Annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party….

Quoted from the website of BABBP…“The 9th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party takes place in Madison Square Park June 11-12, 2011, from 
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM. The weekend-long event occurs every June and brings together the country’s top pitmasters who cook up their award-winning food for over a 100,000 barbecue enthusiasts. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Madison Square Park, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party attracts people from near and far to sustain and celebrate America’s authentic culinary and musical traditions.

Admission to the event is free. Take in the sights, sounds and smells of the event – from great live music to engaging seminars and cooking demonstrations – without ever dropping a dollar. The country’s best barbecue is available from top pitmasters for only $8 per plate.

Proceeds from the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party support the Madison Square Park Conservancy, the organization responsible for the beauty, ongoing maintenance, and programming of this historic park.”