Hot Date: Friday, May 3 is TACA Lexus Party on the Green at the Rosewood Mansion (!)

yep, even chef bruno davaillon stands in line to be awed by chef sharon hage

this guy–Juan Rosado, of the Crescent Court–is a rock star. His tamarind short ribs with crispy sticky rice and pickled veggies hit all the right buttons. Wonder why I hadn’t eaten his food before

tamarind short ribs close up cameo

nice guy. Food just okay.

Christina LaBarba took a break from organizing Chefs for Farmers to schmooze with Mansion chef J. Chastain

Tiffany Derry-Mitchell’s scallops

Matt McCallister unpacked his crazy suitcase and came up with ash-poached scallops

Crazy good ancho-cocoa rubbed quail with polenta and fig syrup, from Tucker’s Point (Bermuda) chef Serge Bottelli. I’ve eaten at his restaurant and now I have to go back.

damn, the guy is photogenic

you could win nice bottles of wine at the $25 wine pull

Bruno Davallion and his pork belly with smoked hummus, pickled ramps and rhubarb (such a nice guy to have so much talent)

Yep, those  are images from my my favorite charity fundraiser of the year last year, the TACA Lexus Party on the Green. And this year’s event is coming up Friday, May 3. Hell, yes, I’ll be there, eating, drinking, mixing it up, and judging the Golden Skillet Award competition.

Yep, twenty chefs from mostly Rosewood resorts around the world will be competing for a golden skillet. I love everything about the TACA  Party on the Green. I love the location (the twinkling front courtyard of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek), the dine-around (five star cuisine; two if you’re consulting the DMN guide), the cork-pull ($20 buys you a bottle of vino that’s at often worth five times that amount), the dancing-under-the-stars (who can resist Emerald City?), the raffle to win the new Lexus (a 2013 GS 350) and the cause (The Arts Community Alliance, or TACA, which champions artistic excellence in performing arts organizations and encourages innovation, collaboration, and engagement through financial support, stewardship and resources).

Each year, TACA and Lexus team up to sponsor the outdoor dine-around at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. This year, the event is helmed by Cindy Stager and Jill Tananbaum.

Now the cheffy line-up, each cooking really good stuff for a really finicky crowd:

Nicolas Blouin of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Juan Bochenski of Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, Guido Brambilla of Rosewood Tucker’s Point, Eric Brandt of Bistro 31, Tim Byres of Smoke and Chicken Scratch, Bruno Davaillon of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Scott Gottlich and Daniel Trasevich of Bijoux The Second Floor, Carlos Hannon of Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Jeff Harris of Bolsa, Craig  Kamrowski of Central Market, Brian Luscher of The Grape,Jason Maddy of Oak, Matt McAllister of FT33, Andrea Natera of Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar, Victor Palma of Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, Gustavo Pinet of Las Ventanas Al Paraiso (a Rosewood resort), Matt Raso of Nobu, Alejandro Rojas of Rosewood Mayakoba, Juan Rosado of Rosewood Crescent Hotel and Nathan Tate of Boulevardier.

Yes, you need a ticket. Here’s the hook-up: 214-520-3930.