NEW YORK, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- FreshDirect, one of the nation's leading online gourmet food purveyors and delivery services, continues to evolve its selection of prepared foods by launching all-new "Fresh Dining" meals and ready-to-grill items created in partnership with renowned New York City restaurant, Rosa Mexicano. Award-winning chef Roberto Santibanez, Culinary Director of Rosa Mexicano, recently collaborated with FreshDirect's chefs to create a selection of savory, restaurant-worthy dishes perfect for any fiesta.

"FreshDirect is delighted to be working with Rosa Mexicano and its talented culinary director, chef Roberto Santibanez," said Steve Michaelson president and CEO of FreshDirect. "The meals in this new line are not only delicious and flavorful, but bring customers an easy way to enjoy authentic home-style Mexican cuisine in the comfort of their own homes."

Packaging for the new "Fresh Dining by Rosa Mexicano" features a special valve designed to steam the meal, allowing a variety of raw ingredients to be cooked together. Rather than thawing frozen pre-cooked food like many pre- packaged dinners, the "Fresh Dining by Rosa Mexicano" line is steamed to perfection in the microwave optimizing flavor and tenderness.

FreshDirect's new line by Rosa Mexicano includes eight proprietary "Fresh Dining" meals and eight ready-to-grill items all showcasing a tasty array of Mexican cuisine. "Fresh Dining by Rosa Mexicano" include:

-- Beef Short Rib Enchiladas with Salsa Mestiza & Cactus / Enchiladas Mestizas $9.99 -- Vegetarian Enchiladas with Suiza Sauce / Enchiladas Suizas Vegetarianas $9.99 -- Chicken in Salsa Verde with Spring Vegetables / Pollo en Salsa Verde $8.99 -- Chicken in Ancho Chili Adobo with Green Beans, Shiitake Mushrooms & Rice / Pollo en Adobo $8.99 -- Grill-Marked Chicken in Tequila-Mushroom Cream Sauce with Snow Peas / Pollo con Hongos $8.99 -- Halibut in Tomatillo Herb Mole with Asparagus & Red Bliss Potatoes / Halibut en Mole Verde $13.99 -- Turbot in Veracruz Sauce over Achiote Rice with Asparagus & Chayote / Pescado a la Veracruzana $9.99 -- Shrimp in Red Bell Pepper & Chipotle Cream Sauce / Camarones con Crema de Chipotle $10.99

FreshDirect's line of Rosa Mexicano inspired ready-to-grill items includes specialty dishes such as:

-- Guajillo Chili-Marinated Pork Chops / Chuletas Adobadas $4.49 per lb. -- Three-Chili-Marinated Skirt Steak / Carne Marinada $11.99 per lb. -- Mexican-Spiced Turkey Skewers / Brochetas de Pavo $7.99 per lb. -- Chicken Thighs with Yucatan Spices / Muslos do Pollo Yucatan $2.99 per lb. -- Chicken Breasts with Yucatan Spices / Pechugas de Pollo Yucatan $6.99 per lb. -- Rosa Mexicano's Antibiotic-Free Rotisserie Chicken / Pollo Asado de Rosa Mexicano $9.99 per lb. -- Chipotle-Orange Marinated Jumbo Shrimp / Camarones a la Naranja $6.99 per 1/2 lb. -- Swordfish Steaks with Chili Guajillo Adobo / Pez Espada al Guajillo $8.99 per 1/2 lb.

"Working with FreshDirect gives me the opportunity to provide busy New Yorkers access to authentic Mexican cuisine in their own homes," says chef Santibanez. "I am extremely excited by this partnership and look forward to continued collaboration with FreshDirect and its talented team of chefs."

All meals have been designed exclusively for FreshDirect customers and are currently available for purchase at http://www.freshdirect.com/.

About FreshDirect

Founded in 1999, FreshDirect is one of the nation's leading online meals and fresh food manufacturing and delivery services. FreshDirect is setting a new standard for fresh food production and distribution by offering unparalleled quality, product customization, and value pricing from its state- of-the-art kitchen facility in Long Island City. The company is expanding rapidly and currently serves most of Manhattan and locations in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, as well as parts of New Jersey, Westchester, and Nassau County. The company's vision is to change consumers' lives by providing the ultimate shopping experience for impossibly fresh food and meal solutions. The company currently has over 250,000 customers and has fulfilled over 5 million orders since opening for business in September 2002. Additional information can be found at http://www.freshdirect.com/.

About Rosa Mexicano

Rosa Mexicano, established in 1984, introduced what was then a "new" cuisine to the Manhattan restaurant scene. Rosa Mexicano's original Midtown East location is at 1063 First Avenue (212-753-7407). In 2000, the next generation of Rosa Mexicano was ushered in with a second location near Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts at 61 Columbus Avenue (212-977-7700). In 2003, the first Rosa Mexicano opened outside of New York City in Washington, DC's bustling Penn Quarter at 575 7th Street NW (202-783-5522). A third Manhattan restaurant opened in the Union Square neighborhood in 2005, at 9 East 18 Street (212-533-3350) followed by Atlanta in 2006, at Atlantic Station 245 18th Street NW (404-347-4090) and Palm Beach at 11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue (561-625-3120). New Rosa Mexicano restaurants are slated to open in Miami by mid-2007. With a growing family of restaurants, Rosa continues its commitment to delivering authentic Mexican cuisine in an accessible, stylish and festive atmosphere. Rosa Mexicano Kitchen now offers these same authentic flavors at home with a new line of gourmet salsas and corn chips, available at http://www.rosamexicano.com/ and select stores across the country.

About Chef Roberto Santibanez, Culinary Director of Rosa Mexicano

Award-winning chef Roberto Santibanez was born in Mexico City. He earned his stripes at Paris' top culinary institutions before returning to his native country. In Mexico City, Roberto opened a series of groundbreaking restaurants that won overwhelming critical acclaim and raised the bar for contemporary Mexican cuisine. As the culinary director of Rosa Mexicano, a national restaurant group, Roberto uses his experience and culinary ingenuity to further lead the way in redefining Mexican cooking in the U.S.

CONTACT: Samantha Freeman, MWW Group for FreshDirect, +1-212-827-3761,
or sfreeman@mww.com

Web site: http://www.freshdirect.com/
http://www.rosamexicano.com/