MenuPages

Tom Colicchio has a lot going for him. A pile of wildly successful Craft-branded restaurants far flung throughout the country, national celebrity as host of Top Chef, an oh-so-shiny bald pate. But one thing his fame and fortune haven't delivered is the one thing he started with in the first place: A kitchen of his own, where he could man the stoves himself and directly oversee the plating and service of a handful of happy diners.

So now that he's rich and famous enough to build a small, humble restaurant, he's building himself a small, humble restaurant: the tentatively-named Tom: Tuesday Dinner, which will be located in the private dining room of his New York Craft flagship, and will run dinner service every other Tuesday, to the tune of a few benjamins a head. The first seating is October 14.

While we can see this raising eyebrows in some circles, and we certainly see the ironic circularity of the situation, we are ultimately of the opinion that this kind of return-to-the-kitchen situation is precisely what's needed to counteract the current national scourge of celeb chef empires. For every Mario Batali, who can effortlessly pull off helming Babbo in New York and Osteria Mozza in LA with equal aplomb, there are a dozen wannabe-national chefs like Marcus Samuelsson, whose C-House flounders helplessly in Chicago while in New York, his Merkato 55 circles the drain. Not to mention Wolfgang Puck, who has become little more than a glorified Chef Boyardee: a well-known name and a smiling face, readily available on soup cans and in your grocer's freezer.

What Colicchio's doing is a smart antidote to Puck-style market oversaturation (or Samuelsson-style too-much-too-soon). While anyone with basic cable knows Tom's name and face, and anyone in New York, Atlanta, LA, or Las Vegas is within 30 minutes of a menu he's personally signed off on, he's taking it one step further. He's simultaneously appeasing his original fans, the ones who knew him by taste instead of by DVR, and also shoring up the core value of his celebrity. Both of these, fortuitously, are achieved merely by offering the real thing: Himself, in a kitchen, making a plate of food just for you.

Colicchio Cooks! [Diner's Journal]
Name This Restaurant [Diner's Journal]
More Details on Colicchio’s New Project, Tom: Tables Now Available! [Grub Street]
Craft [MenuPages]
Craft [Official Site]

So, Robert Parker wants us to boycott restaurants that over-charge for wine. The publisher of Wine Advocate reportedly writes in an upcoming article that restaurants jacking up the price of wine is, "nothing more or less than a legitimized mugging."

Strong words, no doubt. But for as much as we'd like to see his campaign work, it might be a non-starter. Parker decries the idea of wine as "a luxury item," but the fact is, for many people, it really is a luxury item. Take, for example, the recent study that found more expensive wine tastes better. And, as long as there is disposable income left in this country, somebody's probably going to dispose of theirs on fancy wines.

But he's right that it's infuriating to know you're overpaying by as much as 500 percent simply because other suckers out there are willing to do so. So yeah, go ahead and boycott those places that gouge you into the poorhouse, but you may just have to write them off for good. We don't think they're going to see the light any time soon.

if you do still want enjoy a glass of wine the next time you're out to dinner, get a look at Lettie Teague's Food and Wine tips for getting the best deals in a restaurant. Also, check out this 2003 New York Times article on how wines are priced.

Robert Parker Says Stop Eating at Restaurants with Unfairly High Wine Prices [Serious Eats]
Tips: A Cheapskate’s Wine Rules [Food And Wine]
Why Wine Costs What It Does [NY Times]

[Photo: Two Buck Chuck via Kables/flickr]

I am always amazed at the placid dogs that sit quietly on a restaurant's outside patio while their owners happily munch away. The only dog my family ever had, Lucy, is a 50-pound headstrong and hyper German shepherd-terrier mix. No way she would've sat for an hour when there were people and dogs walking by and untold items to sniff. (Think the Boca Raton coffee shop scene in Marley and Me, although thankfully, Lucy is nowhere near as strong as the 97-pound Marley was.)

But clearly some dogs are better trained than Lucy, or smaller and more easy to manage, and owners just love to bring their pets along to brunch/lunch/dinner. And since the passing of the doggie dining bill by the Florida legislature in June 2006, restaurants have run with the idea. Sam Snead's in Orlando has a "furry friends menu" with items like chicken and kibble and bow wow pizza that are served on a frisbee; with prices in the $4-10 range, it's actually a pretty smart way to pad the bill. And China Grill in Miami Beach recently hosted "Dogs Gone Wild" on Sunday evenings, which also offered a menu just for pets. (The promotion is no longer available, but guests are still welcome to sit with their dogs on the outdoor patio.)

Here's where I want to hear what you guys think. Do you know of any other pet-friendly restaurants in South Florida? Or do you think the furry beasts belong at home and should stay there?

Sam Snead's [Official Site]
China Grill Sobe [MenuPages]
China Grill Sobe [Official Site]

Photo: Lochaven/flickr

• Today the new FDA country-of-origin labeling requirements go into effect for produce and meat! [Seattle Times]

• ... for most produce and meat, that is. Mixed vegetables and Spam are exempt. [Bloomberg]

• Part of yesterday's failed bailout included a bill that would prevent non-ambulatory cattle from entering the food supply. [Pork Magazine {a real publication!)]

• Cadbury, Heinz, and Mars are all pulling their Chinese-made products, as they may contain melamine. Sigh. [Telegraph]

• Voters in California are debating Proposition 2, which would mandate that farm animals — including swine, veal, and chickens — be uncaged. In related news, why don't we live in California? [SF Chron]

Let no one tell you that you can't live forever: immortality has been discovered -- well, for a burger, anyway. Death eludes the indomitable McDonald's hamburger. Consider the following evidence, via Serious Eats and courtesy of Karen Hanrahan's website, bestwellnessconsultant.com:

The burger on the left, purchased 12 years ago looks exactly the same as the burger on the right, circa 2008. No wrinkling, no discoloration... the cosmetic industry ought to take a hint.

The Big Mac's source of fountain of youth is not, as popular conspiracy theories would have us believe, children who had been sucked into the ball pits, but rather an elixir blend of powerful anti-aging ingredients: distilled monoglycerides, DATEM, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, enzymes, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, guar gum, mono-and diglycerides, calcium peroxide, calcium propionate and sodium propionate. And that's just the bun.

Now the patty is a real puzzle. According to the McDonald's website, the patty is composed of
"100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper)." But this doesn't quite explain why meat that ought to have rotted beyond recognition still looks like a recent order. Got theories on this subject? Send us a line.

I leave you with one thought, however: wouldn't it be embarrassing (or poignant, depending on your point of view) if a millennium from now, an advanced future race discovered the only remaining fragment of our civilization -- the soul-less, youthful carcass of a cheeseburger? And, in any case, aren't there better alternatives?

12-Year Old McDonald's Hamburger, Still Looking Good [Serious Eats]
1996 McDonalds Hamburger [bestwellnessconsultant.com]
McDonald's USA Ingredients Listing for Popular Menu Items [McDonald's USA Official Site]

[Photo: Via bestwellnessconsultant.com]

Remember Jack Davis, the middle school student who wrote to the Florida legislature suggesting that restaurant donations to homeless shelters be shielded from litigation? Well, now that the law has passed, Davis is taking it upon himself to visit local restaurants and let them know what they can do to help.

Jack Davis, the Miami Shores student who inspired a state law last year that allowed restaurants to donate leftovers to the homeless, now wants to make sure the food is getting from the kitchens to the streets.

The 12-year-old boy is visiting restaurants and other commercial establishments to let them know about the law that allows them to donate food to shelters and soup kitchens without the risk of being sued.

...

Jack's biggest goal is to educate restaurant owners on the law so that they will be more inclined to donate excess food that would otherwise be tossed away. He is in the process of getting handouts printed to give to restaurant owners and other businesses that will spell out the highlights of the law.

''Restaurants can make a big difference, but first they have to know,'' Jack said.

Student educates restaurants on feeding the homeless [Miami Herald]
11-Year-Old Helps Restaurants, Homeless Shelters Work Together [MP: South Florida]

This lovely review just came in a few minutes ago, yet it has already given me a headache:

We live in the neighbhor hood , this place has a great food as always needed some facelift to go & eat with our family, thank god the newmanagement took steps. nice decor ,atmosphere,ofcourse not missing the great food.we just read the banner out side while passing by they catered @ open this year!!!!!wow awsome!!

Chicago put itself on the front burner this past weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, were on the scene. From Sunday: Big names, big fun.

Art Smith's shrimp and grits.

When they took the stage at Chicago Gourmet Sunday for a cooking demonstration, it was like getting a sneak peak into what that show would be like.

Both Gand and Smith are obviously at home in front of an audience because of the time they have spent in front of the camera, and they know how to put on a good show. They even had cookware prizes to give away! But there was also something more personal about their presentation.

The two friends cook together behind-the-scenes at events but rarely in public. Still, they know each other well. So Gand and Smith kicked things off by cracking open a bottle of wine. They raised a glass to Chicago Gourmet. Then they got busy helping each other cook.

Gand made apple fritters. And Smith whipped the egg whites for her. Smith made his famous shrimp and grits. And Gand helped with the sauce. Then they opened some champagne.

It was fun watching these two play in the kitchen! They share a love for food and cooking that's positively contagious.

I wish they'd come cook in my kitchen. As it is, I'm about to go heat up leftovers in the microwave.

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

Gale Gand and Art Smith play in the kitchen.

• El Q-Bano brings some Cuban food to Biscayne Boulevard. [Daily Cocaine]

• The list of ingredients in the heath shake from Baskin-Robbins is scary; it's not just the actual ingredients, but the sheer number of them. Also, it packs 2,310 calories. Insane. [Short Order]

• Sara heads to Grass Restaurant & Lounge and is reminded of how much she likes the place. [All Purpose Dark]

Chicago put itself on the front burner this past weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, were on the scene. From Sunday: Hitting The Bottle

Jackie Shen telling her story at Chicago Gourmet.

"Honey, it comes from a bottle!" Shen admitted, with a rather devious smile during her "East Meets West: Wok and Wisk" seminar Sunday at Chicago Gourmet.

Of course Shen does a ton of stuff to that bottled sauce before she serves it.

You need to have a good foundation in cooking to know what to do, she says. Inspiration doesn't just strike. Finding the right balance of flavors is all about knowing what you're working with — and trial and error.

Shen went on to talk about how her entire cooking career has been about finding that balance. Originally trained as a French chef, she got bored with the cuisine (especially the sauces) about seven years ago and decided she needed a change.

"My dad said, you're not a chef anyway; you know nothing about Asian food," she said. "I wanted to prove him wrong!"

So Shen asked her mom to visit and teach her how to make wontons. She started to focus on the food she ate as a child in Hong Kong but didn't know how to make. And once she had a solid foundation in Asian cooking, she started to think of ways to fuse it with western-style food.

"I've had a good time going from fire to wok," said Shen. "People are traveling more, and trying new flavors. There can be balance between them."

Shen is currently exploring this further in a cookbook she is collaborating on in addition to teaching at Kendall College and working at Red Light.

One thing is for sure: I need to try that sauce from a bottle as soon as possible. Red Light here I come!

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

A story on the Barf Blog today raises a question so disturbing that much of our restaurant-o-phile readership will probably shudder at the very thought. But the evidence is there: Some restaurant and institutional kitchen food poisoning may be deliberate.

It's not pretty, but when you think we've all probably harbored some kind of sick revenge fantasy against a boss from hell or a job from hell or some such thing, you have to admit it's totally possible that some of the food poisoning cases in the world are no accident.

Barf Blog refers to a story of an International House of Pancakes in Texas that has been linked to more than 100 salmonella cases over the last five months. Police are investigating, and while they stopped short of calling the contamination intentional, they said they were, "investigating every option."

But don't let it scare you too bad. Really, when was the last time you heard a substantiated case of this kind of attack? Plus, it's one of those things you absolutely can't predict. So just try not to think about it, okay?

But do avoid the IHOP at I-40 and Western Street in Amarillo. Intentional or no, that's a shameful track record.

How much food poisoning is deliberate? [Barf Blog]
Over 100 salmonella cases linked to IHOP [KVII Texas]
Food Safety for First Responders [Centers for Disease Control]

[Photo: Food Poisoning Microbes via Braintree District Council]

Chicago put itself on the front burner this past weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, were on the scene. From Sunday: Tasting California.

In the tasting tent.

Stefen Soltysaik from Rodney Strong Vineyards was my guide; his wine seminar at Chicago Gourmet, called "Examination of Cool to Warm Climate Cabernet Sauvignon," was excellent. We were each given four glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon. The first three glasses were from different Rodney Strong wineries in the valley, and the fourth glass was the vineyard's current pride and joy, the 2005 Rockaway blend.

Then the geography lesson began, and Soltysaik explained how climate impacts wine. Each glass was incredibly different because of the location of the winery where it was produced.

As we tasted and learned more, Soltysaik also detailed how the wine we were drinking was made.

It was a fascinating and well-put-together presentation. I've taken a variety of wine tours and have gone to a number of tastings. This one was far-and- away the most educational and entertaining I've attended.

The wine was spectacular too… especially the Rockaway 2005! I sought out that wine and sipped some more at the Grand Cru Tasting later in the day. It just might inspire me to go to Sonoma one day. (As if I really needed an excuse!)

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

• Uh-oh, Jack-o-Lantern (and pumpkin baked good) enthusiasts! Too much rain this summer = poor pumpkin harvest this fall. [Boston Globe]

• The poisoned milk disaster spreads its melamine tainted tentacles even further, with news that White Rabbit candies, the inexplicably tasty vanilla-flavored chews, are NSFE (not safe for eating). [LA Times]

• The North Dakota Farmer's Union is opening a restaurant in Washington, D.C., and they're shooting for making it the "greenest" in the city. Ironically, since this demands an emphasis on local crops, most of the food will not come from North Dakota farms. [AP]

• Would you like Starbucks in exchange for your empty milk carton? RecycleBank awards per pounds recycled, and those points can be redeemed for Starbucks, groceries, Coca-Cola products and more. Filling your tummy by emptying your bottles and cans? Pretty sweet deal. [Newsweek]

• 103,000 pounds. Sound heavy? That is how much meat the Utah Food Bank got from 4-H members across the state, in an incredibly weighty donation. [The Salt Lake Tribune]

Chicago puts itself on the front burner this weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, are on the scene. Today: How to taste wine.

Lined up and ready to pour.

"Food is full of fat, and wine is acidic," he explained Saturday during a wine seminar at Chicago Gourmet. "Think about eating steak. You're essentially coating your palate with fat. As you sip wine, it cleans your palate so you can taste the next bite."

The first bite is always the best, he continued, and when you pair food with wine you get 30 first bites.

That's a good reason to become a wine lover, and once you start tasting a variety of wine it's a whole new world.

In the seminar "Tasting the Masters' Way," Dame walked us through that world a bit with a blind tasting. He detailed techniques sommeliers use to identify and appreciate wine and discussed what it takes to become a sommelier. Some of his best tips:

• Identify the scents in the wine you're about to taste. What fruits do you smell?
• Look at the color of the wine. Is it bright? Clear?
• Keep in mind that white wines grow darker with age and red wines grow lighter.
• Swish your wine around. Look at the legs. Wines with a lot of tannins are fuller-bodied wines.
• Taste a variety of wine. It will surprise you.
• Take notes whenever practical.
• Enhance your skill with taste tests — especially blind ones.

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

Chicago puts itself on the front burner this weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, are on the scene. Today: Food demos!

Jose Garces, head chef at Chicago's Mercat a la Planxa, prepares octopus.

No joke. This simple technique, known as scaring, tenderizes the octopus, making it more succulent to eat.

Jose Garces, the head chef at Chicago's Mercat a la Planxa, explained this to a captive audience yesterday during a Best of Spain and Mexico cooking demonstration at Chicago Gourmet.

Sharing the stage with Rick Bayless, Garces got everyone's attention before he even started cooking, simply by holding up the octopus. Then he showed us how to cook it. I know I'm not ready to give this a shot myself, but it was utterly fascinating to watch. Until yesterday, I had absolutely no idea how to "scare" an octopus.

You know what else? Start saving the corks from the red wine you drink. When you throw them in the boiling water with the octopus it adds to the flavor. Cool, huh?

Watching a cooking demo at Chicago Gourmet is what I imagine it would be like to be on the set of a cooking show that airs on the Food Network. The stage at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park is currently the home of a snazzy looking kitchen set, complete with professional appliances and cookware. Large mirrors hang over the prep tables so that you can watch the chefs work.

And it's really fun to watch a great chef cook. They make it look easy. Cooking and plating well is an art… and I like to see it as it happens.

Having said that, I must admit that I don't watch cooking demos often. That's because I find it very dissatisfying not to be able to taste the food I'm watching people prepare. I know for a fact that if I were to make the same dish myself it wouldn't taste as good. So I was really hoping to get to taste the food after watching live cooking demos.

No such luck. In some cases, I could find samples of the dish made in a demo at a tasting table later in the day, but not always.

Still, the demos were great to watch and they may even inspire me to cook! Garces certainly inspired me to eat: Tammy and I made our way Mercat a la Planxa for dinner last night and splurged on not one, but two orders of octopus.

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

After the jump, photos of Rick Bayless's two demo dishes, plus salted cactus!

Rick Bayless' demo dish: Stewed ribeye.

A sample portion of the ribeye, served up at a tasting table later.

Salted cactus from another demo, "The Best of Latin Flavors."

[All photos by Tammy Green. All rights reserved.]

Chicago puts itself on the front burner this weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, are on the scene. Today: Where's the food?

Dried fruit display at Pastoral Artisan Cheese

My tummy was rumbling when I arrived at the main entrance Saturday morning, primed to sample everything Chicago's best chefs had to throw at me. It turns out that wasn't much.

The majority of the booths at the main event, located on the lawn of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, offered wine, not food.

"Isn't there supposed to be a Grand Cru Wine Tasting later today?" I asked Tammy, my Chicago Bites co-host, as she photographed the scene.

"Yeah."

"So what's with all the wine?" I asked, baffled. "Where's the food?"

So we set out on a tireless quest to find something to eat, relentlessly foraging from booth to booth.

The booths themselves were lovely. Many looked professionally designed, and were decorated with phenomenal flower arrangements and tempting pictures of food or large reproductions of restaurant menus. But time after time, we walked away with brochures and nothing to eat.

Then we saw a line stretching out of the Chaise Lounge booth… they were serving crab cake and salad! Victory!

"Have another plate," the owner said, after I'd devoured my first. "I've never been to a food fest with so little food."

True. And here's the kicker: I'd venture a guess that all that wine drove up ticket prices. So folks paid $100 to get in and drink on empty stomachs because they thought they were paying to eat.

Tammy and I were able to ferret out a few more food tastings throughout the day. But they was sparse and meat-heavy. Tammy is a "fussitarian": She eats fish but no meat. So she sat by patiently while I tried things like chicken salad wraps and bacon-and-onion tartlets.

She did get to sample A Mano's olive oil gelato though, which was one of the food highlights of my day. We both enjoyed Kefir smoothies from Star Fruit café in the Whole Foods kids' area, and there were a couple of booths with dried fruits and excellent cheese. I loved Rick Bayless' rib eye steak dish. But of course Tammy couldn't eat that.

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

The crab cake at the Chaise Lounge booth was a saving grace.

[All photos by Tammy Green. All rights reserved.]

Chicago puts itself on the front burner this weekend with the inaugural Chicago Gourmet, a weekend-long festival of food and wine attended by chefs and sommeliers near and far. Special MenuPages correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green, of the dining podcast Chicago Bites, are on the scene. First up: The opening night reception.

When you know the bartender, the headwaiter, or the bus boy, you're in for a better dining experience. These are the folks whose service can make or break an evening.

So, when I spotted Carol, an acquaintance I met years ago through work, behind the bar last night at Chicago Gourmet's kickoff in Millennium Park, I had an inkling it was going to be an amazing night.

"I didn't even know you were a bartender!" I said, wandering over to say hello, while the press photographers were busy snapping shots of Mayor Daley.

"One of my four jobs," she replied with a smile. "This is such a cool event, isn't it?" she said, pouring me a glass of wine. "You've got to try the Seven Daughters white, it a blend of seven grapes. You'll love it!"

Chicago Gourmet aims to solidify the city's place as an international food contender through a series of cooking demos, seminars, and tastings this weekend. And the food I sampled last night was great, but it wasn't the most striking part of the launch.

The most striking part was a prevailing sense of excitement. Every chef and attendee I chatted with shared Carol's enthusiasm for the event and seemed genuinely thrilled that Chicago is finally flexing some culinary muscle. Last night's reception was attended mostly by presenting chefs, the media, and corporate sponsors, but it was anything but stuffy. It was more like a jolly convention of foodies.

I still have to wonder though if Chicago Gourmet will resonate with the general public. In Chicago, we're used to having a street fair every 15 minutes during the summer, so a weekend of food is nothing new. And as a result, we're also pros at eating food on a stick in a tent.

Ticket prices, chocolate pepper macaroons, and worries for the future, after the jump!

John Penn's salad gives me hope that the British won't starve!

The local lineup showcases Chicago's best, but just as impressive is the event's international flavor. Chefs from Chicago's sister cities throughout the world have flown in to participate, and last night there was much buzz about the 2016 Olympic bid.

In between chats with fellow foodies, I did manage to taste everything. The standouts for me were the tuna tartar starters, and the desserts – especially the chocolate pepper macaroons. Many of the main dish tastings were game heavy – featuring veal and ostrich. I didn't really like them, but appreciated what they were going for.

My favorite dish of the evening was John Penn's Haricot Vert Salad, a refreshing medley with some of the tastiest tomato and olive garnish I've ever had.

Penn is visiting from England, and when I lived there, I ate to live, not because I wanted to eat. If Penn's salad is any indication, he has the potential to greatly improve the food scene on the other side of the pond. He's a culinary teacher too… so he's passing his knowledge to others! There's hope!

The Risotto with Veal Sweatbread & Crawfish Moussaka was rich and flavorful, but not my thing.

My initial impression of Chicago Gourmet is good. But I do wish the price tag wasn't so high (although I'm told that it is much less expensive than similar events in New York) because everyone should have the opportunity to taste the best Chicago has to offer.

Will folks pay the price and show up for events today? Or will corporate sponsors make up the majority again? I'll keep you posted! No matter what, I'm looking forward to good eats. And I'd better get to it.

—BRIDGET HOULIHAN

[All photos by Tammy Green. All rights reserved.]

While much of the talent is homegrown — Frontera's Rick Bayless, Top Chef's Stephanie Izard, Gale Gand of Tru and PBS — the festival's got global reach, with chefs and wine experts flying in from all over: from Terrance Brennan of New York's Picholine and Maricel Presilla of Hoboken, NJ's criminally delicious Cucharamama and Zafra, to Mpuhe Dhlomo of Africa Meets Europe in Durban, South Africa and Francesca Marsetti from Milan's Brasserie Iseo Brescia.

Of course, MenuPages will be on the scene as well: special correspondents Bridget Houlihan and Tammy Green (of the can't-miss dining podcast Chicago Bites) will be bringing their formidable skills to the table, filing regular reports throughout the weekend, starting with tonight's opening night gala.

• Bostonians are dumbstruck with grief after a grease fires one of the area's best burger joints. [MP: Boston]

• Graham Elliot Bowles is misinformed about a lot. [MP: Chicago]

• Business Week is approximately fifteen years behind the times in its list of up and coming neighborhoods. [MP: Philadelphia]

• Resolved: there's no good reason to prevent a taco truck from parking outside a high school. [MP: San Francisco]

• A Floridian chain has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in one year. [MP: South Florida]

Are they still doing $16 diet cokes there or have prices gone up?

– Chowhound tpigeon's response to a post about 1116 Ocean, the restaurant inside Casa Casuarina

Anything newer or on the way to Dade? [Chowhound]

For cop-out Friday, check out this classic Sesame Street video with Grover doing his best impression of yours truly as a waiter. No, not really. But seriously? If we're ever called upon to take up the mantle of the service industry once more, we're totally going to forgo a notebook in favor of Grover's rhyming memory technique. "Round and tasty on a bun..."

Almost exactly one year after being sold for $2 million, R J Gator's has once again filed for bankruptcy. It's not surprising, considering the recent closings of the Port St. Lucie and Okeechobee locations.

Palm Beach Gardens-based J&D Restaurant Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, said Alex Tyson, director of operations for the company.

The company is way behind on its bills, but it's hopeful that it can reorganize and keep its remaining five restaurants open, Tyson said.

The company closed its Port St. Lucie and Okeechobee restaurants this month and its Stuart restaurant in June.

Tyson blamed the soured economy for putting a dent in the restaurants' business.

"When you talk to people and you say, 'How are you going to save money?' ... the first thing that they say is, 'We're not going to go out to eat,' " Tyson said.

RJ Gator's files for bankruptcy [Palm Beach Post]
RJ Gators Sold For $2 Million [MP: South Florida]
Duffy's Bucks Downward Economic Trend [MP: South Florida]
R J Gator's [Official Site]

• Europe is concerned that their condensed milk could be of the tainted Chinese variety. [New York Times]

• People in Japan and Taiwan have already become sickened by the melamine-tainted milk. [Washington Post]

• Hong Kong residents are staying as far away from food imported from China as possible. [Bloomberg]

• Here in the U.S., we don't need to worry about tainted food because the FDA has the resources to stay on top of it. Oh wait. They totally don't. [Chicago Tribune]

• Even amidst the financial meltdown, there's good news for at least one group of rich people: McDonald's shareholders. [LA Times]

We wrote about the delightfully eccentric Kenny Shopsin, of New York's Shopsin's, but a couple days ago and that same night, he appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. For those readers who have never been to Shopsin's, and perhaps may never go, this clip is a pretty stellar example (minus a lot of cursing) of what to expect from Mr. Shopsin. For those who have, he's in fine form, no?

The video is a fun watch, not only for the way these two banter (seriously, have two people ever looked more perplexed and befuddled by the other?), but also, because of what they cook up. Mac and cheese pancakes? A pancake with a tiny little burger in it? S'MORES PANCAKES? Kenny Shopsin is truly blowing our mind with all of these reinventions!

What's more, this video &mdash plus all of the Shopsin-mania swirling around the release of his cookbook &mdash just happens to fall during the same week as National Pancake Day, which is tomorrow. As far as coincidences go, this one could hardly get better: Shopsin has whet pancake appetites nationwide + you basically have no recourse but to stuff your face with pancakes tomorrow.

We can't all rush to Shopsin's for mac and cheese pancakes, but that doesn't mean that there aren't mighty fine pancakes to be found elsewhere in the country. So run on down to Blue Heaven tomorrow and remind yourself what a real short stack tastes like. Hell, order yourself a side of macaroni and see what happens.

Shopsin's [MenuPages]
Shopsin's [Official Site]
Blue Heaven [MenuPages]
Blue Heaven [Official Site]

Don't know your Bordeaux glass from your Chardonnay glass? In a clever marketing effort, wine-glass maker Riedel is hosting a Riedel Wine Tasting tonight at Morton's in Coral Gables, during which the company intends to show "the profound difference a wine glass can make on how wines taste." (Hey, the critics at Wine Spectator say it's true..) If you're more interested in the wines, these are the ones that will be sampled tonight:
"Erath Pinot Noir with fresh fruit aromas of cherry, raspberry, and blueberry; Chateau Ste. Michelle Canoe Ridge Chardonnay with fresh apple, ripe pear and spice aromas and flavors; Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Cabernet with dense aromas of boysenberry and brown sugar spice with layers of fruit, nicely integrated, yet very age-worthy, tannins; Domaine Ste. Michelle Luxe, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling."
The wines will be poured in Riedel “Flow” series wine glasses, and guests will take home a case of four (a retail value of $60). The wine tasting is paired with Morton’s signature hors d’oeuvres, including petite filet mignon sandwiches, chicken goujonettes, broiled sea scallops, and miniature key lime tarts. T
he cost of attendance is $70. The event is tonight, September 25, from 6-7:30pm at Morton's in Coral Gables.

If beer is more your speed, downtown's Bin No. 18 is hosting a complimentary tasting of Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale and Unibroue Apple Ephemere, from 6:30-8:30pm. No word on the glasses they'll use...

Morton's [MenuPages]
Morton's [Official Site]
Bin No. 18 [MenuPages]

• So perhaps Cita's Italian Chophouse isn't exactly authentic. The steaks are still excellent and the ambiance is lovely. [Miami Herald]

• Lee Klein says of the new Pacific Time: "there are moments when you may find yourself thinking of Pacific Time as Michael's Genuine in a kimono." In other words, it's really great. [Miami New Times]

• Linda Bladholm writes about a restaurant with one of the more interesting ethnic mixes in an area full of them: El Tamarindo Restaurant in Hallandale Beach, which serves Salvadoran specialties in addition to pizza from the coal-fired brick oven. [Miami Herald]

• Trina used to serve unique and interesting Sicilian fare. Now? It's "Mediterranean," just like so many other restaurants, and the food is uneven. That said, the cocktails are great. [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

• Looking for a place to watch the game (any game, really) in Broward? Check out a few of these spots, which guarantee a television, sports fans, and good food. [Miami Herald]

• Mondo's has an eclectic menu, but the food is great and the price is right. And apparently the oatmeal pie dessert is great. (What is oatmeal pie? Must find out!) [Palm Beach Post]

So, um, remember that Swiss Chef we reported on, who was playing with the idea of using human milk in his restaurant dishes? Yeah, well guess who lurrrrved that story? PETA, of course.

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hopped right on the human milk bandwagon, sending a letter to Ben and Jerry's co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield asking them to replace cow milk with human milk in their famously counterculture-embracing ice cream.

The ice cream mavens politely declined, PETA reported in its blog:

In response to our letter, Ben and Jerry's issued the following statement: "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child." Hey, guys, that's our point: Cow's milk is for baby cows.

The Breast Is Best! PETA Asks Ben & Jerry's to Dump Dairy and Go With Human Milk Instead [PETA Media Center]
Update: PETA to Ben and Jerry's: Breast Is Best! [The PETA Files]
Find-A-food Search [MenuPages]

[Photo: Via Cherry Hill Drive-In]

• If it weren't for that pesky financial crash, this Chinese food safety thing would be really big news. As it is, you may not have heard that all sorts of potentially contaminated products are being yanked in all sorts of countries. [CNN]

• When San Francisco passed a health-care mandate, some restaurants tacked on a surcharge. Now a New York City grocery store is doing the same and blaming the high cost of energy. [Newsday]

• A London restaurant is offering a meal meant to replicate the diet of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. It contains 6,000 calories, but no penguin. [Times Online]

• Pity the French. Really. They had a good thing going with the long lunch, and now they're not only cutting that short, their options are shrinking as restaurants across France shutter in these tough times. [Business Week]

I've known quite a few picky eaters. A roommate once dated a guy for a year who would only eat in chain restaurants. (My reaction: "And you went on more than one date with him?") A friend is terrified of mayonnaise and begins to hyperventilate at the mere thought of mayo being in anything she's already ingested.* And I once dated a guy who wouldn't eat eggs or anything with even a hint of spice. (That relationship ended very, very quickly.)

But that was nothing compared to some of the people interviewed for this Globe and Mail article. One guy will only eat dry chicken, well-done steak and sauce-free veggies. (That's him in the video, attempting to eat pizza, which he did not like. Who doesn't like pizza?!) Then there's the other guy who has eaten the same thing for lunch for the past decade: peanut butter on crackers with a glass of milk.

The first inclination is to label them spoiled brats — which they are, to the same extent we all are; none of us is threatened with starvation, so we have the luxury of picking and choosing what we eat — but after reading through the comments too, I'm beginning to think that this isn't just some childish thing. These people have a serious disorder. Imagine how socially crippling it would be to not be able to hold down most foods. It made me feel a bit sympathetic towards these ridiculously picky eaters.

That said, God help me if I ever give birth to a picky eater. I love food too much, and I just don't have that kind of patience.

Burgers make me gag [Globe and Mail]
TJ vs pizza [YouTube]

Wow, talk about a clash of the food-politics titans. Check out this debate between sustainable food guru Michael Pollan and Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant, held at a Google-sponsored forum.

They're talking about pretty important issues, and in a way, each seems like something of a caricature of his side. Grant wants to solve the world's hunger problems through the magic of (Monsanto) technology, while Pollan argues for many local, sustainable solutions, developed at a grass-roots level, by people so hungry they can barely keep themselves alive. There's an element of evil corporate suit vs. idealist college professor, but that's as much a pre-existing stereotype as it is a reality. They're both pretty astute and articulate.

It's good viewing, even if few of the world's problems are solved by the end. Most people don't want to eat crops that were developed in a lab, nor can they afford grass-fed steaks from New York's Blue Hill. But at least debates like this get companies like Monsanto out of the backrooms of government, and idealists like Pollan out of the ivory tower.

Slow Food Vs. Monsanto [Grist Mill]
Blue Hill [MenuPages]
Blue Hill [Official Site]

Some restaurants are actually doing well despite the economic downturn; Duffy's Sports Grill just opened a Deerfield branch and is planning to expand to Delray Beach. So while lots of other chain restaurants are seeing red (RJ Gator's just shut two more locations, one in Port St Lucie and another in Okeechobee), Duffy's has managed to not only stay in the black but expand. Pretty impressive.

What makes Duffy's thrive while Steak & Ale, Bennigan's and others are shutting down?

Buying failed locales at bargain rates. Negotiating hard with suppliers for low prices. And focusing on value for clients, especially through its frequent-diner program, restaurant experts say.

...

Perhaps the chain's greatest innovation is borrowing tools from airlines to adjust prices for peak and slow times and to reward loyal clients.

For example, Duffy's offers 40 percent off all food weekdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., when tables tend to be empty. To qualify, diners must sign up for its MVP frequent-diner card. Cardholders also get a $10 credit for every $100 of purchases, among other rewards and benefits.

About 70 percent of sales come from more than 200,000 MVP cardholders, who mainly live or work near Duffy's outlets. Many retirees come in weekdays just before 4 p.m. to order cut-rate dinners and then, buy "2 for 1" drinks at happy hour that starts at 4 p.m.

Restaurant chain serves up a profit in tough times [Sun-Sentinel]
Duffy's Sports Grill [Official Site]

• The French are moving away from long, lazy lunches to sandwiches eaten at their desks, and cafes in Paris are suffering. Naturally, this is really big news over there, lots of hand-wringing involved. [The Independent]

• And now fast food is making serious inroads in the Mediterranean, and the kids are getting much fatter because of it. [NYT]

• Hot oatmeal is the top seller among the new food items at Starbucks. It's great news for the company since profit margins for the oatmeal are among the highest. Which is usually a good indication that it's so cheap and easy you should be making it at home. [Reuters]

• Scandal in the food industry: it seems there may have been some price fixing among California tomato processors. [SFGate]

• Kolkata (aka Calcutta) in India has banned smoking in restaurants after October 2. [Times of India]

If you don't know this restaurant, you should: New York's Shopsin's, perhaps one of the quirkiest, oddest, most delightful, most infuriating restaurants in the world, which is presided over by Kenny Shopsin, who is himself one of the quirkiest, oddest, most delightful, most infuriating restaurateurs in the world.

Shopsin's is famous for any number of reasons: the 900-plus-item menu, the draconian dining room rules (no parties greater than 4, no two people at the same table ordering the same dish), the seeming infinity of Kenny's cantankerousness, the Calvin Trillin treatment in The New Yorker, the sign reading "All our cooks wear condoms."

And then, of course, there is the food: Blisters on my Sisters (sort of like huevos rancheros), Egg Nachos (exactly what it sounds like), Slutty Cakes (pancakes filled with pumpkin and peanut butter), Mac n Cheese Pancakes (another self-evident one) ... and that's just breakfast.

We realize, of course, that not everyone is at this very moment in New York City and able to go to the cramped space in the Essex Street Market to have Kenny make you a Chicken-Fried Hamburger. So now, the Chicken-Fried Hamburger comes to you!

Eat Me: The Food & Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin is coming out tomorrow from Knopf, and it could not be a more awesome cookbook. Organized around chapters like "The Story of Shopsin's Turkey, or Why I Hate the Health Department," and studded with 70s-era photos of Shopsin's kids taking baths in the sink and straight-faced portraits of Kenny's everyday kitchen utensils, this is certainly not your mom's copy of Joy of Cooking. In fact, it probably makes Joy of Cooking blush and giggle the red off its cover.

Eat Me [Amazon]
Shopsin's [MenuPages]
Shopsin's [Official Site]

[photo of Kenny by Jason Fulford]

Apologies for the light posting. Your editor is currently curled up on the couch slurping chicken soup and nursing a really bad cold. More frequent blogging will resume tomorrow.

Photo, of the chicken soup at Puerto Sagua: The Travelin Man/flickr

After yesterday's public head-scratching on the San Francisco blog over OpenTable's handling of large parties (in this case at Medjool), we got a response to our question of why reservations for, say, 12 people, sometimes can't be accepted through OpenTable, but can be accommodated after a phone call directly to the restaurant. OT spokeswoman Shannon Stubo wrote in an e-mail:

The availability you see on OpenTable.com is a direct reflection of the way the restaurant has set up its reservation book. Each restaurant sets its book up differently to accommodate the unique dining patterns and management needs of that particular business. When a diner searches OpenTable.com for restaurant reservations, the results reflect the actual book availability at that restaurant at that point in time.

Because a restaurant may have the flexibility to reconfigure tables during service (combining two tables for two into one table for four, for example or reassess the expected completion time of a previous dining party), hostesses are sometimes able to accommodate diners by phone. Large parties require a certain amount of operational attention, and restaurants occasionally want a human to make that decision based on what’s currently going on in the restaurant.

Medjool: Reservations The Old-Fashioned Way [MenuPages SF]
OpenTable.com [Official Site]
Medjool [MenuPages]
Medjool [Official Site]

• Tootsie rolls? In barbecue sauce? Apparently it has the depth of a mole. Intriguing. [Chadzilla]

• Jan checks out the roast pork dinner at La Sirena. [Jan Norris]

• Gail tried a new method of opening a wine bottle. Not so successful — stick to the corkscrew. [Short Order]

• Trina puts on what looks like a really amazing farm-to-table dinner. [Miami Dish]

• Now that 53,000 babies have fallen ill from tainted milk, Chinese officials are saying that "this is a failure of the system." [Bloomberg]

• ...So China's top food safety official has resigned. [WaPo]

• A new study says Splenda is bad for your tummy. But! The study was funded by the National Sugar Association! [NYT]

• At a cafe in the Netherlands, cameras watch every move the customers make. For science, of course. [SFChron/AP]

• In lighter news: An elderly vegetarian in Australia befriended a giant pig, who is now holding her hostage inside her home. Pig. As in bacon. [Daily Mail]

There are two general rules in our kitchen: one, if I cook -- you clean. Two, when in doubt -- add cheese. Is there a single dish in existence that won't benefit by the addition of cheese? We're clearly not alone in thinking along these (dubious) lines, because AXE, the body product brand (and another dubious concept), wants to know -- can't man benefit from the addition of chocolate? Behold the Chocolate Man!

Meanwhile, in an inspired move of cocao genius, a German company goes one further: combining typography with chocolate. 'Cause, you know, typesetting is so much sweeter when it's made with chocolate...

[Photo: Via Typolade]

For politically oriented drink marketing, everything comes down to a name.

Serious Eats reports today on a little-known Chilean wine sold in San Francisco that has taken a severe dip in popularity since the complete GOP ticket was announced. The name of the maligned red: Palin Syrah.

"It was our best selling wine before (the V.P. announcement),” said Chris Tavelli, owner of Yield Wine Bar, which has offered Palin Syrah, a certified organic wine from Chile, by the glass since July. But after Sen. John McCain tagged Sarah Palin as his running mate, sales of the wine with the conservative's inverted name plummeted—not surprising in famously liberal San Francisco.

McCain has his own link to the wonderful world of alcoholic beverages through his wife, Cindy McCain, whose family fortune comes, in part, from domestic beer behemoth Budweiser.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, will have to sit this round out. Word is, he's a teetotaler.

'Palin Syrah' Wine Drops in Sales After Sarah Palin Veep Pick [Serious Eats]
Sixpoint Craft Ales Brews "Hop Obama" Ale [Beer Advocate]

[Photo: Via Appellation Wine And Spirits]

Despite the ever-more-depressing news about the economy that we all seem to be bombarded with daily, the Herald managed to find a bit of good news down in Homestead. The Main Street Cafe, which closed two years ago, will be re-opened by a new owner and will hopefully help revitalize the dying downtown Homestead business area:

While in its heyday, the café thrived as a hot spot for primarily folk and jazz thanks to former owner Laurie Oudin. But she could not always fill the 100-seat eatery and she wondered if the music was too limited a diet for Homestead.

Now [new owner William] Lora thinks he has the solution: He plans to host a variety of themed nights -- including comedy nights on Wednesdays, country and folk music on Thursdays, pop and rock nights on Fridays and Latin night on Saturday. The restaurant, he said, will open for breakfast, and stay open as late as possibly 3 a.m. -- if the city allows it.

''We would like to bring back the same quality of performers, but give them a little something different than before,'' said Lora, who said he has already spoken to several artists who used to perform at the café and are interested in coming back.

Lora is aiming for a mid-October soft opening of the restaurant only, to be followed by a grand opening in November. He has applied to the city for a license to operate, and also must gain City Council approval to sell beer, wine and liquor. A hearing date has not yet been scheduled.

Old downtown Homestead hangout to return [Miami Herald]

• Those FDA guidelines on genetically modified animals were released on Thursday, and the plan is to treat modified animals "like drugs." There is already a glow-in-the-dark aquarium fish on the market, but don't expect to find GMO meat in your supermarket today. [Chicago Tribune]

• Attention aspiring diner-owners! The owner of Grubb's Diner in Huntingdon, PA is looking to sell or even donate his vintage diner to the right person. Once you've proven your mettle, all you need to do is move and reopen it. [Boston Globe]

• The judges at the Nez Perce County Fair in Idaho awarded first place in the "hog-calling" category to a woman named Bacon. Jolee Bacon. [AP]

• "Spain... on the Road Again," the culinary/travel show featuring Mark Bittman, Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, and some other chick, begins airing this week. Opinion is divided on whether the addition of Paltrow will be a boon or a bust. Guess we'll find out soon enough! [NYT]

• In the world of cure-all food trends, acai seems to be the new wheatgrass or bee pollen. Before it was that, the berry was a "poor man's staple" in the Amazon. Now it's known as "purple gold," and although considered a green harvest, there are concerns about what it might do to the rain forest. [LA Times]

Forget Sparks. They're going to outlaw that junk anyway. The next big thing is this totally serious product we saw written up in the Onion:

According to makers of the nervous-energy drink Pace!, the new beverage provides consumers with the same anxiety, restlessness, and self-doubt associated with waiting for a phone call from a much-desired female acquaintance.

Happy Friday. Have fun on that date tonight!

States ask MillerCoors to pull alcoholic energy drink [LA Times]
New Nervous-Energy Drink Recreates Feeling Of Waiting For Girl To Call [The Onion]

• Last meal choices: an analysis. [MP: Chicago]

• Make pizza, not war! [MP: Philadelphia]

• Rubbing elbows with highly caffeinated mobsters. [MP: Boston]

• Fight food poisoning with other, less poisonous food. [MP: San Francisco]

• And some of the prettiest brunch pictures you ever did see. [MP: South Florida]

Has anyone seen the latest issue of Florida Monthly magazine? The "Best of Florida" list for 2008 is out, and it's a looooong one. There are some puzzling categories (the Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine won "best historical landmark" for the eighth year in a row, because really, how often do new historical landmarks pop up to challenge the leaders?) as well as some puzzling results (Pleasure Island wins "best nightspot" over South Beach? Seriously?). It should be noted that the winners are voted on by the magazine's readers, so the editorial staff cannot be blamed for that nightlife gaffe. The entire list is here, but if you're only interested in the food-focused ones, they're after the jump.

Best New Restaurant: The Great Outdoors Restaurant (Alachua County) of High Springs is located in a restored opera house, built in 1895. The second floor is used for event space, and the lower level holds the restaurant and Springhouse Tavern, a distinctive bar full of local micro-brews. (Hmm...sounds interesting. Will keep in mind for next trip to visit friends in Gainesville.)

Best Place for Brunch: Headquartered in Bradenton, First Watch (statewide) is the largest daytime-only restaurant company in the country. Food is made fresh daily, with special menu items that vary by region, such as the Key West Crepe. (A chain with lots of Florida locations. Meh.)

Best Restaurant: At the Old Hickory Steakhouse (Osceola County) in the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, visitors can enjoy retro cocktails and the highest-quality Premium Black Angus aged cuts. At the Island Room at Cedar Cove (Cedar Key, Levy County), renowned chef Peter Stefani creates remarkable cuisine using the freshest local ingredients. (Granted, I haven't eaten at either of these places and I've got a clear South Florida bias, but I'd put Michael's Genuine Food & Drink here.)

Best Seafood Restaurant: Since 1947, A & B Lobster House (Monroe County) has served up a unique combination of elegant atmosphere, attentive service and inspired cuisine in Key West. (There's a fair amount of local fish on the menu, so yay!)

Best Hometown Diner/Café: Floyd’s Diner (Alachua County) is decorated in 1950s style with bright-red booths and stools, a checkerboard floor, and a jukebox. This High Springs eatery offers friendly service and affordable meals. (High Springs lays claim to both best new restaurant AND best hometown diner? Interesting. That said, Floyd's looks like fun.)

Best Coffee Shop: Starbucks (statewide) (Boo.)

Best Place to Have a Picnic: At Bahia Honda State Park (Monroe County) on Big Pine Key, visitors can pack their own lunch or visit the snack stand, where pizza, deli sandwiches, salads and more are available. (Totally agree. I have many fond memories of picnics at Bahia Honda.)

Best Outdoor Café: Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café (Seminole County) in historic downtown Sanford offers traditional American and German cuisine, more than 50 German beers and, occasionally, live accordion music.

Best Restaurant with a View: Rusty Pelican, with locations at Key Biscayne (Miami-Dade County) and Tampa (Hillsborough County), serves fresh, tasty seafood in a casual-elegant atmosphere among breathtaking oceanfront views.

Best Microbrewery: River City Brewing Company (Duval County) offers elegant dining surroundings, with a view of the St. Johns River and the Jacksonville skyline from the main dining room. Diners can observe the beer-making process in the Brewhouse Lounge.

Best Steakhouse: This one is split between the Old Hickory Steakhouse and Ruth's Chris Steak House . Ruth’s Chris has 15 locations in Florida and is the world’s largest fine dining company. (World's largest fine dining company? Learn something new every day.)

Best Barbecue: Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q was founded in Gainesville in 1968 and has grown to more than 150 locations in the Southeast. (No no no no no. Sorry, but I've ate at Sonny's once in northern Florida, and never did the idea of "best barbecue in the state" cross my mind. It wasn't bad, just not great.)

Best Wine Store: The original ABC Fine Wine & Spirits opened in Orlando in 1936. It is now the largest privately owned fine wine and spirits merchant, with locations statewide.

Best Pub: McGuire’s Irish Pub serves up good food and fun in a lively atmosphere in its the Pensacola and Destin locations. Since it opened in 1977, the tradition of sticking dollar bills to the walls has left more than $500,000 on the ceiling. (Another interesting note: the pub brews its own beer, from an ale, to a raspberry wheat, to a stout. They even make root beer!)

Best Hamburger: Five Guys Burgers & Fries has 41 Florida locations, offering made-to-order, fresh ground beef burgers and lots of fries cooked in pure, no-cholesterol peanut oil.

Best Sub/Sandwich Shop: Subway. (Ack! This is the problem with doing statewide surveys. Too many chains end up on the list.)

Best Key Lime Pie: Blond Giraffe (Monroe and Miami-Dade counties) started on Duval Street in 1999. Business grew rapidly after the Brazilian owners won the Key West Key Lime Pie Contest. Seven locations are now open throughout Key West, Marathon and South Miami, where customers can sip cappuccino and watch fresh pie being made. (Mmmmm....)

Best Conch Fritters: Alabama Jacks (Monroe County) in Key Largo floats on two roadside barges in an old fishing community. The restaurant has been family owned and operated since 1947.

Best Gator Tail: Sanford’s Gators Riverside Grille (Seminole County) is a family restaurant and bar located on the St. Johns River with indoor and outdoor seating available.

Best Margarita: Margaritaville, one of singer Jimmy Buffett’s many claims to fame, is a casual island-style restaurant chain open in Orlando (Orange County), Key West (Monroe County) and Panama City (Bay County).

Best Place for a Hot Dog: The Hob Nob Drive In (Sarasota County) is an original 1950s outdoor diner serving hamburgers, hot dogs, handmade milkshakes and daily specials. The Sarasota establishment is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Best of Florida Awards 2008 [Florida Monthly]

Looks like Boca Raton is having a bit of difficulty defining a "restaurant" and a "nightclub:"

The difference between a nightclub and a restaurant may seem obvious. But in Boca Raton, it gets complicated.

Months ago, police wanted to stem a string of shootings that involved clubgoers. They set out to write tougher restrictions on clubs, from requiring security guards to controlling the sale of alcohol. Central to that effort is what defines a nightclub — and therein lies the problem.

Those who run eateries and dance halls, and those who attend them, are calling the city's ordinance too much of a broad-brush attempt to crack down on crime. They say it could cost these businesses money and spoil their atmosphere. City officials, meanwhile, are revising the proposal based on feedback from restaurants.

"It's not like fights break out," said Judy Miller, 65, who dances at the Pavilion Grille every week. "Maybe over handicap parking spots."

The restaurant in the atrium of a bank building on Yamato Road attracts an older crowd of more than 100 dancers most nights of the week. Being called a nightclub would go against its license as a restaurant and what's allowed in the bank building, said manager Kevin Bingham.

"It would be detrimental," he said. "It would change the entire scope of the business."

• The Japanese minister of agriculture steps down after tainted rice is found in the food supply. [BBC]

• The Canadian processing plant linked to all that tainted deli meat re-opens [National Post]

• The Chinese may start taking their coffee black after contamination is found in regular milk as well as baby milk. [BBC]

• British bans on advertising junk food don't seem to translate to the waistline. [Reuters]

Oftentimes, the use of a fanciful or unusual ingredient makes our pulse race in excitement and fills our mind with all of the possible ways to incorporate this new element into foods. Not so with the article in the Times UK about Swiss chef, Hans Locher!

You see, the inventive new ingredient that Locher has been experimenting with (and seeks to incorporate on the menu for his restaurant) is human milk. Yes. In case you are not already feeling squeamish, let us reiterate: human milk. For the curious, sample dishes include breast milk lamb curry and antelope steak with chantarelle sauce with breast milk and cognac. In case you were wondering where the milk came from, he began crafting these dishes after the birth of his daughter, so the dots are fairly easy to connect.

He then put out an ad for donors, "who were promised the equivalent of about €10 [...] for a litre of milk," which frankly, just does not seem like enough. Unfortunately for Locher, Swiss authorities did not respond very positively to this, and Locher will find himself in a bit of a pickle if he chooses to go through with his human milk menu.

As far as inspiration, we have it from the mouth of the man himself. Says Locher:

The idea first came to me when I noticed that there were many young mothers in our village, some of them single. I thought to myself: why not make use of their potential? I served the meals to my friends without telling them about the new ingredient and the feedback was excellent.

Says this writer: we often think of all the things that we would love to eat, and pat ourselves on the back when memes like the Omnivore's Hundred make the rounds. The line needs to be drawn somewhere though and as far as we're concerned, human breast milk is a pretty good place to start. Disagree? Think that this would be an excellent notch to add to your omnivore's bedpost?

Gourmet Hans Locher cooks up trouble with human milk recipes [Times Online]

[Photo: via Tubes./Flickr]

We heard a rumor (well, it's got a bit more teeth than a rumor, but it's not exactly public yet) that Seasons 52 is planning to open a Miami-area location within the coming year. They've got a location and seem to be getting some paperwork done.

Seasons 52, whose focus is on cuisine that is at least partly driven by what's in season, already has locations in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach Gardens.

Seasons 52 (Boca Raton) [MenuPages]
Seasons 52 (Fort Lauderdale) [MenuPages]
Seasons 52 (Palm Beach Gardens) [MenuPages]
Seasons 52 [Official Site]

Atrio at Level 25 announced today that its executive chef, Michael Gilligan, will be recognized for his culinary contributions to South Florida's gastronomic scene at this year’s Americas Food and Beverage Show (Sept. 24-26). In some related culinary trivia, Gilligan spent his beginning years honing his trade as an apprentice chef at Michelin-starred restaurants in France and England, where he cooked for Princess Diana and other members of the British Royal Family.

Atrio [MenuPages]
Atrio [Official Site]

"The kobe "filet" was actually so unappealing in texture and taste that I passed it to my husband."

– Taken from an MP user's comment on a New York City restaurant that shall not be named. Because when your meal is inedible, the only loving thing to do is have your spouse finish it.

After posting the Review Digest, I went back and read Charles Passy's article about Flavor Palm Beach more closely. He mentions Forte Di Asprinio's awesome wine flight that can accompany the Flavor menu:

Drink options: Forte has taken the Flavor concept to the next level with its addition of a wine pairing for a modest $20. In our case, that meant we got to sample five unusual wines, from a sparkler from New Mexico to an after-dinner sweet wine from Greece, all accompanied by thoughtful commentary from the extraordinarily knowledgeable sommelier.

Savor the Flavor at a slice of the price [Palm Beach Post]
Flavor Palm Beach [Official Site]
Forte Di Asprinio [MenuPages]
Forte Di Asprinio [Official Site]

My home city of Boston has found itself in the news this week, and not just because of Tom Brady's knee injury. On Saturday, the city officially banned trans fats in all of the city's restaurants and other businesses that make and sell prepared foods. In doing so, Boston became the third MenuPages city to do so (New York's ban was enacted in July 2007 and Philadelphia's came into effect in September of the same year; a statewide ban in California is set to take effect in 2010). From a public health standpoint, the benefits of a trans fat ban are clear: trans fats (artificially-manufactured oils) have been under fierce fire since a 2006 article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that they can cause "considerable potential harm, but no apparent benefit" and reduce good cholesterol while upping the bad kind. There's also little evidence that cutting out the Crisco is detrimental to a product's taste.

Truthfully, for all the hoopla about trimming the trans fats in Boston, the ban has had little effect. Why? Well, for one thing, the legislature voted for the ban in April, giving local chefs plenty of time to cut the offending ingredients from their menus. For another, although the bill has been stalled as of late, Massachusetts as a whole has been flirting with a trans fat ban since July. Finally, this being Boston, the importance of Dunkin' Donuts' victory in developing a doughnut with zero grams of trans fats cannot be overestimated.

Trans Fats Now Banned In Boston Restaurants [Boston Globe]

• The Brazilian-Italian fare at Maino Churrascaria is a welcome change to the usual Argentinian-Italian restaurants that litter the area. [Miami Herald]

• Estranged high school sweethearts meet again after 23 years, marry, and open a pizza shop: Big Tomato. Fourteen years later, it's still going strong and has a devoted following. [Miami Herald]

• Manny's Steakhouse offers fantastic steaks with a side of humor. [Miami New Times]

• More Italian from the Herald this week: Rochelle Koff checks out Massimo's in Miramar, where the food is good and service is helpful. Just don't ask the waiters about a wine's "oakiness." [Miami Herald]

• Metronome is "elegant without being stuffy." Aside from a few misses (the bread, the bouillabaisse), the French fare is great. [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

• Need a few ideas for Flavor Palm Beach? Charles Passy gives Strip House and Forte Di Asprinio each an A-, and TooJay's a B+. [Palm Beach Post]

• Twelve more arrested in Powdered Milkgate 2008. [New York Times]

• The FDA will finally release guidelines on bioengineered animals today. Get excited! [Washington Post]

• Want an endless pasta bowl or some Old Bay biscuits? It's gonna cost you. [Chicago Tribune]

• Twenty five states ask MillerCoors not to put their plans for Sparks Red into motion. God, it's like they don't want teenagers to be drunk or something! [LA Times]

• The salmon industry needs at least seventy million dollars, preferably as soon as possible. [San Francisco Chronicle]

File this under "most inventive smuggling operation ever." A group of smugglers wanted to get cheap vodka from Russia to Estonia without having to pay those silly EU taxes. So they built an underwater pipeline to funnel the spirits from one country to another:

TALLINN, Estonia (AFP) — Eleven suspects have been charged over a smuggling operation to pump vodka from Russia to Estonia via a two kilometre (one-mile) underwater pipeline, Estonian prosecutors said Tuesday.

"It might sound weird and unbelievable but it's a very real criminal case," Mari Luuk, spokeswoman for the Estonian Viru Circuit Prosecutor's Office told AFP.

She said the 11, who included Russians and Estonians, were likely to go on trial soon and faced up to five years in prison if convicted.

The illegal pipeline was submerged in a water reservoir located between Russia and Estonia near the north-eastern Estonian border town of Narva.

The operation was profitable as the price of vodka in Russia is nearly one third cheaper than in Estonia, a member of the European Union since May 2004.

Apparently these men, who somehow managed to avoid capture for almost four years since the discovery of the illegal operation, face up to five years in jail. Although given the fact that they have an underwater vodka pipeline on their resumes, it may be difficult to keep these men in prison.

Eleven charged in Estonia for vodka smuggling via pipeline [AFP]

Photo: clicking passion/flickr

Wow, the news about plastics just keeps getting scarier. First it turns out they may give you brain damage. Now it seems you can get a host of diseases from the stuff as well. You doubtless picked it up from this morning's FYI, but just to remind you, here's what the Chicago Tribune had to say about the latest findings on Bisphenol A, a compound found in all sorts of plastic:

Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is used extensively in the linings of food and drink containers, plus countless consumer products, including baby bottles and sippy cups. The chemical also has been found in drinking water, dental sealants and even household dust.

Adding to a growing sense of unease about the chemical's potential effects was a study released before federal hearings Tuesday that linked exposure to bisphenol A with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities in adults.

So what can you do to avoid getting sick, or going soft in the head? Well, as government regulators talk about whether or not to ban the stuff, you can start packing your lunch in a glass or metal container, and maybe pick up one of those metal water bottles. Meanwhile, according to the Tribune,

Some state and federal lawmakers have sought to ban BPA in children's products, and some companies have decided not to produce or sell BPA products. Wal-Mart is phasing out sales of baby bottles containing BPA from its U.S. stores next year, and Nalgene is removing BPA from its popular water bottles.

Common chemical BPA under scrutiny as study links it to diabetes, cardiovascular disease [Chicago Tribune]
Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration With Medical Disorders and Laboratory Abnormalities in Adults [Journal of the American Medical Association]
Draft Assesment of Bisphenol A For Use In Food Contact Applications [FDA]

[Image: Via Wikipedia]

I'm never more rested than on a Sunday morning, and I invariably wake up with the desire to do one of two things: go for a bike ride alongside my silky terrier Jack ... or go to brunch. This weekend, we left Jack at home and opted for brunch at 1 Bleu, which recently incorporated a live jazz band into the weekly event.

A few days later and I'm still full, and I think I only sampled a tenth of the offerings (though my husband probably experienced about 50 percent). Previously, I would've argued that the Four Seasons has the best brunch in Miami (they have a chocolate bar, so they had me at hello), but the selection at 1 Bleu was just as generous: cheese, vegetables, fruit, crepe stations, shrimp, oysters, omelet stations, mimosas, Bloody Marys, Bellinis, carving stations where even lamb was on the menu, and the most drool-inducing dessert table I've ever seen. (The only thing missing was a sushi station).

At $67 a person, the brunch is priced well below that at most comparable hotels in Miami (if you're looking to spend more, however, you can always add an a la carte order of caviar for $185), and the service is impeccable. The staff is attentive but does not rush you, and most parties lingered for several hours. And the beautiful ocean views set just the right tone for a tranquil Sunday.

1 Bleu [MenuPages]

• Now a third baby has died in the contaminated milk scandal in China; more than 6,000 have gotten sick. [VOA]

• BPA — the stuff that is found in plastic food and drink containers — is now linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver-enzyme disorders. [Chicago Tribune]

• The US approved $250 million worth of farm sales to Cuba — that includes food and construction materials — to help them rebuild after being battered by Gustav and Ike. [AFP]

• The USDA is considering revamping the way allergy precautions are written on food labels. [Washington Post]

• Moose: it's what's for dinner. (In Alaska.) [NYT]

In Fort Lauderdale and feeling left out of Miami Spice? Don't. From October 1 through November 14, a selection of Greater Fort Lauderdale restaurants will offer three-course menus, priced at $35, in celebration of Dine Out Fort Lauderdale. Get a sneak peek during this preview at The Atlantic Resort & Spa.

In January 2007, Carol Blymire launched French Laundry at Home, her award-winning blog in which she attempts — and succeeds at — cooking every single recipe in The French Laundry Cookbook armed with little more than her normally-equipped home kitchen, a scathing sense of humor, a formidably stacked iPod playlist, and a small army of neighborhood kids to serve as sous chefs and official tasters.

...And starting a brand-new one. Soon (very soon!) Carol will be launching Alinea at Home, in which she'll blog her journey through every single recipe in the forthcoming cookbook Alinea (Ten Speed Press), based on the menu of Chicago's uncountable-number-of-awards-winning restaurant, Alinea, helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Grant Achatz. Alinea is poised to be a groundbreaking cookbook in every way: From their industry-bucking publishing model to the book's interactive companion website, the ink-and-paper Alinea experience looks like it will be as unique as the reservations-and-silverware version.

To say we are jealous of Carol would be a gross understatement. To say we are beside ourself with excitement to have sat down via email for a Q&A with her would be fairly accurate.

MP: Tackling Alinea after completing The French Laundry feels like a natural progression: Grant Achatz trained under Thomas Keller before striking out on his own. Now you're intimately acquainted with the techniques and recipes of both chefs — can you see (or taste!) Keller's influence in Achatz's cooking?
CB: I definitely see an influence in the playfulness, nuanced nods, and the touchstones to that with which we're already familiar. As we've read now for years, Chef Keller is known for creating dishes that remind him of childhood or other memories, and Grant does the same thing. Just like Keller's "Coffee & Doughnuts" reminds me of my uncle's bakery, at Alinea, Grant did a dish based on Chinese takeout — a sheet of gelled Guinness, peanuts, peanut puree, a sous vide short rib, broccoli, and so on... and it reminded me of my freshman year in college and all the Chinese food one of my now best friends and I ordered as we got to know one another those first few weeks. It's something I hope and think many chefs and cooks feel in some way — that food in any form is evocative and such a primary connection between themselves and the customer.

I also think a major Keller influence is apparent in Grant's ability to originate and create while staying true to the brand and the business mission — no matter what the industry, any good boss finds the traits and skills inherent in an employee and nurtures them to grow the organization, and then the employee. Sometimes, that means the employee moves on, but that's a good thing because is means those influences evolve and help shape another organization and its employees. When Grant is in his late 40s and 50s, I'm going to be really curious to see who he has influenced and how or what that person is cooking.

Read the complete interview — the origin story, the critical importance of Thomas Dolby, the restaurants on Carol's must-visit list, and a lot more — after the jump!

MP: So much of the Alinea experience seems to rely on the innovative presentation: Crucial Detail’s service implements, test tubes, precise plating. Is it scary to try to replicate that at home? Are you going to try? Make the neighbor kids eat morels off of spring-mounted skewers?
CB: You know, before I went to Alinea for dinner in July, I was prepared to roll my eyes at the presentation because I can be a bitchy cynic and I'm not necessarily the most earnest, fawning food writer you'd ever meet. I knew there were some truly original presentations (like sucking foie mousse, fig puree and coffee-flavored tapioca through a tube) and I was really hoping it just wasn't for show. It's not. It's so not.

Here's what I think: when you go out to dinner in most restaurants, you order from the menu, the server plunks the plate down, and you dig in, knife and fork doing your dirty work, and you chew and swallow, and go on with whatever conversation it was you were having. What I really love about the presentation of every single course at Alinea is that nothing is repeated throughout your dinner there — every serving and service "utensil" is unique. It makes you stop in your tracks and pay attention to what you're eating. It makes you pause and think about the flavors on your tongue. It makes you think about what you might've had before in your life that's even a little bit like it. But above all, it makes you appreciate the thought and the work that went into it.

So, will I buy every single service piece on the Crucial Detail web site? No. Will I spend some time at kitchen stores and even the hardware store trying to figure out how to make it work on my own? You bet. Because finding a way to make my guests stop in their tracks and suspend the day-to-day noise in all our brains for just a few minutes while we take a bite or have a taste of something new is really important to me, and the plating and service of these dishes helps create that environment.

As for the neighbor kids, they're not only excited to try this food, they're also lining up to be my assistants, which will certainly add a fun element to the project. They have been looking at the book every couple of days, and as they turn every page they get more and more quiet and say, "whooooaaaaa" in deep reverence, which is pretty damn cool when you consider they're 9 and 11 years old. Take that, J.K. Rowling.

MP: But we're getting ahead of ourselves! Let's go back to the beginning: How did the whole Alinea At Home thing come into being?
CB: Michael Ruhlman told me a while ago he was working with Grant [Achatz] and Nick [Kokonas, Alinea's business manager] on the Alinea cookbook, and my reply was, "Oh, wow. Maybe I'll cook my way through that book next... ha ha HA, I crack myself up!!" to which he replied something about me needing to seek mental-health counseling. I pre-ordered the book last year, and then once I saw the Alinea Mosaic site, then ate at Alinea in July, I was hooked. I knew I had to do this book next. I mentioned to Grant when I met him in July that I wanted to cook my way through his book and blog it, and he was so gracious to send me an early copy. I haven't been able to put it down. I just hope I can do it justice.

MP: You haven’t posted on Alinea at Home yet, except sort of a teaser of what’s to come. Any idea what recipes you’re going to attack first? Is there a plan of action?
CB: The book is laid out seasonally, so I'll stick with my original instincts and do it the same way I did French Laundry at Home and cook in the order of what's in season here in the mid-Atlantic (Carol is based outside of Washington, D.C. –Ed). There'll be some ingredients I'll have to have shipped in, I'm sure, but my goal is to stay as seasonally relevant as possible.

Right now, I'm in the process of doing some budgets, spreadsheets, and lists to chart out the first few months to get things up and running. I really hope to be able to do every single dish as it is in the book, but I'm prepared to have a plan B in some cases where I'll have to figure out another way to execute the dish but stay true to the flavor profiles. I've already got my fishmonger on the lookout for sea urchin in October, so that'll be one of the first dishes. That, and the bacon with apple, butterscotch and thyme, because it was one of the most memorable dishes I had when I ate at Alinea, so it seems right to start with it.

MP: Do you think you’ll have a different soundtrack for cooking Alinea than you did for French Laundry? What songs or albums should any Alinea fan absolutely listen to while fantasizing about eating/cooking their food?
CB: I usually choose my music based on the mood I'm in before I even start cooking, so I imagine that'll still stick. And, as most of my readers know, I tend to stay trapped in the 70s and 80s with a few newer bands sprinkled in for good measure. But who knows? My readers are always suggesting great new music, so maybe the Alinea at Home readers will have some awesome bands for me to listen to while I make these dishes. When I told a friend of mine I was doing this project, he started leaving Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" on my voicemail every few days, so perhaps that'll have to be my theme song.

MP: On to more general matters! After spending so much time cooking at home, but also eating in such amazing restaurants, we’re wondering: Would you rather have a terrific restaurant meal or a terrific home-cooked meal?
CB: I know I can't say "both," so I'm gonna go with the home-cooked meal, unless of course that person just got a box set of Sandra Lee or Paula Deen cookbooks, in which case *ahemcoughcough*I think I'm coming down with a cold *hackcough* and I'll have to take a (permanent) raincheck. I'm really picky about restaurant food these days — I wish I could afford to eat in some of my favorite places (Per Se, Central Michel Richard, Komi, BlackSalt) every night, but that's not an option. And, sushi and ethnic takeout does get tiresome after awhile. So, if I can have a home-cooked meal, great conversation, good wine, and a game of RockBand afterward, I'm set.

MP: Do you read cooking and restaurant blogs? What food blogs are on your must-read list?
CB: Now that my day job is busier than ever, and I'm wrapping up French Laundry at Home and starting two (yes, you heard me, TWO new blogs), I have less time to read blogs and food web sites than I used to. The ones I check nearly every day are: Ruhlman, 101 Cookbooks, Simply Recipes, David Lebovitz, and Smitten Kitchen. There are so many others I love... I just wish I had more time to read them more often. I used to think, "Oh, I need a sick day so I don't have to work and I can catch up on my reading," but when I feel like crap, I usually just end up watching a Golden Girls marathon on Lifetime or vintage episodes of Melrose Place, so yeah... I'm behind on my online reading. If there was a way to automatically covert all those blogs and blog posts into podcasts so I could listen to them in the car on my way to meetings, I'd be a happy camper.

MP: Are there any restaurants you’re dying to eat a meal at that you haven’t been to yet? Any you’ve been to that deserve a special mention? Anyone who really ought to have a cookbook, who doesn’t?
CB: There are two restaurants on the to-do list for 2009: Manresa and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Those two aside, I'd like to go back to Chicago and spend some more time exploring the restaurants there, because my time there in July was too short. I'm also planning to go back to The French Laundry and Per Se.

There are two chefs heading up small restaurants I love that haven't yet gotten major national recognition, but I feel like it's on the way — and that's Lucas Manteca at Sea Salt (Stone Harbor, NJ) and Andy Little at The Sheppard Mansion (Hanover, PA). Lucas runs a seasonal place at the beach, and the food is unlike nothing you've ever had in a beach town... or anywhere for that matter. He's from Argentina, has cooked all over the world — including a stage at The Fat Duck and one with Dan Barber — and I think he's one of the best chefs out there. Andy Little returned to his hometown in Hanover, PA after working at Inn at Little Washington, to helm a small kitchen in an historic inn and he's doing some really delicious stuff with local ingredients.

As for who should have a cookbook that doesn't already, I'd honestly rather read something from someone running a small family-owned farm or independent food business, like a cheesemaker or fishmonger. Sadly, those seem to be the folks that are too busy to be able to write a book. As for chefs and cookbooks, I'd rather see some of them move in a direction similar to what [Le Bernardin chef] Eric Ripert is doing with his new site, Avec Eric. I love cookbooks, but the home cook's learning opportunities are endless when it comes to doing things online, and I think having a living, breathing, interactive repository of a chef's or restaurant's dishes and thoughts on food would be incredibly educational and beneficial. I'm looking at you Gabrielle Hamilton, April Bloomfield, and Judy Rodgers.

MP: So that second blog you mentioned! It’s called “Saturday Night at Home," and it’s all about being confident in yourself as a home cook, taking on big challenges, doing hard-core cooking in a soft-core kitchen. What can we expect?
CB: Maybe Ruhlman was right, and I do need an intervention. While I'm cooking my way through the Alinea cookbook and blogging about it, I'm also going to do Saturday Night at Home, on which I'll share my own recipes I've developed over the years, as well as other aspects of creating a really wonderful dinner in your own home on a Saturday night for friends and family. Both of my new blogs will go live sometime in October.

I got the idea for the Saturday Night at Home blog when I was thinking back on French Laundry at Home and how much I learned and grew skills-wise, and also how much I enjoyed having my friends over on Saturday nights to taste those dishes. I don't know about you, but I love going out to restaurants Monday through Thursday, but on the weekends I want to stay close to home; and with food and fuel costs always on the rise, I think people are looking for ways to entertain at home but not resort to carryout or casseroles.

One of the things I hear most from my readers is how much French Laundry at Home empowered and emboldened them to try new things in the kitchen. It's so heartening and I love hearing that, because it did the same thing for me! So, I thought it would be fun to do a blog that helps other home cooks figure out how to do creative, challenging food at home and, most importantly, have fun doing it. It might be tackling a dish from Michel Richard's Happy in the Kitchen, making something inspired by the flavor profile in a Ferran Adria dish, or it might be making your own cheese or sausage — anything that takes you out of your comfort zone, reconnects you with your kitchen, and puts a smile on your friends' and family's faces as they take their first bite.

I'm excited about Alinea at Home because it's taking me galaxies outside my comfort zone, which inevitably means hilarity will ensue and that my skills and understanding about food are going to grow exponentially. But, I'm also really looking forward to Saturday Night at Home because it's the first time I'll be putting my own recipes and ideas out there, and I'm excited about all the interactivity it could generate with readers as they share their ideas, as well.

Alinea At Home [Official Site]
Alinea [MenuPages]
Alinea [Official Site]

[Photo via Alinea At Home<]

Eyes refusing to open to such sad news, we lay half-awake this morning as the clock radio announced that Richard Wright, keyboard player for Pink Floyd, had died, apparently of cancer. Then a Barf Blog post put the tragedy in perspective by pointing out a huge sub-section of Floyd's fan-base: Kitchen workers:

There was some Tom Petty, and The Clash, but a lot of Pink Floyd. So it was with a nod and a lighter raised in the air to food service workers everywhere upon hearing the nears that founding Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright passed today.

So godspeed, Richard. The bussers, waiters, dishwashers and line cooks of America owe you a debt for getting us through some pretty hairy shifts. Good luck, er, break a leg at that Great Gig in the Sky.

Richard Wright, Member of Pink Floyd, Dies at 65 [NY Times]
Pink Floyd and Fargo Rock City: food service and music [Barf Blog]

[Photo: Via 7241/flickr]

Need a lunch spot in Deerfield Beach? We've got you covered. Here are a few ideas with a more international bent:

• You can't go wrong with one of the lunch specials at Masamune, which MP users claim has great fish. The sushi deals aren't bad, but it's sushi, so it can get pricey quickly. The lunch box deals seem like a great value: teriyaki chicken or salmon plus a California roll or three pieces of sushi, plus miso soup, salad, gyoza, and steamed rice or noodles.

• Want something with a kick? Try Sir Winston Jamaican Restaurant's jerk chicken or pork or curry goat, all of which are under $10 for a large entree.

• There are tons of lunch specials to choose from at Yucatan Mexican Grill, even some that lean more Cuban (although I'd stick to the Mexican dishes). How about a mahi-mahi taco? Or a chile relleno? Or a half rack of baby back ribs? And almost all of the lunch specials fall into the "budget category."

Miami Beach is getting two new Segafredos next month, according to this item in BizBash Florida: one in South Beach on Collins Avenue and the other in Bal Harbour. As soon as I can find out exact addresses, I'll post them here.

Segafredos to Open New Locations [BizBash]
Segafredo Brickell
Segafredo Brickell [Official Site]

• Salmonella recall watch, part nine zillion: Petfood! [WebMD]

• Countries experiencing food crises, part five gajillion: Haiti! [Reuters]

• French chef Anne-Sophie Pic is the third straight chef in three generations of her family to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. Also notable: She's a woman. [Reuters]

• A British celeb chef has been admitted to a treatment clinic after stabbing himself in the chest with a kitchen knife. [DailyMail]

• There's a good chance that if you've eaten something in your lifetime, you've eaten something owned by billionaire Nelson Peltz. [AP]

I was reminded by an old post of spiral-bound cookbook called "Flavor of South Florida" from 1988 that had once again been relegated to the bottom of my filing cabinet. I keep forgetting about this little jewel. So I brought it out and opened it right up to the recipe for flan from Islas Canarias Restaurant. Yes, I know you want it. The full recipe is after the jump.

Flan

• 10 eggs
• 4 1/4 c milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 lb. of sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1/2 medium orange peel
• 1/2 medium lemon peel

To prepare the caramel for the molds, cook 1/4 pound of sugar on medium heat until golden brown. Add one drop of lemon juice just before it gets dark so it will keep a rich golden color.

Pour the caramel in a mold and move it until the bottom and all sides are covered with the caramel. Let it cool.

Boil for about three minutes 1/4 liter of water with the cinnamon, the star anise, the orange and lemon peel. Then strain this punch and set aside.

Boil the milk. Beat the eggs (a blender can be used), then add the hot milk, the evaporated milk from the can, and the punch. Add salt to taste. Mix very well.

Pour the mix into the molds and bake en baño de Maria (inside a recipient with water that covers the mold half way).

Bake for about an hour at 375 degrees. Serves 15.

Blast From The Past [MP: South Florida]
Islas Canarias Restaurant [MenuPages]
Islas Canarias Restaurant [Official Site]

Think you’re alone in needing medical attention after spending some time in the kitchen? Think again. Time Out New York published a short piece surveying the work-related injuries of various food industry professionals, including a big-name chef or two. View the list at your own discretion, as it may have the unfortunate consequences of guilting you into giving up that sacred pillar of morning routine — espresso.

Shake and Ache [Time Out New York]

[Photo: Via biskuit]

Remember how we said you should eat more lobster? Here's one way to do it: the Bistro Lobster Menu at Chef Allen's. For $36 you get three courses: Caesar salad; steamed Maine lobster with corn on the cob, littleneck clams and chorizo, and roasted fingerling potatoes and other root vegetables; and a dessert of brown sugar and spiced fruit cobbler with rum raisin ice cream. Sounds like a deal to me! One catch — the special menu is only available on Tuesdays.

Why Is Lobster So Cheap? Why Do You Care? [MP:South Florida]
Chef Allen's [MenuPages]
Chef Allen's [Official Site]

File this in the same folder as tumors with hair or maybe three-eyed fish. Only cuter. And edible. Boing Boing has a link to a report from a woman in England who found what looks like a strawberry growing inside a tomato:

Esther, 48, of Cheltenham, Gloucs, said: “It definitely looks like a strawberry in a tomato and it tastes like a tomato but a bit sweeter.” She added: “We’re keeping it in the fridge in case an expert wants to look at it.”

Strawberry found inside tomato, says gardener [Boing Boing]
Woman finds a strawberry inside a tomato [Nothing To Do With Arbroath]

[Photo: Via Nothing To Do With Arbroath]

This is probably going to be the last piece in our coverage of 2008 Slow Food Nation, the labor day sustainable food event that turned San Francisco into one big gourmet ghetto. Overall, I thought the ambitious, four-day event was a smash, but you can't ignore the criticisms, so here's our second installment looking at what could be improved next time.

Standing in the charcuterie line with MPSF cohort Alexis Wright and her “Sweetie,” Bobby Rullo, I watched a disgruntled patron accost a volunteer:

“Nine dollars,” the tight-lipped woman said, thrusting a piece of butcher paper topped with a small stack of pate and salumi into the face of the aproned woman checking tickets. “This tiny amount of food cost the equivalent of nine dollars. That is outrageous!”

“Please ma’am, I’m just a volunteer. I didn’t come up with the prices. Let me see if I can find you somebody to talk to,” the weary-looking volunteer said, as the growing line of attendees shifted its weight from one foot to the other, and looked hungrily at the small pile of meat.

Long lines, a confusing layout, and uneven pricing were probably the most frequent attendee complaints stemming from the taste pavilions at Slow Food Nation.

Of all the carefully choreographed Slow Food nation events, the taste pavilions were probably the most complicated, and suffered most from the organizational problems inherent in the seminal event.

This is probably going to be the last piece in our coverage of 2008 Slow Food Nation, the labor day sustainable food event that turned San Francisco into one big gourmet ghetto. Overall, I thought the ambitious, four-day event was a smash, but you can't ignore the criticisms, so here's our second installment looking at what could be improved next time.

Standing in the charcuterie line with MPSF cohort Alexis Wright and her “Sweetie,” Bobby Rullo, I watched a disgruntled patron accost a volunteer:

“Nine dollars,” the tight-lipped woman said, thrusting a piece of butcher paper topped with a small stack of pate and salumi into the face of the aproned woman checking tickets. “This tiny amount of food cost the equivalent of nine dollars. That is outrageous!”

“Please ma’am, I’m just a volunteer. I didn’t come up with the prices. Let me see if I can find you somebody to talk to,” the weary-looking volunteer said, as the growing line of attendees shifted its weight from one foot to the other, and looked hungrily at the small pile of meat.

Long lines, a confusing layout, and uneven pricing were probably the most frequent attendee complaints stemming from the taste pavilions at Slow Food Nation.

Of all the carefully choreographed Slow Food nation events, the taste pavilions were probably the most complicated, and suffered most from the organizational problems inherent in the seminal event.

• Abokado's lunch Miami Spice menu is totally worth it. [The Chowfather]

• Grapes! In Florida! Jan picks bucketfuls of muscadines in north-central Florida. [Jan Norris]

• More photos from Eastern Europe. Add another place to the "must visit" list. [Short Order]

• Regulations on produce coming from Mexico to the States are not tip-top. Could this be the root of some of the recent salmonella recalls? Maybe! [Chicago Tribune]

• An update on the tainted powdered milk drama taking place in China: two babies have died; two brothers have been arrested on the suspicions that they added melamine to the formula. Not good, not good at all. [AP]

• The state of Florida is buying the United States Sugar Corporation, in a move that is supposed to help restore the Everglades. It's also a move that will help the Fanjuls, a family perhaps best described as the Microsoft of the sugar world. [NYT]

• Pat yourselves on the back for being so awesome at eating locally, Californians! Now that being a locavore has become de rigeur, you may be called upon to become "locavolts." [San Francisco Chronicle]

• In other happy food news, food banks are benefiting from a bounty of food, mostly in California. Volunteer harvesters collect food from gardens that might otherwise go to waste, and redistribute it to the needy. So nice. [NYT]

Yes, you read that right. Tobacco Road is still celebrating its 96th year, this time around with 96-cent drinks. But you have only 96 minutes to get them. Today. Starting at 6 p.m. Live music, free giveaways and free wings are also promised.

Burgers For Under A Buck [MP: South Florida]
Tobacco Road [MenuPages]
Tobacco Road [Official Site]

• Inexpensive Italian on the city's priciest street? Yes please! [MP: Boston]

• Perhaps you should celebrate your marriage with a tattooed wedding cake. [MP: Chicago]

• Esquire + Philadelphia = Tru Luv 4Eva. [MP: Philadelphia]

• Love is a warm cookie. True love is getting an email alert whenever there's a warm cookie near you. [MP: San Francisco]

• Show some love by helping hurricane victims with donations of food and money. [MP: South Florida]

Just noticed something funny while updating the menu for Morgan's Country Kitchen:

Sharing Charge $4.00....Whining Charge $5.00

Morgan's Country Kitchen [MenuPages]

By now you’ve no doubt heard that the Labor Day Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco went off with at least a couple hitches. Negative chatter and blog posts have popped up regarding the organization, the cost, and the overall tone of the event. Our SFN coverage wraps up with two looks at pricing and organization at the four-day food-fest.

The biggest problems with Slow Food Nation, in my opinion, had to do with money (don’t they always?). Specifically, why participants had to part with so much of it, and what they got for it. I found the biggest financial discrepancies in the Slow Marketplace, and the Taste Pavilions — not coincidentally, the two focal points of the event.

Walking from the bi-weekly Heart of the City farmers’ market in United Nations Plaza to the Slow Marketplace in Civic Center Sunday, you’d see prices jump by as much as 100 percent or more for the same items.

Peaches that went for $2.00 a pound at Heart of the City ran $4.00 a pound at Slow Marketplace. Plums went from $1.50 to $3 a pound. Pears and apples stayed the same, but organic melons jumped from $.50 a pound to $1.00. What’s going on here?

Slow Food Nation director Anya Fernald acknowledged the price discrepancy, but pointed out that farmers who traveled to Slow Marketplace did so as a one-off, for only three days., and were instructed to only sell one product per stand, in contrast to Heart of the City vendors, who maximize sales by carrying a variety of fruits and veggies. The combination of those factors influenced prices, she said.

“It’s the type of product and also the distance from which the farmers had come,” Fernald said. “We did collaborate with heart of the city leading up with the event, to make sure we weren’t taking vendors from them… we wanted it to be something like an educational market where people would come once and buy something and then maybe go to markets back in their home town.”

Well, that’s fine, but didn’t Fernald say before the event that the Slow Marketplace was meant to be accessible to people of all income levels? Yes, she did. But she pointed out to me last week that it’s only by comparison to the deliberately low-priced Heart of the City market that Slow Marketplace seemed steep.

“Had you gone to Ferry Building Farmers’ Market or Noe Valley, you would have seen that prices at slow market were less expensive [than those], Fernald said. “People in heart of city have been selected because they are competitively priced.”

But my friends, whom I accompanied on their weekly shopping trip Sunday, didn’t seem to care a wit for comparisons to other farmers’ markets in the city, nor for the lessons to be learned at Slow Food Market. They wanted organic vegetables they could afford, and they got them at Heart of the City.

Slow Food Nation [Official Site]
Something is Rotten in the State of the Nation [Bay Area Bites]
Slow Food Was Here [San Francisco Magazine]

[Photo by Adam Martin]

Last night, I was fortunate enough to be allowed into the Paradigm test kitchen — a lesson in food, science, novelty and just how cool Miami's culinary scene is getting. I should have done some serious note-taking to retain all the thinking and processes that went into the making of each dish (the chefs talk you through each course), but we attended on the night that the folks from Southern Wine & Spirits were doing a wine pairing. They kept refilling my wine glass (by the way, Seven Daughters' red and white blends, coming soon to a Publix near you, were absolute crowd pleasers), so I don't think I absorbed everything properly. However, Chef de Cuisine Chad Galiano chronicles everything much better than I ever could on his blog. While my terrible iPhone pictures are an insult to the beautiful presentation of the food, when accompanying the text from the menu, I hope they serve to at least guide you through a sample evening at Paradigm. The chefs are very passionate, happy to answer questions and eager for feedback, so you walk away having had a complete experience.

Photos and descriptions of each dish are after the jump.

I
breakfast
70.2 scramble, maple pancake sauce, jimi dean powder, wheat toast.

These were literally liquid pancakes, which is just plain genius. Also, 70.2 degrees is the ideal temperature at which to scramble eggs.

II
duck candy
duck rillette, orange gastrique

It's not easy to eat this with decorum (the humidity made the paper stick to the duck, and nearly everyone ended up picking the wrapper out of their mouths), but the sweet and sour combo was perfectly balanced.

III
oyster "block"efeller
bluepoint, spinach fennel espuma
(This dish was one of the most popular of the evening. I was too distracted by a dining companion's enthusiasm to remember to snap a pic).

IV
tongue twisted
beef tongue, mayo & mustard, romaine, celery seed tuille, parmesan tomato gel

Um, that ball that looks like a crab cake was literally fried mayo. Apparently it took all sorts of chemical handiwork to make that happen. It was delicious, but I have to admit I only had a bite. I was afraid of having a heart attack.

V
"refresh"
coconut, lemon, 25 yr. balsamic
(This was a sweet, milky spoonful that had to be consumed all at once, and we all did it together, so I didn't get a chance to snap a pic either).

VI
scallop
spiced milk skin, cocoa bubbles, umami braised honshemiji

This was my favorite course of the evening. Both the scallop and the mushroom were perfect. The spoon in the middle is basically chocolate air that somehow tasted very strongly of cocoa. It kind of blows my mind, but anyone who can make chocolate air should get a Nobel prize or a James Beard or something.

VII
carpaccio
garlic flank, watermelon radish, maytag caper marble, mission fig, -8

This was probably the most beautiful dish of the night. As far as taste goes, it was my second favorite. I could've eaten a ton of the maytag caper marble (second on the plate from the left).

VIII
shrimp
Mexican sous vide shrimp, mole fluid gel, roja tortilla crumbs

No complaints - but as a general rule, I'd say it's kind of hard to improve on mole.

IX
olive oil
evoo parfait, olive oil cake, olive oil dust, frozen milk air

I'll never look at olive oil the same way again!

X
textures of red
chambord compressed watermelon, pomegranate cake, campari rosso cotton candy, beet sorbet, pink pepper streusel
(Yeah, if you've read my posts before, you probably know that dessert is the reason I breathe, and I couldn't wait to take a pic before digging in).

The test kitchen seats ten people on Thursday nights, and the price is $85 per person.

paradigm 091108 [Chadzilla]

It's going to be another food-filled weekend. Here's the rundown.

Friday, September 12: Riedel Wine Tasting at Morton's, The Steakhouse in North Miami Beach, 7pm - 8:30pm. Red and white wines will be paired with Morton’s signature hors d’oeuvres (petite filet mignon sandwiches, chicken goujonettes, broiled sea scallops, and miniature key lime tarts), and guests will take home a box of four Riedel “Flow” series wine glasses. Cost to attend the event is $70 per person, inclusive of tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 305-945-3131.

Saturday, September 13: Interactive Cooking Classes at Ortanique, 12pm-2pm.
Learn the secrets behind Chef Cindy Hutson's "Cuisine of the Sun!" Guests will be teamed up in groups of 6 with a chef from the Ortanique kitchen at each table to guide them through their lesson. Each table elects a head chef to prepare each course and the sous chefs at the table assist in the prep and plating. Courses will be complemented with wine, and everyone will take home a goodie bag along with a recipe booklet of what they prepared that day.

Sunday, September 14: Wok Star Eleanor Hoh is at it again, sharing her stir-fry secrets at the Naked Grape, 1pm-4pm. Participate in making the dishes (rainbow lettuce appetizer with ground turkey, hoisin sauce & crunchy pumpkin seeds; easy stir fry veggies with an Asian twist; shrimp with asparagus, carrot & topped with cashews; and tilapia with zucchini, squash & bell peppers), which will be paired with wines selected and sponsored by Naked Grape. Woh will also explain the importance of the right wok and high heat essential for a successful stir fry. $65 per person. For reservations, call 305-865-9297.

Morton's, The Steakhouse [MenuPages]
Morton's, The Steakhouse [Official Site]
Ortanique on the Mile [MenuPages]
Ortanique on the Mile [Official Site]
Eleanor Hoh [Official Site]
Naked Grape Wine Bar [Official Site]

Chocolate chocolate chocolate. That's the theme this month at Rosa Mexicano, which is offering a special chocolate menu additions until October 5. Here's what's cooking this month:

• Empanaditas de mole (appetizer): mini chicken empanadas with mole
• Camarones empapelado con salsa del diablo (appetizer): baked shrimp with fall veggies in a chocolate sauce
• Ensalada de hojas verdes (appetizer): mixed greens with kohlrabi, apples and almonds and a vanilla, chocolate and orange dressing
• Filete con salsa de chocolate y vino tinto (entree): beef filet sauteed with porcinis, chocolate and cabernet sauvignon
• Guisado de pato (entree): roasted duck breast with an achiote chocolate sauce
• Estallido del sol chocolate (dessert): chocolate hazelnut bombe over a chocolate sunburst cookie on a warm chocolate chipotle brownie

You can go all out and order the special chocolate tasting menu for $65, which comes with the shrimp and salad appetizers, a choice of one of the entrees, and the dessert. Or order a la carte. And if you want to learn how to make some of this stuff, check out the chocolate cooking class on Saturday, September 20 at 10 a.m. in the Miami location. Reservations for the class are required, so e-mail comments@rosamexicano.com to request a spot.

6th Annual Chocolate Festival [Official Site]
Rosa Mexicano (Palm Beach Gardens) [MenuPages]
Rosa Mexicano (Miami) [MenuPages]
Rosa Mexicano [Official Site]

• Tainted Chinese product of the day: baby formula. Charming. [New York Times]

• Maryland chicken farmers need can no longer store their manure outside. [Washington Post]

• A Cape Cod Stop & Shop had to remove the vanilla extract from shelves, as "people" (read: "almost certainly area teenagers") were stealing the bottles and drinking them for the purpose of getting drunk. Classy, guys. Classy. [Boston Globe]

• OMG you guys, Pinkberry is getting totes litigious. [LA Times]

• As it turns out, it's hard to maintain the correct temperature of wine while it's in transit. That, friends, is a high end problem. [San Francisco Chronicle]

There seems to be no shortage of interest surrounding food and the Presidential candidates. Way back in April, the New York Times ran that collection of pieces about the intersection of our pantries and how we vote. For example, if your go-to fast food restaurant is Hardee's, you "might" be a McCain partisan! If you prefer Panera Bread, you "might" be an Obama supporter!

Beyond what our food preferences say about our political leanings, the eating habits of McCain, Obama, and their respective families are also a subject of endless fascination. Just yesterday, the Boston Globe published an article about what the candidates like to eat (because "a politician's relationship to food can say a lot about him or her").

And let's not forget Cindy McCain's recipegate (also from April), wherein the potential First Lady maybe, sorta, kinda plagiarized some recipes that she had presented as treasured family favorites!

The newest and (forgive us for slipping into partisanship!) most supremely exciting thing to happen in re: food and the Presidential race is Michelle Obama's appearance on Paula Deen's cooking show, Paula's Party. The episode will air on the Food Network on September 20, and People.com has a first look at the episode! From it, we learn the following fun facts: seafood gumbo is the first thing that Michelle cooked for Barack, she hasn't made it since, and Paula and Michelle make fried shrimp together. (Sadly, the video is not embeddable, so you will have to go to People.com to watch it.)

Barack Obama and John McCain may still be duking it out, but we're pretty sure that Michelle Obama is going to firmly clinch the First Lady cooking showdown when she appears on Paula's Party.

"Palate Initiative" [Boston Globe]
"First Look: Michelle Obama Cooks With Paula Deen" [People]

[Photo: screencap of Paula's Party with Michelle Obama via People.com]

"And the greatest irony of all? In a restaurant that supposedly keeps a steely grip on its liquor, auto-scanning for customers who happen to be sailing even one sheet to the wind, this menu is the crapulous soul's wet dream. The proportions of salt, spice, meat, and texture here are designed to cut right through the densest inebriate fog, to coat any churning stomach with a soothing layer of butter, mayo, and hooch-absorbing starch."

– Gail Shepherd of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times in a review of Palm Beach Grill

Straight Hot Dog, No Chaser [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

First came the automat. Then vending machines. Then nothing for a while. Then, last year, a German restaurant opened that serves food mechanically, via crazy roller-coaster tracks. Now the next phase in food delivery is here, and it is electronic.

Two new over-the-top gimmicks developments have been making the rounds on the Internet lately: London's Inamo still uses human food-servers, but ordering is done through tabletop screens that double as entertainment portals:

Its big idea is that your table is an interactive screen, where by pointing and clicking you can find your menu, see pictures of each item, and order. The frustration of waggling fingers or tinging glasses to get waiters’ attention is consigned to the same dustbin of history as the night soil men who once disposed of London’s sewage. Waiters become people who flit out of the shadows to place dishes on the table, flitting away again without eye contact.

You can also personalise your décor by choosing from a range of patterns and colours that glow from the table like a Kowloon nightscape. The table can order taxis for you and show you bus maps. You can play battleships with your co-diner, should conversation flag.

That's all fine and good, but it's a lot like re-inventing the wheel. Until an actual food-pill comes along, you probably won't find a viable substitute for that carbon-based life-form balancing your tray.

Dining goes digital at Inamo [Evening Standard]
Meet Mr. Asahi: The Bartending Robot [Slashfood]

Burger King just seems to be a magnet for litigation these days. Here's another lawsuit from a quadriplegic in California:

He says he has to roll his wheelchair through the drive-thru lane at the Pleasant Hill restaurant, narrowly steer it between bushes and garbage bins along the entryway and struggle with heavy doors he can't open.

"I'm dead in the water," he said Wednesday as he sat outside the Burger King on Contra Costa Boulevard, flailing his arms for attention. "I'd like to go in and get something to eat, but I can't."

On Wednesday, Castaneda, 45, made his complaints a federal case as the lead plaintiff in what disability lawyers hope to make a large class-action claiming the fast food giant violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and state disability laws. The lawsuit targets 90 restaurants in California that lawyers say Burger King leases or subleases to franchises. But its aim is wider, to the 500 or so Burger King restaurants throughout California, since many of them follow the same design to create that uniform orange-and-yellow experience.

Man claims Burger King violates disabilities act [The Mercury News]

• Bill Citara has not one bad thing to say about Cacao. The only problem he does mention is that it's so hard to choose what to eat with so many great options. [Miami New Times]

• The Herald tells us something that we've all known for a long time: the best Mexican food in the area is found in Homestead and Florida City. [Miami Herald]

• Honey Tree, a health food store, serves up vegetarian lunches that are popular with the local office workers. [Miami Herald]

• The seafood at two-month-old Pesca (the old Caffe Blu) is pretty great. [Miami Herald]

• The food at Palm Beach Grill (aka Houston's) is perfect for those nights when you've had a bit too much to drink. Also apparently perfect for nights when you're stone-cold sober. [Broward Palm-Beach New Times]

• Pair the right beer with the right food, and you've got a great meal, or so the Beer Guy learned at Tabica Grill. [Palm Beach Post]

• The atmosphere at Pistache is smart and sophisticated, but the food, unfortunately, isn't up to par. [Palm Beach Post]

• Privatization of food safety could be linked to the recent rash of contamination outbreaks. [U.S. News And World Report]

• A Chicago pizzeria owner is charged with hiring thugs to burn down his restaurant in a case of good, old-fashioned insurance fraud. [Chicago Tribune]

• The nation's largest kosher meatpacker may lose that certification after it is hit with charges for more than 9,000 child labor violations. [NYT]

• Los Angeles is the latest city to require chain restaurants to post calories on menues. [LA Times]

• Two men are arrested in San Francisco for dealing crack in line for a soup kitchen. [SF Chronicle]

"I'm like a squirrel in March and April. I take my nuts and I put them away for hurricane season like a squirrel putting his nuts away for winter."

-Key West city commissioner and bar owner Mark Rossi in The Citizen

on what it takes for a restaurant or bar to survive summer in the Keys

Businesses need plan, savings to weather storms [The Citizen]

Waffle House has a whole slew of adoring fans, but I imagine even its most ardent supporters might not think of the roadside chain as a wedding spot. Not so a couple of Waffle House employees in Dacula, Ga., about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta:

The lucky couple, George "Bubba" Mathis and Pamela Christian - both 23 and employees at the Dacula diner located at the Ga. Highway 316/U.S. Highway 29 interchange - wouldn't have it any other way.

"I don't know, it's something different," Mathis said while fixing his tie prior to the ceremony.

For years, the couple tried to marry on their Independence Day anniversary. But the bride was always scheduled to work. Instead of waiting any longer - she got the day off at the last minute; Mathis had to report for the morning shift - the couple of nine years decided to seal the deal at work.

The result was what a NASCAR tailgate might be like if Hank Jr. himself stopped by with all his rowdy friends: Loud and proud - country music, storytelling and plenty of Dale Earnhardt paraphernalia - and not an iota of pretentiousness.

Scattered, smothered, covered and hitched [Gwinnett Daily Post]
Waffle House [Official Site]

Photo: Gwinnett Daily Post

A recent post by MP: Philadelphia editor Elsa about the most-searched-for restaurant on the Philly site got me thinking about which restaurant menus South Floridians are looking at the most. Luckily at MenuPages Headquarters we have ways of figuring these things out pretty easily. Here, then, are the top three most-clicked restaurants on MP: South Florida:

3. Dolores, but you can call me Lolita
I've kept an eye on these "hot" restaurants for the past few days, and while other restaurants' numbers jump up and down, Lolita's remain at about the same consistently high level. So kudos to you, restaurant-with-a-very-long-name. Clearly lots of people are interested.

2. Sushi Siam Restaurant
Maybe a bunch of Brickell-area office workers got the panang curry craving too?

1. La Granja Parrilla
Super popular — as in, it's most-clicked by a lot —and I'm not sure why. And none of the other many South Florida locations of this restaurant are this popular; just the Boca Raton branch's page is visited ridiculously often. I would've expected Boca to lean in a more upscale direction, but clearly cheap chicken and papas a la huancaina is what the people want.

Dolores, but you can call me Lolita [MenuPages]
Dolores, but you can call me Lolita [Official Site]
Sushi Siam Restaurant [MenuPages]
La Granja Parrilla [MenuPages]

This is interesting: Seems taking pictures of your food can help with weight loss, at least according to one University of Wisconsin at Madison study.

Serious Eats linked to a Daily Telegraph article on the study:

The pictures appear to have concentrated the dieters' minds at just the right time, before they were about to eat, the researchers who carried out the study believe.

Photographs were also more effective at encouraging volunteers to watch what they ate than traditional written food diaries.

Perhaps, this news will further steel David Chang's ban on photography at his exclusive Momofuku Ko in New York.

Scientists: Taking Photos of Food May Help You Lose Weight [Serious Eats]
Photographing meals "could help weight loss" [Daily Telegraph]
Momofuku Ko [MenuPages]
Momofuku Ko [Official Site]

[Photo: Via WordRidden/flickr]

• If you haven't checked out Lee Klein's very food-centric photo essays of his recent trip through Eastern Europe, do it. Now. Make sure you have lunch nearby, because said photos are likely to induce hunger pangs. [Short Order]

• More photos of the dinner at Paradigm. I want. [All Purpose Dark]

• Paula totally recommends the Miami Spice dinner at Cita's Italian Chophouse. [mango&lime]

• No boys allowed at "Wine, Women and Song," a wine class for women run by Cynthia Betancourt, sommelier at Azul. [Miami Dish]

Every once in a while, a craving for Thai curry strikes. It happened last night, so I had to round up some coconut milk and pineapple to go with the red curry paste that a friend had brought me from Thailand. Red curry will do, but my favorite these days is panang curry

• The panang curry isn't on the lunch menu at Siam River, but you can get it with beef or chicken for dinner. I hear the sushi is very fresh too.

• Siam Lotus Room "looks grubby on the outside but inside is quite lovely," according to a MP user. Not only do they offer the standard chicken or beef options, but there's a salmon panang entree as well.

• The panang curry at Galanga Restaurant comes highly recommended by a MP user. For some reason only red curry is available for lunch (is panang not a lunchtime thing?), but for dinner choose from tofu, seafood, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, squid or scallops for your panang curry.

Siam River [MenuPages]
Siam River [Official Site]
Siam Lotus Room [MenuPages]
Siam Lotus Room [Official Site]
Galanga Restaurant [MenuPages]
Galanga Restaurant [Official Site]

• The World Food Program is coming up short in Haiti; so many people are displaced and need food, and officials worry they're going to run out. [Reuters]

• The average size of a grocery store nationwide decreased a bit in 2007 after 20 years of growth. [NYT]

• Local wheat is the next new big thing. [NYT]

• Out with the old (stainless steel), in with the new (titanium). Scientists are now recommending the latter for food factory work surfaces, since bacteria have a hard time attaching to the metal. [Science Daily]

Linda Bladholm over at Miami.com tipped us off to Shing Wang Taiwanese Vegetarian, Ice & Bubble Tea, a veggie spot in North Miami Beach. Shing Wang used to be located at 348 NE 167th St. — which, by the way, is now the site of a tattoo parlor. When we first got there, we thought we were in for some NY-style affair where you have to go through back doors and make calls from phone booths and stuff just to find the restaurant.

Turns out we just had the wrong address, but even without any back-room mystery, it is a fun spot, particularly if you go on a Sunday night like we did and end up having the whole place to yourself. My dining companions said the food isn't bad as far as faux beef and pork goes. (I was having a Nicole Richie moment and only ordered a Japanese seaweed salad, so you'll have to check out LB's review for more details on the grub. Though, for what it's worth, the salad was huge and delicious, and I left feeling satisfied but not weighed down.) The owner was also really sweet, and my favorite part had to be when she warned us about the $3 corkage fee. Check out how she chilled the bottle of wine that I brought in my purse. So fun.

Shing Wang Taiwanese Vegetarian, Ice & Bubble Tea [MenuPages]
Shing Wang Taiwanese Vegetarian, Ice & Bubble Tea [Official Site]

There's no way to make a definitive list of the best anything in America, but magazines will always keep trying, which is fine, because it gives us something to write about. This time around it's Esquire's list of the best bars in the country, and Miami's own Churchill's Pub claims the #1 spot. This is great, except I'm thinking the guys over at Churchill's probably aren't keen on the idea of a bunch of people showing up because they read about it in Esquire.

Despite the pub's spot at the top of the list, the writeup for Churchill's is surprisingly short:

When? Morning, when the game's on. Premier League soccer in the day, punk bands at night, British round the clock.

Read the brochures and you'd think Miami has a mineral purity to it: gold beaches, platinum towers, quartz hotels, turquoise seas. Bull. The earthy funk of mildew and swamp, the acetylene heat of the subtropical sun, the rifle cracks of thunderstorms and the thundercracks of rifles: That's Miami. Mineral? Nah: animal. There are iguanas in the trees. Alligators in the swimming pools. It's not a city; it's a hallucination. But the hallucination has faded. Maybe it's a surplus of seriousness, maybe a lack of imagination, but these days only a chemical boost can bring the Technicolor dreamworld flooding back. Thank God, then, for Jimbo's. Tucked among mangrove trees beside a lagoon on an island in the middle of Biscayne Bay, it's not just in Miami but of it. Shrimp boats pull in at the dock. Herons poke around the garbage bins. Locals set up grills out front. And in the shack that is the bar itself, cans of beer chill in barrels while the day's catch cures to bronzed perfection in the smoker. Sure, you'll eat that fish with your fingers. But Jimbo's is quiet and friendly, and it fits the land so right, it's easy to forget that the platinum city exists at all. Sip your beer and listen. That's not the wind in the trees; it's the iguanas.

Mac's Club Deuce made it onto the list in the #3 spot; Zeke's and Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant are also included. Not a bad showing for the Magic City.

The Best Bars in America [Esquire]
Churchill's Pub
Jimbo's
Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant [MenuPages]
Mac's Club Deuce (222 14th St in Miami Beach; 305-531-6200)
Zeke's (625 Lincoln Rd in Miami Beach; 305-532-0087)

Here are the two ways in which a dish can be supremely delicious and fattening without containing meat:

1) It is French Fries

2) It is the news that GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's speechwriter is a staunch vegetarian who opposes Palin's beloved aerial hunting.

The Christian Science Monitor's Bright Green Blog cited a Time article about Matthew Scully, a former Bush speechwriter, who crafted Palin's now-famous address to the Republican convention last week:

The Palin-Scully pairing is anything but a guaranteed fit, though. Palin is known as an avid hunter; Scully is best known for his vigorous defense of animal rights. A vegetarian who is regularly critical of the NRA and much of the hunting community, he is a passionate advocate for doing away with the more brutal versions of blood-sport, including aerial hunting, which Palin supports.

What would the GOP's pet pit bull say about that?

Sarah Palin's speech written by a vegetarian [Bright Green Blog]
The Man Behind Palin's Speech [Time]
Her deadly wolf program [Salon]
Eat less meat to fight climate change: UN expert [AFP]

[Photo: Via Striatic/flickr]

Lately it seems that Miracle Mile and the surrounding area has been engulfed by one chain restaurant after another. It makes lunchtime very predictable. So instead of the same-old at California Pizza Kitchen or Baja Fresh, here are a few other ideas, all under $10:

• Lotus Garden is a personal favorite, and it's the ideal lunch spot. Great food, plentiful portions and fast service. This is not a place for a leisurely lunch. You might want to avoid the height of the lunch rush (12:30-1:30), although because of the rapid turnaround, you likely won't have to wait long even if go when it's full.

• They don't just make bread at La Provence Bakery (although they do that very, very well). Stop by for lunch and they'll stuff some charcuterie and cheese into one of their delicious baguettes, loaves or rolls. Not up for a sandwich? Try some quiche and a salad.

• Izakaya has some great lunch specials, all for $8.50. Go the sushi route, and you'll get a bit less food; pick chicken or beef, and you get meat, rice, tempura, a California roll, a salad and miso soup. That should be more than enough to get you through the rest of the day. Or try the donburi, a bowl of rice topped with an omelet made with your choice of veggies or meat.

• Alhambra Station Cafe names all of its sandwiches after different streets in Coral Gables, which is kind of endearing. (The salads, for some reason, have U.S. city names.) Try the Miracle Mile Station (ham, brie and apricot cream) or the Minorca Station wrap (feta with assorted veggies, including artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes).

And now, Samak is making headlines again: Those few shows he filmed between the time of his election and the day he took office were ruled to be a violation of Thailand's constitution, which forbids elected officials from holding outside jobs, and as of today Samak is being forced to resign as Prime Minister.

He was never terribly popular with the masses anyway: over the last few weeks, protesters in groups ranging in size from the hundreds to the thousands have physically prevented Samak from accessing his office. That a cooking show accomplished what the will of the people could not kind of makes us, personally, feel a little bit better about choosing food writing over law school.

If you're interested, the dish he was cooking on the particular unconstitutional episode is Tom Kha Salmon, in which the fish is stewed in a galangal-coconut sauce. The recipe can be found here. It sounds good ... but maybe not good enough to give up a country for.

Samak will presumably have plenty of opportunities in his newfound free time for both tasting and complaining.

Thailand's Prime Minister ousted over cooking show [National Post]
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej forced out over TV chef role [Times UK]
Dish that got Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in hot water [Times UK]

[Photo: Samak on the set of his show, and the logo for "Tasting, Grumbling," both via ImportFood.com]
[HT: Mandy S.B.]

• Say it with us now: Another day, another recall. Today — alfalfa sprouts! [WiscAg]

• They're revamping the security of the piece of paper on which is written the Colonel's secret recipe. [AP]

• The legal battle for (or against) L.A.'s taco trucks is escalating into a war. [Houston Chron/AP]

• At least not everyone is suffering through the recession: McDonald's global is up 14.5%. [Tribune]

• Oh, poor little CEO of the Humane Society. It's tough to go to airports 'cause you're a vegan! *Tear* [NYT]

They loved Lucy, hula hoops and "pure and good" Kool Aid. And the creepy, semi-utopian ads of the Space Age reflected this widely held belief that technology was key to world peace and immortality. OK, so maybe not, we're starting to discover. Take, for example, plastic (via Reuters):

Scientists reported this week new evidence that low doses of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), widely used to make plastic food and drinking containers, can impair brain function in primates, extending the findings of previous research conducted in rats.
Whether the amount of BPA that leaches out of containers into food and beverages represents an environmental risk is a subject of controversy.
"Our primate model indicates that BPA could negatively affect brain function in humans," study investigator Tibor Hajszan said in a press release from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

In the meantime, why not stick to more time-tested materials for your food-storage needs -- like glass? Some great alternatives include Crate & Barrel's glass storage bowls with plastic lids and these all-glass storage containers. Pyrex also offers cheaper options and claims its containers are made of non-porous glass that won't absorb flavors (a definite plus).

And while progress hasn't quite lived up to the hype, this reassuring new study comes on the heels of another thought -- that there may be some things worse than animal testing.

Plastics chemical harms brain function in monkeys [Reuters]
Since You Asked - Bisphenol A [National Institute For The Environmental Health Sciences]
Buying Guide - Plastic Food Storage [EVO]

[Photo: Via Jerrroen/flickr]

On a recent evening, a group of friends and I sampled the Spice menu at La Marea. I was looking forward to introducing friends to the spot, which ranks as perhaps my favorite restaurant on South Beach, but Miami Spice is not the time to try it (or if you go, opt for the regular menu). Here's a course-by-course breakdown of our experience:

We started with limoncello martinis at the bar. They're must-tries, though at $20, they're pricey (as we cashed out separately, this wasn't part of our final bill). Half of our party ordered the octopus carpaccio for the appetizer course, and even though the slices were so thin as to be practically transparent, the octopus was tender and satisfying.

I find chef Pietro Rota is at his best making pasta, and the asparagus gnocchi was the best dish of the night. I wish it were on the entree menu so I could've had a bigger portion. Two of the three braised lamb dishes we ordered as a main course were well-received, but one person in our party found theirs too fatty. I ordered the crispy cobia, but I found myself with food envy for the risotto that accompanied the lamb.

For dinner, neither the strawberry tiramisu nor the profiterole was anything to write home about. Once we factored in a glass of wine each for three of us, as well as a Peroni for the fourth person at the table, the bill exceeded $300. And though I love this place, $300 was too much for the Spice menu, which was, overall, unexciting.

La Marea [MenuPages]
La Marea [Official Site]

Because it wasn't weird enough for a Fresno, Calif. burglar to simply assault his sleeping victims with food from their own kitchen, a paragraph in Saturday's Fresno Bee account implies the suspect carried out the two attacks at the same time!:

The victims, both farm workers, told deputies they were awakened by a stranger applying spices to one of them and striking the other with a sausage.

You may or may not be happy to know that newly crowned (by us, just now) "weirdest criminal ever," 22-year-old Antonio Vasquez, was arrested, and the cash he stole returned to the victims. Officers identified Vasquez by the wallet he left at the scene and arrested him as he hid in a nearby field, wearing only a t-shirt, boxer shorts and socks, according to the Bee.

Unfortunately, though, "the sausage was tossed away by the fleeing suspect and eaten by a dog." Wonder if Vasquez will have to pay reimbursement? (Via Coldmud)

Burglar victims wake to spice rub, sausage attack [Fresno Bee]
Burglar wakes men with spice rub, sausage attack [Fresno Bee]

[Photo: via Spigoo/flickr]

After bracing for Ike for a week, South Floridians got really lucky and had to deal with little more than a few canceled events. Residents of Hispaniola and Cuba weren't quite so lucky; Haiti was flooded by Gustav and then got more rain when Ike skirted by. Cuba is still dealing with Ike; the eye of the storm is hovering over Camaguey and moving right over the length of the island.

Both islands, Haiti especially, need food. Lots of it, and quickly. After the jump, how you can help.

There is a Haitian National Red Cross Society currently working to get aid to victims of the hurricane, but it's unclear how to get donations directly to them. Your best bet, if you want to go the Red Cross route, is to give through the Caribbean Red Cross, which accepts money donations through its website.

The Miami Herald lists these more Haiti-specific charities that are looking for donations of food and/or money:

• Catholic Charities of Miami wants to provide monetary assistance. Checks may be made payable to Catholic Charities of Miami with a notation in the memo line designating the donation for either Tropical Storm Fay or Hurricane Gustav or both and mailed to: Catholic Charities, Storm Aid, 9401 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami Shores, FL 33138. Donations can be made online via a secure internet site by accessing http://www.ccadm.org clicking on Donate Now, followed by designating the amount to be contributed and the donation option.

• Cross International, a Christian aid organization, is seeking to bring food. To provide donations call 1-800-391-8545 or visit www.crossinternational.org and click on the emergency hurricane support link.

• Food for the Poor, an international and development organization based in Coconut Creek, is asking for donations to purchase additional building materials for repairs to homes. Log onto www.FoodForThePoor.org/Gustav or call 1-800-487-1158.

• The Pan American Development Foundation has set up a website called Pan American Relief (www.PanAmericanRelief.org) to collect donations.

MONETARY DONATIONS: JEWISH SOLIDARITY, a 501.C.3 not for profit organization with a license to secure donations for Cuba relief. You can send your donation check to: JEWISH SOLIDARITY, attention: Maricusa, 100 Beacon Boulevard, Miami, FL 33135. Check should be marked "humanitarian relief".

CATHOLIC CHARITIES/Caritas Cubanas, a not for profit agency of the Catholic Church who also holds a license to provide aid to Cuba. Checks should be made out to Catholic Relief Services and sent to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. Checks should be marked: "For Cuba Gustav Relief".

ITEM DONATIONS: For those of you in the Miami area who would prefer to take food items in lieu of a check donation, you can do so by taking these to The Daughters of Charity at 500 NW 63 Avenue in Miami. They also have a license to send aid to Cuba and are sending two containers in the next few days. The organization has particularly identified the following high-need items: powdered milk, evaporated milk, canned little hot dogs, lentils in packages, black and red beans in packages.

How to help Haiti [Miami Herald]
Help for Hurricane Victims [Babalu Blog]

• In a new development in the whole the-cattle-are-ruining-the-environment idea, it turns out that cows can be made greener simply by changing their diet. Huh. Now back to your steak and milk! [Times UK]

• One upside of economic downturn/environmental crisis is an increased incentive to bring lunch, and packed lunches have really evolved. [Boston Globe]

• In post-modern news items, the NYT clues in to the fact that Yelp and Zagat reviewers have made everyone a critic and can &mdash gasp! &mdash sometimes be as useful as professional reviews. [NYT]

• Truly on fire this weekend, the Grey Lady posits that escalating competition between Pinkberry and Red Mango may have helped create the current fro-yo craze. [NYT]

• California wants to buy water from farmers, but the farmers say there's not enough. On the other hand, Oakland's Pacific Institute says farmers could increase their water conservation to the tune of billions of gallons per year. Well? Which one is it, guys? [LA Times vs San Francisco Chronicle]

I've been following the evolution of Neomi's Grill's new menu on Chadzilla, but now, this whole restaurant-within-a-restaurant concept has blown us away. Well, not the concept itself, but the food produced for this mini-restaurant, called Paradigm. Here's how Chef Chad explains it on the blog:

The Paradigm concept is our 'restaurant within a restaurant' or 'chef table' manifestation. It will feature one 10 to 12 course tasting menu each week highlighting our flavor compositions, technical endeavors, experimental successes, and momentary flights of whimsy. The menu will roll at a set time every Thursday for no more than 12 persons. We will set the dinner separate from the main dining floor of Neomi's. The menu will be a week to week rotation of things that work vs. things we like vs. things that we can improve upon and make better.

Paradigm: the test kitchen [Chadzilla]
First run [Chadzilla]
Neomi's Grill [MenuPages]

Photo, of "block lobster," from Chadzilla

What is it that's so satisfying, but also kind of forlorn, about old versions of the future? Boing Boing ran this 1931 ad via Modern Mechanix that boasts of the ease with which a farmer could milk a cow by radio control. Of course, they have gigantic milking machines now, but somehow the simplicity of the "five-food length of copper" is more attractive. Plus, they probably have wires attached, so this is actually more advanced. Sort of.

THERE seems to be no end to the versatility of radio in these days of electrical and mechanical miracles—not even cows and street cars are immune to the influences of its radiations. As a curtain raiser at the annual radio show held recently in St. Louis, a street car was operated from a distance by a mere man with a radio transmitter in his hand, and a Holstein cow was made to dispense her milk by the medium of radio waves, whether she liked it or not.

The mechanism of the trolley car and the mechanism of the milking machine were hooked up to a specially constructed radio receiver using only a five-foot length of copper pipe as an antenna. At a distance stood the operator, holding a portable radio transmitter using a similar antenna, as shown in the accompanying photos. When the key was pressed at the transmitter, the distant receiver in both cases set the machines to operating.

Miraculous radio-controlled milking-machine of 1931 [Boing Boing]
Radio Milks Cows, Runs Street Cars (Feb., 1931) [Modern Mechanix]

• Bostonians celebrated the patron saint of fishermen, as well as the deliciousness of cannoli. [MP: Boston]

• A genteel evening at the Ravinia Festival turned into an all-out food fight. [MP: Chicago]

• One "raven" had his/her own personal festival of writing MenuPages user reviews: 43 at last count! [MP: Philadelphia]

• One San Francisco taqueria will cause festivities in your tummy (in a good way). [MP: San Francisco]

• Hey, how would you think to pronounce RA Sushi? Yeah. You're wrong. [MP: South Florida]

• Lee Klein presents photographic evidence that the meals on Air France are better than the ones on Continental Airlines. (Not surprising.) [Short Order]

• Looks like everyone's been on vacation recently. Sara shares photos of brunch at Lemonia in the Ritz-Carlton Naples. [All Purpose Dark]

• All of these photos are making me hungry! Danny gives us shots of his sandwich at El Rey del Chivito. [Daily Cocaine]

• Need some hurricane prep tips? Here are a bunch of good ones. [Jan Norris]

• Cupcake bakeries are embroiled in a delicious trademark dispute. One is called "Sprinkled Pink" and should welcome the chance to get rid of that name. [LA Times]

• Tropical Storm Hanna has caused so much flooding in Goniaves, Haiti, that trucks bearing food aid can't even reach the area. [NY Times]

• You know that chemical BPA? The one that's probably in your water bottle? Well, it might be reducing your ability to learn and remember. That explains so much about college. [Canada.com]

• San Francisco's mayor wants to use local food for school and prison meals. [San Francisco Chronicle]

• Oh hey, speaking of sprinkles, it turns out that the former director of external affairs at Dunkin' Donuts (Dunkie's, for the Bostonians among us) was embezzling like crazy. [Boston Globe]

Not sure how I didn't see Victoria Pesce Elliott's review of RA Sushi earlier (I swear it wasn't on the Herald's site), but I just couldn't let it slide by after reading the first paragraph:

The name is RA, as in rah, rah, sis, boom, bah -- not R.A., as I made the mistake of saying to a server who quietly corrected me: ``They get really upset if you say that. It's supposed to be like raw, you know, like raw fish.''

Anyway, the sushi is OK; Victoria Pesce Elliott gives it two stars, and her reaction is lukewarm to most of what's on the menu. But hey, the happy hour is a good deal.

Splashy RA Sushi strives for mass appeal [Miami Herald]
RA Sushi [MenuPages]
RA Sushi [Official Site]

Foods of the World, a new site from National Geographic, launched yesterday to relatively little fanfare. The site is equal parts global food bazaar, recipe resource, and exploration/research tool. In fact, the marriage of National Geographic and food in one convenient site makes so much sense that we were more surprised to hear that it didn't already exist than that it was launching at all.

After the jump, more on Foods of the World.

The site is a veritable treasure trove for geography/food/anthropology nerds, as well as anyone who likes National Geographic. The "Explore World Foods" tab is a slippery rabbit hole in and of itself — we clicked on "Research The Continents" and found ourselves skipping madly from one country to the next, totally enthralled by the chance to combine thinking about foods we like and countries that we'd like to visit.

If you have a little more time and money to burn, you can even sign up for a Culinary Adventure through the site: an expert guide takes you to some far-flung and exciting destination, where you eat your way through the country and learn about food within that culture. Not only does this sound like our dream way to vacation, but the next destination is especially enticing (Southwest France with Raphael Kadushin).

Before we begin to sound like shills for a site that isn't even ours, Foods of the World is by no means perfect — it's a very cool idea with a pretty good beginning, but, at the risk of sounding like a middle school report card, there is room for improvement. For one, we wish that it went even bigger as a food anthropology site and would love to see more true National Geographic-style articles about food and cultural context.

Moreover, as pointed out in the comments on the Epi-Log, for a National Geographic venture, Foods of the World could do a little better about being a lot less Eurocentric. As one commenter puts it, "the articles of national geographic usually encompass all walks of life, so i was a tad disappointed not to see commonplace foods from various cultures, for example, something like inca kola from peru."

In the meantime, have fun browsing through the site and pretending that you are eating/visiting the foods and places that Foods of the World does highlight!

"National Geographic Launches New Site: Foods Of The World" [Epi-Log]
Foods of the World [Official Site]

[Photo: via Foods of the World]

Geoffrey Zakarian might be headed to Miami. The New York restaurateur is slated to oversee restaurant operations at a new hotel called Dream South Beach, which will combine the Tudor and the Palmer House at 11th and Collins. Here's what South Beach USA has to say about it:

Dream South Beach will be a high-end, luxury boutique hotel and will contain two food and beverage establishments including a ground-floor restaurant and a glass-enclosed roof-top lounge offering a sophisticated and relaxing environment.

Michelin Star chef Geoffrey Zakarian, formerly of “44″ in the Royalton Hotel in New York and currently chef of “Town” at the Chambers Hotel in Midtown and “Country” in the Carlton Hotel near Madison Square Park will be overseeing restaurant operations at Dream South Beach.

The roof-top lounge will be administered by David Rabin, a principle of 360 Hospitality which operates lounges, bar and restaurants in New York.

Dream South Beach Hotel Coming to Miami Beach [South Beach USA]
Town [MenuPages]
Town [Official Site]
Country [MenuPages]
Country [Official Site]
Blue Door [MenuPages]

Our stay-cation last weekend was extremely slow, but it looks like we'll be able to make up for it this week with several fun foodie activities.

On Friday starting at 6 p.m., The Oceanaire Seafood Room will present a five-course dinner featuring Robert Mondavi Wines. The cost is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Just to get your juices flowing, we'll tell you that the first course will be “A Study in Oysters” paired with Mondavi Fume Blanc, Napa Valley ’06. Call 305-372-8862 (TUNA) for reservations.

On Saturday, the Historical Museum of South Florida will host its annual fundraiser: the Bark Brunch at the Oasis at the Raleigh Hotel (pictured), which will take place from 10 a.m. until noon. While you fill up on brunch and mimosas, your furry friend can enter a canine competition or get a doggie massage. Tickets for non-HMSF members are $55.

On Sunday, Sushi Samba Dromo is celebrating Brazilian Independence Day with a specialty cocktail, one-night-only dishes and a show featuring famed performer Gil Santos, dancers and Brazilian drummers. The live shows are scheduled for 8-9:30 p.m. Special menu items include a bandeira cocktail ($12), a mix of pinot grigio and cachaca; the lobster and palmito salad ($18), served with a coco-mango emulsion and cashew powder; and the roasted poussion com batata ($25), served with broccolini and port sauce.

The Oceanaire Seafood Room [MenuPages]
The Oceanaire Seafood Room [Official Site]
Historical Museum of South Florida [Official Site]
Raleigh Hotel [Official Site]
Sushi Samba Dromo [MenuPages]
Sushi Samba Dromo [Official Site]

Ha, this is great: Remember when we brought you our list of state/county fair food dos and don'ts? Well, an addendum should be made:

Do:
• Eat anything and everything that comes on a stick. The weirder the better.

Because look at how much fun it obviously is to eat this stuff at the Minnesota State Fair. Note: Scotch egg, hoagie, corn-dog-on-a-slide.

In Videos: Foods on a Stick at the Minnesota State Fair [Serious Eats]

• The Upper East Side is movin' on up with some great new neighborhood restaurants. [Miami Herald]

• The new Design District version of Pacific Time gets a whopping three-and-a-half stars from Rochelle Koff. [Miami Herald]

• Bill Citara really likes the food at Badrutt's Place, despite the odd design and the restaurant's multiple personalities. [Miami New Times]

• The food is good, but it seems Gail Shepherd fell in love with Cafe Seville because of the service. [Broward-Palm Beach New Times]

• Looking for fresh, local mozzarella? Here's an idea. [Miami Herald]

• The Herald's Broward roundup explores Peruvian, Middle Eastern and Chinese options. [Miami Herald]

• Charles Passy checks out the new Shorty's in Palm Beach Gardens, the first branch of the chain in Palm Beach County. The 'cue is merely OK, but the portions are large and the Key lime pie is great. [Palm Beach Post]

• A chemical in many food and drink containers has been linked to brain cancer (ugh). [Canwest News Service]

• Food distributor Sysco settles with the state of Florida over false fish allegations. [CNN Money]

• The dust is finally settling in that fatal 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire, and very little of it lands on the club owners. [Chicago Tribune/AP]

• Reaction to LA fast food ban is some mix of insolence and skepticism. [Reuters]

Bad idea. Soon after tasting it, we realized that maybe two portions might have been better. My appetite suddenly appeared, and my boyfriend had to fight for what was, in reality, his snack. It doesn't look like all that much from the photo, but trust me, that chili sauce is magical — a perfect blend of heat and flavor.

After the jump, some more of the food highlights from our 10 days in Seoul...

All photos by Carolina Bolado and Nathan Hale.

What I really want to do is present you with some insightful commentary on something like the greening of Florida's citrus industry (scary!), the growing popularity of bubble tea in South Florida, or the restaurant scene emerging in the Upper East Side. But I spent 26 hours yesterday navigating airports from one end of the world to another as I made my way home from Seoul, and I'm really, really exhausted. So exhausted that I'm having a hard time coming up with coherent thoughts about anything relevant. So instead, I'm taking a cue from Short Order's John Linn and filling out the Omnivore's Hundred. The idea is to bold any of the food items on the list that you've had and to cross out any that you'd never try. My list, after the jump:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile Well, alligator. Close enough, right?
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects I might be persuaded into trying grasshoppers or crickets, but worms...I'd have some serious issues.
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal I may be the only person in America who has never had a Big Mac.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini I never used to drink martinis, and I only recently began ordering dirty vodka martinis on occasion, but I don't think I've ever had one with gin.
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill No thank you.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor Drowning lobster in cheese just seems so very wrong.
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

In Oakland, there's a guy named Ivar, an oldies DJ, mechanic, artist, and partner in The Key Printing and Binding.

Most important, though, among Ivar's many talents, is his non-stop stream of consciousness when it comes to hilariously disastrous concepts. Any conversation with Ivar yields at least a couple ideas so deliberately misguided that you yearn to see them put into action, just so that they will exist in the world, such the seagull that lives in your shirt if you don't have health-care and pops out to warn you when you're about to do something dangerous.

A long-time favorite is Ivar's "Bad Drinks" cocktail list, which includes such hits as a glass of blood with microchips floating in it, a glass of pubic hair with a dollop of chili on top, and a glass of pure water topped with several drops of gasoline.

Coming up with these drink ideas never really left the realm of drunk-talk, until Chow's James Norton, who we're pretty sure has never met Ivar, published his own list of "Craptails" in The Ten. The list actually went up a year ago June, but we didn't see it till just now. It's on Chow's front page for some reason. It includes some pretty fantastic bad drinks, such as the Salmon Colada, and now we're thinking Ivar and James should open a concept bar together. Call it something like "Garbage Water," and don't you dare give us a tab. Check out the recipe:

Salmon Colada

3 ounces light rum
2 cups crushed ice
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
3 tablespoons coconut milk
1 ounce fresh Atlantic salmon
Salmon head, for garnish

Blend all ingredients and garnish with a salmon head.

If anyone at the party starts talking about the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids, merely gesture at your drink and say, “Eh? Eh? That enough for ya?” Later in the evening, give your salmon head a name and have it deliver monologues on the commercialization of independent cinema or why the French Laundry is past its prime.

A favorite Brickell lunch spot is trying to lure dinner patrons as well. We just spotted this sign, which touts $12 entrees Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., hanging on Perricone's front porch. Though we've yet to check out which 12 entrees made the the $12 list, the majority of the restaurant's grilled dishes ring in at more than $20, so they're offering a substantial discount.

Perricone's Marketplace & Cafe [MenuPages]
Perricone's Marketplace & Cafe [Official Site]

• There's a pretty good chance that meat and milk from the offspring of cloned animals has entered the U.S. food supply. [Reuters via Guardian]

• A severe drought in Ethiopia has left 8 million in urgent need of food aid. [Reuters]

• Lobster prices are at their lowest in years due to decreased demand, so now might be a good time to splurge. [NYT]

• United Airlines reversed the decision to stop offering hot meals to economy class passengers on international flights. [Chicago Sun-Times]

The New York Times ran an expose a few weeks ago about Kate Stoeckle and Louisa Strauss, high school students in Manhattan who did a most interesting science project: They dropped a couple hundred dollars on sushi from restaurants and grocery stores, and then sent the fish off for a DNA analysis that would positively identify each sample's species. The result? Mislabeled fish turned up at 2 of the 4 restaurants and 6 of the 10 grocery stores.

Of course, in the wake of this article, the world has been turned on its ear. Predictably, big hitters like Eric Ripert of New York's seafood cathedral Le Bernardin and the guys from Nobu issued impassioned declarations that they never never swap in cheaper, farmed fishes in lieu of the exotic, expensive ones that are advertised on the menu.

So that's a story in and of itself, and probably worthy of more in-depth coverage on this blog. But! The real story here, at least to us, is an op-ed that ran today that takes this bit of fishy business as a springboard for a discussion of the power of the mind to dupe the palate.

The key here is a trick of the trade held close to the heart of magicians, con artists, and other sleight-of-handers: It's easier to fool an expert than it is to fool a naif. Citing examples of white wine dyed red, and chocolate yogurt mistaken for strawberry when eaten in the dark, author Edward Dolnick illustrates just how easy it is for us to dupe our tastebuds when we trust the information coming to us from another source — a wine expert asking us how we like our Pinot Noir, or a lab tech asking us whether we taste the strawberry, or (as it turns out) a menu telling us that the tilapia draped over a lozenge of sticky rice is actually "white tuna."

Of course, there are some food-related slights of hand that make us happy: think meatloaf cupcakes, or Chef Michel Richard's virtual eggs. But we're the first to admit we're not immune to the power of suggestion: the first time we tried one of the virtual eggs (made from mozzarella and yellow tomato) our first thought was not "oh hey, cheese and tomato shaped like an egg." It was "whoa, this egg is rotten."

Given that, we're keeping a more critical eye (and, er, tastebud) on what goes in our mouth. Hey, garde mangers — consider us en garde.

Fish or Foul? [New York Times]

[Photo: Heck knows what kind of fish any of this is anymore. Via sifu_renka's Flickr]

I’d be lying by omission if I didn’t admit to being pretty darn impressed with the Slow Food Taste Pavilions this weekend. Menupages’ own Adam Martin joined Sweetie and me for the Saturday evening session, and we were all impressed with the general pageantry and spectacle of the event in addition to the genuinely great food with which we filled ourselves over the course of four hours.

The only complaint? You weren’t able to buy anything at the pavilions, just collect check marks on your "Slow Dough" card to indicate that you’d been to a station. Of course, I'm not sure how the pricing would have worked if they had decided to sell goods at the pavilions, because we couldn’t help question the seemingly arbitrary “price scale” employed at the event. The Spirits pavilion was two check-marks, but you got unlimited cocktails all night. On the flip side, one sample of pork confit on small slice of toasted bread was three check-marks. Huh? Maybe pork is particularly expensive compared to a bottle of organic vodka.

And so we pressed on.

With each of the pavilions promising the best of what a particular industry or ingredient had to offer, I went into the evening thinking I’d see lots of familiar names and faces, like Blue Bottle Coffee, Cow Girl Creamery or Niman Ranch. But we were pleasantly surprised to see so many new or under-promoted names holding their own among the heavy hitters.

For instance, Counter Culture Coffee Roasters from North Carolina had us at hello with the El Salvadorian roast we sipped mid-flight at the Coffee Pavilion. We were all over the Wild Nunavut Arctic Char, available for the first time in the States, which was prepared by sustainable fish company CleanFish at the Fish Pavilion.

The pork pate from Café Rouge in Berkeley gave the charcuterie sampler some girth. And even the folks over at the Spirits Pavilion had new tricks up their sleeves with Shane McKnight, mixologist extraordinaire at Globe and founder of Urban Lunch SF, going through an elaborate process to create one very special cocktail: Pureed cucumber and lime, lemon juice, muddled cucumbers, St. Germain, Prairie Organic Vodka, mint and soda.

It was great to discover and rediscover food and the people responsible for making it. What’s more, in the spirit of slow food, localism, and sustainability, it's great that so many food purveyors were able to share the spotlight and let the food, rather than the branding, do the talking.

And now it's picture time. See you after the jump...

Breakfast consisted of one of Scott Peacock's ham biscuits:

And a half a mufaletta sandwich from Salumi Artisan cured meats, of Seattle. Marcia, who spent her New Orleans vacation wandering around and tasting mufaletta, declared it excellent:

As we sat on our hay bale, chatting about this and that, the conversation turned to what you can and can't get to eat in New York. Our bale-mate swiveled his head and announced, "I was never able to get a really thick milkshake there. They turn the machine on and walk away for five minutes, and by the time they get back, it's chocolate milk." He's never been to the Shake Shack, he said, but then, he's from the Midwest, so he knows from milkshakes.

This turned out to be Barry Foy, author of the soon-to-be-released Devil's Food Dictionary, polishing off a plate of tlacoyos. I asked him what he was looking forward to eating this weekend. "I always make a bee-line for the cured meats," he said. I'll go to the end of the line and start over if I have to." Look out, Taste Pavilion — get that second salumi ready.

After picking up a New Orleans Iced Coffee from the Blue Bottle stand, we took a stroll through the marketplace:

We met all sorts of folks selling all sorts of food, like Pierre Bellevue, of Pan-O-Rama breads, whose gigantic loaf seems to have eclipsed his head-shot. Sorry Pierre, but what do you expect with bread like this?:

We did manage to get a shot of James Freeman, of Blue Bottle, as we thanked him for the pick-me-up. He was pushing Blue Bottle's Huehuetenango Highland coffee, from Guatemala:

Even though we were full of mufaletta and ham, Marcia and I couldn't help salivating at the rich, red tomatoes on display from Blue House Farm. They're dry-farmed, owner Ryan Casey told me, with a little help from the coastal fog and clay-rich soil:

Another mouth-watering dry-farmed product sat right next to the glowing pile of tomatoes. These apples come from Sebastapol, where husband and wife Paul and Kendra Kolling run the farm Nana Mae's Organics. Volunteer Keith Borglum presided over the pile:

Marcia and I enjoyed a sample of a surprisingly rich peach cobbler-type-thing made with Massa Organics rice:

For some reason I thought the J&P Organics sign was hilarious. Hey, dudes, you're way closer than a quarter-mile. Here's JP himself humoring a tired blogger:

Finally, we had a laugh with Dee Harley, a friend of Marcia's, who runs Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero. She showed off her new credit-card-swiping-thing, which she said was the smartest investment she had made in preparation for this market. But I don't know. That title could conceivably go to the goats who squirted out what would become this cheese. It's heavenly:

And then it was time for us to go our separate ways, I to the Food for Thought discussion, and Marcia to own this freaking town as the queen of food news and gossip. But not before posing for a couple of photos of ourselves. See if you can guess who's who:

By the way, yes, that is an upside down bus stacked on top of a right-side-up one to make one weird double-decker. It belongs to a group called the Whitehouse Organic Farming Project, or, awesomely, The Who Farm.

That's all for now. Check back for photos of Alemany Farm, the Taste Pavilion, and whatever pops up.

• Today in global food aid: North Korea needs $503 million of it. [Reuters]

• Slow Food Nation is the perfect hybrid of Democrat and Republican ideals. [SFChron]

• Cinnamon prevents food spoilage! Neat! [NYT]

• RIP Raymond L. Danner, Sr., businessman behind the Shoney's restaurant chain. [AP/IHT]

• A roundup of victims of the "grocery shrink ray" (coinage, btw, by Consumerist) [AP/IHT]

It's been a great weekend of solid Slow Food Nation, but like all events, this, too, must end. That doesn't mean the coverage has to, though. Alexis will bring you another look at the Taste Pavilion tomorrow, and you can at least one more story later this week, as well as more photos and anecdotes.

For it being a "slow" event, Slow Food Nation sure did involve a lot of hustling hither and yon and eating on the go. The Taste Pavilion and marketplace both lent themselves to snacking while walking, and the farm tour, of course, involved a morning of tromping around fields. But the last official event I attended made up for all that hardship (I know, what a tough life), with a four-course meal that involved some of the finest meat and vegetables I've eaten all season.

Sunday night was my turn to eat at a Slow Dinner. I picked Serpentine because I've been curious about the restaurant, and I liked the sound of the Center for Land-Based Learning, which the dinner benefited.

But by the time it rolled around, I wasn't really looking forward to the evening. I was tired of working, and tired of hearing about food politics, and as I hopped a cab out to Dog Patch, I looked wistfully at the Taqueria Castillito on Mason Street, thinking how comfortable it would be to curl up in front of the tube with a nice al pastor burrito.

Walking into the Serpentine's bright, airy dining room did little to put me at ease. The place looks great, with sharp lines and dramatic angles and plenty of natural evening light. Meanwhile, I was in the mood for a dark, low room where I could hide out in a booth. Mary Kimball, director of the Center For Land-Based Learning, greeted me at the door and invited me to sit anywhere. After grabbing a seat at the bar, I ordered a Hangar One martini, and within a few minutes, I was having fun in spite of myself.

This turned out to be maybe the easiest Slow Food Nation event to enjoy. It was just dinner, plain and simple, with a short interruption as Mary gave her spiel on the Center, to which went $50 from each $110 ticket. She didn't talk our ears off, and it was fun hearing about the center, which is doing some great work. Here she is in full swing:

As the wine flowed, I found it easier to loosen up, and soon I was chatting away with Toby Hastings, whose Free Spirit Farm, near Davis, supplied the cherry and heirloom tomatoes for the dinner, as well as the Gypsy peppers. Toby leases his acre or so of land from the Center, and is one of Serpentine's regular suppliers. He also went to the University of California at Santa Cruz with my brother, it turns out. God, this is a small town.

The bar seemed to be where "industry" types sat, as the pair to my right mentioned they had delivered the evening's beef through their Prather Ranch Meat Co. They met chef Chris Kronner at a Meat Paper party, co-owner Steve McCarthy told me.

Before long we were all having a laugh, passing around the family-style serving plates, and by the time dessert came around, I didn't want the evening to end.

I wish I could offer you a taste, but you'll have to make do with the photos, after the jump, that show off this wonderful menu. As for me, I'll be glad to get back to the calm pace of the work day after one frenzied weekend. It's been fun, and it's been delicious, but this weekend was anything but "slow."

We started with a charcuterie of Marin Sun Farms pork rillettes, pate and brawn, and a strawberry and shallot escabeche.

There was also a dish of marinated pole beans with roasted Free Spirit Farm Gypsy peppers and pickled Hungarian wax peppers. Sharp journalist that I am, I totally forgot to get the camera out for this course, so let's just move right along to the salads.

Here's a salad of wild arugula, English peas, nectarines and walnut pesto:

And this is a salad of avocado, chioggia beets, Free Spirit Farm cherry tomatoes, and peppercress:

It was funny to sit between Toby, a vegetarian who didn't touch his wine, and the guys from Prather Ranch, who loved their beef and ordered after-dinner drinks. Here's Toby:

Here's Steve McCarthy, left, and Doug Stonebreaker, right, of Prather Ranch Meat Co:

Here's the meat they brought — grilled Prather Ranch beef with ruby crescent potatoes, roasted Free Spirit Farm heirloom tomatoes, and black truffles:

There was also a roasted Mary's chicken, with Valencia orange bread salsa, haricots verts, red pearl onions, and sweet corn puree:

Finally, we got a chocolate and walnut tart with strawberries and Bi-Rite Creamery vanilla ice cream:

And that was my dinner at Serpentine. Good times!