The latest advertising campaign in Mexico from Swedish vodka maker Absolut promises to push all the right buttons south of the U.S. border, but it could ruffle a few feathers in El Norte.

Source:
Mexico reconquers California? Absolut drinks to that!
LA Plaza
L.A.Times, April 03, 2008
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2008/04/mexico-reconque.html

Posted at 09:36 AM in Food and Drink, Humor, Travel | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Freaky, frozen pickle juice:  Pickle Sickle, a/k/a Bob’s Pickle Pops

via NYT

A box of 16 is $17.95 and one of 32 is $27.95 from picklesickle.com.

http://picklesickle.com/order.htm

Posted at 10:47 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ahhh, that's the good stuff!

WITH its brass-trimmed halogen heating elements, glass globes and bamboo paddles, the new contraption that is to begin making coffee this week at the Blue Bottle Café here looks like a machine from a Jules Verne novel, a 19th-century vision of the future.

Called a siphon bar, it was imported from Japan at a total cost of more than $20,000. The cafe has the only halogen-powered model in the United States, and getting it here required years of elliptical discussions with its importer, Jay Egami of the Ueshima Coffee Company.

“If you just want equipment you’re not ready,” Mr. Egami said in an interview. But, he added, James Freeman, the owner of the cafe, is different: “He’s invested time. He’s invested interest. He is ready.”

Professionals have long been willing to pay prices in the five figures for the perfect espresso machine, but the siphon bar does not make espresso. It makes brewed coffee, as does another high-end coffee maker, the $11,000 Clover, which makes one cup at a time. Together, they signal the resurgence of brewing among the most obsessive coffee enthusiasts.

Source:
At Last, a $20,000 Cup of Coffee
OLIVER SCHWANER-ALBRIGHT
January 23, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/dining/23coff.html

Posted at 09:03 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

In this witty monologue, Malcolm Gladwell follows the career of a food industry consultant who uncovered a key secret to what eaters like. Running huge focus groups to find customers' truest tastes, Gladwell's hero draws a radical conclusion, an epiphany that has defined food marketing ever since. Note: The theme of the 2004 conference was "The Pursuit of Happiness" -- hence the talk's quirky presence

click to play

Posted at 06:15 AM in Food and Drink, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

via NYT

Right about now we need a break from winter: How about some tropical recipes?

Zombie Punch:

 

Adapted from Jeff Berry Mr. Berry believes that this recipe, found in a waiter’s notebook, is the original Zombie introduced at Don the Beachcomber’s in 1934.

3/4 ounce lime juice

  1/2 ounce white grapefruit juice

  1/4 ounce cinnamon syrup (see note)

  1/2 ounce falernum (see note)

1 1/2 ounces dark Jamaican rum, such as Appleton Estate V/X

1 1/2 ounces gold rum, such as Cruzan 5-year-old

1 ounce 151-proof Lemon Hart Demerara rum

Dash Angostura bitters

6 drops ( 1/8 teaspoon) Herbsaint or Pernod

1 teaspoon grenadine

3/4 cup crushed ice.

  Put everything into a blender. Blend at high speed for 5 seconds. Pour into a highball glass and add ice cubes to fill. Decorate with sliced fruit or berries and a mint sprig.

Yield: One drink.

Note: Cinnamon syrup from Sonoma Syrup Company is sold at Dean & DeLuca, Whole Foods and other retailers. To make it, boil 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cinnamon sticks pounded in a mortar or with the back of a knife; stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat, let sit for 2 hours, then strain. Excess can be kept refrigerated for a month. Names of retailers selling falernum, a syrup tasting of lime juice, almonds and ginger, are available from Fee Brothers at (800) 961-FEES.

Beachbum Berry’s Zombie 

Adapted from Jeff Berry This recipe nearly matches the flavor of the 1934 Zombie, but it is simpler.

3/4 ounce lime juice

1 ounce white grapefruit juice

  1/2 ounce cinnamon-infused sugar syrup (see note)

  1/2 ounce Bacardi 151 rum

1 ounce dark Jamaican rum

Sliced fruit and mint for garnish.

Shake all ingredients well with ice cubes. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with fruit and a mint sprig.

Yield: One drink.

Note: Cinnamon syrup from Sonoma Syrup Company is sold at Dean & DeLuca and Whole Foods. To make it, boil 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cinnamon sticks pounded with the back of a knife; stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat, let sit for 2 hours, then strain.

Beachbum’s Own

Adapted from Jeff Berry

3/4 ounce lemon juice

  3/4 ounce pineapple juice

  3/4 ounce orange juice

  3/4 ounce passion fruit syrup (see note)

  3/4 ounce Cuarenta Y Tres liqueur (Licor 43)

1 1/4 ounces smoky, medium-bodied rum such as Lemon Hart Demerara, El Dorado, Pampero or Mount Gay Extra Old

1 1/2 ounces light rum, such as Cruzan 2-year-old.

  Pour all ingredients into a shaker with plenty of ice and shake well. Pour, ice and all, into a double old-fashioned glass.

Yield: One drink.

Note: Passion fruit syrup is available from Finest Call (www.finestcall.com) and Funkin (funkin.us). To make it, dissolve

1/4 cup sugar in 1/4 cup boiling water, then stir in 1/2 cup thawed frozen passion fruit pulp, made by Goya and sold in many bodegas and supermarkets.

Source:
Cracking the Code of the Zombie
STEVEN KURUTZ
NYT, November 28, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/dining/28tiki.html   

Posted at 06:04 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Until 2002, these giant creatures were seen only occasionally in Japanese waters. But for the past five years, they have been swarming every year into the Sea of Japan, the water that separates Japan from mainland Asia. During the biggest invasion so far, in 2005, an estimated 500 million jellyfish -- not yet mature -- drifted in each day.

It's hard to calculate financial damage to fishermen, but the Japanese government last year counted about 50,000 incidents of jellyfish trouble. Fish poisoned by jellyfish tentacles die with their mouths agape. That mars their appearance and reduces their value by as much as 20%. "When their mouths are wide open, it means they've died going, 'I'm in pain! I'm in pain!' " explains Mr. Yoshida.

Scientists have various ideas about what causes the outbreak. One has devised a computer model of ocean currents that suggests the jellyfish are breeding off the Chinese coast near the mouth of the Yangtze River. One theory is that pollution, perhaps linked to industrialization in China, is helping create more algae in the sea. The algae are food for plankton, which is food for jellyfish.

Source:
Invasion of Jellyfish Envelops Japan In Ocean of Slime
Pink 450-Pound Blobs Clog Nets but Spur New Recipes;
Pointing Fingers at China
SEBASTIAN MOFFETT
WSJ, November 27, 2007; Page A1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119612452419404666.html

Posted at 06:09 AM in Food and Drink, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A few Thanksgiving factoids: 

-Thankgiving Myth: Turkey Makes You Sleepy

- Black Friday is not the busiest shopping day of the year: Between 1993 and 2002, it cracked the top five just three times, never rising higher than the fourth-busiest day of the year. Americans love to procrastinate: Eight years out of 10, the busiest day fell on the Saturday before Christmas.

- The Pilgrims never ate corn on the cob, apples, pears, potatoes or even cranberries -- and no one knows if they had turkey. All we know for sure is they had deer and fowl.

- The song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" (aka "Alice's Restaurant") by Arlo Guthrie's is based on a true story that began on Thanksgiving Day. The song lasts 18 minutes and 20 seconds, and occupied the entire A-side of Guthrie's 1967 debut record album, titled Alice's Restaurant.  (full lyrics here)

- Another myth: The US invented Thanksgiving. Turns out that humans have been holding harvest festivals for ages. In ancient times, Middle Eastern peoples offered wheat to "The Great Mother" or "Mother of the Wheat." In medieval times, central Europeans celebrated their harvests at Feast of Saint Martin on November 11th.

-The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941). Abraham Lincoln had previously designated it as the last Thursday in November.

-And if you think your family is crazy, remember this: each year, the Aztecs would behead a young girl representing Xilonen, the corn goddess.   

 

via GreenTaxi

Posted at 06:00 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When the cheapest hot dog in town is raising prices, you know there's inflation:

"Gray’s Papaya, for “When You’re Hungry, or Broke, or Just in a Hurry!”

For those who are broke, however, paying for a meal at Gray’s will soon be a tiny bit more of a challenge, according to a third sign. “Bummer!!” it says. “We fight the good fight but our costs keep going up and we will soon be forced to raise our prices.” Smaller signs at the store make the same point.

On Thursday, a counterman served up a dog with onions, for the usual 95 cents (5 cents less than the “Polite New Yorker” buttons that are also on sale). The “recession special,” two dogs and a drink, was still $2.75 including tax, as it has been for several years.

But Nicholas A. B. Gray, who founded the three-store chain in 1973, said on Friday that the prices would go up within the next few weeks, although he has not yet decided by how much. Increases in rents, taxes and the costs of dealing with government agencies, he said, are the reasons.

And, he added, he is not taking the change lightly. “It’s very traumatic to me,” he said, “and it’s very traumatic for my customers, I think, because they feel a sense of betrayal.”

Source:
Lamentation at Gray’s Papaya
JAKE MOONEY
NYT, October 8, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/nyregion/thecity/08hotd.html

Posted at 06:30 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Interesting graphic:

Source:
The Everyman Who Exposed Tainted Toothpaste
WALT BOGDANICH
NYT, October 1, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/world/americas/01panama.html

Posted at 10:38 AM in Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Shopping | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

click for larger version (PDF)

courtesy of WSJ

After a certain amount of time spent wallowing in burgers, you inevitably begin to see complexity where most people just see a simple dish. But a fellow who is about to announce his choice for the WGB (World's Greatest Burger) should have an aesthetic, a set of standards that guide his judgments in burger court. So here is mine.

First, the burger is more than the sum of its parts. You take a bite of all of it at once -- the meat, the bun, the condiments and any other additions such as raw tomato, lettuce, fruit, nuts. At the hallowed Primanti's on Pittsburgh's gritty 18th Street, they put the fries inside the burger. And it's pretty good.

If you are any good at burger degustation, you should be able to add all those sensations up in your debauched little sensorium and then, and only then, try to sort out what went into it. It should start with beef, the humble ground chuck -- not the pricier ground sirloin or any other variant. Chuck has the Goldilocks amount of fat, not too lean nor too much like hand cream. Chuck also has the right mouth feel; it gives the teeth something to do. You also want a patty thick enough so that it can be charred yet remain moist within. I like mine medium rare, because I want the fat in the meat to get hot enough to melt and spread its flavor. The patty should be seasoned with salt and pepper, at the very least.

The bun is a crucial component of the dish. Toasted bread is not bad for a change-up, but a bun is better, gives better grip and more al dente contrast to the meat. The best bun is a sesame bun, lightly toasted and warm. There is nothing wrong with the braided pretzel bun at the Rosebud in Chicago, but the raised pattern is an eccentric distraction and the bun too doughy, in my view.

From there on, individual preference rules.

X

Source:
The Best Burger
The beef patty on a bun is America's contribution to world cuisine. Our food critic takes a cross-country -- and artery-clogging -- journey to find burger perfection.
RAYMOND SOKOLOV
WSJ, March 10, 2007
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117348069193432668.html

Posted at 07:05 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Funny:

Swear Jar

Posted at 06:32 AM in Food and Drink, Humor, Television | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Me:

Posted at 06:18 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Chinese pet food ingredients* spiked with a potentially dangerous chemical found their way into U.S.- manufactured pet food - as well as feed for hogs, chicken and farmed fish. After numerous pet deaths were attributed to the chemical, the FDA called for a series of recalls and quarantines beginning in March. Here is how the tainted ingredient spread.

Dried apples preserved with a cancer-causing chemical.

Frozen catfish laden with banned antibiotics.

Scallops and sardines coated with putrefying bacteria.

Mushrooms laced with illegal pesticides.

"For years, U.S. inspection records show, China has flooded the United States with foods unfit for human consumption. And for years, FDA inspectors have simply returned to Chinese importers the small portion of those products they caught -- many of which turned up at U.S. borders again, making a second or third attempt at entry.

Now the confluence of two events -- the highly publicized contamination of U.S. chicken, pork and fish with tainted Chinese pet food ingredients and this week's resumption of high-level economic and trade talks with China -- has activists and members of Congress demanding that the United States tell China it is fed up.

Dead pets and melamine-tainted food notwithstanding, change will prove difficult, policy experts say, in large part because U.S. companies have become so dependent on the Chinese economy that tighter rules on imports stand to harm the U.S. economy, too.

"So many U.S. companies are directly or indirectly involved in China now, the commercial interest of the United States these days has become to allow imports to come in as quickly and smoothly as possible," said Robert B. Cassidy, a former assistant U.S. trade representative for China and now director of international trade and services for Kelley Drye Collier Shannon, a Washington law firm."

>

Source:
Tainted Chinese Imports Common
In Four Months, FDA Refused 298 Shipments
Rick Weiss
Washington Post , Sunday, May 20, 2007; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/19/AR2007051901273.html

Posted at 06:22 AM in Finance, Food and Drink, Politics, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Just in time for Valentines Day:  2 Chocolate recipes, and a guide to Chocolate 101

CHOCOLATE, HOT AND COLD

Here are two simple recipes that show off the flavor of high-end chocolate: a hot chocolate drink that's rich enough to serve as dessert and a sorbet with only three ingredients.

Green & Black's Chocolate Sorbet

Yield: 1 pint
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Freezing time: 3 to 4 hours

2/3 cup sugar
3½ ounces dark chocolate, minimum 60% cacao, broken into pieces
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Adapted from "Green & Black's Chocolate Recipes," Kyle Books

***

Scharffen Berger's Drinking Chocolate

Yield: 3 1/2 cups
Active preparation time: 8 minutes

2½ cups whole milk
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, 99% cacao, finely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan until it is hot to the touch. Whisk in the chocolate and sugar, and continue whisking for 1 to 2 minutes until the chocolate has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla and the cinnamon and cayenne, if using.

Serve in demitasse cups as dessert.

Note: For a lighter consistency, remove the hot chocolate from the heat and mix it with a hand blender at low speed before serving.

Adapted from "The Essence of Chocolate," Hyperion

Source:
Chocolate (User's Manual Enclosed)
To add mystique to premium bonbons, makers add study guides; a 24-page insert
By KATY MCLAUGHLIN
February 10, 2007; Page P1
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117105955600404121.html

Posted at 06:06 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Amusing drive thru rap:

To get the lyrics, highlight below:

I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce
Don't be frontin' son no seeds on a bun
We be up in this drive thru
Order for two
I gots a craving for a number nine like my shoe
We need some chicken up in here
In this dizzle
For rizzle my nizzle
Extra salt on the frizzle
Dr. Pepper my brother
Another for your mother
Double double super size
And don't forget the FRIES...

Posted at 07:00 PM in Food and Drink, Humor, Music | Permalink | Comments (27)

Since we are on a bit of a coffee theme today, you still have 2 days left of the big sale at Porto Rico Importing:

click for website

Posted at 10:23 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Back in April 2004, I posted Your Coffee Sucks!

It definitely resonated with people -- as you can tell from the many comments its recieved.

Well, we have an update: This week, I received as a birthday gift the latest Capresso Design -- and its awesome: The Capresso 455.05 CoffeeTEAM Therm Stainless Coffeemaker/Burr Grinder Combination

Yeah, its $300 -- but its the best machine I've come across that's under 4 figures.

The latest advance -- aside from the slick black and chrome sdesign -- is that there is no pot/carafe warmer, which has a tendency to burn coffee. Instead, the brew drips into a vaccuum thermos.

Mrs. essays & effluvia one complaint about the old Capresso grind & brew was that it wasn't hot enough (she says that about most coffee makers. though).

Not so with this baby -- its not only much hotter than the old machine when it brews, but an hour or two later, its still much hotter. On Sunday morning, you can start the NYT with a cup, and refill it when you are done, with fresh still very hot coffee. Hmmmm, delicious.

I've only had it a week, but its awesome.

If you can't bring yourself to spend that type of wood on a coffeemaker, than put it on your list for a holiday gift. Its the type of indulgent item that is easier to give a s a gift than spend the money on for yourself. You will not be disappointed. 

>

You probably don't want to spend this type of wood, but the next step up is the $3,000 Magic Saeco. Yeah, that's right, you can drop 3 large on an expresso maker, so stop whining about 300 bucks . . .

>

Oops! That was the origianl price --its now on sale at the low low price of $1,159.00

Posted at 06:16 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Pretty ridiculous via SupersizedMeals.com

Posted at 06:21 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

The maker of one of my very favorite cigars was written up in the NYT this week:  José Orlando Padrón.

"Mr. Padrón, 80, began working in his father’s tobacco farm at the age of 7 and is still a hands-on manager a lifetime later. He now shuttles between Miami and Managua and is a constant presence on the factory floor, plucking bad leaves off the table with a disapproving eye and leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

“Don’t even talk about life without cigars,” said Mr. Padrón, a stocky man who speaks in rapid-fire Cuban Spanish and sticks his nose into tobacco leaves to take in the pungent scent as some might smell a rose.

In the 1970’s, Mr. Padrón began growing tobacco derived from Cuban seed here in Nicaragua’s fertile Estelí region. But politics interfered.

In 1978, as Sandinista revolutionaries battled the longtime dictator Anastasio Somoza, Mr. Padrón was regarded by some as sympathetic to the strongman. His Nicaraguan factory was burned.

Still, he kept smoking, and eventually he was back producing cigars in this country. To do so, he had to meet with the local comandante and make the case that he was employing hundreds of Nicaraguans and not meddling in politics.

The crises did not let up. In 1979, he and other Cuban exiles went back to Cuba to negotiate the release of political prisoners. In a meeting with President Castro, Mr. Padrón was photographed handing the leader one of his cigars, which riled some of Miami’s anti-Castro hard-liners so much that they repeatedly put bombs in his factory.

A group called Omega 7 claimed responsibility for the attacks, which backfired in the long run. Many in Miami sympathized with him and bought more of his cigars. Mr. Padrón posted this quotation from José Martí, the 19th-century poet and fighter for Cuban independence, on his factory wall: “Men are divided into two groups — those that love and build, and those that hate and destroy.”

In 1985 the Reagan administration imposed a trade embargo on Nicaragua, which effectively ended Mr. Padrón’s ability to get his Nicaraguan cigars to his American customers. “I got hit again,” he said.

He hustled some bales of tobacco out of the country to continue producing for a while, then opened an operation across the border in Honduras. But when the embargo was lifted in 1990, he was back in Nicaragua. “I’m a survivor,” he said."

Source:
A Career Seasoned With Cigar Smoke and Revolution
MARC LACEY
NYT, September 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/27/world/americas/27cigar.html

Padrón 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo
http://www.padron.com/cigar_show.php?cigar=exclusivo

My other favorite:

Diamond Crown Figurado No. 6
http://www.thecigarstore.com/product.php?p=73988

Posted at 05:59 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Is this a real product?

from Back to Basics

Does this really need a FAQ?

Posted at 06:05 AM in Design, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Posted at 06:05 AM in Food and Drink, Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Interesting pod machine from Tassimo, a division of  Kraft Foods (at left).

The WSJ noted the following 1 year ago:

"Tassimo represents Kraft's answer to a pressing problems confronting one of the world's big coffee sellers -- how to win back American coffee drinkers. Kraft sells more coffee than any other company in the world, and for years, Kraft's Maxwell House brand, along with rival Folgers from P&G, defined America's coffee preferences. But sales of those products, like those of many other iconic packaged foods, are being pinched from below, by low-priced private-label brands, and from above by expensive specialty products sold at chains like Starbucks Corp.

Tassimo is one of several products that food giants, teaming up with appliance makers, are offering to upgrade consumers' at-home coffee experience. Machines from P&G and Nestlé, as well as Flavia from Mars Inc. and Senseo from Sara Lee Corp., all brew one cup at a time, not a whole pot -- in the manner of an espresso maker. The machines range in price from about $50, in the case of P&G's Mr. Coffee Home Café machine, which uses refills that resemble tea bags called "pods," to more than $2,000 for some of Nestlé's top-of-the-line Nespresso machines."

In the era of Starbucks, these machines have a very specific appeal:

The coffee machines' appeal, according to their promoters, is that they aren't messy and they customize every cup -- decaf or caf, weak or strong -- for each person in the household.

Compared with ground coffee, the coffee-machine refills are pricey. After Kraft and P&G raised coffee prices this week, a 13-oz. can of Kraft's Maxwell House costs $3.19 and makes from 80 to 90 cups of coffee, or roughly four cents a cup. A bag of 16 Tassimo single-serve T-discs sells for anywhere from $4.99 to $9.99, or 30 cents to 60 cents a cup.

Of course, even those prices pale next to a tall latte at Starbucks, which can top three bucks, depending on the market. And that is where Mr. Deromedi sees room to grow. "Yes, more people are consuming coffee away from home, but why are they doing this?" he asks. "Because they want better quality, and it's up to us to deliver that."

Indeed, as much as the new machines compete with each other, their biggest rival in the U.S. remains coffee chains such as Starbucks, whose world-wide sales in its latest fiscal year grew 30% to $5.3 billion. Compare ground coffee's lackluster sales: The U.S. market is flat at about $5 billion, almost exactly where it was in the year 2000, according to Euromonitor, a Chicago market-research firm. Meanwhile, supermarket sales of whole-bean coffee and brands like Starbucks, which Kraft distributes to grocery stores, and P&G's upscale Millstone product, are still percolating.

Source:
Will New Machines Perk Up Coffee Sales?
SARAH ELLISON
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, March 16, 2005; Page B1
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111094239948780852,00.html

See also:
Your Coffee Sucks!

Posted at 08:35 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

An excellent collection of food links, via Slice:

NYC Food Blogs

Bourrez Votre Visage
Chowhound
Cityrag
Craig's List Food Forum
Cravings
Eat, Drink, One Woman
EGullet
The Food Section
Foodstuffs
Frost Street
Gaijin Girl
The Girl Who Ate Everything
Goodies First
Gothamist's Food Archives
The Hedonista
The Impetuous Epicure
Manhattan User's Guide
The Times's Dining & Wine section
NYC Eats
NYC Restaurant Inspection Info
SushiNYC
The Times's Dining & Wine section
The Village Voice's Eats Section
Vittles Vamp

Pretty deep selection of stuff!

FOOD IN GENERAL

Alton Brown
Amuse Bouche
Chez Pim
Chocolate and Zucchini
Cook's Illustrated
Di Vino & Cibo (Italy)
EGullet
Epicurious
The Grocery List Collection
I Was Just Really Very Hungry
International Federation of Competitive Eating
Lovescool
Martha Stewart
Mouthfuls
MyMenuList.com
Noodle Pie
'Ono Kine Grindz
Phoood
Sauté Wednesday
Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas
Super Chef Blog
Vinography
Watch Me Eat a Hot Dog
Words To Eat By
Wrapped in Dough

Posted at 10:05 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Its that time of year again:

Posted at 06:37 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What makes a great steak? A few things: Prime beef, well marbled, and aged.

First thing first: Prime:

One of the most confusing things about beef is knowing what a restaurant means when it describes meat as "prime." The answer starts out on the range, with a head of cattle munching grass. Although some steakhouses make much of where their beef comes from, cattle from across the country are all genetically similar, according to Cattle-Fax. At 15 months, the typical steer or heifer is sold to a feedlot, where it spends about five months chomping on the bovine equivalent of ice cream: corn with some hay, wheat and protein supplements. As cattle eat their high-calorie rations, they develop various degrees of marbling, or thin lines of milky white fat running through their meat.

next up: Marbling:

Marbling is one case in life where fat is a good thing: When beef cooks, those lines of fat melt and essentially baste the meat from within, making it rich and tender. Marbling is so important to the taste of a good steak that it is the basis of the USDA grading system. After slaughter, an inspector looks at the rib area of each carcass and labels it prime, choice, select, or another lower grade, depending on how much marbling he sees. About 55% of all cattle develop what the USDA terms "slightly abundant" marbling and are graded choice; 42% with less marbling are graded select or below. At the very top of the pyramid is the elite 3% of carcasses that have lots of white lines and flecks. They are graded USDA prime.

last comes Aging:

There are two ways of aging beef. The expensive route is dry-aging, which involves storing large pieces of meat in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room, typically for two to four weeks. It is generally considered the gold standard, because the meat evaporates liquid as it ages, creating more concentrated meat with intense beefy flavor. But evaporation causes both weight loss and a thick, hard crust that needs to be trimmed, often by a salaried in-house butcher. Restaurants that buy dry-aged steak pay about a $4-per-pound premium, according to David Burke, the former culinary director at Smith & Wollensky who is opening a steakhouse in Chicago this winter.

Finally, knowing the lingo can help you get a better piece of meat. Here are some essential terms (via WSJ):

Certified Angus Beef: Brand name for meat from Angus-breed cattle that is graded in the top two-thirds of the USDA choice category.

Filet mignon: Usually "choice or better" grade meat and never dry-aged, because it is boneless. The most tender but often least flavorful cut, it tastes best fairly rare. Chateaubriand is an extra-thick filet mignon.

Hanger steak: Some of the new, independent steakhouses serve this cut from the underside of the cow. Generally cheaper than other steaks, with a rich flavor and chewy texture.

New York strip: Also known as the Kansas City strip or sirloin strip (on-the-bone sirloin strips are sometimes called shell steaks). It's the choice of many connoisseurs, especially when it is USDA prime and dry-aged.

Porterhouse: The two-for-one steak, with a sirloin strip on one side of the bone and a tenderloin filet on the other. Often big enough for two diners (or one rich and hungry one), it's usually the priciest steak.

Rib eye: The fattiest steak and thus the best choice for people who like beef more well done -- the fat keeps it moist. Prime rib is the same meat roasted whole rather than sliced into steaks.

USDA choice: Grade given by a Department of Agriculture inspector to meat with marbling that ranges from small to what the USDA terms "slightly abundant."

USDA prime: Grade given by a DOA inspector to meat with the most marbling.

click for much larger graph

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Source:
Steakhouse Confidential
With demand for the best beef up and supply down, some restaurants are cutting corners. We serve up a guide to getting what you want
KATY MCLAUGHLIN
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, October 8, 2005; Page P4
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112872297151463196.html

Posted at 07:00 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When I found out that the Soup Nazi was opening up near my office, my curiousity got the best of me. We tried it today.

If you are wondering, the soup was quite excellent, but a $1 overpriced. No one needs a piece of chocolate and 2 mini Apples with their bowl of Sausage Gumbo; nor does anyone require an expensive handled Bloomingdale type paper bag (its fine for a cashmere sweater, but its a bit excessive for soup). 

It was as if they were trying to rationalize $7.95 for a bowl of takeout soup.

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Here are the infamous Soup Nazi Rules:

The place is clean and well lit, and the line moves along fast (it was pretty busy at noon)

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Bottom line: Excellent soup -- but it ain't cheap.

Posted at 01:31 PM in Food and Drink, Humor, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

We're off to see some Vineyards & Wineries on the North Fork   

I will update with some photos and favorite wines later . . .

Posted at 06:35 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I've already described why most people's coffee sucks; Today, we look into the health benefits of the stuff, via Forbes:

1. A few cups of coffee may help open airways for those with asthma;
2. Coffee reduces Jet lag on long flights;
3. Caffeine stimulates short-term memory;
4. It keeps you alert (duh);
5. Caffeine is known to slightly increase metabolism, which can help people lose weight;
6. Lowers the risk is of developing Parkinson's disease; Daily drinkers are 60-80% less likely to contract the disease;
7. Men who drink four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day have a lower risk of developing gallbladder stones;
8. The antioxidant in coffee (methylpyridinium) has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colorectal and other cancers
9. Drinking four cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis by approximately 30%.
10. Reducing the risk of diabetes;

Coffee is also believed to be a cognitive enhancer and an aid in concentration, especially on intellectual tasks.

You can see even more details at this Forbes slide show.

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Source:
Coffee Perks
Susan Yara
Forbes, October 12, 2005
http://www.forbes.com/health/2005/10/11/coffee-health-benefits-cx_sy_1012feat_ls.html

Posted at 08:37 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

boing boing:  This coffee mug bears the text of the Bill of Rights. When you fill it with hot liquid, the text slowly vanishes, simulating the effect of the Bush presidency.

Acorn Online via boing boing

Posted at 03:59 PM in Food and Drink, Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

"Not that good hamburgers can't be found in NYC, but it's just not a hamburger town."
-Jason Kottke

>
The K-man is wrong (hey, it happens occasionally).

Not only are there great burgers in NYC, this is a burger town. While Chicago is a hot dog town, and Cleveland/Detroit/Milwuakee are bratwurst/sausage towns, this is definitely a burger type of burgh. (That's the dichotomy: Burgers or Dogs).

Because there are so many great restaurants in this city, you don't think of it as a burger town -- but it is. Its also a great steak town, as well as a great Italian / French / Chinese / Sushi / nouvelle / wings / BBQ / Kosher town.  But between Dogs and Burgers, its a Burger town. 

Nuff said.

Here's my list of best Burgers in NYC:

Corner Bistro (My personal favorite)
331 W. Fourth St. (Jane St.)
Manhattan, NY
212-242-9502

Peter Luger Steak House (They use the tail of the porterhouse -- outstanding beef)
178 Broadway (Driggs Ave.)
Brooklyn, NY
718-387-7400

burger joint at Le Parker Meridien (ask the concierge -- its hidden in the back)
119 W. 56th St. (bet. 6th & 7th Aves.)
Manhattan, NY
212-708-7414

J.G. Melon (excellent!)
1291 Third Ave. (74th St.)
Manhattan, NY
212-744-0585

Spotted Pig (also excellent -- but no decor and tight quarters)
314 W. 11th St. (Greenwich St.)
Manhattan, NY
212-620-0393

McHales Burgers (cheap and huge)
750 Eighth Ave. (46th St.)
Manhattan, NY
212-997-8885

Island Burgers (This is a subgroup's favorite  -- but be aware: no fries)
766 Ninth Ave. (bet. 51st & 52nd Sts.)
Manhattan, NY
212-307-7934

Prime Grill (high end restaurant, with very good - and reasonably priced -- Burgers)
60 E. 49th St. (bet. Madison & Park Aves.)
Manhattan, NY
212-692-9292

Rare Bar & Grill (try the frickle!)
303 Lexington Ave. (37th St.)
Manhattan, NY
212-481-1999

Last, I've never been to the new spinout from Luger's -- Ben & Jack's -- but given Lugers great burgers, its gotta be good!

Ben & Jack's Steakhouse 
219 E. 44th St. (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.)
Manhattan, NY 10017
212-682-5678

Since Ben & Jack's is around the corner from my office (Chrysler Building), I'll check it out soon and report back.

But of this entire list, nothing beats the Corner Bistro . . .

>

UPDATE: September 30, 2005 7:56am
I've kept chains off of the list, hence, no Jackson Hole, Better Burger or Hamburger Heaven; But if I  missed any seriously great burgers, do let me know  and I'll check 'em out, and if found worthy, add them to the list.

Anyone who steers me to a terrific burger joint  I've never been to -- as good as the average on the above list -- gets a free meal there (on me).

>

UPDATE: October 14, 2005 1:16pm
Some have pointed to GoodBurger as a possible addition to the list. I had lunch at the aptly named GoodBurger today:

The Good:  Flame grilled, nice flavor, juicy.

The Bad: Smallish Burger left me somewhat hungry, the burger itself was undercooked (Rare was on the tartare side), and the french fries were non-descript

Bottom line:  A good, not great burger.

>

See also:

20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die 
http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_2526

Posted at 06:45 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (77) | TrackBack

Here's a list of the 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die, according to GQ/Details

The list is incomplete, missing as it is the Corner Bistro in Manhattan, and Taby's Burger House in Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Here are the 20 best burgers in America

20. Hamburger Sandwich
Louis' Lunch
New Haven, CT

19. Our Famous Burger
Sidetrack Bar and Grill
Ypsilanti, MI

18. Hamburger
Poag Mahone's Carvery and Ale House
Chicago

17. Double Bacon Deluxe with Cheese
Red Mill Burgers
Seattle

16. Hamburger & Fries
Burger Joint
San Francisco

15. Build Your Own Burger
The Counter
Santa Monica

14. Hamburger
J. G. Melon
New York City

13. Cheeseburger
White Manna
Hackensack, NJ

12. Hamburger
Bobcat Bite
Sante Fe

11. Grilled Bistro Burger
Bistro Don Giovanni
Napa, CA

10. Number Five
Keller's Drive-in
Dallas

9. Cheeseburger
Burger Joint, le Parker Meridien Hotel
New York City

8. Hamburger
Miller's Bar
Dearborn, MI

7. Buckhorn Burger
Buckhorn
San Antonio, NM

6. California Burger
Houston's
Santa Monica

5. Kobe Sliders
Barclay Prime
Philadelphia

4. Rouge Burger
Rouge
Philadelphia

3. Not Just a Burger
Spiced Pear Restaurant at the Chanler Hotel
Newport, RI

2. Luger Burger
Peter Luger Steak House
Brooklyn

1. Sirloin Burger
Le Tub
Hollywood, FL

>
via kottke
>

Source:
The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die
Alan Richman
Men.Style.com
http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_2526

Posted at 09:20 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

There's a terrific public roof garden on the corner of 40th and 3rd avenue; It was spectacular out, so we picked up a pasta salad, chicken cutlet and some gazpacho.

Here's how it looked:

Facing East (towards 3rd Ave)
click for larger photo

Facing West (up 40th St)
click for larger photo

Posted at 01:37 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

THE Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, which returns to Madison Square Park this weekend, is an event that invites comparison from pit to pit and encourages discussion on sauce and smoke: there will be seminars for those who prefer their barbecue musings structured.

The block party also affords New Yorkers a chance to compare their local barbecue with some of the best of what the rest of the country has to offer. And those comparisons lead to all sorts of questions about style, about the culinary and cultural hurdles specific to trying to cook and serve barbecue commercially in the big city. They raise the question of how good it is in New York and how good it's going to get, and force the city's barbecue proprietors to answer.

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Source:
Smoke and the City: A Barbecue Cook-Off
PETER MEEHAN
NYT, June 8, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/dining/08barb.html

Posted at 09:38 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack