In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune All About Ribs “In barbecue season, the butcher’s case is bulging with pork ribs. Baby back ribs, spareribs, country ribs, rib tips, St. Louis cut ribs, riblets, rib chops, rib roasts, baby spareribs, button ribs, Danish ribs and loin ribs (across the street, there are McRibs). The prices range from $2 to $8 a pound. Here’s what you need to know about the most popular cuts before you fire up the grill.”

4. – The Boston Globe Pickle Craft “I’m still obsessed with pickles. I am not alone. There is a pickle of the month club. A Facebook page for pickles has 6,110 fans (some of whom make comments not suitable for work). If you Google “obsessed with pickles,’’ a) you are obsessed with pickles yourself, and b) you will find you are in good company. Not that you need Google to tell you this if you’ve eaten in a restaurant in the past few years.”

3. – The LA Times Fruit Pies Perfected “It came still warm, its sugar-dusted crust glittering in the sunlight through the front window, the light, flaky exterior quietly shattering under the fork with each bite. Underneath, the rich berry filling oozed slightly — the thick, sweet glaze cradling tender, slightly tart berries that seemed to pop with every mouthful. It was magical.”

2. – The NY Times Gelatin Makes Wine Go Wobbly “Nature makes some good products, but when you are 10, what the food companies do is awesome. Nothing in the plant or animal kingdoms can rival the wonder of Tang, the astronaut’s orange juice. It has little in common with fruit juice. If it tasted more natural, there would be no point in pouring it into the palm of your hand and licking it. The rush of sugar and citric acid was intense enough to blot out all other sensations for a moment, and for that trip to sensory bliss I would now like to thank my mother, the space program and the entire era of American food history from the 1950s through the 1970s.”

1. – The Washington Post A Sundown Supper on the Grill “I knew the heat had gotten to me when the mere sight of my partner putting the kettle on for Saturday morning coffee sent me into hyperspace. Apparently he hadn’t received the No Stove, No Oven, No Way! memo.”

Photo from The Chicago Tribune

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Digital Digest

I was delighted to be included in DC Magazine’s Restaurant issue which hit shelves today.  Janelle Nanos wrote a great piece about the use of social media both to promote restaurants and for consumers to critique them.  Check it out here.

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune Taste Test: 6 Vanilla Frostings “There are more varieties of canned vanilla frosting than there are ingredients in a basic recipe. At one supermarket, we found six versions of a basic “vanilla frosting” — plus a trio that didn’t fit in our tasting parameters: a squirt can, a no-sugar and a fluffy “white.” Ingredients and calories in those we tasted vary only slightly (a serving equals 2 tablespoons in most cases). The first ingredient listed was sugar.”

4. – The Boston Globe Doing his best in Paris “After 12 years making pastries at the celebrated Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Calif., David Lebovitz moved to Paris, where he blogs on http://www.davidlebovitz.com and writes cookbooks. The latest is “Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes,’’ which includes an exceptionally creamy rice pudding, delectable chocolate chip cookies, nonfat gingersnaps, and Robert’s Absolute Best Brownies, a recipe from the late Boston-born Robert Steinberg, co-founder of Scharffen Berger chocolates.”

3. – The LA Times For small farmers, thinking outside the markets “People can talk all they want about the important restaurants and the famous chefs that have gotten so much attention over the last 30 years, but for me the biggest change in that time has been the introduction of farmers markets.”

2. – The NY Times In New Orleans, the Taste of a Comeback “There was plenty to sample — there are roughly 1,000 restaurants in New Orleans now, up a cool couple of hundred from before the storm, according to The New Orleans Menu, a Web site dedicated to the subject that is run by Tom Fitzmorris.”

1. – The Washington Post The Joys of Not Cooking “The main claim by proponents of raw foodism makes sense: When food is not exposed to processing, more of its original nutrients are preserved. Every time we cook meat, fish or plants, their vitamins, minerals and antioxidants important to our health are destroyed or devalued. More controversially, it is said that the same applies to enzymes that might help aid our digestion. (Critics say that those enzymes are destroyed long before they reach our intestines.)”

Photo from The Washington Post

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune Dynamic Duo with Shared History “Actually, salt and black pepper have ancient histories. Salt, of course, is necessary for life, in addition to all of its other properties, such as preserving food and enhancing flavor. It was so valuable that Roman soldiers were paid in salt, giving us the term “salary.”

4. – The Boston Globe Chef Aims to give runners a leg up “On April 17 and 18, 606 Congress will offer a Carbo-Load Pasta Dinner for $32, which features hummus; Caesar salad; lentil soup with fennel and chard; whole-wheat spaghetti with broccoli rabe and turkey sausage; pasta with grilled chicken; pasta with shrimp; a runner’s shake with yogurt, banana, cocoa, and peanut butter; and oatmeal raisin cookies.”

3. – The LA Times The Artisan: Local noodle maker on the cutting edge of technology “The owner of Nanka Seiman, a manufacturer of mostly Japanese noodle products in Vernon, says his family has kept the business going with the latest technology for decades out of loyalty to each other.”

2. – The NY Times Can the Jewish Deli be reformed? “At Saul’s Restaurant and Deli in Berkeley, Calif., the eggs are organic and cage free, and the ground beef in the stuffed cabbage is grass fed. Its owners, Karen Adelman and Peter Levitt, yanked salami from the menu in November, saying that they could no longer in good conscience serve commercial kosher salami.”

1. – The Washington Post A Man and His Fire “What do you call a guy who smokes meat, brews beer, grows fruit and vegetables, keeps honeybees, cultivates mushrooms, bakes bread, makes cheese, cures bacon, grinds sausage, pickles cornichons, bottles his own signature hot sauces and walnut liqueur, cooks dinner every night and puts together one heck of a spiced pear galette?”

Photo from The NY Times

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune Smoke Signals “Stove-top smoking is certainly not a new concept: Scatter some wood chips in a roasting pan, and put the meat on a rack to sit above it. Loosely cover the pan and heat. Watch for the chips to start smoking, and cover tight; then smoke to desired doneness. Voila.”

4. – The Boston Globe Food allergic in college, and coping “Many high school seniors are making their college decisions right about now. It’s even more complicated for students with food allergies and other dietary needs. College is often the first time many have lived away from home and they’re about to be completely responsible for choosing their meals. Now many institutions, including Holy Cross, Boston College, and Tufts, are adapting to the growing need for specially prepared meals and greater vigilance in the kitchen to keep foods safe from cross-contamination.”

3. – The LA Times A Spring Fling with Dumplings “Found the world over, dumplings come in all shapes and sizes, prepared and cooked in countless ways. While many dumplings are light and tender, others — whether by mistake or design — are not. But whatever the style, at their core, dumplings are a comfort food. They’re typically rustic and inexpensive to make and, for many, the handmade creations hark back to childhood and a grounding sense of home.”

2. – The NY Times Is Induction Cooking Ready to go Mainstream? “Induction cooking has been around for decades, but only recently has demand driven prices down and selection up. In the last two years, Viking, GE, Samsung and Kenmore have begun selling induction ranges. With its energy efficiency, kitchen geek appeal and growing reputation for power and precision, induction cooking may be the iPad of the kitchen. Like Apple’s latest invention, induction technology could forever change everyday tasks, or it might never deliver on its promise.”

1. – The Washington Post Mid-size dairies win consumers with less-processed milk “To say that Taylor, the founder of Snowville Creamery, is excited about dairy products is an understatement: “If you cut me, I bleed white,” he likes to say. Taylor wants to elicit that same level of enthusiasm from everyone. It’s why his milk comes only from grass-fed cows, which he believes creates a more vibrant flavor. It’s why the milk is pasteurized for just 17 seconds at 165 degrees, as low as the law allows, to preserve that taste.”

Photo from The Chicago Tribune

Return of a Legend…

If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of Whole Food’s prices, Trader Joe’s bad produce and running to Virginia every time you need paper towels.  Well, the good news is finally here.  Our beloved Social Safeway is scheduled to open on May 6th.

And it gets better… It’s going to be open 24 hours a day!  And the store wouldn’t be complete without a sit-down sushi bar with sushi chefs, complete wine cellar, comprehensive cheese section, brick-oven pizza department, an Italian-style gelato bar, an upgraded Starbucks coffee bar, along with an indoor/outdoor seating area featuring a fireplace, HD televisions, complimentary WiFi, and open balcony overlooking Wisconsin Avenue.  How’s that for a facelift?

See you there!

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune Green Fish Catches On “Good Eating salutes those people in the Chicago-area food and beverage world who are making a difference through their passion, vision and commitment to quality. This year’s awards go to a range of experts, including entrepreneurs, auctioneers, consultants, cooks and cheese mongers. All have enhanced the Chicago scene with their accomplishments.”

4. – The Boston Globe Kicking the Obesity Epidemic “While Michelle Obama is campaigning against childhood obesity, there’s Charles Barkley on TV hawking Taco Bell’s NBA Five Buck Box. The extra-large former basketball All-Star raps about the box’s crunchy tacos and volcano burritos, but doesn’t mention the Jumbotron-size helping of fat and calories. At 1,380 calories, the box contains close to two-thirds of what a typical 12-year-old needs for an entire day. And that’s before adding 200 calories for the soft drink that comes with the meal.”

3. – The LA Times The Best Tastes of City Center in Las Vegas “How many high-end restaurants can Vegas support, particularly in this economy? Easily a dozen more just opened in the new $11-billion CityCenter complex on the Strip and a number of them definitely have enough wow factor to pull in the hungry tourists.”

2. – The NY Times Proof that Storing Knives Doesn’t have to be Dull “There are plenty of alternatives to traditional wooden knife blocks, which can take up too much room in small kitchens, he noted, and present health risks unless they have removable sleeves that can be washed. “If you put dirty knives in there and the interior has bacteria, it will attach to the knives,” Mr. Santos said. “The most common cause for mild stomach irritation usually comes from utensils that aren’t cleaned properly.”

1. – The Washington Post Dinner is Served, but we Can’t Tell You Where “It was an exclusive invitation to “an exclusive underground anti-restaurant,” the e-mail explained. “Because the DNA of the magical dinner is unmapped, these events will evolve, month to month, season to season, place to place & plate to plate.”

Photo from The LA Times

Hot off the Press…

We’ll maybe more like “fresh from the fingers.”  Either way – it looks like it’s true… Carol posted on her blog last night that Rodrigo Garcia has purchased the old Nathan’s building and is bringing NYC’s Serendipity 3 to DC!

I’m a sucker for these frozen hot chocolates and can’t wait until I don’t have to go to NY for one!

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune Which Fats are Best for Frying “Good Eating salutes those people in the Chicago-area food and beverage world who are making a difference through their passion, vision and commitment to quality. This year’s awards go to a range of experts, including entrepreneurs, auctioneers, consultants, cooks and cheese mongers. All have enhanced the Chicago scene with their accomplishments.”

4. – The Boston Globe Follow that Chef “Events targeted at industry workers have cropped up all over town. In November, Franklin Southie cohosted a Fernet Branca Industry Night with the website drinkboston.com, showcasing the Italian digestif that is a cult favorite among chefs, bartenders, and the people who love them. It grew into a monthly series that takes place on the second Thursday of each month at the South Boston restaurant; subsequent events have featured such beverages as St-Germain, Chartreuse, and Leblon Cachaca.”

3. – The LA Times LA Street Food Fest “Alerted by Facebook, Twitter and plain old word of salivating mouth, foodies by the thousands descended Saturday on downtown Los Angeles for the “first annual” LA Street Food Fest.”

2. – The NY Times If You Can’t Take the Heat, Don’t Read Me on Twitter “During last Wednesday’s snowstorm, the owner and chef of JoeDoe restaurant in the East Village, Joe Dobias, tweeted that his deliveries from upstate purveyors had arrived, but not fish from a local supplier. He didn’t post the supplier’s name, but the next morning, Robert DeMasco of Pierless Fish — who also delivers to restaurants like Daniel and Esca — called Mr. Dobias to tell him that his business was no longer welcome. Then things became loud.”

1. – The Washington Post Bison is Back “Gunpowder is a relatively small operation. Headquartered on 70 acres just north of Baltimore, in Monkton, with an additional 120 acres nearby, it has a herd of only 200 at any given time. But in an era of restaurant menus that enumerate not only every ingredient in a dish but also where that ingredient was grown, the six-year-old farm’s marketing strategy is helping to position its product as the ultimate locavore protein.”

Photo from The LA Times

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. – The Chicago Tribune 2010 Good Eating Awards “Good Eating salutes those people in the Chicago-area food and beverage world who are making a difference through their passion, vision and commitment to quality. This year’s awards go to a range of experts, including entrepreneurs, auctioneers, consultants, cooks and cheese mongers. All have enhanced the Chicago scene with their accomplishments.”

4. – The Boston Globe Party of Two “We’re splurging on Valentine’s Day this weekend, buying luxurious ingredients, giving them our full attention, and eating well at our own table. Cooking at home is always less expensive than dining out – no waiters, no one to clean up for you. The sweetheart holiday falls on a Sunday this year, so make something early for the kids, usher them off to bed or a video, and settle in for a few quiet moments. This trio of menus gives you suppers for two with leftovers to turn into other meals.”

3. – The LA Times Artisan liquor makers navigate the market’s shifting tide “They were hardly prepared for many of the day-to-day challenges, such as navigating state liquor regulations, battling with large spirits companies for retail store shelf space, and persuading consumers to pay top dollar for a hand-crafted product. As Khosrovian and many of his juniper berry-obsessed colleagues have discovered, the daydreams of selling small-batch, hand-crafted spirits on the merits of taste alone are hardly reality in a business dominated by large corporate distillers with deep advertising pockets that offer similar, and often less expensive, products.”

2. – The NY Times A Viagra Alternative to Serve by Candlelight “Couples hoping to bring Valentine’s Day dinner to a satisfying conclusion may be tempted by the special menu offered by One if by Land, Two if by Sea in Manhattan and, in particular, the Black Forest dessert. It’s a chocolate pistachio brownie bar with chocolate meringue sticks, crème fraîche ice cream, cherry gel and sweet cherries. But beware! One study found that the scent of cherries significantly decreases sexual arousal in women.”

1. – The Washington Post It’s the Year of the Noodle “At China Boy, one of the handful of food shops in Washington’s now-sparse Chinatown, a couple of older Chinese men sit at tables, having an easy conversation in Cantonese. A woman brings them two orders of tripe soup with flat rice noodles, steam wafting from bowls. But there’s a lot more going on at this 27-year-old shop than mere lunch service. China Boy’s fluorescent lighting and Formica tables obscure its importance to the area’s Asian cuisine.”