Meet The Team / Megan O. Steintrager

Food & Wine released its new iPad app last week (YumSugar had the scoop on release day, October 7) and, aside from a few complaints about download time, it's been well received, including by those of us here at Slashfood and KitchenDaily who've had a chance to play with it. The free app includes redesigned features from the magazine, recipes (with gorgeous photos for each) and videos with celebrity chefs such as Mario Batali.

Easy to navigate, with multiple ways to delve into each topic, the app makes it fun to flit around the issue. I especially like the Buying & Pairing Guide, which has various ways to explore 100 bottles of wine, with photos of each bottle, info about the region, grape and producer, and a recipe suggestion for each bottle (a $9 Merlot to drink with Easy Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine).

New York City's Serendipity 3 restaurant has a history of doing stunts to make the Guinness World Records. They've scored twice before -- with the World's Most Expensive Ice Cream Sundae and the World's Largest Hot Chocolate -- and on Friday, they did it again with the World's Most Expensive Hot Dog, which will sell for $69.

So how do you get a hot dog to cost nearly 70 bucks? First, you start with a regular Serendipity 3 foot-long beef hot dog, which already sells for $8.50 -- a little more than your average street dog in New York (and a lot tastier, I'll admit). Then you use the tried and true pre-recession stunt of chefs around the world: Add foie gras, then add truffles, repeat as necessary until the price tag explodes. (The other surefire fancifier -- caviar -- would taste a little gross on a hot dog, though Serendipity 3 puts it on a burger.)

To be more specific, this particular "Haute Dog" (as it's being marketed) is grilled in white truffle oil and is served on a chewy pretzel-bread bun (sort of like a cross between a soft pretzel and a baguette) that's toasted with white truffle butter. It's topped with foie gras pâté with black truffles. Condiments (served on the side) include Dijon mustard with black truffles, caramelized Vidalia onions and ketchup made with heirloom tomatoes (more like a tart tomato relish).

I tasted the dog this morning (breakfast of champions), and I've gotta admit, it was darn tasty. My notes, after the jump.

Everybody knows that the safest bet if you want to eat healthy is to cook at home so you can control the ingredients. But that's not always an option when you're traveling or just crazy-busy. A new Food Court Survival Guide from cookinglight.com addresses that dilemma and offers six relatively healthy choices from McDonald's, Taco Bell, Starbucks and other fast-food restaurants.

Sodium, saturated fat and calories were the key considerations for the guide, according to the author, Katherine Brooking, M.S., R.D. While salads and sandwiches with grilled chicken are obvious choices, there were a few surprises on the list. Two items, including the Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Taco from Taco Bell, have beef, which is often considered a no-no for people trying to eat healthy. There's also a "Wok Smart" entrée from Panda Express that's not bursting with sodium (a common pitfall with fast food, says Brooking) and has only 250 calories. In other words, it's not only low in calories -- it's too low in calories for lunch, which should be 350 to 500 calories or more, depending on your individual calorie needs, says Brooking. (She suggests adding some extra brown rice and perhaps another side if you need a full meal).