Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feed_logo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Ask a Sommelier - Duck and Wine with Daniel's Raj Vaidyahttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/01/ask-a-sommelier-duck-and-wine-with-daniels-raj-vaidya/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/01/ask-a-sommelier-duck-and-wine-with-daniels-raj-vaidya/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/01/ask-a-sommelier-duck-and-wine-with-daniels-raj-vaidya/#commentsFiled under:

raj vaidya
Raj Vaidya.
Photo: Michael Harlan Turkell

In a career that has included wine jobs at haute dining and wine destinations Per Se, Cru and, since June, the head sommelier at Daniel Boulud's flagship New York eatery Daniel, Raj Vaidya has paired more than his share of his duck with vino.

Born in Jersey, and raised in his parents' native Bombay and Singapore, Raj's wine tutelage began well before he was of legal drinking age, enjoying vino and good food with family and company. It laid the groundwork for post-college (a degree in political science and philosophy from Rutgers University) career in the wine business, where he first started working at New Jersey's Ryland Inn and did time in the biodynamic fields at Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa.

As fall quickly approaches, we caught up with Raj to discuss the different elements one needs to consider when pairing wine with all those preparations of this wonderfully fatty, gamey bird, creamy foie gras and bloody duck à la presse.


Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Duck and Wine with Daniel's Raj Vaidya

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]]>ask a sommelierAskASommelierdanielfoie grasFoieGrasqaraj vaidyaRajVaidyawine pairingWinePairingPervaiz ShallwaniTue, 01 Sep 2009 16:00:00 ESTAsk a Sommelier - Strawberries and Wine with Chez Panisse's Jonathan Watershttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/ask-a-sommelier-strawberries-and-wine-with-chez-panisses-jon/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/ask-a-sommelier-strawberries-and-wine-with-chez-panisses-jon/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/ask-a-sommelier-strawberries-and-wine-with-chez-panisses-jon/#commentsFiled under: , ,

waters
Jonathan Waters.
Photo: Robert Messick.
Strawberries with wine? It's not a pairing most people ask Chez Panisse sommelier Jonathan Waters about. In fact, he can't remember anyone ever asking him to take the sweet-tart berry -- which has dotted dessert menus for much of the summer -- and combine it with a crisp, ethereal vino. Champagne, yes, but wine, no.

"It's pretty rare that somebody would have strawberries with wine," says Waters (no relation to that other Chez Panisse Waters), who has worked at the restaurant for more than 20 years.

That said, he thinks the two are a very plausible match and was up to the challenge. We caught up with him to chat strawberries, Alice Waters' practice of finishing a meal with seasonal fruit, and his thoughts on organic wine.

Do you guys ever serve whole strawberries?
We do. We serve them at the end of a meal. Alice's idea is that the perfect end of a meal is a fruit. If you have ever read [David Mas] Masumoto's book about peaches ... we only serve strawberries for a very short window because it's a short season when they are perfect.

Does the restaurant serve them other ways?
We serve strawberries with other things for a longer period, like macerated strawberries over sherbet or strawberry shortcake.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Strawberries and Wine with Chez Panisse's Jonathan Waters

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]]>ask a sommelierAskASommelierchampagnechez panisseChezPanissepairingstrawberrieswinePervaiz ShallwaniFri, 21 Aug 2009 16:00:00 ESTSvelte Gourmand Launches - A Q&A with Camille Noe Pagánhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/19/svelte-gourmand-launches-a-qanda-with-camille-noe-pagan/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/19/svelte-gourmand-launches-a-qanda-with-camille-noe-pagan/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/19/svelte-gourmand-launches-a-qanda-with-camille-noe-pagan/#commentsFiled under: , ,

svelte
Sara Reistad-Long and Camille Noe Pagán. Photo: JP Pagán
Ask a woman about healthy eating, and the words "slab of steak" are not typically the first out of her mouth.

But that's exactly the sort of mindset being peddled at newly launched Svelte Gourmand, which promotes portion control over fat-free obsessiveness. "I'd rather eat less of a full-fat dessert than more of a low-fat one" are among the words penned on the site, which is written by seasoned health and lifestyle writers Sara Reistad-Long and Camille Noe Pagán.

The two friends started the site -- a mix of health and food news along with featured columnists like Slashfood's own wine pro Gretchen Roberts -- this month in the hopes of helping people live healthfully while enjoying the foods they love. "I think it's really difficult," Pagán says. "People often blame willpower, but ours is a culture that does not encourage people to do things in moderation. It was really important to us to not be like a Weight Watchers or Cooking Light. We wanted to be like nothing that is out there."

We caught up with Pagán to chat about her dislike of food "fanaticism," the evils of high-fructose corn syrup and how she not only has her steak, but eats it too.

Who is the site geared toward?
People who like food. We are speaking to a more general audience, male and female. People who read Gourmet, but might read Fitness, too. People who are really interested in food and their health.

Continue reading Svelte Gourmand Launches - A Q&A with Camille Noe Pagán

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]]>camille noe paganCamilleNoePaganfitnesssara reistad-longSaraReistad-longsvelte gourmandSvelteGourmandsveltegourmand.comthe skinny chefTheSkinnyChefweight lossWeightLossPervaiz ShallwaniWed, 19 Aug 2009 16:00:00 ESTAsk a Sommelier -- Tomatoes and Wine with Restaurant Eve's Todd Thrasherhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/05/ask-a-sommelier-tomatoes-and-wine-with-restaurant-eves-todd/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/05/ask-a-sommelier-tomatoes-and-wine-with-restaurant-eves-todd/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/05/ask-a-sommelier-tomatoes-and-wine-with-restaurant-eves-todd/#comments
Todd
Todd Thrasher. Photo: Allison Dinner
The celebrated Restaurant Eve in the Washington, D.C. suburbs features the beloved tomatoes from one local farmer on its menus. (The farmer in question, happily, has stayed free of the tomato blight sweeping the country.)

It's up to mixologist and sommelier Todd Thrasher to find the right vino to balance out the sweet, tangy summer favorite. A native Virginian who got his start in the drink biz by bartending his way through college, Thrasher has schlepped drinks at such esteemed places as José Andrés' Café Atlantico.

"People ask how you get into wine and I say you read a lot about wine and then tasting blind is how you get into it," he says.

After a sommelier course and a failed business try, he was ready to bolt from the industry for a career as a scuba instructor on a Caribbean island until he was hooked up with chef Cathal Armstrong. "The rest is history," he says.

We caught up with Thrasher to talk the Virginia tomato season, the art of tomato pairings and his tomato pet peeve -- teaming a raw tomato with a red wine.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier -- Tomatoes and Wine with Restaurant Eve's Todd Thrasher

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]]>Pervaiz ShallwaniWed, 05 Aug 2009 16:00:00 ESTPat LaFrieda, Meat Maven, Weighs in on the Haute Burger Crazehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/29/pat-lafrieda-meat-maven-weighs-in-on-the-haute-burger-craze/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/29/pat-lafrieda-meat-maven-weighs-in-on-the-haute-burger-craze/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/29/pat-lafrieda-meat-maven-weighs-in-on-the-haute-burger-craze/#commentsFiled under: ,

patlafrieda
Pat LaFrieda. Photo: Nick Solares.
Haute Burger. The idea seems silly of a food that was once so simple. (Grind meat. Form patty. Grill. Dress. Eat.)

That's no longer the case. Proprietary patties are big business, with big money to be earned in creating a mouth-watering blend of ground cow. A masterful mix could earn a chef the coveted crown of Burger King at one of growing number of cook-offs, such as the Feedbag's first annual cook-off in Summit, N.J., last weekend.

In New York, when a chef wants a custom burger, he often turns to third-generation meatman Pat La Frieda, whose family has been making burgers for nearly a century. He and his staff spend up to two months creating the right mix of meat for a chef.

"For the Shake Shack we made almost 30 different blends," La Frieda told us. "For Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger, it was probably just as many. We tried different styles of meat, different weights. It was a process. I was eating burgers everyday."

We caught up with LaFrieda to get the juice on his family, the growing list of big name chefs trafficking in burgers and his decision this month to finally make three types of patties available to home cooks through Fresh Direct.

Continue reading Pat LaFrieda, Meat Maven, Weighs in on the Haute Burger Craze

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]]>burgersbutchersfresh directFreshDirectlafrieda meatsLafriedaMeatsmeatnew yorkNewYorkpat lafriedaPatLafriedaPervaiz ShallwaniWed, 29 Jul 2009 16:00:00 ESTAsk a Sommelier - Lobster Rolls and Wine with Arrows' Danielle Johnson Walkerhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/07/ask-a-sommelier-lobster-rolls-and-wine-with-arrows-danielle-j/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/07/ask-a-sommelier-lobster-rolls-and-wine-with-arrows-danielle-j/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/07/ask-a-sommelier-lobster-rolls-and-wine-with-arrows-danielle-j/#commentsFiled under: ,

danielle johnson walker
Danielle Johnson Walker.
Photo: Daniel Doke Photography
When beachgoers dine at the celebrated southern Maine restaurant Arrows and its sister seaside bistro MC Perkins Cove for a ubiquitous lobster roll, it falls to sommelier Danielle Johnson Walker to find an ideal wine to match with what she calls the "lazy man's lobster."

A self-trained sommelier, Walker uses the winter months -- when Arrows is hibernating -- to pair vacations with winery visits throughout South Africa and Europe to add extra oomph to her vino repertoire. As summer kicks into high gear and our hankering for lobster on buttered buns borders on fixation, we quizzed Walker about secret cooking techniques, wines to avoid and what makes lobster rolls so bleeping addictive.

What makes the lobster roll such a great food?
It's the lazy man's lobster. When in Maine, you eat boiled lobster once or twice and after that you have the lobster roll. I don't think it's a food people can get sick of. It's like a good hamburger.

After the jump, the secret the the Arrows lobster roll and why to avoid oaked chardonnays.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Lobster Rolls and Wine with Arrows' Danielle Johnson Walker

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]]>ask a sommelierAskASommelierlobsterlobster rollLobsterRollpervaiz shallwaniPervaizShallwaniwinePervaiz ShallwaniTue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:00 ESTUnusual Hot Dog Toppings for Fourth of July Barbecues - Q&A with (Hot) Doug Sohnhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/02/unusual-hot-dog-toppings-for-fourth-of-july-bbqs-qanda-with-ho/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/02/unusual-hot-dog-toppings-for-fourth-of-july-bbqs-qanda-with-ho/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/02/unusual-hot-dog-toppings-for-fourth-of-july-bbqs-qanda-with-ho/#commentsFiled under: , ,

doug sohm
Doug Sohn, owner of Hot Doug's. Photo: William Couch/ Flickr.
Frankfurter maestro Doug Sohn, the man behind the beloved Chicago eatery Hot Doug's, is a stickler for putting the same care into his hot dog toppings that a top chef would a béarnaise sauce.

"Whatever you pair, you want it to taste good," he says. "We caramelize our onions in real butter. We get the freshest tomatoes."

Sohn is a trained chef who bypassed life in a haute restaurant to grill haute dogs. He's been on the wiener beat for nearly a decade, and remains an undeterred champion of foie gras in the wake of a since-overturned Chicago-wide ban. His sought-after pups feature tantalizing names like the "mighty hot" Keira Knightley and the "mighty, might, mighty hot!" Salma Hayek andouille sausage.

With grills heating up for the Fourth of July, here are Sohn's thoughts on how to spruce up that old dog.

Sohn on bringing his own dogs to Cubs games and the awesomeness of foie gras franks after the jump.

Continue reading Unusual Hot Dog Toppings for Fourth of July Barbecues - Q&A with (Hot) Doug Sohn

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]]>chicagodoug sohnDougSohnfoie grasfoie gras banFoieGrasFoieGrasBanfourth of julyFourthOfJulyhot dogshot dougsHotDogsHotDougsPervaiz ShallwaniThu, 02 Jul 2009 16:00:00 ESTLiquid Smoke - What is It?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/23/liquid-smoke-what-is-it/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/23/liquid-smoke-what-is-it/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/23/liquid-smoke-what-is-it/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

kent kirshenbaum
NYU chemistry professor Kent Kirshenbaum. Photo: Jeff Potter
Like many inquisitive scientists, Kent Kirshenbaum regularly scans the ingredient list of prepared foods to uncover the chemical composites lurking within. The substance that most recently piqued the New York University chemistry professor's curiosity is liquid smoke. "My immediate thought was that it was a horrible mix of chemicals," he told us.

After distilling the concentrated smoke and liquid mix (often sold at the grocery store by the bottle to enhance barbecue) down to its roots of water and more than 400 chemical compounds, the scientist (who in person comes across as one part Einstein, one part Malcolm Gladwell) learned that liquid smoke is actually "safer [for human ingestion] than untreated wood smoke."

Kirshenbaum discussed his discovery last week during a monthly gathering of the Experimental Cuisine Collective -- food nerds who love to make things like edible foam. We caught up with him to chat smoke, bongs and homemade liquid smoke.

What is liquid smoke?
Liquid smoke is very simply smoke in water. Smoke usually comes as a vapor, but there are ways to condense it and turn it into liquid and that liquid can then be carried in water.

Continue reading Liquid Smoke - What is It?

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]]>chemistryexperimental cuisine collectiveExperimentalCuisineCollectivefood scienceFoodSciencekent kirshenbaumKentKirshenbaumliquid smokeLiquidSmokemolecular gastonomyMolecularGastonomyNYUPervaiz ShallwaniTue, 23 Jun 2009 14:00:00 ESTAsk a Sommelier - Vegetables and Wine with Ubuntu's Daniel Saraohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/18/ask-a-sommelier-vegetables-and-wine-with-ubuntus-daniel-sarao/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/18/ask-a-sommelier-vegetables-and-wine-with-ubuntus-daniel-sarao/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/18/ask-a-sommelier-vegetables-and-wine-with-ubuntus-daniel-sarao/#commentsFiled under: ,

Daniel Sarao
Ubuntu Sommelier Daniel Sarao
Photo: Michelle Branton
At Ubuntu, Napa Valley's acclaimed vegetarian restaurant slash yoga studio, it falls to wine director and general manager Daniel Sarao to find harmony between the lush bounty of on-site gardens and a vino list sparkling with biodynamic sips.

The son of Italian immigrants who taught him an appreciation for wine, Sarao put himself through college and grad school working at restaurants, cutting short a trajectory towards a liberal arts Ph.D. for the life of a full-time oenophile. We chatted with him about the myths around pairing wine with veggies (yes, you can drink red!), the wonders of caramelizing and five inexpensive summer sippers to pair with grilled veggies.

Are you a vegetarian?
I am not a vegetarian. The chef is not a vegetarian and neither is the owner. But we believe that vegetables can stand on their own. We are breaking the stereotype.

How much of what you serve comes from your garden?
Right now we get about 75 to 80 percent of our ingredients from [our garden]. Our goal is to get almost everything from there. It makes an amazing difference. Squash and peppers are [in season] right now.

Learn more, plus five great wines for under $25 to pair with vegetable dishes, after the jump.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Vegetables and Wine with Ubuntu's Daniel Sarao

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]]>ask a sommelierAskASommelierDaniel SaraoDanielSaraosommelierubuntuvegetablesvegetarianvegetarian foodVegetarianFoodwinewine pairingsWinePairingswinesPervaiz ShallwaniThu, 18 Jun 2009 14:00:00 ESTKelly Choi of 'Top Chef Masters' - The New Padma? http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/09/kelly-choi-of-top-chef-masters-the-new-padma/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/09/kelly-choi-of-top-chef-masters-the-new-padma/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/09/kelly-choi-of-top-chef-masters-the-new-padma/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Spinning off the wildly popular "Top Chef," Bravo TV is pitting 24 of the best chefs around the globe against one another in a no-holds-barred knife fight for the chance to win $100,000 for charity in "Top Chef Masters." The show, which debuts Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST, comes complete with its very own Padma in Kelly Choi, a 33-year-old former model born in Seoul and raised in the suburbs of Richmond, Va.

She was cherry-picked straight from local access TV in New York, where, dressed in skimpy outfits and armed with an inquisitive mind, she gave New Yorkers an intimate view of some of the city's top kitchens. We caught up with her to talk about her rise to national stardom, how the best chefs in the world handle criticism and what the deal is with magicians acting as judges.

How did you get involved with the show?
Someone from Bravo called me out of the blue and asked me to fly out to L.A. to meet the producers. What I do on ["Eat Out NY"] is pick a dish and cook it with a chef on TV. I pick all the restaurants that I want to feature and dishes that I think the readers would be into. This Bravo exec saw me on TV and flew me out and my dream came true.

Why do you think this show matters in this economy?
Why not? Everybody loves food. The alternative is to cook at home and you can totally pick up tips. It's a fun way -- to be inspired by fun and passionate people -- to cook at home.

Continue reading Kelly Choi of 'Top Chef Masters' - The New Padma?

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]]>eat outEatOutkelly choiKellyChoipervaiz shallwaniPervaizShallwaniQArick baylessRickBaylesstop chef mastersTopChefMastersPervaiz ShallwaniTue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:00 ESTAsk a Sommelier - Grilled Salmon and Wine with Le Bernadin's Aldo Sohmhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/29/ask-a-sommelier-grilled-salmon-and-wine-with-le-bernadins-ald/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/29/ask-a-sommelier-grilled-salmon-and-wine-with-le-bernadins-ald/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/29/ask-a-sommelier-grilled-salmon-and-wine-with-le-bernadins-ald/#commentsFiled under:


In just two years as the sommelier and wine director at New York's world-renowned Le Bernardin restaurant, 37-year-old Aldo Sohm has become a wine world heavyweight, having been recognized as "Best Sommelier in the World" in 2008 and earlier this month for "Best Wine Service" at the James Beard Awards. Trained in his native Austria, Sohm came to the United States to improve on his then "dumpy" English so he could better compete at wine competitions. We caught up with Sohm this morning to chat about the unwritten rule of pairing fish with white wine, which vino goes well with grilled salmon and that other reason why he now lives in America.

How did you become a sommelier?

Ever since I was little I had a thing of smelling food and wines. At first I didn't really like wine when I entered the industry. This was [when I was ] 16 or 17. People in the restaurant would ask me what you could recommend and I didn't know and thought this was embarrassing. [Then] I went on a wine trip with my father -- he invited me. I was 20 and I saw it, and it was kind of interesting and just went from there.

You said you moved to the United States to improve your English, but I get the sense there was another reason?

Austrians love to complain. I hate to complain so I figured it is easier to change a country than to change myself.

More about pairing rules -- and how to break them -- after the jump.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Grilled Salmon and Wine with Le Bernadin's Aldo Sohm

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]]>aldo sohmAldoSohmask a sommelierAskASommeliereric ripertEricRipertle bernardinLeBernardinsommelierwinewine pairingsWinePairingsPervaiz ShallwaniFri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 ESTBam! Emeril's Chophouse Hits Bethlehem, Pa.http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/20/bam-emerils-chophouse-hits-bethlehem-pennsylvania/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/20/bam-emerils-chophouse-hits-bethlehem-pennsylvania/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/20/bam-emerils-chophouse-hits-bethlehem-pennsylvania/#commentsFiled under:

emerilTo much of the country, charismatic Food Network star and restaurateur Emeril Lagasse has become, well, just another household name. But in Bethlehem, Pa., tucked in the foothills of the state's Pocono Mountains, Emeril has become a culinary heartthrob whose embrace has sent the locals into a frenzy.

For the residents of this overhauled steel town already gaga over the coming of its first casino, the addition of Emeril's Chophouse side-by-side with the slots is a coup. After all, the Yankee (he hails from Fall River, Mass.) bypassed New York City (where he has a second home) and Boston (an hour from his birthplace) for "Christmas City" to house his first northeast eatery.

The Bam! man was on hand Tuesday for a media luncheon, and is currently in Bethlehem overseeing a test run of his 230-seat restaurant for its sold-out Friday opening. Located inside an old steel mill building, the restaurant is fittingly outfitted with cast-iron steel flourishes and a menu combining Emeril's bayou style with the no nonsense meat and potato sensibilities of the region: "We are very sensitive to the market no matter where we are," he told us.

Continue reading Bam! Emeril's Chophouse Hits Bethlehem, Pa.

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]]>allentownemerilemeril lagasseEmerilLagassefood networkFoodNetworkpennsylvaniaPervaiz ShallwaniWed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 EST'Food Inc.' - Robert Kenner Wants to 'Delightfully Disturb' Youhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/20/food-inc-robert-kenner-wants-to-delightfully-disturb-you/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/20/food-inc-robert-kenner-wants-to-delightfully-disturb-you/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/20/food-inc-robert-kenner-wants-to-delightfully-disturb-you/#commentsFiled under: ,



Troubled by what he had been reading about his dinner, documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner embarked on a 6-year, cross-country journey to expose the nation's agribusiness industry. "Food, Inc." (see the trailer above) features interviews with authors Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan and quotes from some of the heads of Big Farming from Walmart to Tyson. Kenner examines recent salmonella scares, chats with organic farmers and calls his film -- which hits the big screen next month -- "entertaining and hard-hitting." We caught up by phone with Kenner in L.A. to chat mutant chicken nuggets, Oprah's legal issues and his quest to leave you "delightfully disturbed."

What made you want to make this film?
We spend less of our paycheck on food now than at any time in our history, which is great, but it also comes at a great cost to us ... I made a film that I hope will leave you delightfully disturbed.

What do you mean by "a great cost to us"?
One out of every three babies born after 2000 will develop early onset diabetes. A lot of that is attributed to corn and corn byproducts. We can't sustain that. There are environmental costs and ultimately it is a cost to the consumer. You might be paying less money, but you are paying additional [health] costs that are becoming very, very expensive.

Men in suits, their strawberries and Oprah after the jump.

Continue reading 'Food Inc.' - Robert Kenner Wants to 'Delightfully Disturb' You

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]]>eric schlosserEricSchlosserfast food nationFastFoodNationfood incFoodIncmichael pollanMichaelPollanQAveggie libel lawsVeggieLibelLawsPervaiz ShallwaniWed, 20 May 2009 13:00:00 ESTAsk a Sommelier - Burgers and Wines with L20's Chantelle Pabroshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/15/burger-and-wine-pairings-with-L20-sommelier-chantelle-pabros/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/15/burger-and-wine-pairings-with-L20-sommelier-chantelle-pabros/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/15/burger-and-wine-pairings-with-L20-sommelier-chantelle-pabros/#commentsFiled under: , ,

chantelleChantelle Pabros, a sommelier at Chicago's L20, is widely considered a rising star of the wine universe. Entrenched among oenophiles since leaving high school, at a mere 26 she has worked alongside world-renowned talent including chef Laurent Gras at his seafood-centric eatery. Though Chantelle has few hard and fast rules about pairing wine with food, she offered a couple tips as we head into prime grilling season. We caught up with her this afternoon to talk burgers and vino.

Do you think burgers and wine go together?
Yes, absolutely. Though we don't have burgers [at L20], I like pairing wine with them. There is this place here called Kuma's Corner. We normally drink beer there, but I am thinking about the possibilities of wines with their burgers.

How does one go about pairing the two?
With pairing, things that you think would go well don't always go. It's trial and error. I start by thinking about the classic burger, cooked medium rare with really fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and a really intense mustard.

Chantelle's five under-$25 burger-friendly wines after the jump.

Continue reading Ask a Sommelier - Burgers and Wines with L20's Chantelle Pabros

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]]>ask a sommelierAskASommelierburgerChantelle PabrosChantellePabrosChicagoL20L20 RestaurantL20Restaurantsommelierwinewine pairingWinePairingPervaiz ShallwaniFri, 15 May 2009 15:00:00 ESTThe Sugar Wars - What's Too Sweet for Comfort?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/13/the-sugar-wars-whats-too-sweet-for-comfort/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/13/the-sugar-wars-whats-too-sweet-for-comfort/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/13/the-sugar-wars-whats-too-sweet-for-comfort/#commentsEver sip a soda on a hot July day that seems the peak of deliciousness until someone points at it and says, "ugh, that's too sweet for me"?

Well, now science and Washington are joining the chorus: Harvard scholars are urging lawmakers to rethink how we sugarcoat our drinks and reeducate sugary soda sippers to dial back their sweet tooths, and in Washington, the anti-sugar police want to hold hearings about a federal 3-cent tax increase on drinks like sodas, energy drinks and sweetened teas in order to generate money for health care.

Of course health concerns (diabetes, obesity) are at stake, but there's also the little matter of taste. Since eaters fancy an incredible range of sweetness, we try to keep you covered with both sugary goods and their less tooth-bending counterparts. LeNell's head-turning rhubarb fizz is made with homemade soda, whereas arguably better-for-you agave sweetens this champagne-pear elixir. And for those of you wishing the sugar cops would just stay out of your business, well, at least they're not messing with your coffee.

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]]>Pervaiz ShallwaniWed, 13 May 2009 11:00:00 ESTJames Beard Award-Winning 'Rising Star' - A Chat with A16's Nate Applemanhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/08/james-beard-award-winning-rising-star-a-chat-with-a16s-nate/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/08/james-beard-award-winning-rising-star-a-chat-with-a16s-nate/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/08/james-beard-award-winning-rising-star-a-chat-with-a16s-nate/#commentsFiled under:

chefHe may be the David Chang of the West Coast. At 29 (two years younger than Sir David) Nate Appleman of A16 and SPQR is on the verge of opening an A16 offshoot in Tokyo, a new restaurant in San Francisco, has penned an award-winning cookbook and been showered with praise. Now, after three years on the nominee list, he is the owner of the Rising Star Chef James Beard Award. We caught up with Appleman yesterday afternoon to chat about his wayward childhood, why he lives in California, whole animals and his favorite kitchen utensil -- a bloody cleaver.

What did it feel like to finally win?
The third time is the charm. It was incredible. It was kind of all surreal.

How did it feel when you were passed over for the second time?
It was disappointing, but I thought, I got next year. (A Rising Star must be 30 or under.)

What's it like to be the only non-New Yorker to win a national award?
That's a huge, huge honor. It's not a secret that the awards are New York-dominated. To win from being outside of New York makes it that much sweeter.

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]]>A16chefinterviewjames beard award winnerjames beard awardsJamesBeardAwardsJamesBeardAwardWinnernate applemanNateApplemanrising starRisingStarSPQRPervaiz ShallwaniFri, 08 May 2009 11:00:00 ESTJames Beard Award-Winning Pastry Chef - A Chat with Babbo's Gina DePalmahttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/james-beard-award-winning-pastry-chef-a-chat-with-babbos-gina/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/james-beard-award-winning-pastry-chef-a-chat-with-babbos-gina/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/james-beard-award-winning-pastry-chef-a-chat-with-babbos-gina/#commentsFiled under: , ,

ginaUntil this Monday, Babbo Pastry Chef Gina DePalma was the Kate Winslet of the culinary world, earning six James Beard Award nominations for the honor of Outstanding Pastry Chef but never taking the cake. The seventh time, though, proved to be the ... er ... icing. We caught up with DePalma this morning to chat about victory, pastry, her battle with ovarian cancer and her boss, the boisterous Mario Batali (aka Mr. Fanta Pants).

What did it feel like to the finally win a James Beard Award?
I tried not to break down into tears. I tried to keep myself together up there. After seven years, you try to emotionally turn yourself off. In past years I thought it was such a big deal to win, but it still felt good.

Is that why you were emotional on stage? That was part of it. It's also been a very tough year for me. I don't know if you know, I have been battling ovarian cancer. I was diagnosed four days after my sixth loss. I had a huge operation and went through chemo and lost all my hair. I am still in treatment. It was stage four. It was end of the line, but they got it all in surgery.

Hear why salted caramels should die and why DePalma is afraid to rock orange crocs after the jump.

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]]>Alain DucasseAlainDucasseBabbochefdessertGina DePalmaGinaDepalmainterviewJames Beard AwardsJamesBeardAwardsMario BataliMarioBatalipastryQAPervaiz ShallwaniWed, 06 May 2009 16:30:00 ESTCreamy, Cheesy Tortellini with Mint and Pearshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/30/creamy-cheesy-tortellini-with-mint-and-pears/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/30/creamy-cheesy-tortellini-with-mint-and-pears/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/30/creamy-cheesy-tortellini-with-mint-and-pears/#comments
Ever since an ethereal-sounding "daffodil" pasta stuffed with pear and four cheeses was featured in The New York Times last week we have been captive to a one-track mind: "Must create creamy cheese pouches in velvety sauce without making trip across town to specialty shop."

You can't always get what you want, as the song goes, but you sure can get close. With this writer's blurb as a guide, it was off to the local grocer in hopes of creating a dish that would ease our itch for rich, blooming pasta. The basics were easy -- cheese tortellini, cream and a sprightly marriage of pears, fresh mint and tangy lemon zest. Next up: cheeses to add depth while coating the tortellini with a creamy sheen. After considering mild Robiola and punchy Cashel Blue, we settled on nutty hard Gruyère and stinky, meltingly soft aged Taleggio.

The results and the recipe after the jump.

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]]>lemon zestLemonZestpastaPervaiz ShallwaniThu, 30 Apr 2009 17:00:00 ESTHow Not to Screw Up Scallopshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/how-not-to-screw-up-scallops/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/how-not-to-screw-up-scallops/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/how-not-to-screw-up-scallops/#commentsFiled under: ,

scallop
Over the weekend we received a disturbing note: "I mangled the (H-E-double-hockey-sticks) out of my scallops tonight and don't want to do it again." Instantly, we switched to nerd mode and wanted to help.

As fans of the sea, we can think of no better flavor than that of a deliciously caramelized scallop, seared on its lonesome in molten brown butter to crispy brown, tender perfection (as in the above photo). Achieving such perfection, for most, is another reality entirely. Overcooked, oversauced and overseasoned are the usual adjectives employed when a pan of these pliant bivalves meets a cruel fate.

Scallops are among the most delicate creatures in our oceans. Store them on ice or in the coldest part of the fridge to keep them fresh. Like a Grade-A steak, a scallop has natural sugars begging to be exploited. Try one raw and you'll understand why. But grocery store scallops are another story: they tend to come with a lot of water, which results in the first sin of searing. Award-winning chef Cathal Armstrong of Virginia's Restaurant Eve says a lot of scallops are treated with liquid phosphates. "They absorb them and it gives them a better retail value -- and white color -- but also a lot of water." Look for "dry pack" or "unsoaked" scallops. If that's not possible, drain them, pat them dry with a paper towel and dust them with easy available Wondra flour, which Armstrong says, "doesn't clump, but instead gives it a nice crust."

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]]>scallopsPervaiz ShallwaniTue, 28 Apr 2009 16:00:00 ESTFoodie-Friendly iPhone Apps On Risehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/22/foodie-friendly-iphone-apps-on-rise/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/22/foodie-friendly-iphone-apps-on-rise/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/22/foodie-friendly-iphone-apps-on-rise/#comments
By Pervaiz Shallwani
We're big proponents of buying local when possible and just spied some curious data about 5,500 iPhone users buying a $3 Locavore app (created by a Slashfood friend) in a mere month. It tells iPhone addicts what's in season, what's en route and where nearby farmers' markets are located.

Whoa. We wondered what other yummy things we could do if we got with the times and finally embraced an iPhone for our foodie needs. Boy, were we shocked. There are hundreds of free and paid downloads including one for beer, one for soda and a fast-food meal calorie counter.

Not only are food nerd darlings Serious Eats, Food Network and Yelp at our fingertips, so is the FDA with food recall news (though their freebie Twitter also works), a guide to finding cheap or free kids' meals at nearby eateries and Twecipe, which matches the dregs of those fridge contents to a recipe.

All this edible ammo available at the touch of a button makes us wonder whether Googling our munching needs is becoming just so 2008 and whether we should cave to the iFeed - er, iPhone -- trend. Have you?

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]]>FDAfood networkfood recallsFoodNetworkFoodRecallsgoogleiphonelocavorephoneserious eatsSeriousEatstwecipesTwitter HourTwitterHouryelpPervaiz ShallwaniWed, 22 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST