Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/A Photographic Ode to End of Gourmethttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/a-photographic-ode-to-end-of-gourmet/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/a-photographic-ode-to-end-of-gourmet/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/a-photographic-ode-to-end-of-gourmet/#commentsFiled under: ,


gourmet magazines

Photo: whitneyinchicago, Flickr.

Nostalgia abounds as the reality sinks in that Gourmet magazine is really gone: We'll never receive another issue in the mail. We'll never have another opportunity to crack the glossy binding holding together a new month's culinary content.

We're still adjusting to the news and no doubt you are, too. Check out this poignant photographic essay from Kevin DeMaria, the former associate art director of the magazine. It documents the offices, common areas and test kitchen of the magazine as staffers were looking back, packing up and moving out.

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]]>gourmetGourmetMagazineLisa Schweitzer2009-11-02T13:30:00+00:0025 Must-Download Web-Only Recipes from Gourmet.comhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/25-must-download-web-only-recipes-from-gourmet-com/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/25-must-download-web-only-recipes-from-gourmet-com/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/25-must-download-web-only-recipes-from-gourmet-com/#commentsFiled under: ,

Savory Duck Fat Doughnuts. Photo: Gourmet.com.

Some of the most notable "Gourmet" recipes never made it to the magazine. Through its 69-year run, the magazine's food editors and test kitchen staff developed hundreds of adventurous, experimental, personal and just plain luscious recipes that for one reason or another escaped the print edition. With Gourmet.com's 2008 launch, multimedia supplements to magazine features, test kitchen video throw-downs, staffers' favorites and perusals of family archives afforded the opportunity to showcase Web-exclusive content, and a chance to serve up these recipes to their more cyber-savvy readers.

Though an Oct. 13 Tweet by the magazine's Executive Editor John Willoughby advised followers to "Go to gourmet.com, copy Web-exclusive recipes that will disappear: strawberry dumpling, banana upside down cake, curried pork noodles, etc.", Slashfood has been told by other Condé Nast insiders that after the magazine's recent, sudden shuttering, the future of Gourmet.com content remains uncertain, save for mag-published recipes that will be migrated to sister site Epicurious.com.

We're not taking any chances. We've clicked our way through 300-plus Web-exclusive recipes from October 2005 to September 2009 to find the 25 you simply must copy, paste and collect before they're (possibly) lost to the ages.

1. Frozen Peanut Butter Pie with Candied Bacon
Recipe by Andrea Albin

2. Potted Stuffed Squab
Recipe by Edna Lewis

3. Confit Gizzard with Honey Mustard
Recipe by Ian Knauer

4. Savory Duck Fat Doughnuts
Recipe by Ian Knauer

Get more recipes -- including Dijon ice cream and zucchini whoopie pies -- after the jump.

Continue reading 25 Must-Download Web-Only Recipes from Gourmet.com

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]]>andrea albinAndreaAlbindan barberDanBarberdoc willoughbyDocWilloughbyedna lewisEdnaLewisgourmetgourmet magazinegourmet recipesGourmetMagazineGourmetRecipesIan KnauerIanKnauerjohn willoughbyJohnWilloughbypaul grimesPaulGrimesRuth Cousineauruth reichlRuthCousineauRuthReichlweb-exclusiveKat Kinsman2009-10-19T09:30:00+00:00Todd English on His Canceled Wedding: 'I Couldn't Go Through With It'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/todd-english-on-his-canceled-wedding-i-couldnt-go-through-wit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/todd-english-on-his-canceled-wedding-i-couldnt-go-through-wit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/todd-english-on-his-canceled-wedding-i-couldnt-go-through-wit/#commentsFiled under: , ,


todd english and erica wang
Todd English and Erica Wang.
Photo: David X Prutting,
PatrickMcMullan.com
Todd English is speaking out for the first time since calling off his wedding to Erica Wang.

"I couldn't go through with it," the 49-year-old chef of Olives told People. "I thought I'd met my partner, but as things progressed [it] went down hill."

English has appeared on "Iron Chef America" and PBS's "Cooking Under Fire."

In the People interview, English accused his jilted fiancee of "physical and verbal abuse" and allegedly hitting him in the eye in September. The New York Post reports Thursday that English visited a New York City police precinct to report the allegations.

But she denied the abuse allegations to the New York Post earlier this week, telling the paper that English has left her without a job (she was his personal assistant) and an apartment, and forced her to pay $12,000 for wedding expenses.

"An animal wouldn't treat another animal the way he has treated me," Wang told the Post. "He is forgetting I am human. I don't deserve this. He has caused me, my friends and family so much pain."

Slashfood reported on Oct. 5 that Wang had thrown a party despite the nuptials being called off.

[Via People, New York Post]
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]]>erica wangEricaWangpeopletodd englishToddEnglishweddingSlashfood Editor2009-10-15T16:30:00+00:00Gourmet Sandwich Makers Mourning Loss of Maghttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/07/gourmet-sandwich-makers-mourning-loss-of-mag/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/07/gourmet-sandwich-makers-mourning-loss-of-mag/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/07/gourmet-sandwich-makers-mourning-loss-of-mag/#commentsFiled under: ,



Even sandwich artists are mourning the loss of Gourmet Magazine.

[Via Twitter]
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]]>gourmetgourmet magazinegourmet magazine closesGourmetMagazineGourmetMagazineClosesruth reichlRuthReichlsubwayKat Kinsman2009-10-07T14:05:00+00:00Gourmet Magazine to Closehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/05/gourmet-magazine-to-close/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/05/gourmet-magazine-to-close/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/05/gourmet-magazine-to-close/#commentsFiled under: ,

gourmet magazine to close
Photo: Sara Bonisteel
After nearly 69 years of good tastes, Gourmet Magazine will close after its November issue, the New York Times reports.

The magazine, owned by Conde Nast, has been published since December 1940. Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride are also slated for closure, the paper said.

"Thank you all SO much for this outpouring of support," Ruth Reichl, the magazine's editor in chief, said Monday afternoon on Twitter. "It means a lot. Sorry not to be posting now, but I'm packing. We're all stunned, sad."

The cuts come after a three-month study by McKinsey & Co., which looked at the publishing company's costs, the Times said.

In an e-mail obtained by Gawker, Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend said Gourmet will live on through television and books. "Gourmet magazine will cease monthly publication, but we will remain committed to the brand, retaining Gourmet's book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet recipes on Epicurious.com," he wrote. "We will concentrate our publishing activities in the epicurean category on Bon Appétit."

Drew Schutte, a senior vice president at Conde Nast Digital, said Gourmet.com would "remain up at least through the end of the year," Mediaite reports.

Sources tell Slashfood that staff has to be out of building by the end of day Tuesday.

Leave your thoughts about Gourmet's demise in the comments below.

[Via New York Times]
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]]>conde nastCondeNastgourmet magazinegourmet magazine foldsgourmet magazine to closeGourmetMagazineGourmetMagazineFoldsGourmetMagazineToCloseruth reichlRuthReichlSara Bonisteel2009-10-05T10:30:00+00:00Zucchini vs. Zucchini in the Gourmet Test Kitchenhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/28/zucchini-vs-zucchini-in-the-gourmet-test-kitchen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/28/zucchini-vs-zucchini-in-the-gourmet-test-kitchen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/28/zucchini-vs-zucchini-in-the-gourmet-test-kitchen/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Zucchini whoopie pie! Zucchini tequila slushie!

Those nutty Gourmet chefs, of the insane toasted avocado marshmallows, recently went head to head in their third Test Kitchen Challenge, all about zucchini.

In the savory round, watch Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez make zucchini shoestring "fries" as a decadent topping for a "zucchini three ways" salad and competitor Andrea Albin whip up some spicy zucchini fritters with basil-mayo dipping sauce. We'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not Albin's performance-enhancing drug -- bacon -- gave her an unfair advantage over her opponent.

In the sweets round Eriquez appeared to have a stronghold on Albin when she "pulled out the guns" with her zucchini whoopie pies. (Click the video to see how she pulled it off.) But what better way to wash down a zucchini whoopie pie -- or five -- than with Albin's zucchini lime tequila slushie?

Check out the video, vote for your favorite and let us know who you think won and why in the comments.

[Via Gourmet]
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]]>gourmet magazineGourmetMagazinetest kitchen challengewhoopie piezucchiniEmily Farris2009-07-28T16:00:00+00:00Food & Wine Classic 2009 - Tweets from Aspenhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/19/food-and-wine-classic-2009-tweets-from-aspen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/19/food-and-wine-classic-2009-tweets-from-aspen/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/19/food-and-wine-classic-2009-tweets-from-aspen/#commentsFiled under: ,



Couldn't swing a trip to Food & Wine Magazine's Classic in Aspen this year? S'okay -- we've got you covered. Kick back with a glass of bubbly and some schmancy nibbles, bookmark this post and keep on checking back for real-time Twitter coverage from the event. Keep up with pictures from the red carpet and around the festival here.

On-scene Tweeters include:

Food & Wine editors and staffers Dana Cowin @fwscout, Christina Grdovic @grdovic, Kate Krader @kkrader, Gail Simmons @gailsimmons, Ray Isle @islewine, Jee Park @JeeWPark, Lori LeFevre @llefevre and their main feed @fandw

Top Chef alumni Richard Blais @RichardBlais, Stephanie Izard @stephanieizard and Ilan Hall @ilanhall

After the jump, see the live feed from the Food & Wine Classic.

Continue reading Food & Wine Classic 2009 - Tweets from Aspen

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]]>aspenaspen food and wine classicAspenFoodAndWineClassiccelebrity chefsCelebrityChefsdana cowinDanaCowinfood and winefood and wine classicfood and wine magazineFoodAndWineFoodAndWineClassicFoodAndWineMagazinemario bataliMarioBatalitop chefTopCheftwitterKat Kinsman2009-06-19T00:00:00+00:00Anthony Bourdain's 13 Places to Eat Before You Diehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/03/anthony-bourdains-13-places-to-eat-before-you-die/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/03/anthony-bourdains-13-places-to-eat-before-you-die/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/03/anthony-bourdains-13-places-to-eat-before-you-die/#commentsFiled under: , ,

hot doug's

Another day, another list. This time, it's Anthony Bourdain's "13 Places to Eat Before You Die," which appears in the June issue of Men's Health. Bourdain's article shouts out restaurants and stores across the globe, from New York's smoked fish shrine Russ & Daughters to Spain's gourmand ground zero, elBulli.

Bourdain acknowledges that as "any seasoned traveler can tell you, the 'best' meals on the planet are the result of an ephemeral confluence of circumstances," and makes convincing arguments for each of his picks, which also include Kansas City, Kan.'s Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue, Tokyo's Sukiyabashi Jiro and London's St. John.

But even with the disclaimer and rationale behind Bourdain's choices, plenty are as likely to find fault with his logic (and apparently abundant frequent flier miles) as they are with a list proclaiming, say, the best pizza places in the U.S.

We have the text of the article so you can weigh in on Bourdain's hits -- and misses -- after the jump.

Continue reading Anthony Bourdain's 13 Places to Eat Before You Die

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]]>13 places to eat before you die13PlacesToEatBeforeYouDieanthony bourdainAnthonyBourdainbourdainelbullifrench laundryFrenchLaundrykatzsdelicatessenmens healthMensHealthper sePerSeruss and daughtersRussAndDaughtersst. johnSt.JohnRebecca Flint Marx2009-06-03T16:00:00+00:00Brooklyn Uncorked Recap - Tipsy Locavores Unitehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/brooklyn-uncorked-recap-tipsy-locavores-unite/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/brooklyn-uncorked-recap-tipsy-locavores-unite/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/brooklyn-uncorked-recap-tipsy-locavores-unite/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

uncorked"Loco for locavorism" might sound like some bizarro play on an old TV ad, but the phrase carries some heft these days, if the crowd at last night's Brooklyn Uncorked was any indication. The sip-and-nibble-fest in honor of local goods was jam-packed with tipsy oenophiles clutching wine glasses and munching on local pickles (garlicky!), rosé sorbet (brilliant!) and buzzed-about turkey meatloaf (by the time we got there, gone!). Dozens of local restaurants, wineries and producers were on the premises: as one sign bragged, no vinos were made more than a two-hour drive from Brooklyn.

Hyperlocalism isn't local to New York City, either. Edible Communities, whose Edible Brooklyn hosted the tasting, boasts more than 50 publications from Missoula, Wash., to Santa Fe, N.M. All feature the same bright, minimalistic food-focused design touting "local foods, season by season." If you believe that New York hearkens nationwide trends, well, like the Brooklyn Food Conference before it, this event was sold-out and about as crowded as could be.

Continue reading Brooklyn Uncorked Recap - Tipsy Locavores Unite

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]]>Brooklyn UncorkedBrooklynUncorkededible brooklynedible communitiesEdibleBrooklynEdibleCommunitieseventlocavorelocavorismAlex Van Buren2009-05-14T17:00:00+00:00James Beard Media Awardshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/03/james-beard-media-awards/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/03/james-beard-media-awards/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/03/james-beard-media-awards/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We'll be live-Twittering tonight's James Beard Media Awards and Monday's Restaurant Awards, so follow along @slashfood. Meanwhile, snack on these links to the nominated articles, recipes, reviews, food sections, sites, blogs and books.

Journalism Awards

For articles published in English in 2008.

Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants And/Or Chefs

Monica Eng, Phil Vettel
Chicago Tribune
"Big Night. Big Mystery: Why Did Michael Carlson Vanish the Day After Serving Dinner to the Greatest Chefs in the World?"

Katy McLaughlin
The Wall Street Journal
"Sushi Bullies"

Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post
"Sound Check"

More links to Journalism, Cookbook and Broadcast nominees after the jump.

Continue reading James Beard Media Awards

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]]>cookbooksfood sectionsFoodSectionsjames beardjames beard awardsjames beard media awardsjames beard nomineesJamesBeardJamesBeardAwardsJamesBeardMediaAwardsJamesBeardNomineesKat Kinsman2009-05-03T02:30:00+00:00Undercover Reichlhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/undercover-reichl/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/undercover-reichl/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/undercover-reichl/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Yeah, it's a teensy bit Inside Baseball for the fooderati, but we got a big kick out of seeing our favorite Gourmet staffers (Wuzzap, Terrebonne? Lookin' fresh, Knauer and Houghtaling!) in a cute 'n campy Gourmet.com video sending up Editor-In-Chief Ruth Reichl's '90s tenure as an undercover restaurant critic for the New York Times.

Reichl's penchant for wearing outlandish disguises to protect her dwindling anonymity was the underpinning of her 2005 memoir Garlic and Sapphires, but somehow we doubt even she would have the quenelles to stomp into the Four Seasons' Pool Room wearing quite this much codpiece.

[via: Gourmet.com]
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]]>garlic and sapphiresGarlicAndSapphiresgourmetgourmet magazinegourmet.comGourmetMagazinekat kinsmanKatKinsmanruth reichlRuthReichlKat Kinsman2009-04-28T09:30:00+00:00Brave New Whirlpool - Kitchens of the Futurehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/23/brave-new-whirlpool/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/23/brave-new-whirlpool/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/23/brave-new-whirlpool/#commentsFiled under: ,

future
As if molecular gastronomy wasn't sci-fi enough, Dwell magazine now ponders the kitchens of the future, with engrossing photos and interviews. San Francisco chef Daniel Patterson envisions a place where sous vide coexists happily with medieval touches like an open fireplace and a root cellar, whereas designer Scott Hudson foresees "unified systems" instead of unrelated bits and pieces (no hodgepodge appliances and fixtures for him!).

It's a fanciful and fascinating survey of ideas, and while we're wowed by the idea of laser-carved countertops and Pacojets, we're warmed by architect and interior designer Antonio Citterio's insistence that a futuristic kitchen shouldn't be a cold and clinical one: "To cook is to make a mess," he says. "Life is messy!"

We'll tip our tomato sauce-splattered caps to that.

[Dwell via Eater SF]
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]]>kitchen designKitchenDesignRebecca Flint Marx2009-04-23T16:00:00+00:00Live Twittering from Food & Wine's Best New Chefs http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/31/live-twittering-from-food-and-wines-best-new-chefs/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/31/live-twittering-from-food-and-wines-best-new-chefs/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/31/live-twittering-from-food-and-wines-best-new-chefs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

You do follow our Twitter @slashfood, don'tcha? The Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs festivities commence at 6:30 p.m. on April 1, and Food & Wine Editor-In-Chief Dana Cowin has been dropping devilish little hints about the winners via Twitter all day long. First person to solve the mystery wins two tickets to tomorrow night's event.

Won't you Tweet with us? If we're really lucky, we'll even post some red-hot guest chef David Chang or "Top Chef" winner Harold Dieterle cell-phone camera action.

Twit-tip: Follow all Best New Chefs posts using #BNC

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]]>best new chefsBestNewChefsbncdana cowinDanaCowindavid changDavidChangfood and winefood and wine magazineFoodAndWineFoodAndWineMagazinekat kinsmanKatKinsmantwitterKat Kinsman2009-03-31T15:30:00+00:00James Beard Award Nomineeshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/23/james-beard-award-nominees/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/23/james-beard-award-nominees/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/23/james-beard-award-nominees/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In breaking food news, the James Beard Foundation is announcing the 2009 JBA Nominees live on Twitter.

Follow them at twitter.com/beardfoundation or watch this post, and we'll update as the announcements roll in.

The 2009 inductees into the Who's Who of Food & Beverage are: David Burke, John T. Edge, Dorothy Cann Hamilton, Betty Fussell, Clark Wolf

Journalism Awards Nominees:

Multimedia: Ruth Reichl (Gourmet.com): Gourmet Cookbook Club and The Test Kitchen; Mike Sula (Chicagoreader.com): Whole Hog Project

Web Site Focusing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant or Nutrition: Chow.com, Epicurious.com and Gourmet.com

Food Blogs: The BA Foodist (Bonappetit.com), Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (Honest-food.net), Our One-Block Diet (Oneblockdiet.sunset.com)

Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer: Jon Bonné (San Francisco Chronicle), Jay McInerney (Men's Vogue), Alan Richman (GQ)

Food-Related Columns: Dorie Greenspan (Bon Appétit), Corby Kummer (The Atlantic) and Laura Shapiro (Gourmet.com)

Nutrition/Food-Related Issues: Barry Estabrook (Gourmet), Mark Adams, et al (New York Magazine), Rachael Moeller Gorman (EatingWell)

Restaurant Reviews: Jonathan Gold (LA Weekly), Adam Platt (New York Magazine) and Tom Sietsema (The Washington Post)

Magazine Feature Writing w/o Recipes: Alan Richman (GQ), Patricia Sharpe (Texas Monthly), Monique Truong (Gourmet)

Magazine Feature with Recipes: Edna Lewis (Gourmet)*published posthumously, David Dobbs and John Ash (EatingWell), James Peterson (Saveur)

Magazine Feature Writing about Restaurants and/or Chefs: Ruth Reichl (Gourmet), Alan Richman (Departures), Anya von Bremzen (Food & Wine)

Newspaper Food Section: Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post

Newspaper Feature w/ Recipes: Rebekah Denn (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), David Leite (New York Times), Kathleen Purvis (Charlotte Observer)

Newspaper Feature w/o Recipes: Monica Eng (Chicago Tribune), Kristen Hinman (Riverfront Times) and Craig LaBan (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Newspaper Feature about Restaurants and/or Chefs: Monica Eng/Phil Vettel(Chicago Trib), Katy McLaughlin (WSJ), Tom Sietsema (The Wash Post)

MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: Celia Barbour (O, The Oprah Magazine), Aleksandra Crapanzano (Gourmet), Alan Richman (GQ)

Restaurant, Cookbook and Media Awards nominees are after the jump.

Continue reading James Beard Award Nominees

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]]>james beardjames beard awardsjames beard foundationjames beard nomineesJamesBeardJamesBeardAwardsJamesBeardFoundationJamesBeardNomineestwitterKat Kinsman2009-03-23T11:00:00+00:00Perfect Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes - Tip of the Dayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/14/ways-to-perfect-buttermilk-mashed-potatoes-tip-of-the-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/14/ways-to-perfect-buttermilk-mashed-potatoes-tip-of-the-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/14/ways-to-perfect-buttermilk-mashed-potatoes-tip-of-the-day/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Making buttermilk mashed potatoes can easily go wrong. The buttermilk can curdle, and too much butter can obscure the buttermilk flavor. Check out these easy tactics to prevent such problems.

Continue reading Perfect Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes - Tip of the Day

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]]>buttermilk mashed potatoesButtermilkMashedPotatoesmashed potatoesMashedPotatoestip of the dayTipOfTheDayvegetarianMax Shrem2009-03-14T08:00:00+00:00Toilet-Themed Restaurants...Bon Appetit?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/toilet-themed-restaurants-bon-appetit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/toilet-themed-restaurants-bon-appetit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/toilet-themed-restaurants-bon-appetit/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Modern Toilet Restaurant

"Bloody poop" anyone? The toilet aesthetic is nothing new in Asian restaurants. We have a post, from a few years back, about a toilet-themed restaurant where people actually sit on toilets at a table. Recently, Time magazine had an article about a Taiwanese restaurant chain that's opening up restaurants in China and other parts of Asia. Modern Toilet serves dishes, with names like "green dysentery," in toilet-shaped plates. Food is presented in the shape of excrement.

Modern Toilet interestingly combines the vulgar, the obscene, the scatological with the high-end. As the Time article states: "Every customer sits on a stylish acrylic toilet (lid down) designed with images of roses, seashells or Renaissance paintings." In this way, the restaurant is enticing patrons and receiving positive feedback. Jennifer Finch, an American who dined there, described the experience as tasteful and clean.

The cuisine is an eclectic mix of Asian foods, including curries, pasta, fried chicken and Mongolian hot pot. Patrons comment that despite the disgusting descriptions, the foods are great. Apparently, China's comfort with (and interest in) toilet creations beyond the bathroom are not new. Time points out that a flush toilet was found in a tomb of a Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 24) king. The Chinese invented toilet paper in the 6th century! But, while toilet dining may be less shocking in Chinese culture, Westerners seem to be gravitating to these restaurants as well.
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]]>asian cuisineAsianCuisinerestaurant reviewsRestaurantReviewsrestaurantstoiletseatMax Shrem2009-03-13T14:00:00+00:00Are You a "Food Tragic?" http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/are-you-a-food-tragic/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/are-you-a-food-tragic/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/10/are-you-a-food-tragic/#commentsFiled under:

foodie with cheeseOpening the fridge, you're most proud of your collection of:
(a) mustards
(b) butters
(c) gins
(d) home-rendered fats

Your travel plans:
(a) are followed by a dig through for restaurant recommendations in the area
(b) are usually based on the quality of the food in the region
(c) revolve solely around food and restaurants
(d) come only once you've confirmed your reservations and made sure the hairy crab are biting.

Answer these and a dozen or so other question's from Australian Gourmet Traveller to find out whether you are a "food tragic" - someone whose life revolves around food to such a degree that they simply cannot get on an airplane without a baggie of organic Marcona almonds and a mini bottle of St Estèphe, and misses out on dinner party invitations because their Anton Ego-eque level of discernment frightens their friends. Cute.
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]]>foodiehumorquizEmily Matchar2009-03-10T12:00:00+00:00Politics of the Plate: Florida's Slave Tradehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/politics-of-the-plate-floridas-slave-trade/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/politics-of-the-plate-floridas-slave-trade/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/03/politics-of-the-plate-floridas-slave-trade/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Gourmet's Barry Estabrook investigates the plight of Florida tomato pickers. The following is an excerpt of his findings published on Gourmet.com.

A little slavery is okay, just not too much of it.

At this writing, that appears to be the official government position in the state of Florida, and it could explain why the fields of the Sunshine State provide such fertile ground for modern-day slavery. In the past dozen years, police have broken up and prosecuted seven slave operations there, freeing more than 1,000 men and women who were kept captive and forced to work for little or no money and threatened with death if they tried to escape. (For more on the plight of the Florida tomato pickers, see my article "The Price of Tomatoes" in the March 2009 issue of Gourmet.)

Late last year, two members of the Navarrete family, the operators of what has been recognized as the most brutal slave ring the state has seen, were sentenced to 12 years in prison; two others received lesser sentences. Justice having been done, it was an ideal opportunity for Governor Charlie Crist, who enjoys a very high approval rating, to spend a bit of that political capital to condemn the practice and announce bold steps to prevent it.

The story continues at Gourmet.com: Politics of the Plate: Florida's Slave Trade

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]]>barry estabrookBarryEstabrookfloridagourmetgourmet magazineGourmetMagazinepolitics of the platePoliticsOfThePlateslaverytomato pickerstomatoesTomatoPickersSlashfood Editor2009-03-03T20:00:00+00:00Building a Better Grilled Cheesehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/02/building-a-better-grilled-cheese/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/02/building-a-better-grilled-cheese/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/02/building-a-better-grilled-cheese/#commentsFiled under:

grilled cheese with spinach and tomato
I believe that if you're going to indulge in something like a grilled cheese sandwich, you should go all out. Butter the bread, use plenty of cheese and make something you'll really enjoy. I wouldn't recommend eating one of these babies every day, but once in a while, it's a perfectly good treat (especially when dunked in a bowl of oven roasted tomato soup).

However, I know that there are lots of you out there for whom a once in a while grilled cheese just doesn't cut it. For you, SELF Magazine has put together an article in which they try to help you elevate your grilled cheese to a slightly healthier level (it is still cheese and bread though, so don't be thinking that it's a diet food) by suggesting the addition of fruits and vegetables in your 'wich (I'm a fan of some green apple slices in with cheddar cheese) and reminding you to swap whole grain bread in for the classic white.
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]]>grilled cheese sandwichGrilledCheeseSandwichhealthy grilled cheeseHealthyGrilledCheeseself magazineSelfMagazineMarisa McClellan2009-03-02T13:02:00+00:00Food Magazines Going Lower Rent http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/02/food-magazines-going-lower-rent/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/02/food-magazines-going-lower-rent/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/02/food-magazines-going-lower-rent/#commentsFiled under:

covers of recent food magazines
I've always had a love/hate relationship with upscale cookbooks and food magazines. I enjoy flipping through them, ogling the stunning food images and imagining a life where I have the time and energy to create dishes that take 7 pots, 11 hours and 26 ingredients. However, it's that level of intensity that so frustrates me, as while those recipes are nice to look at, reality says that they aren't something I can tackle. It's one of the reasons that the only food magazine that I've consistent subscribed to over the last five years is Everyday Food (the recipes are just so darn accessible).

However, according to an article in today's New York Times, it appears that those more refined and haughty food magazines are changing their ways and including recipes that home cooks can make on a budget and in that window of time that exists between the end of your commute home and the start of the dinner (half) hour.

Gourmet is including a new feature in their monthly publication called "Cook Smart" that tries to help the folks at home with easy, budget-friendly meals that will produce leftovers and keep them from calling out for pizza in desperation. Other publications like Food & Wine and Bon Appétit are choosing similar paths.

As readers and consumers of food media (I'm guessing that at least a few of you still subscribe to some of the glossies), what are you looking for? Do you use the food magazines that land in your mailboxes each month? Would you appreciate it if those glossies started printing more useful recipes?
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]]>bon appetitBonAppetitbudget cookingBudgetCookingeveryday foodEverydayFoodfood magazinesFoodMagazinesgourmetnew york timesNewYorkTimesMarisa McClellan2009-03-02T12:02:00+00:00