We're conditioned to believe that salads are typically the healthiest menu options. However, our friends over a AOL Body have put together a slide show that features ten of the most unhealthy salads around. Clocking in as some of the worst offenders are Dairy Queen's Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (48 grams of fat), Chili's Southwest Cobb Salad (970 calories) and Cosi's Signature Salad (52 grams of fat). That last one really makes me sad, as that Cosi salad has always been one of my favorites. Thankfully, the folks at AOL Body also offer ways of making all the salads a bit more heart and diet friendly. Ten of the most unhealthy salads around
We're conditioned to believe that salads are typically the healthiest menu options. However, our friends over a AOL Body have put together a slide show that features ten of the most unhealthy salads around. Clocking in as some of the worst offenders are Dairy Queen's Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (48 grams of fat), Chili's Southwest Cobb Salad (970 calories) and Cosi's Signature Salad (52 grams of fat). That last one really makes me sad, as that Cosi salad has always been one of my favorites. Thankfully, the folks at AOL Body also offer ways of making all the salads a bit more heart and diet friendly. Comments [0]
NYT features Portland, OR restaurant scene
I turned my browser to the New York Times Dining and Wine section yesterday morning and was startled to discover that the headlining story was about the burgeoning restaurant movement in my very hometown of Portland, OR. As I began to read, I was totally delighted to discover that the very first restaurateur they mentioned and then quoted was none other than my cousin, Andy Ricker. Forgive me the familial pride, but I'm bubbling over with excitement that what started as just a little Thai take-out shack in SE Portland has become enough of a city institution to merit a mention in country's newspaper of record.
Oh, and if you happen to get an opportunity to go to Pok Pok, make sure to have the fish sauce glazed wings. It's been nearly ten months since I had my last taste and I still dream about them.
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Maine Fare: Chefs' Table Dinner at The Edge
This past weekend the Maine Fare was held here in Mid-Coast Maine. A celebration of the bounty of all things food in Maine. It was three days packed full of tasting events, cooking demos and classes, fine food, interesting new food products, the good company of other food aficionados, and fascinating panel discussions on everything food related in Maine. Add in the top 30 chefs in the state and it was most definitely the food event of New England this weekend.
Last night I was invited to a special Maine Fare Chefs' Table Dinner at The Edge, the cutting edge restaurant at the luxurious Inn at Ocean's Edge in Lincolnville, ME. It was a special tasting dinner put together by six of the best chef's in Maine, each creating an outstanding dish that would both complement and contrast with the others. Along with the dinner was the option of a matching flight of truly excellent Bell wines from Bell Wine Cellar in Yountville, Napa Valley, CA. As you can see from the menu it was an intriguing , fun, and delicious meal.
Continue reading Maine Fare: Chefs' Table Dinner at The Edge
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All you can eat stadium food
When I was a kid, my dad and a couple of his friends had season tickets to see the Portland State Vikings. I would frequently go along even though I had very little interest in football. I was there pure and simply for the food. For the nachos and the popcorn, the hot chocolate and the ice cream. We didn't get much in the way of junk food in my house, but my dad was always willing to shell out for a few treats at the game.
The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia is offering a deal that would have mightily appealed to my young self. They are selling "all you can eat" packages for Flyers and 76ers games that includes hot dogs, soft drinks, popcorn, nacho chips and salsa. Not particularly good for the waistline but very nice for the fans of the junk food.
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Mario Batali now writing for Serious Eats
If you are a Mario Batali fan who is starting to twitch and suffer from signs of withdrawal due to the fact that your favorite orange-shod chef won't be around to inspire and entertain you on the Food Network, fear not! He is now writing a regular column over at that bastion of online food writing, Serious Eats. It actually seems like a terrific way to get your regular dose of Mario, as his writing is punchy, appealing and natural-sounding. In his current entry, he offers up a recipe for Pasta Pomodoro that sounds absolutely delectable.
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It's Restaurant Season: New York Times Dining & Wine section in 60 seconds
It seems that the scene will soon be exploding with new restaurants. In a special section, the New York Times covers the coming restaurants.
- Some restaurants will be headed by star chefs, others are opening elsewhere, but originated in NY, and really, there are just too many to count.
- The new vibe in restaurants is casual and cool
- Why does it take so long (and so much heartache) to get a restaurant to open?
- Critic Frank Bruni takes a dive into fish-heavy Soto
- Go! Go! Curry keeps it real with Japanese comfort food
- But it's not all just about restaurants. For the home kitchen, Mark Bittman does a paella and Harold McGee explains gelatin filtration
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Maine Fare! A Food Celebration
Maine Fare- Celebrating the Bounty of Maine! Is a three day event held each year in the mid-coast area with tastings, book signings, cooking classes and demonstrations, great food and beverages of all kinds, and over thirty of the best chefs in the state getting together to show off the bounty of food in Maine. If you are a foodie, then this is the place to be the third weekend in September, Friday 9/14, Saturday 9/15, and Sunday 9/16/2007.
Originally this event started out as the 2005 Camden Food and Wine Festival but it grew so rapidly that the focus had to widen as well. Now Maine Fare is coordinated by Maine Festivals and Events, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving, protecting, and sharing the cultural resources of Maine through a wide range of educational programs and special events.
Continue reading Maine Fare! A Food Celebration
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Kid, Keggers, and Korean: Los Angeles Times Food section in 60 seconds
It's an endless summer in LA:
- He's a "kid" in LA, but Matt Molina is running the kitchen at the hottest restaurant in town, Mozza.
- For Labor Day, break out the keg
- The best way to chill out if you're Korean (or not) is with an ice cold bowl of naeng-myun
- Take advantage of the height of fig season with a Fresh Fig Tart
- Speaking of tarts, SOS gets its hands on the Walnut Praline Tart with Espresso Ice Cream from Hatfield's
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Heirloom tomatoes, Belgian pale ales and sustainable farming for God: NYT Dining and Wine in 60 seconds
Melissa Clark can't resist bringing home bags of tomatoes from the farmers market this time of year. She offers up a tomato recipe for every night of the week (plus one to grow on) including Multi-colored Tomato Tartlets, Baked Stuffed Tomatoes with Goat Cheese Fondue and Green Tomato and Lemon Marmalade.
Eric Asimov searches for a beer that can cool you down without leaving you feeling weighted by the heaviness of hops and too much alcohol. The winner? A Belgian Pale Ale.
An evangelical Christian and a Kosher meat packer work together to further humane and sustainable farming practices. Mark Bittman cooks the perfect steak and shares secrets of the dry rub.
Frank Bruni reviews Rayuela. You can learn to cook in Paris without spending your whole vacation in front of the stove. You can feel safe eating all the deep-fried Oreos you want at the Indiana State Fair, as they are now cooked in trans-fat free oil.
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Mickey D's selling Boston Market to Sun Capital
Yesterday I read that McDonald's is exiting the so-called home-meal replacement market with its sale of Boston Market to Sun Capital. Heck, I didn't even know they owned it. To my credit I do know that Boston Market started in Colorado, just like Chipotle, which McDonald's sold its interest in a while back. At one time Mickey D's had its greasy fingers in a lot of pies, including Donatos Pizza and the Aroma coffee chain. It still owns one-third of Pret a Manger, but that, too, may soon go on the block since Pret itself is shopping around for a buyer.
Specifics of the deal, which should close in a few weeks, have not been divulged. A McDonald's spokesman had this to say: "This is consistent with our successful strategy to focus on brand, a strategy that continues to deliver results." Well, duh. I can't even begin to understand why McDonald's bought into a chain that presents itself as an alternative to an old-fashioned turkey dinner.
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N.J. burger joint rips off Five Guys formula
Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries, a D.C.-based chain that has garnered rave reviews up and down the East Coast recently entered the New York metro area. I visited their Queens location and, despite Five Guy's obsession with cooking all their meat well done, I found the burger quite good.
The Guys recently opened a shop in Hackensack, N.J. Now here's where it starts to get interesting. Überblogger Jason Perlow reports that Burger Boys, an independent joint, has also set up shop in nearby Fairview. They copied Five Guys' menu format. No big deal, right? But that's just the tip of intellectual property rights infringement iceberg. Rather than give these con artists any free advertising, I chose a pic of the Five Guys ordering area from Perlow's site. The shots he took of Burger Boys are pretty shocking.
How shocking you ask? Let's put it this way. Burger Boys didn't stop at copying the Five Guys' menu. They also lovingly reproduced the Guys' interior design, presentation of the food in brown paper bags and its insistence on cooking everything well done. I almost forgot, the Boys dress their staff in red T-shirts and hats, just like the Guys. I'd love to think that this is merely some confluence of East Coast burger synergy, but clearly it's a simple case of out-and-out theft of the Five Guys' concept.
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A variety of food tidbits selected by my mother
Since I've been writing for Slashfood, my mother has taken to sending me daily emails with links to different food-related articles she encounters on her own trips through the interwebs. She's sent me several in the last few days, and while none of them seem to be able to hold up their own post, they all are interesting enough that I thought a little "round-up" post might be in order.
Back in May, MSN Money printed a list of the Ten Things Your Restaurant Won't Tell You. The list includes such gems as the fact that fast food restaurants encourage rapid turnover by playing loud music and providing uncomfortable seating and that expensive restaurants create return customers by making their food as luscious as possible with the addition of lots of butter.
Just posted last Monday was a list of the 16 Ways to Keep Healthy While Keeping it Cheap on the Get Rich Slowly blog. Some of the gems on that list include recommendations to make a food plan, buy in bulk, don't run around looking for bargains (wasting gas in the process) and take your lunch to work. They might sounds like the same old advice you've heard before, but the list has some good tips, especially if you are trying to follow a lower carb diet on a budget.
Lastly, she sent me a little tidbit she scanned from the Oregonian about the safety of drinking sparkling water. I haven't been able to find an online version of that story, but did find this short piece on Chow that says essentially the same thing, that sparkling water isn't necessarily better or worse for you than still water. It mostly depends on the water with which it was made and if extra sodium as added.
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Ramen Setagaya: Oishii desu!
Last week I wrote about Rameniac, a guide to all things ramen so detailed and descriptive that it left me jonesing for a hot bowl of the stuff. As promised, I did indeed trek from my native Queens to Manhattan's East Village that same afternoon to satisfy my urge.
Rather than head to one of the neighborhood's longstanding ramenyas, I decided to try out Ramen Setagaya, a new spot that opened in mid-June amid much fanfare and accompanying long lines. Part of the reason for all the buzz surrounding Setagaya's opening lies in the fact that it's the first U.S. restaurant of a popular Tokyo chain. And a large part lies in the fact that they make one kickass bowl of soup.
Continue reading Ramen Setagaya: Oishii desu!
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Savory Summer Reading: Counter Intelligence by Jonathan Gold
It's no secret that I am obsessed with Jonathan Gold. "Who the heck is Jonathan Gold?" some of you may be asking.
Don't worry, I'm not offended that you may not know. If you don't live to eat in Los Angeles, or maybe even New York, then you might not know him. Jonathan Gold is the current restaurant critic for the LA Weekly, and I will most certainly have you all know that I had a cybercrush on him waaaaay before he was even in the running for a Pulitzer Prize, let alone named the winner! Yes, yes, y'all, Mr Jonathan Gold is a Pulitzer prize-winning writer.
Some of the obsession has to do with what he writes about -- though he has dined around New York, he started in LA and makes his dining home here now. He also tends to focus his dining experiences on places that don't get written up by every other person on the planet.
However, the real reason I gush like I do about Mr. JGold is not his subject matter. It's his writing.
Continue reading Savory Summer Reading: Counter Intelligence by Jonathan Gold
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A cake Elvis (and the rest of us) would love
In my travels through the interwebs yesterday, I stumbled across this gorgeous banana, chocolate and peanut butter cake. E bakes for a little cafe in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, and when faced with a bunch of overripe bananas, she drew inspiration from a cupcake that another blogger made back in January to create this cake. Every time I look at the photos of it, a part of me wants to leap up and head to the kitchen to recreate it myself.
photo by Elizabeth Halene
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