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/What Can I Get You Folks? - Diners and Their Allergieshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/01/what-can-i-get-you-folks-diners-and-their-allergies/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/01/what-can-i-get-you-folks-diners-and-their-allergies/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/01/what-can-i-get-you-folks-diners-and-their-allergies/#commentsFiled under:

Beware! Allergens abound at most eateries. Photo: Dan4th/ Flickr

Hanna Raskin's first waitressing job was at a small Greek diner in Michigan. In the 15 years since, she's worked at a chop suey joint in Mississippi, an exclusive Arizonan country club, a vegetarian eatery and an Irish pub. She currently picks up odd shifts at a seafood eatery in the North Carolina mountains, where she cracks crab legs for helpless tourists. This is the second in a series of posts.

My mother, who has a severe shellfish allergy, hasn't tasted seafood since the Eisenhower administration. Since she hasn't a clue whether crustaceans are salty, sweet or sour, she suspects they're lurking everywhere on the menu: "Now, does this cheesecake have any shellfish?" she'll ask her very patient server.

As a kid, I cringed at my mom's fastidiousness. Because really, who would put shrimp in granola? But with chefs now fusing ingredients at a breakneck pace and food allergies multiplying at an unprecedented rate, my mother isn't the only one asking. Twelve million Americans suffer from food allergies, and they're demanding that restaurants accommodate them.

Continue reading What Can I Get You Folks? - Diners and Their Allergies

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]]>food allergiesFoodAllergieshanna raskinHannaRaskinwaitresswaitressingwhat can i get you folksWhatCanIGetYouFolksHanna Raskin2009-07-01T16:00:00+00:00A Ride in the Burgermobile of Kansas Cityhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/23/a-ride-in-the-burgermobile-of-kansas-city/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/23/a-ride-in-the-burgermobile-of-kansas-city/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/23/a-ride-in-the-burgermobile-of-kansas-city/#commentsFiled under: , ,

burgermobile
The Westport Flea Market's Burgermobile. Photo: Emily Farris
"Hey, that's a nice truck!" a young boy yelled at Joe Zwillenberg as he tried to park his Burgermobile at a dog show last weekend. "Where'd you get it?"

Zwillenberg didn't hear the boy. He was too busy concentrating on parking the thing. "I gotta be careful," he said. "I don't wanna scrape the bun."

Well, kid, if you're reading this, the Burgermobile is from New York City. When visiting the Big Apple in April, Zwillenberg -- the owner of Kansas City, Mo.'s Westport Flea Market Bar and Grill -- met artist Matt Targon, who specializes in promotional vehicles. While discussing Zwillenberg's business, Targon declared he'd always wanted to make a burger car. After a little negotiating, Targon told Zwillenberg, "I'm going to make you the best hamburger vehicle ever."

As far as K.C. residents are concerned, mission accomplished. Since arriving in the city's Westport neighborhood earlier this month, the Burgermobile has captured the attention of nearly every passerby, as well as their cameras. It's exactly what Zwillenberg had in mind.

Continue reading A Ride in the Burgermobile of Kansas City

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]]>burger mobileburgermobilekansas citymatt targonwestport flea marketWestportFleaMarketEmily Farris2009-06-23T15:00:00+00:00A Side of Land with Your Steak, Sir?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/19/a-side-of-land-with-your-steak-sir/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/19/a-side-of-land-with-your-steak-sir/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/19/a-side-of-land-with-your-steak-sir/#commentsFiled under: , ,

canyon kitchen
Lonesome Valley's Canyon Kitchen. Photo courtesy of Lonesome Valley
With the competition to sell exclusive mountain lots becoming increasingly cutthroat, developers have begun using black-eyed peas and collard greens to lure prospective buyers through their gates.

Planned communities in the Southeast have long relied on free rounds of golf, celebrity appearances and swanky wine-and-cheese soirees to show off their properties. But Lonesome Valley, an 800-acre spread in Cashiers, N.C., is perhaps the first development to acknowledge the quickest way to a Southern land hunter's wallet is through his stomach: The development last month unveiled Canyon Kitchen, a weekends-only restaurant helmed by superstar chef John Fleer.

"We have 200 lots here and about 50 that we've sold," explains food and beverage manager Sallie Peterkin. "So we've invited the public. We've got reservations coming out of our ears."

Continue reading A Side of Land with Your Steak, Sir?

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]]>blackberry farmBlackberryFarmjohn fleerJohnFleernorth carolinaNorthCarolinaHanna Raskin2009-06-19T17:00:00+00:00Ask 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 Shallwani2009-06-18T14:00:00+00:00'What Can I Get You Folks?' - Is Sitting Down With Diners Ever OK?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/17/what-can-i-get-you-folks-is-getting-personal-with-diners-ev/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/17/what-can-i-get-you-folks-is-getting-personal-with-diners-ev/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/17/what-can-i-get-you-folks-is-getting-personal-with-diners-ev/#commentsFiled under:

waitressing
Photo: Jason Reidy/Flickr

Hanna Raskin's first waitressing job was at a small Greek diner in Michigan. In the 15 years since, she's worked at a chop suey joint in Mississippi, an exclusive Arizonan country club, a vegetarian eatery and an Irish pub. She currently picks up odd shifts at a seafood eatery in the North Carolina mountains, where she cracks crab legs for helpless tourists. This is the first in a series of posts.

The first time I saw a fellow server settle into a booth with her customers while taking orders, I was seriously concerned.

I was a veteran of both high- and low-end cuisine, but had never seen such a thing. I immediately assumed she was too tired to carry on, and never suspected she was angling for a better tip.

As folks who ate out in the early 1990s may recall, researchers discovered in 1993 that sitting down with customers -- like drawing a smiley face on the bill or wearing a flower in one's hair -- was a sure route to a bigger tip.

Read on, plus a poll, after the jump.

Continue reading 'What Can I Get You Folks?' - Is Sitting Down With Diners Ever OK?

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]]>hanna raskinHannaRaskinpollrestaurantsservicewaiterswaiting tablesWaitingTableswhat can i get you folksWhatCanIGetYouFolksHanna Raskin2009-06-17T11:00:00+00:00Is Country Ham on Its Last Four Legs?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/12/i/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/12/i/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/12/i/#commentsFiled under: ,

grub
Just as the nation's gourmands have reached consensus on the superiority of country ham (the traditionally dry-cured hind hog quarter considered by some to be the culinary equal of Italy's prosciutto), one leading exemplar of Southern dining has practically shunted the dish off its menu.

Country ham is still available at Dillard House, the venerable North Georgia boardinghouse that's been overfeeding diners since 1915, but it's no longer among the dozens of all-you-can-eat plates automatically placed on every table. In the culinary equivalent of appointing a new porcine first chair, the restaurant has put sugar-cured "city" ham on its default dish list.

"We still have the country ham in the back for the old-timers who ask for it," a server told us when we visited last month. "But most people today seem to like the sugar-cured."

Continue reading Is Country Ham on Its Last Four Legs?

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]]>country hamCountryHamdillard houseDillardHousehamsouthHanna Raskin2009-06-12T17:00:00+00:00An End to the Wafflinghttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/an-end-to-the-waffling/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/an-end-to-the-waffling/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/an-end-to-the-waffling/#commentsFiled under: , ,

wafflehouse

Food snobs who typically ignore the scattered, smothered and covered charms of Southern greasy spoons have begun flocking to former Waffle Houses, partaking of the latest trend in start-up eateries down South.

A new generation of enterprising chefs is taking refuge in the abandoned shells of retired chain restaurants, realizing their edible ambitions in the very spaces where truckers once drank too much black coffee and elderly women paid for their grilled cheese sandwiches in change. Formidable Mexican, Thai and Italian restaurants have taken up residence where eggs and hash browns once reigned.

The Southeast is dotted with former Waffle Houses and Huddle Houses (WH's cut-rate cousin), their industrial-strength kitchens still very much intact. For restaurateurs with limited budgets and a boundless appreciation of late-night Dixie dining culture, the allure is irresistible.

Continue reading An End to the Waffling

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]]>chain restaurantsChainRestaurantshuddle houseHuddleHouserebornwaffle houseWaffleHouseHanna Raskin2009-06-01T16:00:00+00:00Obamas Celebrate Date Night at Farm-Centric Eatery Blue Hillhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/obamas-celebrate-date-night-at-farm-centric-eatery-blue-hill/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/obamas-celebrate-date-night-at-farm-centric-eatery-blue-hill/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/obamas-celebrate-date-night-at-farm-centric-eatery-blue-hill/#commentsFiled under:

obamasDuring their trip to New York this weekend, the Obamas dined at Blue Hill. To gastronomes in the New York metropolitan area, Blue Hill has long been synonymous with all things local, organic, humane, refined and good in the dining world.

So it was little surprise that bloggers and commentators jumped all over the Obama's choice of venue, analyzing the meaning and the message of their meal. Frank Bruni opined on the New York Times' Diner's Journal blog that Blue Hill was "the proper ethical call, the proper message to send, the proper restaurant segue from the planting of the White House garden."

But Blue Hill, as Bruni also pointed out, happens to be one of New York's most critically lauded restaurants, so it's not as if the Obamas were exactly sacrificing pleasure for politics.

Still, out of the many, many high-end restaurants that the Obamas could have chosen to patronize, there are relatively few that are so closely associated with the kind of sustainable and progressive eating that the First Lady championed with the planting of the White House garden.

The pick appears to be further evidence of the research that the Obamas have seemingly put into their food choices -- and further evidence of the food world's willingness to analyze the President's every bite, be it of hamburger, chili, or, yes, an impeccably fresh and impeccably local carrot.
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]]>barack obamaBarackObamablue hill restaurantBlueHillRestaurantmichelle obamaMichelleObamaObamaswhite house gardenWhiteHouseGardenRebecca Flint Marx2009-06-01T11:00:00+00:00'Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/27/carmines-family-style-cookbook-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/27/carmines-family-style-cookbook-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/27/carmines-family-style-cookbook-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under: ,

carmines'Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook: More Than 100 Classic Italian Dishes to Make at Home'
Recipes by Michael Ronis with Mary Goodbody
Photographs by Alex Martinez
St. Martin's Press -- 2008
Buy it on Amazon

In the increasingly refined and innovative world of New York Italian restaurants, Carmine's remains proudly devoted to its red-sauce roots. It's a loud place with large portions and a complete lack of pretension: you'd just as soon find a foam or amuse bouche on its menu as you would a loaf of Irish soda bread or bowl of borscht. The focus is on Southern Italian food like grandma used to make -- think meatballs the size of a baby's head, shrimp scampi and garlic bread, not bruschetta.

It follows that the restaurant's laid-back, welcoming style would translate to its companion cookbook: "We hope," the introduction states, that the book's pages "will soon be stained with red sauce, dribbles of olive oil and sticky fingerprints, all happy accidents as you discover our recipes."

This is a cookbook meant for weeknight family dinners and large gatherings, or any event, really, that calls for large helpings of comfort food. Flipping through it is a bit like visiting the Italian American Culinary Hall of Fame: Look, it's Meatball Heroes! And over there, Penne Alla Vodka! Long time, no see, Shrimp Fra Diavolo! They're all here, and they're all eager to please.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>carminescookbook spotlightCookbookSpotlightitalian americanItalianAmericanRebecca Flint Marx2009-05-27T14:00:00+00:00Bam! 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 Shallwani2009-05-20T15:00:00+00:00Ask 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 Shallwani2009-05-15T15:00:00+00:00Frank Bruni Leaves New York Times Dining Critic Post, Upending Food Bloggers' Liveshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/frank-bruni-leaves-new-york-times-dining-critic-post-food-blog/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/frank-bruni-leaves-new-york-times-dining-critic-post-food-blog/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/frank-bruni-leaves-new-york-times-dining-critic-post-food-blog/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

food
Frank Bruni is leaving the New York Times dining section. And food bloggers are freaking out.

In a world where restaurants live or die by the awarding of Bruni's stars, blogs like Eater declare this no less than an "Apocalypse." Bruni will be turning his attention to his new memoir come August, and will be a writer at large for the New York Times Magazine.

Now the hunt (and speculation) begins to locate a food critic with the ability to carry Bruni's swagger: Ryan Sutton at Bloomberg, one of the few fairly anonymous critics left in town? Perhaps the L.A. Times' S. Irene Virbila is waiting by her phone, since the Times has pulled from our rival city to the west (a la Ruth Reichl) in the past. Grub Street wonders if (gasp) a blogger will be chosen. And does anonymity, so hard to preserve in the Internet era, matter any more to Pete Wells, the dining editor at the Times?

Perhaps the most curious quote in Bill Keller's announcement is that Bruni "will be turning in his restaurant-critic credentials." Uh, could someone get us a copy of those? Is there, like, a laminated round of foie gras passed from critic to critic? Frank, just drop us a line and let us know.

[Via Diner's Journal]
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]]>blogsBloombergcriticfood criticFoodCriticFrank BruniFrankBruniNew York TimesNewYorkTimesPete WellsPeteWellsRuth ReichlRuthReichlS Irene VirbilaSIreneVirbilaAlex Van Buren2009-05-14T14:00:00+00:00Restaurant Music Volume - Ambience with a Side of Hearing Losshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/ambience-with-a-side-of-hearing-loss/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/ambience-with-a-side-of-hearing-loss/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/14/ambience-with-a-side-of-hearing-loss/#commentsFiled under:

boombox
Wednesday's episode of the New York City public radio show Soundcheck examined the cacophonous issue of music in restaurants -- which is certainly not a local issue.

Open kitchens and lively bar scenes increasingly come with a soundtrack, but what's music to one diner's ears is cause for another's indigestion. Restaurateurs argue that music plays a crucial role in defining an eatery's image: A shared plate of oysters is that much more romantic when accompanied by Nina Simone's velvet vocal stylings, while a late-night hamburger date might be enhanced by the moral motif of Kelly Clarkson's "I Do Not Hook Up."

But when does a restaurant's choice of tunes cross that delicate line between agreeable background noise and ear-bleeding annoyance? Is a little music always preferable to dead silence (punctuated only by the sounds of chewing and murmured conversation)? Does a restaurant's choice of music influence your decision to eat there? Or is it less the choice than the decibel level that shapes your experience? And, most importantly, who do you want to provide the soundtrack for that late-night burger?
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]]>etiquettemusic volumeMusicVolumerestaurantrestaurantsRebecca Flint Marx2009-05-14T11:00:00+00:00James 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.

Continue reading James Beard Award-Winning 'Rising Star' - A Chat with A16's Nate Appleman

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]]>A16chefinterviewjames beard award winnerjames beard awardsJamesBeardAwardsJamesBeardAwardWinnernate applemanNateApplemanrising starRisingStarSPQRPervaiz Shallwani2009-05-08T11:00:00+00:00'What Is That?' - Restaurant Ogling Etiquettehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/07/what-is-that-restaurant-ogling-etiquette/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/07/what-is-that-restaurant-ogling-etiquette/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/07/what-is-that-restaurant-ogling-etiquette/#commentsFiled under: ,

meat
Our wonderful (and similarly food-frenzied) friends at Chow asked a question today that may have some folks bristling: Is it ever OK to ogle a stranger's meal at a restaurant and ask what she's eating?

Etiquette writer Helena Echlin posits that "though it's OK to look, staring at people while they're eating makes them uncomfortable. If you need help identifying a dish, ask the server (avoid pointing if you can). Don't ask the person eating it." She notes an exception in the case of ridiculously close tables -- common in places like New York City and San Francisco -- in which case it would be absurdly formal to summon a waiter. Echlin interviews a restaurant expert who declares he "would never cross the imaginary wall" between tables.

In a crowded eatery with tiny two-tops, it's true that an "imaginary wall" can feel especially important. When a noisy couple are inches away, your demure chatter about the weather quickly turns into an extended dance remix with their loud argument about his mother-in-law.

[Via Chow]

Read more and take the poll after the jump.

Continue reading 'What Is That?' - Restaurant Ogling Etiquette

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]]>ChowetiquettefeaturedpollrestaurantsAlex Van Buren2009-05-07T17:00:00+00:00James 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.

Continue reading James Beard Award-Winning Pastry Chef - A Chat with Babbo's Gina DePalma

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]]>Alain DucasseAlainDucasseBabbochefdessertGina DePalmaGinaDepalmainterviewJames Beard AwardsJamesBeardAwardsMario BataliMarioBatalipastryQAPervaiz Shallwani2009-05-06T16:30:00+00:00What's On Tap, Cambridge (Mother's Day Edition) - Hungry Motherhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/whats-on-tap-cambridge-mothers-day-edition-hungry-mother/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/whats-on-tap-cambridge-mothers-day-edition-hungry-mother/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/06/whats-on-tap-cambridge-mothers-day-edition-hungry-mother/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Hungry Mother logo
A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars and eateries across the country.

With Mother's Day just around the bend we hunted far and wide for an establishment whose name pays lip service to mama, happily stumbling upon the tiny but tantalizing tap selection at Cambridge (Mass.)' Hungry Mother. Though she only boasts five suds, they're solid: "Craft and quality beers pair just as well with food as wine [does]," says owner John Kessen. "Although [our draft list] is small, it's a really interesting one and a good cross section of styles."

This Mother plays favorites with careful curation:

5. Stone Ruination IPA is one of the most intense and highly regarded imperial IPAs on the market.

4. Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye is another nationally renowned India Pale Ale but, since it is brewed with 20 percent rye malt), it boasts a distinctly different flavor.

3. Fisherman's Brew, a local amber lager, donates part of their proceeds to out-of-work fisherman.

Read Mother's last two picks after the jump.


Continue reading What's On Tap, Cambridge (Mother's Day Edition) - Hungry Mother

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]]>Bostoncambridgecambridge MAfishermans brewhop rod ryehungry motherMassachusettsold speckled hensaint Botolphs Townstone ruinationMike Pomranz2009-05-06T15:00:00+00:00'Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/frommers-500-places-for-food-and-wine-lovers/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/frommers-500-places-for-food-and-wine-lovers/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/frommers-500-places-for-food-and-wine-lovers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


When it comes to food and travel guides, some are known for their frugality, others for their edginess and still others for their humor. Frommer's could perhaps best be described as "Old Reliable," with picks that rarely stray far from the well-trodden path and are somewhat on the pricey side. Instead of budget-friendly options and spontaneity, Frommer's devotees could bet on an authentic, safe and somewhat luxe travel experience.

That's why it's surprising that the hot-off-the-press new book "Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers" offers an incredibly wide array of options for every budget. Sure, it tips its hat to the traditional institutions that one would expect from the venerable publisher, but it also offers some down-market choices that should give adventurous gourmands a run for their money. Within its pages we spied Coney Island's Totonno's Pizzeria, with some of New York's most-buzzed-about pies in spite of its location on a scuzzy stretch of Neptune Avenue, and old-school Frank Pepe's pizzeria in New Haven, Conn.

Other Frommer's finds after the jump.

Continue reading 'Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers'

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]]>Cincinnati five wayCincinnatiFiveWayEmpress Chili ParlorEmpressChiliParlorFrank PepesFrankPepesFrommersFrommers 500 Places for Food and Wine LoversFrommers500PlacesForFoodAndWineLoversJell-O galleryJell-oGalleryKossars BialysKossarsBialysMolecular GastronomyMolecularGastronomyThe French LaundryThe Inn at Little WashingtonTheFrenchLaundryTheInnAtLittleWashingtonTotonnos PizzeriaTotonnosPizzeriaZabarsBruce Watson2009-05-04T17:00:00+00:00Brooklyn Food Conference Eats, Scene and Sustainable Celeb Sightingshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/brooklyn-food-conference/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/brooklyn-food-conference/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/brooklyn-food-conference/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

quiche
On one of the first gorgeous Saturdays of the spring, did Brooklyn foodies run to the park for picnic lunches or line the bars for springy cocktails?

Sure, some of 'em did. But 3,000 others, according to organizers, crammed the multicolored '70s-esque hallways of John Jay High School, aka P.S. 321, for a day of workshops, eats, panels and vendors called the Brooklyn Food Conference, promoting what a bright-yellow pamphlet trumpeted as "Local Action for Global Change."

Food world celebs roaming the halls included chef Dan Barber, speaker and TV host Anna Lappé and author-activist Raj Patel (whose classroom was so stuffed a volunteer had to turn fans away). Some attendees, all of whom attended for free, were a bit starry-eyed over certain sustainably-minded speakers. About Patel, local CSA organizer Meredith Modzelewski sighed, "I'm in love with him now."

Find out more and see photos after the jump.

Continue reading Brooklyn Food Conference Eats, Scene and Sustainable Celeb Sightings

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]]>anna lappeAnnaLappebagelblue hillBlueHillBrooklyn Food ConferenceBrooklynFoodConferencedan barberDanBarberlocavoreNew York TimesNewYorkTimespeter hoffmanPeterHoffmanraj patelRajPatelRuss and DaughtersRussAndDaughterssustainableAlex Van Buren2009-05-04T13:30:00+00:00Bento Boom Hits Bay Areahttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/22/bento-boom-hits-bay-area/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/22/bento-boom-hits-bay-area/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/22/bento-boom-hits-bay-area/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

bento
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are embarking upon a Bento Boom. The prettily packaged (often very elaborate) box lunch has been around in Japan since the 1600s, has its share of obsessives stateside, and now boasts an upscale San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneur as its, uh, bentoperson. Meet Peko-Peko (Japanese for "hungry").

How can a simple, typically cheap boxed lunch go upscale? Well, owner Sylvan Brackett's restaurant background is at Alice Waters' famed local eatery Chez Panisse. His tribute to the food of his childhood -- his mother is Japanese -- do not come cheap. When they're so gorgeously presented in beautiful "to go" boxes, or on traditional servingware when catered, we'd be inclined to shell out the $25 minimum. (Full disclosure: We sampled Brackett's incredible potstickers as college acquaintances). Seasonal, organic ingredients might include Marin Sun Pork Kakuni (soy and sake-simmered pork belly) with chrysanthemum greens or a layered box of Dungeness crab, pork cutlet, local pickled ginger and Brackett's house-brined umeboshi (pickles).

Though gourmet bento has not yet charmed all of America, Brackett studied the cuisine in Japan and declares, "Beautifully laid out food is common there." How does Mom feel about him taking the casual food she served him as a tot and bringing it to the Alice Waters crowd? "She thinks it's amusing."
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]]>Alice WatersAliceWatersbentobento boxBentoBoxChez PanisseChezPanisselunchSan FranciscoSanFranciscoSylvan BrackettSylvanBrackettAlex Van Buren2009-04-22T17:00:00+00:00