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/10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hatehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/09/10-catchiest-food-jingles-we-love-to-hate/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/09/10-catchiest-food-jingles-we-love-to-hate/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/09/10-catchiest-food-jingles-we-love-to-hate/#commentsFiled under:

chicken tonight dance

He feels like chicken tonight. Photo: YouTube.


Jingles are jaunty little hymns to hum while strolling down the aisles of the local temple of frozen pizzas, jarred cheeses, and fresh produce. These clarion calls of consumerism are designed to be simple, snappy, and infectious like swine flu. Beamed directly from the television to the frontal lobe, they are often more memorable than the products about which they're composed.

And that's what makes them so effective; you might not want that box of salty, over-priced flavored rice, but it's been scanned and bagged already. Why? Because you didn't even realize that your eyes had rolled into the back of your skull while you were whistling that product's happy little mind-controlling melody.

So we're celebrating some of the most important music our culture has ever produced -- tunes engineered to tickle the intersection of neural ganglia where pleasure and credit card impulses meet. We dare you to listen, remember and totally not catch yourself blurting them out later today, probably at an inappropriate time. Each of these jingles is cheesy, manipulative and one of them will probably be our dying words.

"Is there anything you'd like to say with your last breath?"

"I... I....I feel...like chicken tonight...like chicken... tonight."

10. Chili's


Chorus: "I want my baby back, baby back, baby back ribs."
Why it's so catchy: It might just be the greatest tune that well-coiffed troupe of teen troubadours from yesteryear, 'N Sync, ever sang. This finger-snapping jingle stirs up excitement for what's essentially a plate of mealy pork bones slathered in sweet ketchup. It's funky, soulful and has the most addicting bass line in all of audio advertising. Imagine it being sung by a cross between Gregorian monks and a gospel choir.

Do you feel like chicken tonight? Betcha will, after the jump.

Continue reading 10 Catchiest Food Jingles We Love to Hate

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]]>chicken tonightfood advertisingfood commercialsfood jinglesFoodAdvertisingFoodCommercialsFoodJinglesfunny commercialsjinglestv commercialsJohn Devore2009-11-09T16:00:00+00:00'The Next Iron Chef' - Bento or Busthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/09/the-next-iron-chef-bento-or-bust/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/09/the-next-iron-chef-bento-or-bust/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/09/the-next-iron-chef-bento-or-bust/#commentsFiled under: ,

mark dacascos next iron chef

Dacascos and his suggestive brows.
Photo: Food Network.



It took a transpacific flight, but finally last night, "The Next Iron Chef" deviated from its status as a "Top Chef" also-ran and finally started getting ... weird. Or maybe it was just the goofy opening montage of our four remaining cheftestants standing in the busy rain-slicked streets of Tokyo, crossing their arms in slo-mo and acting all alpha-dog dominant.

In any event, the show is finally getting down to its high-stakes, high-drama Japanese roots after an extended period of trumped-up, low-stakes challenges in Los Angeles. Our trio of alternately grumpy and spunky judges have come along for the ride, and eyebrow-cocking "Chairman" Marc Dacascos is no longer beamed in via satellite to bark oblique commands to the chefs -- now he can do so in person!

This week's mission was the pursuit of umami, the Japanese concept of a so-called fifth flavor -- something beyond savory -- that seems to be everywhere these days. The word was mentioned about a zillion times in the course of last night's episode, and -- surprise! -- it just happens to be the current marketing catchphrase of "TNIC" sponsor Kikkoman, whose umpteen varieties of soy sauce were littered around the challenge kitchen. The umami theme also allowed host Alton Brown a moment to do what he does best: Explain all the geeky details of how soy sauce is made.

That food chemistry lesson out of the way, it was up to our remaining pro chefs to get down to the flavor at hand, a challenge made all the more confusing in the Hattori Nutrition College kitchen, replete with weird can openers, stoves operating in celcius and ice cream makers that seemed to deep-freeze their wares to a glacier-like consistency. Asked to fill five spots of a bento box each with a different rice-based dish, the foursome didn't need to engage in the usual reality-show sabotage -- the people who arranged the kitchen seemed to do that for them.

Continue reading 'The Next Iron Chef' - Bento or Bust

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]]>alton brownAltonBrownAmanda FreitagamandafreitagFoodNetworkHattoriNutritionCollegeJoseGarceskikkomanNextIronChefSoySauceTheNextIronChefumamiMichael Thomas Hastings2009-11-09T11:00:00+00:00'Top Chef All Stars Dinner' - A Trip Down Memory Lamehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/05/top-chef-all-stars-dinner-a-trip-down-memory-lame/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/05/top-chef-all-stars-dinner-a-trip-down-memory-lame/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/05/top-chef-all-stars-dinner-a-trip-down-memory-lame/#commentsFiled under:


Marcel Vigneron

Marcel and his villainous beard. Photo: Bravo

Have we really gotten so far into the current season of "Top Chef" that Bravo feels the need to start dragging out the suspense -- namely, when will Robin be eliminated -- with an arbitrary, 11-chef reunion special? In retrospect, we should have known that that Very Special Natalie Portman episode was preparing us for an agonizing, two-week hibernation. Wake us when it's sweeps week.

In actuality, "Top Chef All Stars" was less a "where are they now" gift to loyal fans than it was a five-season clip compilation for non-fans, reminding them that the current Vegas edition, entertaining as it is, can't hold a candle to the pissy dysfunction -- or bad hairstyles -- of seasons past.

Presided over by Season Five's grade-A diva Fabio, the evening mostly succeeded in being a mellow, low-tension meeting of 11 "fan favorite" cheftestants. And don't think they got a free trip to Los Angeles without having to cook, either, although at least this time they were granted a luxurious $500 budget at Whole Foods. Still, drama and revelations were in short supply, while the most prominent theme of the evening was -- newsflash -- Marcel is still a dick. (Although he and Ilan seem to be legitimately chummy nowadays.)

The Season Two pipsqueak with the loud mouth and Robert Pattinson-on-steroids hair dominated this so-called reunion, both in present tense and in lovingly edited montages. You want a replay of Marcel talking over the judges during his critique? You got it. Care to revisit the unsuccessful attempt by his housemates to pin him down and shave off his downy brown locks? We don't, if only because it didn't produce the desired result: Marcel crying like a bald-headed baby.

Continue reading 'Top Chef All Stars Dinner' - A Trip Down Memory Lame

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]]>fabio vivianiFabioVivianiIlan HallIlanHallmarcel vigneronMarcelVignerontop cheftop chef all starstop chef new yorktop chef reunionTopChefTopChefAllStarsTopChefNewYorkTopChefReunionMichael Thomas Hastings2009-11-05T11:00:00+00:00World's Largest Meatball Record Broken ... Againhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/worlds-largest-meatball/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/worlds-largest-meatball/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/worlds-largest-meatball/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

world's largest meatball

Photo: AP/Jim Cole

In the arena of giant food, the record for the world's largest meatball doesn't last long.

It was just this September that Jimmy Kimmel and crew bested a Mexican meatball to take back the prize of world's largest meatball for America. But just five weeks later, the late-night funnyman's large lunch was bested by an Italian eatery in New Hampshire.

Nonni's Italian Eatery crafted a meatball on Sunday at a Holiday Inn in Concord, N.H., that decimated Kimmel's 198.6-pound meatball by about 25 pounds.

Continue reading World's Largest Meatball Record Broken ... Again

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]]>jimmy kimmelJimmyKimmelmeatballsnonnis italian eateryNonnisItalianEateryworlds largest meatballWorldsLargestMeatballSara Bonisteel2009-11-02T16:30:00+00:00'Top Chef Las Vegas' Finale to Be Filmed in Napahttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/top-chef-vegas-finale-to-be-filmed-in-napa/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/top-chef-vegas-finale-to-be-filmed-in-napa/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/top-chef-vegas-finale-to-be-filmed-in-napa/#commentsFiled under: ,


padma lakshmi
Photo: Frazer Harrison,
Getty Images
If you were betting on Vegas for the season finale of "Top Chef Las Vegas," you've lost.

The finale of the show will be filmed in Napa, Bravo officials said Monday.

Be sure to check out Slashfood's latest recap of the series here.
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]]>las vegasLasVegasnapatop cheftop chef las vegastop chef vegasTopChefTopChefLasVegasTopChefVegasSlashfood Editor2009-11-02T13:45:00+00:00'The Next Iron Chef' - The Rise of Jehangir Mehta, Archvillain?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/the-next-iron-chef-the-rise-of-jehangir-mehta-arch-villain/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/the-next-iron-chef-the-rise-of-jehangir-mehta-arch-villain/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/02/the-next-iron-chef-the-rise-of-jehangir-mehta-arch-villain/#commentsFiled under:


jehangir mehta next iron chef

Jehangir Mehta. Photo: Food Network.

At the mid-point of any reality show -- let alone one involving a bunch of ambitious, successful, mostly alpha-male chefs -- a clear villain emerges. And the way things have shaken out on "The Next Iron Chef," we're left with a strange mix: Two are the nicest chefs you could imagine (Jose Garces, Roberto Trevino), two are boy- and girl-next-door types (Seamus Mullen, Amanda Freitag, respectively), and two are the meanest, cockiest, backstabbing-est bastards the Food Network casting director could hope to find (Nate Appleman, Jehangir Mehta).

Picking from among the nice ones is hard -- Garces and Freitag are constantly offering up help to the others and downplaying their talent -- but the heart of banal evil of "TNIC" is a little easier to pin down. Sure, former A16 and soon-to-be Pulino's chef Appleman is your average aggressive, tatted-up, overly confident young chef. And yes, his quote during last night's Indian-themed "pressure" challenge was enough to make us hurl: "I'm a white boy who never cooked Indian before and I just cooked 5 dishes -- I think I've pretty much won this."

But if it's the devious grin, the glint of sabotage, the air of smug condescension you're looking for, there can only be one choice: Mehta. We're sure Graffiti's wunderkind is, as its Web site puts it, "truly a nice guy." But if you've been watching the way "TNIC" editors slice-and-dice Mehta's reaction shots -- not to mention his own proclivity for undermining his co-contestants by hoarding ingredients and gadgets whether he needs them or not -- he's the leading candidate to be the show's mustache-twirling bad guy. And judging by the voting, he'll continue to be.

Continue reading 'The Next Iron Chef' - The Rise of Jehangir Mehta, Archvillain?

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]]>FoodNetworkJehangir MehtaJehangirMehtaNateApplemanNextIronChefTheNextIronChefMichael Thomas Hastings2009-11-02T11:00:00+00:00Gordon Ramsay Done With 'Kitchen Nightmares'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/gordon-ramsay-done-with-kitchen-nightmares/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/gordon-ramsay-done-with-kitchen-nightmares/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/gordon-ramsay-done-with-kitchen-nightmares/#commentsFiled under: ,

gordon ramsay
Photo: Stephane De Sakutin, AFP/Getty Images
Hot-headed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is finally waking up from his kitchen nightmare.

The reality show "Kitchen Nightmares" put Ramsay in failing restaurants across America for one week so the tell-it-like-it-is chef can try to turn the struggling businesses around. But the show proved too troublesome for the salty U.K. chef, who says he's through with it.

The foul-mouthed Brit admits the show's title is a little too fitting: "If the restaurants succeed, there's no praise," Ramsay told The Sun. "If they're screwed, we're blamed and get lawyers' letters."

More than two-thirds of the restaurants Ramsay "helped" ending up being sold or shut down, the paper said.

Slashfood attempted to contact the production company, Granada Entertainment, to clarify if both the American and British versions of the "Kitchen Nightmares" are canceled -- our calls were not returned.

[Via The Sun]
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]]>cooking showsCookingShowsgordon ramsayGordonRamsaygranada entertainmentGranadaEntertainmentkitchen nightmaresKitchenNightmaresreality tvRealityTvSlashfood Editor2009-10-30T16:30:00+00:00'Top Chef Vegas' - Small Portions, Dirty Jokes and Natalie Portmanhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/29/top-chef-vegas-small-portions-dirty-jokes-and-natalie-portm/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/29/top-chef-vegas-small-portions-dirty-jokes-and-natalie-portm/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/29/top-chef-vegas-small-portions-dirty-jokes-and-natalie-portm/#commentsFiled under:

Top Chef Vegas Tom Colicchio Natalie Portman

Confused, Natalie? Photo: Bravo.

At this point in the usual "Top Chef" season trajectory, you might expect a certain focus and discipline that naturally comes with narrowing the playing field down to seven ambitious young chefs, each working at the top of his or her game. This year, however, is another story.

Maybe it's that the talented and reliable Jen is off her game, or that the universally derided Robin is still around or that the twerpy Eli can actually put together an interesting plate of food for once. In any event, Wednesday night's episode felt like a detour into a "Top Chef" bizarro-world, where up is down, left is right and nobody knows anything anymore. Well, almost anything: Robin still sucks, Michael V. is still a cocky jerk and Kevin is still the model of modest brilliance.

Rattling off the random highlights of the episode sounds as scattered as Robin's cooking philosophy: Dirty jokes! Vegetarianism! Natalie Portman! No Toby Young! A Quickfire challenge that revealed itself to be a desperate marketing ploy! Make that two marketing ploys! In fact, Portman's description of one dish neatly summed up the entire episode: "It makes me smile and laugh -- and I'm confused!"

Continue reading 'Top Chef Vegas' - Small Portions, Dirty Jokes and Natalie Portman

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]]>natalie PortmanNataliePortmanpadma lakshmiPadmaLakshmischwansTomColicchiotop cheftop chef frozen dinnerstop chef las vegasTopChefTopChefFrozenDinnersTopChefLasVegasvegetarianvegetarian foodvegetarian recipesVegetarianFoodVegetarianRecipesMichael Thomas Hastings2009-10-29T11:00:00+00:00Daniel Boulud, in Film and Conversation, on the Importance of Seasonal Cookinghttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/27/daniel-boulud-in-film-and-conversation-on-the-importance-of-se/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/27/daniel-boulud-in-film-and-conversation-on-the-importance-of-se/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/27/daniel-boulud-in-film-and-conversation-on-the-importance-of-se/#commentsFiled under: ,

Daniel Boulud

Judges panel at the Art of Eating, from left to right:
Eberhard Muller, Natalie Sann, Paulette Satur, Daniel Boulud
and moderator David Rosengarten. Photo: Alexa Weibel.


If cooking is the way to one's heart, Daniel Boulud should be able to attribute much of his success to his understanding of food. "I think that every restaurant is the chef's soul," he says in documentary "A Certain Taste for America."

In an ongoing series entitled "Art de Vivre: The Art of Eating Today," led by the French Institute in New York City on Monday, a screening of the film (very doting on Boulud) was followed by a panel discussion reflecting upon the art of eating and, more specifically, the importance of sustainability and sourcing food.

As a world-renowned chef hailing from a small hamlet outside Lyon, Boulud has achieved his veritable empire -- 10 successful restaurants based in New York, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Beijing -- by striving to keep a strict culinary focus on seasonal cooking and high-quality ingredients.

More on Boulud's rise to fame, and the panel discussion on sustainable produce, obesity in America, seasonal cooking and its debatable expenses, after the jump.

Continue reading Daniel Boulud, in Film and Conversation, on the Importance of Seasonal Cooking

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]]>a certain taste for americaACertainTasteForAmericaart de vivreArtDeVivrebarbara fairchildBarbaraFairchildbon appetitBonAppetitdanieldaniel bouludDanielBouluddavid rosengartenDavidRosengartenDB bistro moderneDbBistroModerneeat localEatLocaleberhard mullerEberhardMullerfrench instituteFrenchInstitutegeorges blancGeorgesBlancjoel robuchonJoelRobuchonle cirqueLeCirquemichel guerardMichelGuerardpaul bocusePaulBocuseseasonal cookingSeasonalCookingsustainabilityAlexa Weibel2009-10-27T13:00:00+00:00Carlo's Bake Shop to Return for Second Season of 'Cake Boss'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/carlos-bake-shop-to-return-for-second-season-of-cake-boss/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/carlos-bake-shop-to-return-for-second-season-of-cake-boss/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/carlos-bake-shop-to-return-for-second-season-of-cake-boss/#commentsFiled under:

Carlo's Bakery
Photo: roboppy, Flickr
The "Cake Boss" is back to decorate more cakes .

Season 2 of the popular reality show "Cake Boss" starts tonight. The show follows Buddy Valastro and his old-fashioned Italian family pastry shop, Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop, in Hoboken, N.J.

Following the sweet success of shows like "Cake Boss" and Food Network's "Ace of Cakes," Bravo announced Sunday that it's popular "Top Chef" franchise would spin-off in the sugar direction with the show "Top Chef: Just Desserts."
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]]>buddy valastroBuddyValastrocake bosscake boss season 2CakeBossCakeBossSeason2carlos bake shopcarlos bakeryCarlosBakeryCarlosBakeShoptlcrealityshowtop chef just dessertsTopChefJustDessertsSlashfood Editor2009-10-26T17:15:00+00:00'The Next Iron Chef' - Is Jeffrey Steingarten a Culinary Simon Cowell?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/the-next-iron-chef-is-jeffrey-steingarten-a-culinary-simon-c/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/the-next-iron-chef-is-jeffrey-steingarten-a-culinary-simon-c/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/the-next-iron-chef-is-jeffrey-steingarten-a-culinary-simon-c/#commentsFiled under:

Jeffrey Steingarten Next Iron Chef Judge

Jeffrey Steingarten.
Photo: Food Network.

Let us pause now to reflect upon Jeffrey Steingarten, award-winning writer, fearless gastronomist and utterly irascible judge of "The Next Iron Chef." Every cooking competition show needs its Simon Cowell, after all, a grumpy, hard-to-please, perpetually underwhelmed quipster whose general lack of enthusiasm makes for great, nasty sound bites. But Steingarten is in another class entirely: He's so disaffected, it's hard to tell if he's got a pulse half of the time.

Week after week, Steingarten regards the Iron Chef hopefuls in the same way a crusty professor might deal with a snot-nosed student who happened to stop by his office outside of office hours. The man may certainly have his cheerful side, but by now we've gotten the feeling that every week, the "TNIC" editors decide to save up and splice together all of his best "You got me out of bed for this?" looks, and parse them out over the course of the last 15 minutes of each show.

When in doubt, they zoom in on one of his particularly befuddled stares -- no doubt there are plenty to choose from -- and try to give it some sort of significance, as if the man can't believe what he's hearing. You imagine that a Steingarten comment like "my flan is a little curdled" was probably delivered politely, gingerly to chef Jose Garces -- but when the tribal drums of failure are added to the soundtrack, man, does it take on a sting.

Continue reading 'The Next Iron Chef' - Is Jeffrey Steingarten a Culinary Simon Cowell?

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]]>donatella arpaiaDonatellaArpaiafood networkFoodNetworkjeffrey steingartenJeffreySteingartenNextIronCheftamarindthe next iron chefTheNextIronChefMichael Thomas Hastings2009-10-26T11:00:00+00:00Soupy Sales, King of the Pie in the Face, Dies at 83http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/23/soupy-sales-king-of-the-pie-in-the-face-dies-at-83/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/23/soupy-sales-king-of-the-pie-in-the-face-dies-at-83/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/23/soupy-sales-king-of-the-pie-in-the-face-dies-at-83/#commentsFiled under: ,



Soupy Sales, the comedian responsible for 20,000 pies to the face, has died at the age of 83.

Sales, who built his comedic reputation with characters like White Fang and Black Tooth on children's TV shows in Detroit and New York, took his first cream pie to the face in 1951, the Associated Press reports. He died Thursday in a hospice in the Bronx, N.Y., after battling health problems.

"I'll probably be remembered for the pies, and that's all right," Sales said in 1985.

Have any Soupy pie memories? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via Associated Press]
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]]>Milton SupmanMiltonSupmanpie in the facePieInTheFacepiessoupy salesSoupySalesSara Bonisteel2009-10-23T09:30:00+00:00Crispycone Catches Stephen Colbert's Eyehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/22/crispycone-catches-stephen-colberts-eye/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/22/crispycone-catches-stephen-colberts-eye/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/22/crispycone-catches-stephen-colberts-eye/#commentsFiled under: ,


Crispycone, the snack slowly finding its way into U.S. markets, has caught the attention of Stephen Colbert, who both sang its praises while demonizing the food in a recent "Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger" segment on his show, "The Colbert Report."

"Crispycones you are the greatest food in the world!" Colbert said in the Oct. 15 episode. "Which is why I'm giving a wag of my finger to Crispycones."

Check out this Crispycone post to find out more.
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]]>crispy conecrispyconepizza conePizzaConestephen colbertStephenColbertSlashfood Editor2009-10-22T17:15:00+00:00'Top Chef Vegas' - Peace Out, Already!http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/22/top-chef-vegas-peace-out-already/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/22/top-chef-vegas-peace-out-already/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/22/top-chef-vegas-peace-out-already/#commentsFiled under:


top chef contestant bryan voltaggio

Why so serious, Bryan Voltaggio?
Photo: Bravo.

If you're like us, you've been waiting all season for the ultimate knock-down, drag-out Voltaggio brothers showdown on "Top Chef Vegas." Ah, the boys next door we love to hate, with their cutting comments, their undermining of each other's abilities, their constant bickering. ... We're not sure what dinner was like in their house growing up, but no doubt it involved lots of flinging of peas and acting out, followed by long, unbearable silences.

You can even see it in their food: Robotic big-bro Bryan and his classically flavored, cooked-to-perfection entrees; sneering bad-boy/skate-punk Michael and his crazy textures, flamboyant technique and exotic flavor profiles. It may be a few episodes too early to say it, but last night -- on the occasion of "Top Chef"'s customary restaurant wars challenge -- we finally saw the their sibling hatred in full effect.

Continue reading 'Top Chef Vegas' - Peace Out, Already!

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]]>padma lakshmiPadmaLakshmirestaurant warsRestaurantWarsTopChefTopChefLasVegasTopChefVegasMichael Thomas Hastings2009-10-22T11:00:00+00:00Don't You Want a Fanta?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/dont-you-want-a-fanta/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/dont-you-want-a-fanta/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/21/dont-you-want-a-fanta/#commentsFiled under:



How could we have missed it?

Those catchy (some might say annoying) Fantanas are back with their fourth member for the "pop" group touting Fanta.

After nationwide auditions, Summer, Melody and Isabela (who knew they had names?) found their fourth Fantana in September in New Jersey. Her name is Shakira Barrera and she is assuming the role of the yellow pineapple Fantana for this girl supergroup that drinks only Fanta.

To kill time during the weekday a la "Elf Yourself," you too can be a Fantana. And if you're feeling Fanta-inspired, you aren't alone: behold Sanka "girls," the Fanta Halloween costume, Mario Batali's pants and the Fanta robots.
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]]>dont you want a fantaDontYouWantAFantafantafanta girlsfanta grapefanta orangefanta pineapplefanta strawberryFantaGirlsFantaGrapefantanasFantaOrangeFantaPineappleFantaStrawberrySlashfood Editor2009-10-21T17:15:00+00:00Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/20/reality-show-celebrities-serve-up-chef-curtis-stones-hundred-d/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/20/reality-show-celebrities-serve-up-chef-curtis-stones-hundred-d/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/20/reality-show-celebrities-serve-up-chef-curtis-stones-hundred-d/#commentsFiled under: ,

Bret Michaels and Rod Blagojevich
Photos: Mailboat; Paul Beaty, AP.

In retrospect, it all sounds like something out of one of those strange dreams where everyone you watched on TV during the day converge into one subliminal place -- and Bret Michaels was there, and so was Rod Blagojevich! And Sinbad was taking Al Roker's drink order while Joan Rivers recommended the $100 burger. Oh Auntie Em, there's no place like home!

In reality, it was just another day in the life of a "Celebrity Apprentice."

When Slashfood received word through the grapevine that our very own "Star Chef" Curtis Stone was serving up gourmet cheeseburgers for charity at Burger Heaven on Monday, we had to go and root for the home team.

Continue reading Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'

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]]>bill goldbergBillGoldbergbret michaelsBretMichaelsburger heavenBurgerHeavencelebrity apprenticeCelebrityApprenticecurtis stoneCurtisStonecyndi lauperCyndiLauperdonald trumpDonaldTrumpfeaturedgoldbergrod blagojevichRodBlagojevichsharon osbourneSharonOsbourneSarah LeTrent2009-10-20T13:00:00+00:00'The Next Iron Chef' - Fusion Confusionhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/the-next-iron-chef-fusion-confusion/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/the-next-iron-chef-fusion-confusion/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/the-next-iron-chef-fusion-confusion/#commentsFiled under:

Jehangir Mehta: 'The Next Iron Chef' villain?
Photo: The Food Network.

What was that on the Food Network Sunday night, you ask? Thudding sound effects, suspenseful music, extreme shaky-cam cinematography -- it had to be one of the "Bourne" movies, right? The opening of a scene from "Saving Private Ryan"? A straight-to-video "Mission: Impossible" sequel?

No, that trumped-up spectacle you witnessed was not the next John Woo movie -- it was, of course, the semi-celebrity chef competition "The Next Iron Chef." It's unlikely that anything can challenge Bravo's "Top Chef" as the premiere American cheftestant show, but as an old ad once put it, being No. 2 means you just try harder.

And trying really, really hard is what "The Next Iron Chef" is all about. In fact, all the music, fancy editing and bright lights are beginning to take their toll: Even the eight remaining chefs can't muster up quite that much energy. When your losing chef can utterly shrug off his failure -- something along the lines of "even great chefs have bad days; at least I have two great restaurants and my lovely family to go home to," yadda yadda yadda -- you know you've got a low-stakes kind of show. It's not as if these folks are going to go back to toiling in obscurity, with the added insult of "reality show failure" being tattooed on their foreheads.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. "The Next Iron Chef" has its pleasures, even if they're in a watered-down, "Top Chef" kind of way. Any episode that sings the praises of Los Angeles' myriad strip-mall Asian restaurants can't be all bad, especially when the four chosen for the show are all authentically, unequivocally tasty. Even the blatant product placement of the overexposed-but-still-delectable Kogi Korean-taco truck didn't bother us -- in fact, the mere thought of their short rib tacos gave us the Pavlovian impulse to check their Twitter posts to see if they were nearby.

Continue reading 'The Next Iron Chef' - Fusion Confusion

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]]>FoodNetworkIronChefkogiTheNextIronChefMichael Thomas Hastings2009-10-19T11:00:00+00:00Curtis Stone Making Burgers in Manhattanhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/curtis-stone-making-burgers-in-manhattan/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/curtis-stone-making-burgers-in-manhattan/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/curtis-stone-making-burgers-in-manhattan/#commentsFiled under: , ,

If you're a fan of Curtis Stone and happen to be in New York, it's your lucky day.

The chef is currently filming a reality TV show with a bunch of other celebs and will be at Burger Heaven at 9 E. 53rd St. from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. serving gourmet hamburgers for the charity Feeding America. It's not cheap -- $100 a burger -- but it's not every day that you can buy a burger from Curtis Stone.
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]]>burger heavenBurgerHeavencelebrity apprenticeCelebrityApprenticecurtis stoneCurtisStonefeeding americaFeedingAmericaSlashfood Editor2009-10-19T10:30:00+00:00Milk Steak Gets Its Day in the Sunhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/milk-steak-gets-its-day-in-the-sun/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/milk-steak-gets-its-day-in-the-sun/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/19/milk-steak-gets-its-day-in-the-sun/#commentsFiled under:


An obscure dish called "milk steak" got its place in the sun on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" on Sunday.

The dish, which can be made using this recipe, is steak that has been boiled in milky.

On the episode, Charlie Kelly ordered the dish "boiled over-hard" with "a side of your finest jelly beans, raw."

[Via Eat Me Daily]
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]]>its always sunnyItsAlwaysSunnymilk steakMilkSteakSlashfood Editor2009-10-19T10:30:00+00:00'Top Chef Vegas' - Who's Your Mommy?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/top-chef-vegas-whos-your-mommy/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/top-chef-vegas-whos-your-mommy/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/15/top-chef-vegas-whos-your-mommy/#commentsFiled under:


Robin, the despised? Photo: Bravo.
Since the very beginning of "Top Chef Vegas" -- when she sheepishly chose immunity over a prize in a quickfire challenge -- the spazzy, chatty 40-something firebrand with the Kool-Aid hair has been courting the hatred of just about every mammal on the show, including the dead ones she's overcooked in the kitchen.

Even the cameramen seem to be joining in the slander. Each week, her pancake makeup looks a little worse, her puttering around the house more aimless, her early morning pilates routine more ridiculous. If you're looking for someone to teach you the doggy paddle on your front lawn, Robin's your girl.

Call it ageist, call it sexist, call it discrimination against the uniquely untalented, but certainly the bile and vitriol directed her way are disproportionate to her overall annoyance factor -- or are they? This week, the show's editors played up the Eli-vs.-Robin smackdown, wherein the elder stateswoman of "Top Chef" had the gall to suggest a nice serving platter for the Weeble-like Eli's scallops.

"You're not my mom," the snotty 25-year-old shouted, just after reminding us that he still lives with his mom and dad -- and is quite happy with the arrangement, thank you.

Continue reading 'Top Chef Vegas' - Who's Your Mommy?

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]]>aureoleCharliePalmerpinot noirPinotNoirPork and PinotPorkAndPinotTopChefTopChefLasVegasTopChefVegasMichael Thomas Hastings2009-10-15T11:00:00+00:00