"Alan Richman" news and stories

Few things, aside from tax cuts and the eyesight of ballpark umpires, incite more passionate debate among Americans than pizza.

Deep-dish versus thin-crust, canned tomato sauce versus fresh -- no detail is too small to merit an opinion or, in some cases, a heated diatribe. So GQ's list of the 25 best pizzas in America is bound to flame the (wood-burning) fires of controversy.

The list's creator, Alan Richman, is well aware that plenty of people won't be happy with his picks, but stands firm by his favorites, which were culled from pizzerias across the nation, from the grilled pie at Providence (R.I.)'s Il Forno Pizzeria Bianco's prosciutto-topped, coal-fired number in Phoenix, Ariz.

See who won after the jump.

I know that Joe's been slinging burgers at you every day at noon in honor of (questionably official) National Burger Month, but those are Burgers of the Day. This is the Burger of the Night.

This monster burger is from The Counter Burger in Santa Monica, CA, which happens to be number 15 on Alan Richman's GQ List of the 20 Burgers You Must Eat Before You Die (we also covered the California Burger from Houston's from that list earlier this month), and which happens to be a burger that had its own Oprah moment. I went to the Counter, and I have to say, I was not overly impressed. Then again, "must eat before you die" and Oprah builds up some pretty high expectations.

I will say, however, that the sweet potato French fries that we had with the burgers were out of this world. The Counter is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area, but don't go out of your way just to make it before you die.

Today's Burger of the Day comes from Rouge, a highly acclaimed New American bistro in Philadelphia. Cathy over at Gastronomy had the pleasure of splitting one of these with a friend recently. It bears pointing out that this bad was ranked No. 4 on Alan Richman's list of 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die. As you can see from the pic, this hefty specimen is topped with Gruyère, under which lurk some tasty caramelized onions. But what did Cathy think? She describes her first bite as "beefy heaven," and goes on to praise the gargantuan patty's moistness. There are some who say that such an outsized burger stretches the very definition of the word "hamburger" to absurd limits. As for me, I know what the next meal I'm having in Philly is, that is of course after I down a Tony Luke's roast pork Italian.

[via Tastespotting]

So far, Nicole and Sarah have given their thoughts about Alan Richman's GQ list of "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die." (A .pdf of the entire article is available here.) Since Sarah and Nicole have both hit at least a few spots on Richman's list, I figured it was time I start catching up, especially since I live only minutes away from the restaurant that occupies the number one spot on the list, Le Tub, in Hollywood, Florida. Le Tub has had roughly the last half a century to garner praise for its burgers, and the evidence, in the form numerous framed and yellowing newspaper clippings, is obvious throughout the restaurant. The rest of the decor is also worth mentioning. The rickety, open-air bar and restaurant sits perched on the Intracoastal Waterway, and it's as if the entire place has been whittled from a huge chunk of driftwood and is now held together by little more than fishing nets, banyan roots and the occasional rusty nail. And, of course, there is a bathtub planter outside, as well as a variety of toilets and toilet seats strewn about the lush, overgrown property.

The issue of Alan Richman's dislike of New Orleans and its food is brought up, with a particular focus on his assertion that Creoles do not exist. It's not all that difficult to find an actual Creole living in NOLA and once you find them, they'll probably share some of the food that they're famous for whether Mr. Richman likes it or not, including: Calas, Artichoke and Oyster Casserole, and Beef Daube Glace

Harold McGee starts a new column, the Curious Cook. which will explores the science of food. The subject of this article is blue-green garlic, a color that results from sulfur compounds that are the result of pureeing onions and garlic together.

The 66-year old Essex Street Market, on the lower East Side of Manhattan, bridges the gap between "of the bodega and the universe of the gourmand," where you can't expect to know who is going to buys what or how they're going to pay for it. It's completely unpretentious and the food is great.

It's the start of latke season and it's hard to resist the lure of a hot, crisp, fried potato pancake.

Frank Bruni eats at Tocqueville and the Tasting Room and gives them two and one star, respectively.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, talks more about his hugely popular no-knead bread recipe.

Where to find tableware like the Achatz and Adria's.

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