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.

Brunch menu at No 7. Photo: Arthurohm, Flickr

Bon Appétit's September issue has hit newsstands with its annual list of the nation's Top 10 Best New Restaurants. Featuring mouthwatering top dishes from Cleveland to Decatur, Ga., there are some interesting picks in the mix.

If you're located in -- or traveling to -- any of the cities mentioned, keep in mind that in this era of seasonally shifting cuisine, the dishes Bon App editors loved back when the issue was being put together might not be available right now.

We called Tyler Kord, chef and co-owner of No. 7, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to inquire about his pumpkin-seed-encrusted tofu, which editors sampled last winter and adored. A different rendition of tofu is on his current menu, but the pumpkin-seed version is gone. "I've never repeated anything," Kord says. Will he consider putting it back on? "Maybe."

Was Kord -- a fellow whose menu has featured luxe choices like bavette steak and grilled arctic char -- surprised by the editors' choice? "Yeah, definitely. I mean, they picked tofu. It's a delicious dish, but it was a little surprising."

The top 10 new eateries and dishes are after the jump.

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?

For many of us food bloggers out here, there's nothing more exciting than when a member of the old guard food media takes a moment to recognize the food and stories that we're putting out into the world. Bon Appétit, that storied publication, recently put aside some of their website space to feature 22 of their favorite food blogs (hooray for blogger recognition!).

It's a slide show that will make you hungry and start plotting out an after-work shopping list. Some of the featured blogs are the older, more established sites like Simply Recipes and Delicious Days while a few newcomers like Food Junta and Sassy Radish also made the list. Every single offering looks delicious and I'm delighted to see so many deserving bloggers get a bit of recognition. Congratulations to you all!

I know this may sound odd upon first impression, but give this recipe a chance. Perfect if you're looking to switch up hors d'oeuvres at a upcoming party or even just a snack- these open faced sandwiches combine the fresh, crisp taste of the radish with the crunch of sea salt. Both butter and salt will mellow out the bite a radish tends to have.

Tip: A mandoline will become your best friend if you have one for this recipe.

Getting together for dinner and a movie can be one of the most prosaic (Domino's and Blockbuster) of gatherings. But it can become something significantly more special if the food and the visuals connect.

When I was a broke, just-outta-high school teen, my roommates and I would host Godfather parties, for which we'd make a lot of pasta, get some jugs of cheap wine and follow the rule of shouting "Godfather!" then clinking and drinking every time someone got whacked.

There was a "cases of champagne and little black dresses" Breakfast at Tiffany's birthday party, but the master of the art was my great friend Mr. Diva, who threw annual, movie-themed award show parties, paying homage to Picnic (fried chicken) or Blue Velvet (cherry pie and PBR).

I haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth yet, so I don't know if Al Gore covers this, but it looks like one of the biggest contributors to global warming is the food we eat and the processes that give us that food.

According to this press release from the Bon Appetit Management Company, "the average American creates 2.8 tons of CO2 emissions each year by eating - even more than the 2.2 tons each person generates by driving." The company is pushing a "Low Carbon Diet" and trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The first "Low Carbon Diet Day" will be held next April.

So the moral to the story? Just stop eating completely and drive your car more, you selfish jerks!

Everyone has their Christmas morning traditions. When I was a kid, we couldn't open any of our gifts (OK, maybe our stockings) until mom had had her first cup of coffee. I don't really have any traditions or rules like that anymore, because I have my own place now and I go over to my sister's house later in the day and exchange gifts and she usually cooks, but a lot of people have certain things they always eat or drink on Christmas morning, even beyond the coffee you have in the morning or the turkey you have for dinner.

In the December issue of Bon Appetit, Ted Allen gives his menu for a Christmas brunch that could become a new tradition in your home. He starts with a Citrus Fruit Salad. Actually, maybe he starts with the Gazpacho Bloody Marys! Then you can go on to the Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Tarragon Creme Fraiche, and maybe some Sticky Bun Bread Pudding.

I have mixed feelings about cookbooks that are compendiums of other books and magazines because there is the sense that you can get all the material at other sources, often in sources that are already available to you. The Bon Appetit Cookbook is one such book, with 1,200 "best-loved recipes" from the magazine. On one hand, the recipes are excellent and you can be assured that have all been tested again and again by editors, cooks and readers. In short, it is a pretty reliable book and it is convenient to have everything in one volume. On the other hand, if you enjoy scouring Epicurious for recipes and reading the feedback from users every time you cook, you will not get that same satisfaction from the book.

To differentiate it from the site, the book has plenty of illustrations and lots of cooking tips to help you through even the most complicated recipes. To help push you over the edge of indecision when it comes to making the purchase, because a tangible cookbook is a wonderful thing, the price of the book includes a one year subscription to Bon Appetit. As of writing this, the Amazon.com price is $23.07 - definitely a good price for the set.

Do you live in one of the top five restaurant cities? Bon Appetit magazine's September issue, their annual restaurant issue, names America's top five restaurant cities. The magic five are New York, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans and Las Vegas. The new celebrity chef restaurants associated with major casinos have no doubt lead to the rise of Las Vegas as a dining destination. It's pretty damning evidence that my current city, Los Angeles doesn't make the short list. I'm wondering if this is because, for the most part, L.A. chefs aren't particularly innovative even if this city does boast some of the most deliciously fresh food around.

[via Press Telegram]