"Robert Burns" news and stories

When I signed up for the Burns' Night dinner at St. Andrews Restaurant, I was pretty excited. Not only would I be able to enjoy haggis and other Scottish specialties, but I would also have a great post for Slashfood. Unfortunately, Monika Bartyzel got here ahead of me and did a pretty damned good job of talking up the wonders of the "Great chieftain o' the pudding race." Still, having spent an evening eating offal, sipping scotch, and listening to highland poetry, I'm not quite ready to give up...

My introduction to haggis came on a family trip to Scotland. My mother, who was Jewish and had never quite understood my father's extreme dislike of spices, bought A Feast of Scotland by Janet Warren. As we drove around the countryside, she tore through the tome, alternately giggling, gagging, and exclaiming "You're FREAKING joking!" At the end of all of this, she gazed upon my father and told him that she finally understood his problem. The cookbook featured exactly two spices: salt and pepper, and occasionally exhorted its readers to "add suet to taste." While there is a lot to be said for environment, it was clear that heredity had had at least some effect on my dad's palate.

• Speed dating has made its way to the world of food producers and chefs ... but not for dates. It's all for the love of local food.
• 250th anniversaries, Robbie Burns, and haggis.
• Foodie football feats in mid-town Manhattan at Zereoue.
• Word of mouth makes the red wine, Fuzion, fly off the shelves.
• Restaurant Reviews: Czehoski offers good food and random bouts of dancing, and Forte Bistro and Lounge offers manly financial style with rock star lobster sandwiches.
• Wine, Pt 1: Parri Estate 2007 Viognier/Chardonnay, Fairhall Downs Single Vineyard 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Don Eugenio Reserva 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, La Moras Black Label 2005 Shiraz, Joffré E. Hijas Premium 2004 Merlot
• Wine, Pt 2: X & Y 2006 Chardonnay, Etko Nefeli 2007 White, Domaine De La Croze Granier Cuvée Réserve 2006, Perrin & Fils Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2006, Western Range Julimar 2006 Shiraz/Viognier
  
• Recipes: Garlic-Studded Pork Tenderloin with Mojo and Minted Eggplant

Is there that owre his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner? -- Robert Burns

In case you forgot, January 25 marks Robbie Burns day -- the day where we delight in Scottish poetry by the master, and indulge in the wonders of haggis.

These days, I'm not so sure why the meal is considered so revolting. It might be encased in intestines, but it's a meal that includes forgotten meats like "sheep's pluck," and a saute of tasty additions like onions, spices, and stock. A food that uses all of the animal, let's your drink to the tune of bagpipes, and allows you to recite rowdy poetry? What could be better?