"bloomberg" news and stories

Photo: Nate Steiner, Flickr.

• With massive amounts of salt and a strong coffee habit, do Mayor Bloomberg's eating habits betray his city policies?
• Fadi Jaber, his switch to baking and culinary management, and bringing trendy American cupcakes to the Middle East.
• The Minimalist makes a soba noodle salad.
• China is threatening to stop importing U.S. chickens -- but can they live without the chicken feet?
• Recipe Wikis have a lot of back-and-forth and battles over what's best, but will it all result in better recipes?
  
• The "geeky" and "unusual" French Jura wines rise in popularity as their food versatility finds a niche audience.
• Wedding receptions don't just serve up bars full of booze -- signature drinks are all the rage.
• Make a good dish and they'll want it forever -- the aggravation of having to stick to a menu.
• A Good Appetite mixes up ingredients on-hand to make Coconut Pilaf with Chicken.
• Has Le Fooding's rapid growth caused its classic gathering to stray from its ideals?
• The new management at Tavern on the Green may be staring down one nasty labor fight after insulting workers with their recent work proposal.
• British TV chef Keith Floyd passes away at the age of 65.
• South Korea's first lady Kim Yoon-ok's culinary diplomacy helps bring Korean food to the world stage.
• Restaurants: Hotel Griffou's celeb-alluring ways and rude service; the Schnitzel & Things truck has mastered the art of deep-frying.
• Food Stuff finds sophisticated vegan food, ficoïde glaciale's citrusy tang and bacon peanut brittle.
• New York's openings and closings and dining calendar.
  

The Good Beer Seal of approval. Photo: goodbeerseal.com.

Earlier today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially proclaimed July to be "Good Beer Month." The declaration came at the request of a local collective known as "the Good Beer Seal."

Founded earlier this year by bar owners Garry Gillis (Burp Castle and Standings), Ray Deter (d.b.a.) and Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy's No. 43), the group strives to "recognize establishments that pride themselves on serving quality, craft beers." With only 15 recognized bars in a city of more than 8 million people, the Seal has yet to become the definitive icon for the city's best spots for suds, but Carbone admits things are still getting off the ground. "We really didn't expect the mayor to make the proclamation," he humbly admits.

For a nascent organization, receiving a mayoral decree after simply writing him a "nice letter" is quite a feat. Carbone believes GBS's support of programs for sustainable food and insistence that members have an "active community presence" was an important factor. "A lot of bars don't make such a good community impact," he told us.

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]

Last week the new COOL (country of origin label) labeling went into effect. The legislation was actually created years ago but faced stiff resistance from the food industry. However, the recent salmonella outbreak in the US and the Listeria outbreak in Canada have made it impossible to hold it back anymore, and the labels have to be implemented within six months.

Some lawmakers and consumer groups are worried about the loopholes, though. According to Bloomberg.com, loopholes in the legislation allow foods of mixed origin to be exempt. That includes things like mixed vegetables, Spam, processed meats, and mixed nuts.

Some lawmakers are looking into making changes to close the loopholes, but of course the industrial food lobby's are against that. They're worried about how much all of the new labeling is going to cost. I understand that, but are their up front costs worth risking the health of consumers?

[Via Coldmud]

Richard Vines, the London-based food critic for Bloomberg just posted a guide to dining in Bangkok that runs the gamut from cheap authentic Thai eats to more upscale Thai fare.

Vines is quick to point out that Thai street food has caused many a Brit food poisoning and cautions against it. For cheap eats he reccomends Suda, which lists a whopping 170 Thai and Chinese disheson its illustrated menu. And with an order of stir-fried tuna with basil leaves and chili costing only 80 baht ($2.10), one can see why it's a viable alternative to roadside stands.

For more elegant fare, his pick is Celadon at the upscale Sukothai hotel. It serves dishes from all over Thailand. Standouts include grilled beef sirloin served with dried chili and shallot sauce. Hotel buffets don't fare well in his roundup, with both the Marriott and Hilton getting called out for boring food.

And if for some strange reason you crave French or Italian food in Bangkok he recommends Lyon and Zanotti.

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