"burgers and fries" news and stories

It's Friday night; you left your energy back on Thursday, and there's always Saturday to make the cassoulet. All you want is a good, juicy burger and a stack of crispy fries. Sometimes that's all it takes. So get the grill going.

Take a tip from Toronto's Craft Burger, where photographer Vic Shum shot this homage to beef. Instead of the same old ketchup and mustard, top your meat with herbed mayonnaise, and go heavy on the sautéed mushrooms (try porcini or hen-of-the-woods varieties for greater depth of flavor). Or you can make a portobello mushroom a burger in itself.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

I recently posted a list of the 88 worst fast food items. That list was based on the amount of trans fats in various fast foods. Now Men's Health has weighed in and picked the 20 Worst Foods in America, and this list is based not only on fats but also calories, sodium, and carbs.

Obviously, when you're talking fast food, a lot of it is going to be bad for you, but I guess it's good to have a list of specific foods and categories. For example, they name the McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (5 pieces) witih Ranch Dressing as the Worst Fast Food Chicken Meal. The Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie gets the Worst Drink nod. It's 900 calories, with 10 grams of fat and 166 grams of sugar.

What foods on the list do you regularly eat?

I'm really not sure what to say about this particular food holiday. I mean, in America, isn't every day National Fast Food Day?

So...how to celebrate this holiday? I can't really link to any recipes, but maybe you can go to McDonald's or Burger King for lunch? Or if you'd like to take the opposite route, maybe rent Morgan Spurlock's SuperSize Me.

I have to admit that the other night, after getting out of a Police concert and finding the only thing open nearby was a McDonald's, I bought two large fries and two small Diet Cokes. And at 11:15 at night, after I hadn't eaten a thing all day, I can honestly say it was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life.

Pizza?!?! He's taking you out to grab a slice of pizza?!?! Forget it. What kind of cheapskate/Peter Pan/unimaginative guy is he!??! Drop him!

Don't pretend like you haven't done it before -- judged a guy (or girl) before you've even met, based on where they want to go on the first date. Fancy expensive reservations-30-days-in-advance-only and you're impressed, right? KFC drive-thru and...well, you get the picture.

Though they don't have an opinion about pizza, AOL has put together a short feature about what his restaurant/cuisine choice could say about him. If you don't have the time to read through it, here's the lowdown:

• Tapas - "don't expect a commitment from this professional dabbler anytime soon"
• Seafood - "it's nice to spend time with somebody who believes money is no object, but if he never lets you forget it..."
• Pancake house - "a guy who knows what he wants, and exactly where to go to get it"
• Sushi - "an eclectic lifestyle, so he wants to try everything"
• Mexican - "hot and spicy guy is the kind that will dance the night away"
• Chinese - "he needs a little motivation"
• Steakhouse - "since he won't stray too far from the norm, he could be a huge bore"
• Italian - "you've got a serious romantic on your hands"
• Burgers and fries - "likes it straight, so he can save himself for the BMX race he's in"

Some foods are meant to go together. In fact, many of them pair so well that they have become the most classic comfort foods. In an effort to bypass the well-known, I first set out to collect the 8 worst food pairings, but was so disgusted by the idea of pickled herring and cheesecake that I was forced to stop. I realized that it is for good reason that some foods get paired: they taste great together and make such good combinations that it is hard to think of one without the other. These are definitely a few of the best:

1. Peanut butter and jelly
2. Macaroni and cheese
3. Fish and chips (or burgers and fries)
4. Bacon and eggs
5. Milk and cookies
6. Pancakes and syrup
7. Gin and tonic
8. Spaghetti and meatballs

Salt and pepper is, arguably, the ultimate combination, though they are seasonings and not exactly "food". Here are some of the runners up from the list above: Butter and toast, cupcakes and sprinkles, tomato soup and grilled cheese, cheese and crackers and Ben and Jerry’s.

I know there are lots of others. What are we missing?