Long lines at the Great American Food and Music Fest. (c) Pamela Palma

With everyone yakking about sustainability, organics and local ingredients nowadays, especially in the San Francisco area, the sight of Bay Area residents (who notoriously champion these ideals) noshing on bagels flown in from New York City and BBQ trucked from Texas was an odd one.

At the Great American Food and Music Fest on Saturday more than 10,000 people turned out to a massive ampitheater overlooking the Santa Cruz mountains to tuck into food and music. Though the stage at the Shoreline will host Coldplay, No Doubt and Phish later this summer, on Saturday the fans that turned out in droves were mostly the hungry kind (hungrier than they expected, due to a technological meltdown involving electronic wristbands, very long lines and occasionally soldout food -- for which co-curator Ed Levine has profusely apologized).

But the day had its bright spots, among them glimpses of celebrity chefs and TV stars like Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Aida Mollenkamp demonstrating recipes for modern American cuisine. For price tags ranging from $35 to more than $500, festival-goers were able to see their heroes live and -- when the crowds didn't prove too daunting -- eat some serious food.

Brisket, more pix and Aida after the jump!

My mom comes from a large family of mostly-secular Jews. That side of the family taught me to love going out to brunch on Sundays, to understand the need to have far more food at family events that we could possible eat and to deeply appreciate a good batch of chopped liver.

It is in the spirit of that last trait that I bring you The Great Chopped Liver Taste-Off from the Village Voice's food blog, Fork in the Road. They tasted six versions of chopped liver from local markets (although it makes me sort of sad that they didn't include a homemade version in the mix). The two winners were Russ and Daughters and Katz's Deli, two landmark Jewish delis in the New York area.

If you don't live in the New York area and want to try some quality chopped liver, here's my favorite recipe (although the lack of schmaltz makes it sort of controversial).

[via Ed Levine's New York Eats]

Although the end of summer is rapidly approaching, we've still got one of the biggest picnic and barbecue weekends of the season yet to go, so don't put away your grills, charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid quite yet. If you're looking for a little menu planning inspiration for your event this weekend, you might want to check AOL food's grilling page. In addition to having some terrific 'cue tips and recipes from grill master Steven Raichlen (one of which Bob posted about here on Slashfood last July), they've got a couple of BBQ quizzes up to test your knowledge. Be warned though that the quizzes pack a challenging punch (much like good barbecue). The very grill savvy Ed Levine flunked the regional grilling quiz (and I scored a fairly pathetic 4 out of 10).

photo by Marisa McClellan

The Serious Eats peeps have gotten their hands on a video camera and have been putting it to good use in their new 90-second video series called Edibles, which I am thinking is named for the "show's" host, Ed Levine, who calls himself the "Missionary of Deliciousness." Ed's first segment is on Palapa Azul Mexican Ice Cream, in which he tastes Sweet Corn (his favorite), Flan, and Mexican Chocolate flavors. If you like watching someone eat ice cream and rave about it, take a peek.

In Details magazine, Ed Levine recently laid out a list of the best pizza places in the country at the moment. The criteria for the best pie changes from person to person and city to city, but Ed's criteria - crisp but tender crusts, fresh mozzarella, high-quality tomatoes, and a touch of salt - are standards that every pizza lover can agree on and should expect from their pies. Ed's list includes: PIZZERIA BIANCO, Phoenix, NY

• DI FARA, Brooklyn, NY
• TOTONNO'S, Brooklyn, NY
• UNA PIZZA NAPOLETANA, New York, NY
• FRANK PEPE PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA, New Haven, CT
• SALLY'S APIZZA, New Haven, CT
• AL FORNO, Providence, RI
• PICCO, Boston, MA
• 2 AMYS, Washington, D.C.
• PUNCH NEAPOLITAN PIZZA, St. Paul, MN
• NOSTRANA, Portland, OR
• SERIOUS PIE, Seattle, WA
• MOZZA BAR, Los Angeles, CA
• PIZZERIA PICCO, Larkspur, CA
• PIZZAIOLO, Oakland, CA

There are only two small problems with the list, although the lack of inclusion of The Cheese Board is just my own bias and perhaps should not be counted. The real problem is that , aside from the St Paul pizzeria, the only restaurants listed are on either cost. Now, the South isn't necessarily known for their piazza, but there are plenty of Chicagoans who are willing to, loudly, defend their city's top pizzerias. It could be that the best pizzas are only found towards the country's coasts, or perhaps there just haven't been any volunteers willing to take Ed around to the best that the midwest has to offer to see if it holds up to his standards.

[via the food section]

Ed Levine, of Ed Levine Eats, is hosting a great contest that gives food-lovers the chance to dine with two of the most famous foodies in NYC: Ed Levine and Jeffrey Steingarten. All you have to do is write 100 words or less about who your favorite restaurant critic is and why. The contest will be judged by Steingarten, David Kamp (author of the United States of Arugula) and Ed Levine, so there is no point to picking Ruth Reichel because, for example, you think she's beautiful or charming. Flattery only works when those being flattered have a say in the results. Instead, try to consider what you find appealing about the work of the critics. Is their writing compelling? Are they trustworthy? Do they show a well-rounded appreciation of food or do they stick to fancy french restaurants for all their meals?

The contest will not be closed until there are at least 50 entries, so you have plenty of time to enter if you live in NY (or willing to travel there).

[via the food section]

Ed Levine recently posted a list of his top 10 fancypants burgers in Manhattan on his blog. Cafe D'Alsace took top honors for its burger, which features onions doused in Riesling and French Muenster cheese. Other notable entries include The Spotted Pig, whose roquefort-laced patty landed the No. 3 spot and Nice Matin's five-napkin burger, which took fifth place.

But just what is a a fancypants burger anway? I'm glad you asked. Levine has devised a whole list of criteria, including costing more than ten dollars and less than 20, being sided with excellent french fries, being served by a waiter in a white tablecloth setting and being made from fresh high-quality ingredients.

I can't wait to work my way through his Top 10. Time to renew my scrip for Lipitor.

 Slice NY, the blog that revolves around pizza, has featured an excerpt from Ed Levine's Pizza: A Slice of Heaven. This particular excerpt concerns the existence of the pizza belt, that swath of America along which the first and best pizzas in the country originated. Essentially, the "belt" seems to have spread along patterns of southern Italian immigrants, coming into Ellis Island in New York and gradually spreading over towards Boston. Stretching over a 33 year period, the American pizza timeline clearly shows the launch of some of the mainstays of pizza-dom. Slice also has a textual account of the history of pizza in America, contributed by Mr. Levine.