Looking for delicious, quick, easy recipes? Look no further. Click here.
Posts with tag favorites

'It's All Good' - What's the One Food You Love No Matter What?

Photo: jljjld(away)/Flickr
Is there one food about which you -- despite maybe being a food snob the rest of the time -- are not at all fussy? About which you say, "I don't care who makes it: I'll eat it!"

We realized after chomping down our second ice cream of the day that perhaps, perhaps, we are not so discerning about the stuff. It was late at night, and Häagen-Dazs Five (mint) had us rather over the moon. Then we realized that really, we've rarely met a decently-made ice cream that didn't sway our affections at least a little bit.

It's one of those foods that, as long as its basic components are intact, fails to register on the Picky Meter. Such eats are a relatively rare breed; they exist largely to answer a timeless and bottomless craving, and their combination of ingredients hits the pleasure buttons that in turn short-circuit the ability to criticize -- and to say "no."

Here are five we think might hit those buttons. Vote for yours, and if it's "other," hit the comments to let us know what it is!

About what food do you lose all foodie credentials?

You Vote - the Best Italian Restaurants in America

luigis
Mamma mia!
This morning's pasta pic has us stuck in noodle-craving mode. Comforting, hearty Italian eats never get old for us Slashfoodies, so we put together a list of our unforgettable, lick-the-plate clean faves from red-sauce trattorias to fancy-pancy eateries.

As with our sandwich post and followup (in which you continue to comment, nominating your beloved sub shops) we want your vote. What'd we miss? Which chicken parm or scallopine di vitelo should we be booking plane tickets to feast upon? Hit us up in the comments, and in a few days we'll post a master list of Slashfoodies' favorites.

Savelli's, Knoxville, Tenn.
Blink and you'll drive right past the hole-in-the-wall where Mama Savelli's Chicken Surprise, bursting with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy lemon sauce, will take up permanent residence in your best food memories bank. We really amore the BYOB policy. -- Gretchen Roberts
Vetri, Philadelphia, Pa.
Marc Vetri's cozy 40-seater has its share of naysayers, but with impeccable service and amazing food in a warm, intimate setting there's no better spot to celebrate a special occasion. -- Mike Pomranz
Franny's, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Known for its thin-crusted tomato, mozzarella and sausage pizza, this petite Brooklyn joint also whips up silky pastas with natural local ingredients like spinach and farm fresh eggs. -- Max Shrem
Augustino's, Hoboken, N.J.
Double-thick sautéed pork chops topped with hot and sweet peppers cause jaws to hit tables. We didn't come up for air until our plates were spotless. -- Sarah Christine (aka The Hungry Bride)
Convivio, New York, N.Y.
A well-crafted love letter to Southern Italy that is refined without being fussy with dishes like expertly charred octopus and malloreddus -- a weird, wonderful marriage of sea urchin, crab and gnocchi. -- Rebecca Flint Marx

...the final three after the jump!

Continue reading You Vote - the Best Italian Restaurants in America

Recession Red - Secretly Awesome

Recession RedSo, I was browsing my local liquor store and came across a wine called Recession Red for $3.99 (this is on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Andre is more expensive). I looked at the bottle. Merlot. Just what I was in the mood for ... but could it possibly be any good?

I asked the guys at the counter and they were like "Oh yeah, everyone loves it, it was in the New York Times even!"

So I bought it. I have yet to find that article, but you know what? It's delicious.

It's a 2006 Merlot from Recession Wine Company of Livermore & Ripon, California. The copyright is 2008, so clearly the wine came before the marketing idea.

The idea is good. The wine is good. The price is unbelievable. Imagine the smiles if you showed up to a dinner party with Recession Red. Recession Red is my new favorite wine. Keep an eye out for it!

Favorite childhood candy?

I am a fan of the discussion board www.Chowhound.com and have been a regular there for many years. Lately I have been checking in on a thread about candy. It is about "worst tasting candy ever!!!!" but has evolved into a discussion about favorite or disliked candy from your childhood. I have chimed in several times about my likes and dislikes, and been pleased or disturbed to hear others views. The opinions are all over the map, one persons desire is another's pet peeve.

Some of my favorites as a kid were C.Howard's violets, Circus Peanuts (stale of course), Smarties, Reese's peanut butter cups (I tasted one recently and they have definitely changed the recipe, for the worse), Broadway red licorice, Twizzlers, malted milk balls, Sixlets, the original Rowntree KitKats from England, tangerine and tropical fruit Lifesaver's, the original Swedish fish, Smith Brothers honey cough drops, Hot Tamales, and many more.

Some candy I didn't care for were Jordan Almonds, Good and Plenty (but I love them now), chocolate covered cherries in syrup (gag!), Necco wafers, root beer kegs, and 99% of all gum. (I never understood gum chewing, as a kid or now. If I have a piece it is for a minute or so to clean my palate, then discard rapidly.)

It seems that this is a topic with strong emotions attached. There are even collectible books called Remember When about candy you ate as a kid. So what were your childhood favorites? What made you gag? Have your tastes changed?

Playing favorites in the kitchen

a yellow dansk soup pot
When it comes to my pots and pans, I don't like to play favorites. I don't want my cast iron skillet to think that it is any less loved than my giant stock pot or the 8 inch non-stick saute pan that I always use for eggs (I realize this might sound a little nutty, but go with me here). However, there is one pot that I love above all others in my kitchen. That yellow Dansk pictured above is my very favorite vessel for small batches of soup, steaming bunches of broccoli and boiling up two servings of pasta (it also makes a mean batch of fondue). I also love the way it looks on my turquoise stove from 1966, cheery, bright and ever so vintage.

Do you have a favorite kitchen item? It doesn't have to be only a cooking vessel, it could also be a bowl, spoon, cutting board or knife (to name a few possibilities). Add your pictures of your favorite stuff to our Flickr pool so we can see your beloved objects.

My favorite cooking cheese

Homemade herbed chevre wrapped in sage leaves
Jamie, the cheese lover behind the blog Curdnerds.com, posted an interesting food question today: "What is your favorite cheese to cook with?"

I've been pondering that thought for the better part of the last hour and I think I have to say that when it comes to cooking, I'm a big fan of the goat and sheep cheeses. Feta, Chevre, Basque Shepherd cheese or Pecorino Romano are all good ones in my book.

Continue reading My favorite cooking cheese

The best restaurant you ate at last year

At the end of the year, restaurant critics usually put together lists of the top restaurants - or the top dishes in Frank Bruni's case - creating a new "hit list" of restaurants for their city for the next year. San Francisco's list includes Dosa, Nopa, Coi, Kaygetsu and Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc. Seattle has cheap eats on their list, as well as pricier places, as does New York. All are surely fine eateries, but these lists are not the be-all and end-all of dining in their respective cities. Are your favorite restaurants included?

Restaurants are left off because they aren't trendy, aren't new or are just plain overlooked and I know that some places that I like to eat don't always make the cut. I'm not saying that this makes them the best restaurants in any given city, but that doesn't mean that they don't deserve some recognition. Is anyone up for making our own list of reader favorites from around the country/world? List some of your favorite restaurants in the comments (along with a city and/or website, if applicable) and we'll see if we can't come up with something even better than the standard newspaper top tens.

Trader Joe's top 100 (plus 4)

Trader Joe's puts out a different version of their Fearless Flyer, the newsletter that highlights many of their products, for different regions of the country, since often the products they carry will vary by state. This month, the Flyer is the same for all the western states (they're still working on the Eastern Flyer) and it lists the " Top 100 plus 4" favorite items of their tasting panel. I'm not going to type out all the items, especially as they can be seen online, but I am curious to know how many of their favorites are also favorites of yours.

Reading through their list, I saw that I have tried and enjoyed more than 55 of their picks,  including supersweet corn, Perlini mozzarella, Greek yogurt with honey and Purple Moon Shiraz . From the list, I'm not a fan of their frozen Old Fashioned Cheesecake, French Market Pink Lemonade or the Carrot Ginger Soup, but there were surprisingly few that I found myself disagreeing with. Head over to the Trader Joe's website and see if you think that their picks are on the money.

Tip of the Day

December may have peppermint bark, but have you thought to incorporate the taste of autumn into white chocolate with a rich pumpkin swirl?

Slashfood Features


Seasons
Spring (74)
Summer (300)
Fall (272)
Winter (77)
What is it?
Beef (635)
Bread (83)
Candy (520)
Cheese (585)
Chocolate (838)
Comfort Food (807)
Condiments (265)
Dairy (567)
Eggs (321)
Fish (378)
Fruit (1064)
Grains (623)
Herbs (10)
Meat (359)
Nuts/seeds (318)
Organic (5)
Pork (404)
Poultry (464)
Rice (57)
Sandwiches (34)
Shellfish (192)
Soups/Salads (122)
Spices (322)
Sugar (434)
Tea (7)
Vegetables (1414)
Holidays
Christmas (133)
Easter (37)
Halloween (99)
Hanukkah (56)
Memorial Day (15)
Mother's Day (37)
New Year's (41)
Passover (11)
St. Patrick's Day (14)
Thanksgiving (205)
Valentine's Day (50)
News
Food Politics (4)
Bakeries (151)
Books (810)
Business (1287)
Celebrities (242)
Coffee shops (194)
Edible Gifts (39)
Farming (467)
Fast Food (385)
Food News (587)
Health & Medical (873)
How To (1433)
Lists (836)
Magazines (509)
New Products (1589)
Newspapers (1632)
On the Blogs (2522)
Raves & Reviews (1189)
Recipes (2495)
Restaurants (1473)
Science (742)
Site Announcements (186)
Stores & Shopping (1023)
Television/Film (736)
Trends (1440)
Vegetarian/Vegan (96)
Features
Cheese Course (74)
Diary of a Distiller (30)
Dining at Our Desks (8)
Festive Family Feasts (9)
Guilty Pleasures (83)
Quizzes (22)
Raising the Bar (23)
Taste Test (18)
The Hungry Bride (34)
The Skinny Chef (67)
Tinfoil Swan (26)
Tip of the Day (379)
Wild Edibles (22)
X Marks the Spot (1)
Back to School (14)
Cocktail Hour (133)
Cocktail Revolution (0)
Cookbook Spotlight (573)
Cooking Without a Recipe (5)
Culinary Kids (235)
Did you know? (458)
Fall Flavors (138)
Feast Your Eyes (411)
Food Gadgets (485)
Food Oddities (1044)
Food Porn (892)
Food Quest (176)
Foodie Flicks (65)
Frugal Food (95)
Garden Party (28)
Hacking Food (109)
Happy Hour (212)
Head to Tail (44)
In Sixty Seconds (738)
Ingredient Spotlight (60)
Leftovers (53)
Light Food (189)
Liquor Cabinet (186)
Our Bloggers (34)
Pop Food (146)
Pumpkin Day (12)
Real Kitchens (85)
Retro cookery (154)
Slashfood Ate (206)
Slashfood Talks (4)
Slow cooking (55)
Super Size Me (121)
The History of... (72)
What's On Tap? (44)
Wine of the Week (53)
YumSugar (55)
What Time Is It?
Breakfast (757)
Dessert (1371)
Dinner (1388)
Hors D'oeuvres (319)
Lunch (1041)
Snacks (1128)
Where Is It?
America (2663)
Europe (515)
France (178)
Italy (174)
Asia (552)
Australia (158)
British Isles (875)
Caribbean (38)
Central Africa (8)
East Coast (582)
Eastern Europe (45)
Islands (59)
Mediterranean (131)
Mexico (42)
Middle East (63)
Midwest Cities (232)
Midwest Rural (74)
New Zealand (63)
North America (95)
Northern Africa (21)
Northern Europe (66)
South Africa (36)
South America (101)
South Asia (125)
Southern States (307)
West Coast (938)
What are you doing?
Baking (833)
Barbecuing (112)
Boiling (130)
Braising (21)
Broiling (37)
Frying (190)
Grilling (212)
Microwaving (40)
Roasting (105)
Slow cooking (34)
Steaming (45)
Choices
Fairtrade (16)
Artisan Foods (163)
Local Eating (149)
Additives
Artificial Sugars (42)
High-fructose corn syrup (21)
MSG (7)
Trans Fats (58)
Libations
Hot chocolate (27)
Soda (175)
Spirits (425)
Beer (535)
Brandy (13)
Champagne (120)
Cocktails (474)
Coffee (419)
Gin (115)
Juice (126)
Liqueurs (81)
Non-alcoholic (27)
Rum (103)
Teas (185)
Tequila (23)
Vodka (164)
Water (90)
Whisky (119)
Wine (765)
Affairs
Celebrations (108)
Closings (14)
Festivals (89)
Holidays (305)
Openings (51)
Parties (246)
Tastings (163)

RESOURCES

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

 

Most Commented On (60 days)

Updates From

Sites We Love

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Also on AOL