Photo: WordRidden, Flickr.

• What's shrimp the "Key West way"? Peel-and-eat, with a side of Tropical Coleslaw.
• And speaking of slaw -- it doesn't have to be predictable and traditional; it can be amped up with international flavor.
• Desperation Dinners shares an at-home recipe for Traditional Steak Diane.
• Chismosa Taqueria is Miami Beach's new Mexican takeout spot dishing up "gooey quesadillas" and more.
• Edda Martinez is seeing her Edda's Cake Designs go national, with bundt cakes available online.
• Writer Fred Tasker pleads that we forget "Sideways"-instigated merlot hate and revisit the red, with 2005 Rutherford Hill and 2006 Gloria Ferrer.
• Siam Bistro, in West Kendall, serves up Thai fare in the "Bangkok style of the south."
• Bar Rosso gets a stinger review, saying it "seems cold and empty, the staff untrained and the food simply not up to the task."
• Nabisco morphs Wheat Thins into Wheat Thins Flatbread.

More people are drinking wine in a box than ever before. Read about the best boxed wines on Slashfood.

With the exception of White Zinfandel, Merlot may be the most-maligned wine in a couple of decades. In the 2004 movie Sideways, Miles, the main character and Pinot Noir lover, repeatedly trashes Merlot as the Worst. Grape. Ever. Somehow the wave caught on, and Pinot Noir sales soared while Merlot staggered along.

Of course Miles was right, to a point. The U.S. was awash in mediocre Merlot, most of which didn't even come close to realizing the potential of the grape. (Now we have the same problem with Pinot Noir, but I digress.) Merlot does have its merits, and I ask you to give it--or rather, certain bottlings of it--a chance.

Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot tends to be softer, less tannic, and fruitier. Its flavors range from cherry to black plum and a hint of herbaciousness. In Bordeaux, Merlot is one of the two main varietals (along with Cabernet Sauvignon) and on the Right Bank is the dominant varietal.

Read my Merlot recommendations after the jump.

Wine lovers all over the country have reason to celebrate tomorrow: December 5, 1933, marked the end of the 13-year Prohibition on alcohol in the U.S. (Of course the resulting state-by-state laws are still confusing, cumbersome, and laden with politics, but individuals can speak up to their legislative representatives through the nonprofit organization Free the Grapes.)

During those long thirteen years of Prohibition, the California wine industry suffered. Most wineries were forced to close their doors, and those who remained open produced wines for medicinal and religious use. Farmers willing to ride out Prohibition fared a little better: each male was allowed to make 200 gallons of wine each year for personal use, so the demand for grapes around the country was fairly high, even as commercial winemaking all but disappeared.

This year, a new line of wines called Festival 34 was released to commemorate California's first harvest following the repeal of Prohibition 75 years ago. The wines include a Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all sourced from California's Central Coast and made by C & B Vintage Cellars in Napa.

I'm usually skeptical of fancy marketing ploys when it comes to wine, because there's often an inverse relationship between the quality of the wine and the cleverness of the label. Festival 34 is an exception for three reasons. One, the concept is truly clever, as it calls attention to and celebrates the end of a terrible era for wine lovers; two, the label art is gorgeous and practically collectible; and three, the wines are quite good. The Chardonnay was too oaky for my taste, but I loved the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both are a great value for around $12-15.

I absolutely believe that moderation (called "temperance" in the old days), not prohibition, should be the buzzword with alcohol, and on the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in the United States, I raise my glass to the liberation of the vineyards.

So, 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!

With the economy taking a nosedive the past few weeks (months? years?), plenty of wine drinkers are wondering whether they'll be able to afford their Bordeaux and Burgundy with retirement accounts shrinking and daily living more expensive than ever. Dr. Vino, a wine author and blogger, did a poll this week to find out if and how wine drinkers will cut back.

Not all winemakers are responding by dropping prices (a BBC news report says chocolate and Champagne have steady sales even in times of economic distress), but one company is embracing the socio-economic situation and turning lemons into lemonade (or, technically, grapes into wine). Recession Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon from California sell for around $5 a bottle. The company says they taste like $10 wines, explaining that the value comes from using lighter-weight glass bottles, saving on shipping costs, and using a recycled synthetic closure instead of cork, which costs $1 per bottle.

I tried the wines recently and really liked the Merlot, which was smoky on the nose, not too flabby like most cheap Merlot from California, and a little green peppery, like it had some Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. The vegetal aspect could definitely fool you into thinking you're drinking a much more spendy wine. My husband and I rated what we thought the prices would be if we didn't know they were $5, and here's what we came up with: Chardonnay, $9; Merlot, $14; Cabernet Sauvignon, $6.

The wines are currently available all over New York and will roll out nationally soon--unless our lawmakers can get it together and save the economy.

Here's a clever idea: online wine videos! It's The Winery Channel, and they have everything from instructional videos that teach you what foods go with what wine to visits to various vineyards and vacation spots.

The site has a sense of humor too. Make sure you watch Rex Havoc (and his horse "Brokeback"), who shows you the best wine bottles to use for shooting practice, and Dave in Los Angeles, who rants about his neighbor Walter, a wine snob. The stuff he says...well, you know people like Walter (and not just when it comes to wine). You'll be quoting a couple of Dave's lines to your friends later this week.

There are many "shows" to watch, including "Hot Legs," "The Wine Bar Show," and "Got Wine?" (the videos can be kinda glitchy - took me a few clicks to get each video working, but it's worth it).

The holidays can get pretty expensive, with gifts, food and entertaining expenses piling on until after the New Year (especially if you want to hit one or two after-Christmas sales), so it is always great to find a way to save some money without loosing out on quality. Food is one area where it is difficult to cut back, since price and quality are often closely linked. Paying more will usually get you better meats, cheeses and chocolates, for example. When it comes to wine, however, price are quality are not necessarily as closely inked - not unless you're talking about $100+ bottles of wine, anyway. Since AOL Food has a much larger staff than we do, they went through many bottles of wine to find five great ones that are $5.99 a bottle or less, perfect for serving with holiday dinners or bringing along as a hostess gift to a party because they are guaranteed to taste good without breaking the bank.

1. Trader Joe's Coastal Cabernet ($4.99)
2. Amaicha Torrontes ($4.99)
3. Banrock Station Shiraz ($5.99)
4. Barefoot California Merlot ($5.99)
5. Barefoot California Chardonnay ($5.99)

Here's a brand of wine that sounds perfect for adding a little extra spirit to your Halloween celebrations. Vampire Wines, produced by Vampire Vineyards, have the ideal look for a spooky gathering with not only an appropriate name, but a classy looking label, as well. The grapes are produced at the Recas Vineyard in Transvylvania (what did you expect - Napa?), which is rumored to be a legendary grape-producing region. The merlot rose is the "lead vampire winemaker's " and the most versatile of the offerings. The reds seem to tend towards fruity flavors that go well with meats, particularly red meats, while both the pinot grigio and chardonnay have citrus overtones and complement lighter dishes.

Even though they sell both red and white, but if you're going to buy a vampire wine, it seems natural to go with a red. After all, would any self-respecting vampire really be caught (un)dead with a glass of chardonnay when he could have a glass of dark red merlot?

You can order it online at the Vampire store.

A younger exposure to wine is likely to foster an increase in appreciation of the beverage, so consumers will be looking not only for more wines, but for better wines. The problem is that you have to start somewhere and it can be difficult to know what you're getting by looking at the bottle. One strategy is to only take recommendations from friends and gradually branch out from there. Another is to extensively research each wine before you buy it, consulting the experts and the internet. If you are at the store and want to buy a bottle at that moment, however, you might face an impressive selection without a clue as to what to buy. Which bottle will you reach for?

An article in the New York Times Magazine reported that the sales of a specific sort of wine have reached over $600 million annually. It’s not burgundy, chardonnay or merlot - not specifically, anyway -  that’s selling, but it just might be the wine that you reach for when confronted with too many same-looking options: wines with animals on their labels.

It might seem like a label design would be an unreliable way to select a wine, but a great logo can help cement a good reputation in the mind of the buyer. And things besides wine are selected on their looks every day: book covers, clothing and potential dates. Why should wines stick to plain labels with scripted fonts when a bold design will jump out and grab a consumer's attention? My only question is why an animal label might attract a buyer more than a flashy, non-animal label, all other things being equal.