"steak" news and stories

Have you noticed how the centers of your steaks have become bloodier over time? Since, say, 1982, according to New York Times food writer Florence Fabricant?

Susan Burton has. In an essay on Slate.com, Burton publicly declares her meat preference as "cooked through, gray, no trace of pink." And while you may think that sounds like she's ordering up shoe leather, Burton says "that [her choice] signifies 'food safety.'" With that, she sets off on a fascinating historical journey of how the tradition of cooking meat well done has slowly slipped out of favor in American kitchens.

If a tantalizing photo of a juicy, well-peppered steak isn't enough to entice you (they don't call it 'food porn' for nothing), perhaps your sense of smell will make your mouth water?

A billboard for the Bloom Grocery chain in central North Carolina is testing this form of temptation by not only featuring a larger-than-life photo of a perfectly pink steak, but also pumping out the smell of black pepper and charcoal.

Before you start thinking, "Fire hazard!," note that these scents are actually manufactured by the company ScentAir Technologies, who typically create custom fragrances for places like casinos and hotels.

Read about the technology behind this olfactory-enhanced advertising campaign and find out how long drivers on N.C. 150 will be seduced by the smell of grilling over at HuffPost Food.

Last week Mr. and Mrs. Philip Widlanski, of New York City, were declared the 10 millionth customers at the legendary Old Homestead Steak House, a 142-year-old restaurant appropriately located on the edge of Manhattan's old Meat Packing district.

The couple was presented with an oversized check, not for money, but for a free meal once a week for the rest of their lives. They were then serenaded by a trio of celebrity look-a-likes composed of Marilyn, Sinatra and Jackie Gleason, all of whom were regulars at the restaurant, which still boasts a glittering clientele.

"Mickey Rourke, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and Yankee Alex Rodriguez have all been in here recently," owner Greg Sherry tells Slashfood.

• New York coffee, long relegated to the B-list, is now emerging as a first-run star.
• Meanwhile, those 2007 wines are elusive, says vintner Aubert de Villaine: "They are like women." Ooh la la.
• Strip House is gaining respect with age. (We're talking steak, folks -- not the other kind of stripping.)
• Feeling too poor for steak? Head to the East Village for a roundup of cheap and tasty spots.
• And for dessert, this chocolate pudding recipe confirms what everyone already knows: Nutella rules.

The blogger herself says it best: "I subscribe to a ton of food blogs, and generally get a handful of recipes delivered to my inbox each day. The gems get filed away under the bulging To Make list. Very rarely do I receive a recipe that sounds so good it produces a Run-Don't-Walk level of urgency. This salad is of the Run-Don't-Walk variety."

It's a satisfying main-course salad, especially with addition of black-eyed peas and black beans, but light enough for a warm summer day thanks to the bright, tangy dressing, sweetened with agave nectar (talk about a great secret weapon!).

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