Bottled Neck

Check out this public service announcement

Bahn Mi SONG

This is inspiring.

Claustrophobic Food

New York Assembly Bill 8163 will phase-out pig gestation crates, veal crates and hen battery cages by 2015, and will prohibit any person from tethering or confining any pig during pregnancy, any calf raised for veal, or egg-laying hen who is kept on a farm in a manner that prevents such animal from lying down, standing up and fully extending its limbs and turning around freely. Violations of the law will be punishable by imprisonment for a period not to exceed one year and/or fines up to $1,000.

Animals shouldn't be stuck in pens where they are immobile and have to hang out in their own feces. This video has footage that really gives you a sense of how bad animals have it. Bill 8163 could do much to change how farmers in New York do things. Unfortunately, the Assembly's Ag Committee is prob in bed with bigAg interest. For more info: ab8163.com

Beckhaming in the New Year

Long time! As the High Holidays roll by, I thought of you, Sesame Tooth. How could anything be more pertinent to a sweet New Year than Chocolate David Beckham?

From Japan with Love

A farm in Kumamoto Prefecture has been working at growing these melons for four years. This is like cantaloupe foot-binding, or maybe it's just romantic.

via Coldmud

Pocket Guide to Wine

This pocket guide from Slate promises to help you the next time you need a good bottle for cheap. It focuses on trusted importers rather than vineyards which seems like a brilliant idea when every wine store has such different selections. Read the full article here.

Visualize

I don't really think this is fair way to illustrate how much sugar is in a given food. However, the image of the cubes stacked next to the Coke is arresting. Less so when you compare it with the grapes though. As Sugarstacks.com mentions on their blog, a lot have people have been giving them guff for making such a comparison given that there are different types of sugar.


And apparently there is more sugar in Vanilla Frozen Yogurt than Vanilla Ice cream...

Slap Chop Remix

I really love this guy Vince. I don't understand why I can actually watch his infomercials, but he has a real gift. Between SlapChop and ShamWow, pretty much everything he touches turns to gold.

Thanks Sham.

How did I miss this?

I can't believe I missed this from a few episodes back in Lost. If you don't watch Lost, I apologize. For me, it ranks at the top of the TV food chain. I don't see a huge need for back story, but I'll say this: in the story, which mostly takes place on an island with seemingly magical powers/history, back in the 70's there was a group called the Dharma initiative which was inhabiting parts of the island and building different facilities/stations that enabled them to monitor the people on the island or press a button which may or may not stave off the end of the world. Each station had a symbol. Here, one of the main character's sports an as of yet unseen symbol, the one for the mess hall. I love it.

Review: Perry Street

Ever since I went to his self-titled flag ship restaurant Jean Georges, Vongerichten's fleet of other restaurants have been calling my name. This is especially true because of the enticing deals that many of Jean Georges's spots have been rolling out as the economy slowed. Take his far West Village eatery, Perry Street which offers a four course dinner for $35. The one catch is that you must make a reservation for between 5:30-6:30 or 10:00-11:00. But this happens to be perfect if you're going to the theater as I was last Friday with Elizabeth and her folks.

We arrived at 5:30 as one of two parties there, however, they sat us right next the other guests. We asked to be moved to a different table and were immediately granted a better one which had less of the late sun on our backs. Thankfully, this early, minor gaff proved to be the lowest point of the evening. Everything from there on out was delightful, from the food to the superb service.

Perry St. is about as far west as you can get, pretty much overlooking the highway and river. However, the design of the restaurant is such that you get all the good parts of being near the water and no sense that cars are speeding past you. We all made a conscious effort to try all the dishes on the small menu which essentially gives you two choices for each course, but changes every four weeks. Let's begin:

Amuse Bouche
Carrot Puree crystallized ginger foam. The perfect way to the start the evening, two sips of something that was so airy it can hardly be called soup. The foam was exquisite and the puree was the perfect temperature, warm but not hot.

First Course
Sauteed Shrimp fried baby artichokes, lemon fennel vinaigrette and paprika oil: Plump and succulent, the shellfish were. They were too fishy for Elizabeth but I liked them. They reminded me slightly of the mighty diamond shrimp appetizer at Oishii Sushi in Boston.


Roasted Beet Carpaccio fresh ricotta, crystallized wasabi and black bread: Black bread does not suffice as a description. These croutons were hands down the best croutons I'd ever eaten, fresh, but crunchy, oh so buttery. I love roast beets and the fresh ricotta combo was right in every way. I could eat this everyday.

Second Course
Slowly Cooked Salmon truffle vinaigrette and steamed maitake mushroom: a perfectly cooked piece of salmon. Gotta love sauteed scallions. I was the only one at the table who had choosen the skate which was to my mind was superior.

Pan Roasted Skate braised leeks and pistachios, aromatic spiced vinaigrette: I don't care if it's a cheap fish, pan roasted skate gets the job down. Between the skate and the mashed potatoes was a secret compartment of braised leeks and pistachios which kicked ass, great combo. I can not say what was in the aromatic spiced oil, but it's such a beautiful color and I asked for extra bread to mop up every last drop.


Grilled Beef Hanger Steak smoked paprika butternut squash and caramelized brussels sprouts: I actually didn't try any of the meat, but I hear it was perfectly down and it looked beautiful. I would get this next time.

Fried Chicken smoked gravy, roasted sweet potato and lemon confit: My least favorite dish, but still really good anyway. The dark meat on the plate was better than the white. I loved that they poured the gravy from a white porcelain tea kettle, table-side. The sweet potato wasn't anything special but the lemon confit was out of this world. I ate mine and Elizabeth's. Tastiest was to eat lemon ever!!

Warm Valhrona Chocolate Cake and vanilla ice cream: classic dish done well. Molten in the middle, mmmm.

Frangipane Torte with pineapple sorbet: I choose this dessert and was mildly happy. The flaky torte was nice, not to sweet and went well with the sorbet, but didn't blow my mind.


Green Tea and Chocolate Petit Fours: Fortunately, this final note did blow my mind. Jean Georges always keeps it real classy with the Amuse Bouche to begin and Petit Fours to end. I love that. $35!!!??? Yeah, it doesn't include wine or tip, but if you are a baller on a budget don't sleep on Jean Georges' deals.

Pesachdik and low-fat dessert (tastes way better than it sounds)

Having been asked to make fruit compote to accompany Passover desert, I managed over the days prior to the Seder to test a few different stewed fruits. First of all, let me say that stewing dried fruit is super easy and can add an extra something to dinner (as a sauce for lamb or chicken) or dessert (see below). Wine-stewed prunes and apricots simmered in tangerine juice were both winners and both took two minutes of prep time and 30 minutes left alone on the stove .

Apricots in Tangerine Juice
2 cups of apricots
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

Bring to a boil over medium heat, then let simmer stirring occasionally til liquid begins to thicken (about 20 min).

Prunes in Red Wine Syrup (modified from Fresh Food Fast)
1/2 lbs of prunes
1 cup of dry red wine
a few strips of lemon zest
1/2 cup of water

Repeat above directions. You can then put the fruit in the fridge and it keeps for over a week.


To further the fun post-passover, I whipped up each into a tasty low-fat dessert that was slightly awesome.

1/3 cup of compote
2/3 cup of fat free ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
mint leaves
(makes 1 serving)

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix vigorously. If you happen to have a macaroon lying around, cut it in half and serve on top.

Le Whif: Chocolate the Asmatic Way

A Harvard inventor has taken his brilliant inhaler design and come up with a very different sort of application: Le Whif shoots a chocolate mist low in calories but high in novelty. Check out the video below for more or the Boston Globe article here.

Chicken Nuggets is like my family

Very good television, very sad diet.

Mozza Bene

The Ultimate Meal: 4 courses at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. Mozza, Mario Batali's flagship west coast restaurant lives up to its hype. Which is exactly where I found myself on our LA uber meal. It helps if your eating in company that know's the Executive Chef, Matt Molina though. And with table guidance from Jesse on what to order and kitchen guidance from Matt himself, the only other thing we could ask for was the expert hand of the head sommelier, which we also got, who paired each of our five courses with a righteous wine.

Grilled Octopus with potatoes, celery & lemon: by far the best octopus I've ever had. To be fair, this was the first bite of my meal and I was hungry, but the octopus was grilled to perfection, sweet and aided by the celeric crunch.


Steamed Mussels with passato di pomodoro, chilies & herbs: I never grew up eating mussels, but gladly enjoy them nowadays. Then again, I am never the one to order mussels on a menu. However, these were amazing.

Little Gem Lettuces with hazelnuts, bacon, gorgonzola dolce & egg: a perfectly cooked egg can't be ignored, this was a light fresh bite that countered other more intricate dishes.

Burrata with grilled asparagus, brown butter, guanciale & Sicilian almonds: they have their own mozzarella bar, so you can't go in there without sampling something. Freshest of fresh mozzarella, melts in your mouth better than candy.


Second course came out all at once. In no particular order excepting the first two blowing my mind: Probably the single most outstanding dish of the night was the Fresh Ricotta & Egg Raviolo with Browned Butter. It's a giant single Raviolo, and when you cut into it, the gooeyness from the lightly-cooked Egg Yolk bursts out of the dish, turning this into something decadent and delicious. The Nutmeg and Brown Butter sauce works nice with the dish, and the crisped Sage Leaf on top as something too. A signature dish.


Ribollita "Da Delfina": I'd never heard of this rustic Tuscan classic before, but it blew me away. It's essentially a Tuscan Vegetable Soup cooked down and condensed and then pan-seared to create a hard outer crust. The concentration of flavor was almost Willy Wonka-ish.


Maltagliati with oxtail ragu: atleast I think it was maltagliati, but I can't be sure. the noodles were delicious and the flavor of the oxtail was on point. Having so much oxtail felt oddly luxurious.
Tagliatelle with wild boar ragu'. Mario Batali knows how to do noodles. By the time we were done with the first course, everybody was feeling full.


The first of our Secondi main courses arrived soon after: Crisp Duck al Mattone with Pear Mostarda & Brussel Sprouts. Its name hints at the cooking method, with the Duck being cooked "under a brick" to crisp it up. It was cooked, of course, to perfection with a crispy skin and moist meat. When paired with the pear mustard, the spicy sweet mixture complemented the Duck's savory flavor to a T.


Pan Roasted Sea Trout with Umbrian lentils & red cabbage sottaceto: By this time, the wine and many courses had begun to take their toll. However, I can't say no the the deadly combination of roast fish, lentils and braised cabbage. And my portion quickly vanished.


We thought we could leave, but they brought us a Beignets-esque dessert and some super secret imported liquor to top things off. We rolled out of there feeling more than satisfied, feeling like we should have put a Von before Isaacs when we signed the bill.

Taste the Future in your Mouth

Lately, the future is coming from Australia. From musical wunderkinds, Empire of the Sun, in their video for their single "Walking on a Dream" to Carlton Beer's new commercial, Aussie's are showing me a world of tomorrow. I want to go to there.

Taco Tour!!!

One of my favorite nights spent in LA was a true culinary experience, the emphasis taco truck tour. What makes the tour ingenious is the interplay between food and drink in such a variety of settings. Having eaten a late lunch, we started our tour around 9 o'clock and followed a winding path through Hollywood keeping to a simple formula: a taco, then a few drinks a bar, then a taco then a bar etc.


We began at Cactus, a local staple known for their fish taco. Jesse made sure to warn us to squeeze copious amounts of lime juice on everything to dissuade any possible unpleasantness later in the night. This only enhanced the flavor the fried fish and shrimp any ways.


After our first snack we went to go check out all the old bar haunts of Jesse's Hollywood days until we got hungry again and ventured to Taco Zone, an all-female run truck with a huge following.


This was a treat, their specialty was cabeza, or beef cheek, which I'd never tried before.


It was most delicious. Maybe I just never knew to ask for it, but I haven't really run across cabeza on this coast. I hope I do soon...On to more debauchery, from Tiny's Bar to Jumbo's Clown Room and finally to Chato Taco to fend off drunken fools for some old-fashioned carne asada before bed. Tacos and beers. Beers and Tacos. Perfect night.

Big Sur Eats: Nepenthe

After San Francisco, we headed down the coast on Highway 1, stopping in Big Sur for a night before making our way to Los Angeles. While I am a sucker for the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, it can't hold a candle to Highway 1. It's got to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. And before hitting Big Sur, it runs through Castroville, the Artichoke Capital of the world.

If you ever find yourself in the region, it is necessary to stop at Nepenthe, a restaurant situated on a cliff over-looking the Pacific. The weather was so nice when we went that we got to eat outside, looking out at the water.


They're known for their Ambrosia Burger which is simple but delicious. The ground beef was incredible and the sauce, which I later find out was made from mayo, tomato sauce, and salsa, was deadly. Along with a glass of wine from the neighboring San Lucia Valley, we were in heaven.

Pizzetta 211: Better than most NY pizza

Deep in the Richmond District of San Fran, you'll find some of the best pizza I've had in a long time. And I've been searching all over NYC for the best slice. The tiny Pizzetta 211 has four tables and a counter. They make 6 kinds of individual pizzas, 3 constant and 3 that change every week. Me and Sam got the tomato, mozzarella and basil with whole white anchovies. The pizza was cooked to perfection, slightly charred on the bottom and the anchovies weren't the super fishy mini ones as you can see.


I loved how small the place was, and how they basically used the oven to make everything, from calzones to pear tarts. It was a tight operation in all senses of the word.

Simple and sophisticated, the menu is awesome, with 3 red wines and 1 white. I want to open a place just like this in Brooklyn.

San Francisco Treats

I spent last week in California, flying into San Francisco where we stayed at Sam and Jessie's. They have a beautiful apartment in the Richmond a few blocks from Golden Gate Park. I'd never been to SF and over the four days there I tried to get a feel for it. It's true, going to west coast makes you inevitably question your previous choice of coasts. Sam and Jessie were amazing hosts and the crown of our culinary experience was getting a 3 course meal at Chez Sammy courtesy of the larger-than-life legend himself.


Sam made Fresh pasta with the help of Jessie. We all did prep work, but in the end the chef took over and made each course to order. We started off on a fresh note, with a Blood Orange microgreen salad with shaved Parmesan, thinly-sliced fresh fennel, calamata olives, and a light vinaigrette.


Next Same cooked his pasta and took the roasted fennel out of the oven. He combined these with toasted pine nuts, roasted garlic, bread crumbs,, grated Parmesan, fresh parsley oil.

Check out how gracefully Sam tosses the pine nuts on to the plate.


After this we were all feeling sated, but there was one more dish to go. The Chef just happened to have some sword-fish lying around which he pan seared, and threw on a bed of seared cabbage. Eventually, he smothered it in salsa verde.

The feast was so delicious, we all went into temporary food comas. Sam is officially Don Cuisini Cucini.

Does this look like a man who can't cook?

Bringing the bathroom to the dining room

This is how the Time Magazine article begins:

--"There's poop everywhere! Y-u-c-k," says 6-year-old Jordan Lien as he and his family dine at the Modern Toilet, a popular Taiwanese restaurant chain that's expanding into China and other parts of Asia. The boy was looking at the poop-shaped lights and dish covers and the curry on toilet-shaped plates.--
Basically some brilliant marketer/bathroom humor lover came up with the idea to serve dishes in mini toilets.

And for dessert it gets even better. Featured are the shaved-ice desserts with names like "diarrhea with dried droppings" (chocolate), "bloody poop" (strawberry) and "green dysentery" (kiwi).

For the feature article click here.