[WEEK of May 5 2008]

Food & Wine Selects Annual ‘Go List’
In the May issue, Food & Wine magazine publishes its annual Go List of restaurants around the world, including domestic markets such as…

• Boston: Craigie Street Bistrot,
  O Ya
• Chicago: Blackbird, Custom House
• Honolulu: Downtown, Kaiwa
• Las Vegas: Strip House, Wing Lei
• Los Angels: Bastide, Comme Ca
• Miami: Michy’s, Palme d’Or
• New Orleans: Galatoire’s, Patois
• New York: Alto, Gramercy Tavern
• Phoenix: See Saw, Yasu Sushi Bistro
• San Francisco: Coi, Rubicon
  foodandwine.com

‘Details’ Picks Top 12 Barbecue Spots
The May issue of Details magazine picks 12 of America’s best barbecue spots:

• Smitty, Lockhart, TX
• Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que,
  Llano, TX
• LC’s Bar-B-Q, Kansas City, MO
• Skylight Inn, Ayden, NC
• Lexington Barbecue, Lexington, NC
• Cozy Corner, Memphis, TN
• B.E. scott’s Bar-B-Que, Lexington, TN
• Sweatman’s, Holly Hill, SC
• Memphis Minnie’s, San Francisco
• Big Bob Gibson’s, Decatur, AL
• 17th Street Bar & Grill, Murphysboro, IL
• Lem’s Bar-B-Que House, Chicago

Here Are 25 Favorite Seafood Dives
From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "The editors at Coastal Living magazine have named Sunfish Seafood in Seattle one of their 25 favorite "seafood dives" in the U.S. The popular stand at Alki Beach (2800 Alki Ave. S.W.) earned points for its "fresh seafood (including prawns and oysters)" that arrives "lightly breaded and not greasy." The magazine also liked Sunfish’s "nicely flavored" clam chowder. The only other place in the Pacific Northwest cited by the magazine is Pacific Oyster in Bay City, Ore. Check out the whole story.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
From New York magazine: "If you haven’t had your fill of Adam Platt from his magazine reviews, his Gobbler posts, or his weekly post–Top Chef IM exchanges, sit back and settle in for a veritable Platt glut: Our critic sat down with the site Big Think and shot twenty videos of his immense, silhouetted head discoursing on everything from Top Chef to his review of Momofuku Ko to the ins and outs of being a restaurant critic."

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From Amy Stumpfl of the Nashville City Paper, a recipe from Debra Paquette, chef/owner of Restaurant Zola, (3001 West End Ave., Nashville,TN, 615-320-7778, www.restaurantzola.com):

“Spring is the time for the mystical rebirth of all that is given to mankind. The herbs are the first to leave their winter home — rosemary with tiny purple flowers, laces of lavender, shells of mint and bright green hues of garlic chives. As I pinch each herb, my senses vicariously place me in the French countryside with a cool breeze and a great glass of wine to celebrate the inauguration of a new season.”

LAMB SANDWICH
Small lamb roast or boned leg (3–4 lbs.)
3 leaves garlic chives
2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
2 tbsp. thyme
1/4 cup chopped oregano
pinch of lavender
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 cup olive oil

Chop all herbs by hand and combine with oil. Cut a pocket into roast and rub herbs, inside and out. If lamb needs trussing, use some cotton twine and tie around roast. Wrap and refrigerate for two hours. Place in a small roasting pan on a rack with 1/4 inch of water. If you like, place some whole carrots in the bottom of the pan.

Place in a 275–300 degree oven, basting occasionally, until roast reaches 140 degrees. Cool, cover with Saran wrap and refrigerate. Pull chilled meat from the fat and slice for your sandwich.

Grill or toast slices of focaccia, French bread or a nice Tuscan loaf. Slice lamb very thin (deli-style), and heap on the bread with aioli and olive brined tomatoes (see recipes below). Garnish with a little lemon zest and mint leaves or radish sprouts.

AIOLI VERDE
1/4 cup chopped parsley (garden or store)
1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 tbsp. chopped capers
1 tbsp. chopped mint
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 chopped black olives (optional)
Mix well.

BRINED TOMATOES
Pull out a jar of last summer’s canned tomatoes. Drain. (You can use good quality canned or home roasted tomatoes.) For 1 quart, mix 1/4 cup olive brine (or caper juice), with 1/2 cup olive oil and one or two cloves of roasted garlic and a pinch of salt. Allow to sit overnight, drain and rough chop.

IEAT BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Gordon Ramsay Opening Spots in L.A., Chicago
Drive-Thru reports, "Chef/Restauranteur Gordon Ramsay has confirmed that he will open a restaurant in Chicago next year. Speaking at a recent book signing event in Macy’s department store, Ramsay said: "Chicago is at the forefront of the culinary world right now and I want a piece of that action." Take cover!! gapersblock.com/drivethru … Meanwhile, Eater Los Angeles reports the mid-June opening date for Gordon Ramsay at the London hotel has been upped to May 27. eater.la.com

Dallas Standout Abacus Reopens After Renovation
The Dallas Morning News’s Joyce Harris reports that Kent Rathbun’s award-winning, five-star Abacus LINK restaurant has reopened after being closed for a few weeks for a major renovation to both the decor and the menu. guidelive.com

‘Times’ Critic Lists Casual NYC Favorites
The New York Times’s Frank Bruni ranks his casual favorites in local restaurants, starting with The Little Owl (90 Bedford Street, New York, N.Y. between Grove and Barrow Streets). nytimes.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

 

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[WEEK of April 28 2008]

NYC, Chicago’s Alinea a Fast Riser on World’s 50 Best List
From the Chicago Tribune’s Phil Vettel, "Twenty-first place never sounded so good. Alinea (1723 N. Halsted St.) is one of the big winners in Restaurant Magazine’s annual S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Grant Achatz’ cutting-edge restaurant, which made an impressive debut at  No. 36 on the 2007 list, has risen 15 spots to No. 21 this year, right behind New York City’s Le Bernardin. Charlie Trotter’s (816 W. Armitage Ave.), a fixture on the 50 Best list since its inception in 2002, is at No. 38 (down from No. 30 last year), and the only other Chicago restaurant to make the list. The top three finishers remain the same, in order, for the third straight year. Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, near Barcelona, Spain, earned the three-peat at No. 1, followed by The Fat Duck (UK) and Pierre Gagnaire (France). Luis Aduriz’ Mugaritz (Spain) rose to No. 4, knocking Thomas Keller’s French Laundry (Yountville, Calif.) out of the top four for the first time ever (French Laundry was No. 1 in 2003 and 2004). But Keller’s other restaurant, Per Se (NYC), rose to No. 6, which should take some of the sting away. The complete list is posted at www.theworlds50best.com. http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew

Symon Takes Over ‘Dinner: Impossible’
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Melissa Hebert (www.cleveland.com): "As if Michael Symon wasn’t busy enough. Cleveland’s Mr. Type A of gastronomy is taking on another challenge. He’s going to be the host of "Dinner: Impossible," Food Network’s third-highest rated show. And he’s creating another restaurant in Detroit (see blog highlights below). These new jobs are in addition to his other roles as owner of Cleveland landmark restaurants Lola and Lolita, and one of the Iron Chefs on Food Network’s "Iron Chef America." He will continue to do "Iron Chef America," shooting 10 shows for the new season in June. He begins shooting 10 "Dinner: Impossible" shows next week, finishing at the end of May. New episodes of "Iron Chef America" will begin airing in November, Symon said. One episode of "Dinner: Impossible" will air in July, said "Dinner: Impossible" executive producer Marc Summers, with the new season slated to start in September. Symon is stepping in at "Dinner: Impossible" after the St. Petersburg Times revealed in early February that original host Robert Irvine exaggerated a wee bit on his resume. Like that bit about cooking for England’s royal family. And being a White House chef, among other things."

Talula’s Table the Most Difficult to Reserve
From Slashfood.com: "Could a restaurant be so appealing, so irresistable, that you’d wait a year to get a reservation? This one apparently is: Talula’s Table in rural Pennsylvania, has been called the most difficult reservation to get in the country. Talula’s is about an hour outside of Philly, has only one large farm table that seats 12, and is run by a husband and wife team. There’s a store that sells cakes, pies, soups, and over 150 different kinds of cheeses. (The co-owner spent her life studying cheeses.) But the real treat appears to be the restaurant. The eight-course tasting menu, which features fresh and primarily local ingredients, is the same every day for about 5-6 weeks, and then changes depending on what’s in season. The day that one NPR reporter visited, the menu was as follows: egg custard; mushroom risotto; hand-rolled rigatoni with snails; pampano roasted with a mango-saffron broth; pork osso bucco; lamb; blue-raisin chutney semolina; and for dessert - deep breath - a coffee-infused bavarian creme with bittersweet and white chocolate over a piece of buttery shortbread, covered in a blood orange jelly. And for the record? If you want a reservation, call them tomorrow starting at 7 a.m. The first person to call that day gets the next reservation a year from now, and the process repeats itself the next day, and the next, and the next…

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The Stew Blog from The Tampa Tribune’s Jeff Houck (www.tampatribune.com) includes a downloadable-for-podcast recent nterview with famed chef Mario Batali, whose new outdoor cooking book, Italian Grill, meets the foodies halfway, taking his grilling upscale with his usual Mediterranean flair, including suggestions for wine pairings. Houck also provides a link to an excellent 2006 Charlie Rose interview with Batali. http://life.tboblogs.com/index.php/life/related/C70/

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From The Times-Picayune in New Orleans (www.nola.com): This little-seen recipe for a classic looks unchanged from the time Casamento’s opened in 1919. It’s one of 49 recipes in Kit Wohl’s "New Orleans Classic Seafood" (Penguin Publishing.)

CASAMENTO’S OYSTER SOUP

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 1/2 cups water
2 dozen freshly shucked oysters, drained
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

In a medium saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the oysters and cook for 3 minutes. Remove oysters with a slotted spoon and reserve 3 cups of liquid.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook celery and onions in 1 tablespoon of butter, stirring constantly until tender. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the reserved liquid, garlic, thyme, red pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in the cream. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and return to a simmer.

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then cook for about 3 more minutes until smooth (the mixture will be very thick).

Gradually add the flour mixture to the saucepan, stirring with a wire whisk until blended. Add oysters, salt and white pepper. Cook until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and serve immediately.

IEAT BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Embattled Clemens’ Sports Bar Strikes Out
It appears to be game over for the much-anticipated Roger Clemens Rocket Sports Grill at Memorial City Mall, as all traces of the seven-time Cy-Young award winner have been erased from the would-be restaurant site, the Houston Business Journal reports: "Just one month ago, construction workers were busy erecting a large red "Rocket" sign at the entrance of the restaurant, while Clemens’ baseball jerseys from the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and The University of Texas Longhorns hung in the entry. As of this week, the Clemens memorabilia had been removed. The restaurant — which is still under construction — now houses wide-screen televisions, NASCAR video games and a variety of non-Clemens’ related baseball memorabilia. The move comes as Clemens is under investigation for steroid use after being prominently featured in a December report on performance-enhancing drugs released by Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. In a 2005 press release announcing the venture, Clemens said he wanted the restaurant — originally slated to open in May 2006 — to "display memorabilia that even a die-hard baseball fan might not get a chance to see," including personal keepsakes such as his Cy Young Awards. An employee working inside the 15,000-square-foot restaurant this week said the venue will open in about two weeks as a generic sports bar that will no longer be affiliated with the controversial pitcher." houston.bizjournals.com

Max & Erma’s Sold; Arby’s Buys Wendy’s
The Columbus Dispatch’s Amy Saunders reports, "Max & Erma’s Restaurants Inc. has been sold to a Pittsburgh investor group. Max & Erma’s said in September that it was exploring alternatives for its future, including the sale of the company. „The transaction will allow us to focus our resources on the business and avoid the costly and complex requirements of being a public company,‰ president and CEO Rob Lindeman said in a statement. … Meanwhile, the Dublin, Ohio-based Arby’s owner Triarc says it is buying Wendy’s in an all-stock deal that comes after the burger chain’s board rejected at least two earlier offers by the company, the paper reports. dispatch.com

Cleveland ‘Iron Chef’ Opening Detroit Eatery
The Detroit Free Press’s Sylvia Rector reports, "Cleveland chef Michael Symon — the bald guy with the wild laugh who became the Food Network’s newest "Iron Chef" last fall — will bring his lusty culinary style to Detroit this fall when he opens the premier restaurant at the new Westin Book Cadillac. He intends to make it one you won’t forget. Tentatively called Roast, it will feature "two huge rotisseries and two huge wood-burning grills" where chefs will roast whole suckling pigs, baby goats and spring lambs, and cook wood-fired steaks and other items." freep.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

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[WEEK of April 21 2008]

Hell’s Kitchen, and a Lot Worse
As The New York Times’s Pete Wells reports, it may be that cursing is now seen as part of a chef’s public persona, not just accepted but expected. A recent episode of Top Chef ended with a string of profanities as half of the contestants cursed the other half.  
http://www.nytimes.com

Mag Lists America’s Tastiest Streets
In its most recent issue, Good magazine lists America’s Tastiest Streets (go to see recommended eats on each street). The winners:

• Roosevelt Avenue, Queens
• Travis Street, Houston
• Fremont Avenue North, Seattle
• Broadway, Chicago
• Southwest 8th Street, Miami
• Nolensville Road, Nashville
• W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles

Other Food Mags You Should Be Reading
Gourmet, Saveur, and a few others magazine’s dominate the newsstands, but as The Paupered Chef reminds, there are still some independent magazines that make a major contribution to gastronomy, New York magazine’s Grub Street (nymag.comreports. "The post lists Gastronomica, the highly cerebral journal published by UC Berkeley; Grub Street favorite Edible Brooklyn and its soon-to-be-published sequel, Edible Manhattan; Williamsburg’s Diner’s Journal; and writer Ed Behr’s idiosyncratic but intensely focused The Art of Eating."
 
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
From The Tampa Tribune’s The Stew blog by Jeff Houck:
"The restaurant business is show business. You know what I mean? Anyone who tells you anything different, they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. That comes from a lot of experience of watching my family in the business. You have to bring something else to the table. You have to bring your food to the table and it needs to be done well, and it needs to taste good, but you’ve gotta bring a character also. These days, you’ve gotta back it up. They’re not looking for a chef who hide in the kitchen. They want to put a face with the dining experience in this day and age. That’s the trend. That’s why you see the celebrity chefs now in the past 10 to 15 years. Chefs never used to get recognized or never used to get credit for any of their work. Now, people say we’re the new rock stars." — Current Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn — he of the hats — a 27-year-old chef who cooks Vietnamese food at Mai House in Manhattan, N.Y.    

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Thanks to Boston Menu Pages and IndyMojo.com, here’s deep-fried Pepsi!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From www.restaurantgirl.com, a recipe from Where The Locals Eat New York Top 100 restaurant Gramercy Tavern:

GRAMERCY TAVERN’S CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING
(Serves 12)

Ingredients:

• Egg yolks – 2
• Whole eggs – 4
• Heavy cream – 3 cups
• Whole milk – 2 cups
• Vanilla bean, split and scraped – 1
• Sugar – 1 ½ cups
• Brioche, cut into small cubes – 1 pound loaf, crusts removed
• Bittersweet chocolate, chopped – 4 ounces
• Vanilla extract – ¾ teaspoon
• Milk chocolate pieces to bake inside – 2 ounces
• Bittersweet chocolate pieces to bake inside – 2 ounces

1. Bring to a boil the cream, one cup of the milk, the split and scraped vanilla bean, and sugar.  Whisk together the remaining cup of milk with the eggs and egg yolks.   
2. Gently melt the four ounces bittersweet chocolate over barely simmering water.
3. Gradually whisk some of the hot liquid into the egg mixture.  Then whisk the egg mix into the remaining hot liquid.  Gradually whisk about one cup of this egg/cream mixture into the melted chocolate.   Finally whisk the melted chocolate mixture into the remaining hot liquid.  Add the vanilla extract.
4. Pour all this chocolate liquid over the small bread cubes.  Whisk to combine and to break up the bread pieces.  Pour into a buttered 9 X 13 inch pan.
5. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate pieces and bake in a preheated 325° oven for approximately 45 to 55 minutes until set.

   Note:
   Leftovers can be refrigerated and eaten over the next couple of days, served either cold or re-warmed gently in the microwave or oven.

 

BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Emeril’s Shuttering Struggling Atlanta Location
The  Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Richard L. Eldredge reports, "After being consistently creamed by critics and amid sagging sales, the corporate office of Emeril’s Atlanta announced [April 21] the Buckhead restaurant will permanently close April 30, following dinner. accessatlanta.com

Hildebrandt’s Tops NYC’s Best Burgers List
The New York Daily News’s Rachel Wharton features the new book "The Hamburger" (Yale University Press, $22) from Josh Ozersky, the online food editor for New York magazine. Ozersky has a few recommendations on the city’s best burgers, topped by Hildebrandt’s (84 Hillside Ave., Williston Park, Long Island). nydailynews.com

Dallas Celeb Chefs Branching Out
The Dallas Morning News’s Kim Harwell reports new restaurants in the works for famed chefs Stephen Pyles (a tapas restaurant tentatively named Tanta, opening date TBA) and Albert Lombardi (La Cubanita), who’s opening an Italian eatery in NorthPark Center called Cibus with an expected August-September debut. guidelive.com  

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

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[WEEK of April 14 2008]

Mag Taps Top 10 Grossing Restaurants
Restaurants and Institutions (www.rimag.com) magazine just released its 25th annual survey of the top 100 highest-grossing restaurants in the United States in 2007. http://www.rimag.com/archives/2008/04b/sr-top100-ranking.asp (free registration required). Here’s the top 10:

1. Tao Las Vegas Restaurant & Nightclub,
   Las Vegas: $66,636,546
2. Tavern on the Green,
   New York City: $37,636,999
3. Joe’s Stone Crab,
   Miami Beach: $29,680,810
4. Smith & Wollensky (Third Avenue), New York City: $28,702,000
5. Tao Asian Bistro,
   New York City: $26,842,734
6. Old Ebbitt Grill,
   Washington, D.C.: $22,851,237
7. Gibsons Bar Steakhouse,
   Chicago: $20,846,253
8. Fulton’s Crab House,
   Lake Buena Vista, Fla.: $20,673,932
9. SW Steakhouse,
   Las Vegas: $20,500,000 (est.)
10. Bob Chinn’s Crab House,
    Wheeling, Ill.: $20,449,151

Bottled Water Off Menu at Some Midwest Eateries
From Kevin Murphy of the Kansas City Star: "Smoking is disappearing from bars and restaurants, not just in Kansas City but across the country. Will bottled water be next? Some restaurants in St. Louis and Minneapolis pledged last week to reduce or eliminate the sale of bottled water, following the lead of eateries in several other cities. A lot of fuel is used to make and ship the water containers, and most end up in landfills, say supporters of bottled-water boycotts. So far, Kansas City restaurants have not jumped on the environmental bandwagon in any organized fashion. But that doesn‚t mean you can get bottled water in every restaurant. If customers ask for bottled water at the Blue Bird Bistro at 1700 Summit St. in Kansas City, they get filtered tap water served from a recycled wine bottle. http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/574546.html

How Much Is a Meal Worth? You Decide
From Budget Travel magazine’s Anna Mantzaris in the April issue, "Radiohead made news when it allowed its fans to pay whatever they thought was reasonable to download the band’s latest album. Now, innovative restaurants around the world are doing the same thing: letting their patrons decide how much their meal is worth. At Terra Bite Lounge in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, most diners slip cash into a donation slot by the barista, while others just walk away without bothering to pay. "If I forget to bring enough money, I can just give more next time," says real-estate consultant Tina Cooper, who stops at Terra Bite most mornings for what she claims is the best soy latte in the neighborhood. "When we first opened, some people felt uncomfortable and didn’t come back," says Terra Bite’s founder, Ervin Peretz. "But we now have regulars who put $20 into the slot every Friday for a week’s worth of joe." Discretion is certainly a theme of the pay-what-you-want trend. At Salt Lake City’s One World Everybody Eats, you can deposit cash into a "treasure box" or use the customer-operated credit card machine." budgettravel.com

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
From North Carolina blogger VarmintBites (varmintbites.wordpress.com), here’s a 1971 McDonald’s commercial that will bring back memories for Baby Boomers and beyond:

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From The Birmingham News (www.al.com), here’s the recipe for sweet potatoes at the century-old The Bright Star LINK restaurant:

THE BRIGHT STAR’S SWEET POTATOES (Serves 8 to 10):

5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled

11/2 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 tablespoon nutmeg 2 sticks butter, cut into slices 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Parboil about 5 pounds of sweet potatoes for 30 minutes. Drain. When cooled, slice potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a 9×13 pan. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over potatoes. Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

IEAT BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Rap Star Ludacris Opens Atlanta Restaurant
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s (www.accessatlanta.com) Meridith Ford reports the scheduled April 25 opening of Straits in the former Spice space at 793 Juniper St., serving modern Singaporean cuisine. California chef-owner Chris Yeo is partnering with rap star Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as owners. www.straitsrestaurant.com.

‘Desperate Housewives’ Star Debuts Hollywood Spot
The Los Angeles Times’s S. Irene Virbila has a first look at Beso (6350 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood), the new restaurant from "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria Parker and Boston chef Todd English. latimes.com

‘Animal House’ Star Sells Interest in Eatery
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Kertscher reports, "Mark Metcalf, a Bayside resident who won fame in the movie "Animal House" and has continued to act locally, has sold his interest in the Libby Montana restaurant in Mequon to his former wife, Linda Wick. Metcalf said the sale was called for in the couple’s divorce agreement … Metcalf said he worked part-time primarily as a greeter at the Donges Bay Road restaurant, which opened in November 2000, and that it always has essentially been run by Wick. He said he plans to continue living and working in the area. Metcalf played ROTC commander Doug Neidermeyer in "Animal House," the 1978 fraternity house comedy starring the late John Belushi." jsonline.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

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[WEEK of April 7 2008]

Philly’s Burke Among ‘Food & Wine’ Best New Chefs
Michael Klein’s food and Drinq blog in The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "Food & Wine has given Jim Burke of South Philly’s James its highest honor, the Food & Wine best new chef award. A press release says: "This highly coveted award, launched in 1988, identifies up-and-coming chefs in America who are innovators with a distinct culinary style and vision creating exceptionally delicious food. The 2008 winners will be featured on the cover in the July issue and profiled as part of a 20th-anniversary package on foodandwine.com/2008-best-new-chefs."

The list of 2008 Food and Wine Best New Chefs winners:

• Jim Burke: James, Philadephia
• Gerard Craft — Niche, St. Louis
• Tim Cushman — O Ya, Boston
• Jeremy Fox — Ubuntu, Napa, Calif.
• Koren Grieveson — Avec, Chicago
• Michael Psilakis — Anthos, NYC
• Ethan Stowell — Union, Seattle
• Guiseppe Tentori — Boka, Chicago
• Eric Warnstedt — Hen of the Wood, Waterbury, VT
• Sue Zemanick — Gautreau’s, New Orleans  

In Search of Nation’s Best Hot Dog
The Wall Street Journal’s Raymond Sokolov goes in search of the country’s best hot dog, and considers:

• Speed’s of Boston
• Pink’s Famous Chili Dogs in Hollywood
• The Shake Shack in New York City, and
• Chicago’s Hot Doug’s
• The Wiener’s Circle
• Gene and Jude’s Red Hots.

Happy 20th birthday to the Bloomin’ Onion
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s John Kessler: "How many calories are in a Bloomin’ Onion? Outback Steakhouse’s Bloomin’ Onion turns 20 this year, but you won’t want to celebrate with your own; this app is made for sharing. The answer is somewhere north of 2,000, which health professionals and concerned citizens will say is more than you’ll find in the most bodacious steak. Or a full Thanksgiving dinner. Or an oil drum filled with molten Velveeta. But do we really care? After all, who eats a whole Bloomin’ Onion? Nobody, that’s who. This signature appetizer at Outback Steakhouse — which turns 20 this year — has always been about sharing. You reach to the center of the table for a petal, or two, or six. You rip, and dip, and you’re done."

BLOGGER OF THE WEEK
Columbus, Ohio-based CMH Gourmand visits reviews circa-1840 Wittich’s Candy Shop (117 West High Street, Circleville, OH, 740-474-3313), one of the oldest candy shops in the country. http://www.cmhgourmand.wordpress.com

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
From SF Weekly’s SFoodie blog: (http://www.sfweekly.com) "The NPR listeners and book readers will appreciate this: Comedy troupe Weak Nights wondered what it would be like to have your pizza delivered by humorist David Sedaris. As it turns out, not as fun as you might think. (via Slice)"

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From The Rocky Mountain News’s Marty Meitus in Denver, Elway’s (2500 E. First Ave., 303-399-5353, a second location is downtown in the Ritz Carlton):

ELWAY’S GRILLED ARTICHOKE WITH AIOLI DIP

Serves 6
6 fresh, ripe artichokes, leaf tips and stem trimmed, tough leaves removed

AIOLI DIP:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, plus enough to sprinkle on artichokes before broiling (tested with Spice Hunter Steak and Chop Grill & Broil Seasoning)
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 fresh lemon, juiced; slice other lemon half into 6 pieces; reserve
11/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)

* Trim artichokes and steam whole for 45 minutes.

* Shock in ice-water bath, drain and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

* Prepare aioli: Whisk together all dip ingredients in a glass bowl.

* Cover tightly and chill 2 hours or overnight.

* To roast, cut the steamed, chilled artichokes in half lengthwise with sharp knife.

* Place cut side up on baking sheet. Brush each with melted butter, then sprinkle each with grill seasoning.

* Place under hot broiler for 3 to 5 minutes each side.

* Remove artichokes to a serving dish. Serve with lemon slices and aioli dip.

BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Restaurateur, Bootsy Collins Join Forces in Cincy
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Stepfanie Romine reports that restaurateur Jeff Ruby and funk rocker Bootsy Collins have announced they have signed a lease on their joint venture, a downtown Cincinnati nightclub and restaurant. Bootsy’s Produced by Jeff Ruby will be located in the former Uno’s on Walnut Street, across from the Aronoff Center for the Arts. The venue is expected to open by fall. Bootsy’s will feature Spanish tapas and sushi, with a chef hired from the Columbia restaurant in Tampa, Fla. http://www.cincinnati.com

Village Inn, Bakers Square Parent Files Bankruptcy
The Denver Post’s Aldo Svaldi reports, "Heavy debt, rising food prices and weaker consumer spending has pushed the Village Inn restaurant chain to seek bankruptcy protection [on April 3]. Denver’s oldest restaurant group, celebrating its 50th year, will close 56 of its 306 Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurants, including four Village Inns in Colorado. About 1,750 of 13,000 employees were let go, although some are expected to find work at nearby Village Inns. Just more than 200 jobs, including five at the company’s Denver headquarters, were cut in Colorado. At the Cherry Creek Village Inn, customers were greeted with a sign on the door saying, "Some delicious things must come to an end." http://www.denverpost.com

Flay Throws Down Over Minnesota Eatery’s Name
The Pioneer Press’s Nancy Ngo reports from St. Paul, Minn: "Celebrity chef Bobby Flay is all heated up over Salut Bar Americain in Edina. He claims the name is too close to that of his New York restaurant Bar Americain. The restaurateur and host of the Food Network’s "Boy Meets Grill" is trying to stop parent company Parasole Restaurant Holdings from using Bar Americain. Good luck on that one, says partner Phil Roberts. Bar Americain is a French phrase (meaning a place that has a full bar) and therefore up for grabs. "It’s like using cafe or trattoria," says Roberts, whose company also runs Muffuletta in St. Paul, Figlio, Chino Latino and Manny’s Steakhouse (Minneapolis). "You can’t trademark that." Flay did not reply to a request seeking comment. http://www.twincities.com 

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

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[WEEK of March 31 2008]

Top 5 ‘Healthiest’ Fast Food Chains
The Denver Post’s Tucker Shaw reports: "Health Magazine recently ranked the top five “healthiest” fast food chains. Noodles & Co. and Chipotle, both based in Colorado, took home the gold and silver in the rankings.

The criteria? According to the magazine, “…healthy food preparation; the availability of organic or hormone-free foods; whole grains on the menu; limited or no trans-fats in all dishes; low-sodium options; healthy beverages; and portion control; as well as how easily you, the customer, can access nutritional information…”

Here are the top five:

1. Noodles & Co.
2. Chipotle Mexican Grill
3. Cosi
4. Panera
5. Au Bon Pain

Egg McMuffin Inventor Dies
The Associated Press reports, "Herb Peterson, who invented the ubiquitous Egg McMuffin as a way to introduce breakfast to McDonald’s restaurants, has died. He was 89. Peterson died peacefully March 25 at his Santa Barbara, Calif., home, said Monte Fraker, vice president of operations for McDonald’s restaurants in that city. He began his career with McDonald’s Corp. as vice president of the company’s advertising firm, D’Arcy Advertising, in Chicago. He wrote McDonald’s first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day." Peterson eventually became a franchisee and was currently co-owner and operator of six McDonald’s restaurants in Santa Barbara and Goleta, Fraker said. Peterson came up with idea for the signature McDonald’s breakfast item in 1972. He "was very partial to eggs Benedict," Fraker said, and worked on creating something similar. The egg sandwich consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, topped with a slice of cheese and grilled Canadian bacon. It was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin. The Egg McMuffin made its debut at a restaurant in Santa Barbara that Peterson co-owned with his son, David Peterson. Fraker said that, although semiretired, Peterson still visited all six of his stores in the Santa Barbara area until last year when his health began to deteriorate." ap.com

VIDEOS OF THE WEEK

From Eater Los Angeles, a video of star chef Thomas Keller dishes on Michelin, Ramsay, Ratatouille on The Charlie Rose Show.

 

Also From Eater Los Angeles, "Food Network Dish has a clip of Adam Roberts (a.k.a. The Amateur Gourmet) interviewing an in all probability drunken Anthony Bourdain about his hatred of the Food Network."

 

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From the San Antonio Express-News (mysanantonio.com), Where The Locals Eat Best Mexican Winner El Mirador LINK in San Antonio:

EL MIRADOR’S CILANTRO SHRIMP SAUCE:

2 teaspoons oil
20 large shrimp (10-15 count)
1 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons white wine
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoons Pesto (recipe follows)
½cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Cooked pasta or rice, for serving (optional)

PESTO:
3 bunches cilantro
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup to 1 cup olive oil

Heat oil and sauté shrimp and garlic. Remove shrimp and deglaze pan with white wine. Add cilantro, pesto, heavy cream and butter, reduce heat to low and cook just until butter melts and mixture is thickened. Be careful not to overcook or sauce will separate. Return shrimp to pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve over pasta or steamed rice. Garnish with cilantro.

For Pesto: Mix cilantro, pepitas and Parmesan cheese in food processor. Blend until finely chopped. With machine running, add oil to incorporate ingredients.

Makes 4 servings. Approximate nutritional values per serving: 310 calories (85.6 percent calories from fat), 8 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 0 g sugar, 0 g dietary fiber, 29 g fat, 115 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium.

Source: El Mirador

Lighten it up:
Use 40 shrimp instead of 20 to serve 8 instead of 4 (keeping sauce amounts the same) and save 140 calories and 14 g fat per serving.

BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Famed New Orleans Chef Prudhomme Grazed by Bullet
The Associated Press reports from Gretna, La.: "Celebrated chef Paul Prudhomme (K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen) was setting up his cooking tent on the practice range at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on March 25 when he felt a sting in his right arm, just above his elbow. Prudhomme shook his shirt sleeve and a .22 caliber bullet fell to the ground, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies believe Prudhomme was hit by a falling bullet, probably shot about 9:30 a.m. from somewhere within a 1 1/2-mile radius of the golf course, said Col. John Fortunato. Prudhomme did not require medical attention. "He thought it was a bee sting," Fortunato said. "Within five minutes, he was back to doing his thing." Witnesses said the bullet cut Prudhomme’s skin on his arm and put a hole in his white chef’s coat. But Prudhomme continued cooking until he left the course about 3:30 p.m." ap.com

Musician Carlos Santana Opens Tempe Eatery
Maria Maria Restaurant, a collaboration between musician Carlos Santana and chef Roberto Santibañez, has opened at Tempe Marketplace, The Business Journal of Phoenix reports. This is the pair’s second location, the first opened last fall in Walnut Creek, Calif. A grand opening celebration is planned to coincide with Cinco de Mayo weekend May 2. www.mariamariarestaurants.com. phoenix.bizjournals.com

Baltimore Bans Trans Fats in Restaurants
Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon signed a bill March 27 that bans restaurants from serving foods make with trans fats, the Baltimore Business Journal reports. The mayor’s anticipated signature makes the bill a law. The Baltimore City Council unanimously voted March 18 to approve the bill, which will take effect fall 2009. baltimore.bizjournals.com

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[WEEK of March 24 2008]

James Beard Foundation 2008 Nominees Announced
The 2008 James Beard Foundation nominations, which serve as the Academy Awards of the nation’s dining, were announced March 24. The awards will be presented June 8 in New York City. Among the highlights…

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD: Grant Achatz, Alinea, Chicago; José Andrés, Minibar, Washington, DC; Dan Barber, Blue Hill, NYC; Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles; Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL.

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD: Boulevard, San Francisco; Campanile, Los Angeles; Gramercy Tavern, NYC; Jean Georges, NYC; The Slanted Door, San Francisco.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: Anthos, NYC; Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC; Fearing’s at the Ritz Carlton, Dallas; Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles; Osteria, Philadelphia.

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR AWARD: Nate Appleman, A 16, San Francisco LINK; Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, SC; Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud, NYC; Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, DC; Matt Molina, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles LINK; Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland, OR.

AMERICAN CLASSICS AWARDS: Bagaduce Lunch, 19 Bridge Road (Route 176), Brooksville, ME; Irma’s Restaurant, 22 N. Chenevert Street, Houston; Maneki, 304 Sixth Avenue South, Seattle; Jumbo’s, 7501 NW 7th Avenue, Miami; Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap, 1073 Vernon Park Place, Chicago.

Here’s a link to the complete list: http://jbfawards.com/content/2008-nominee

Popeye’s Chicken Founder Dies at Age 64
From Mary Foster of The Associated Press, "Al Copeland, who became rich selling spicy fried chicken and notorious for his flamboyant lifestyle, died Sunday, March 23 at a clinic near Munich, Germany. He was 64. The founder of the Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken chain had been diagnosed shortly before Thanksgiving with a malignant salivary gland tumor. His death was announced by his spokeswoman, Kit Wohl. After growing up in New Orleans, Copeland sold his car at age 18 for enough money to open his own one-man doughnut shop. He went on to spend 10 modestly successful years in the doughnut business. The opening of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in New Orleans in 1966, however, caught Copeland’s eye. Inspired by KFC’s success, Copeland in 1971 used his doughnut profits to open a restaurant, Chicken on the Run. ("So fast you get your chicken before you get your change.") After six months, Chicken on the Run was still losing money. In a last-ditch effort, Copeland chose a spicier Louisiana Cajun-style recipe and reopened the restaurant under the name Popeyes Mighty Good Fried Chicken, after Popeye Doyle, Gene Hackman’s character in the film "The French Connection." The chain that grew from the one restaurant became Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken. In its third week of operation, Copeland’s revived chicken restaurant broke the profit barrier. Franchising began in 1976, growing the chain to more than 800 stores in the United States and several foreign countries by 1989. In 1983, he founded Copeland’s of New Orleans, a causal-dining, Cajun-style restaurant. In the next two decades the chain expanded as far as Maryland and west into Texas. He also started Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro, Fire and Ice restaurants, and Al’s Diversified Food & Seasonings — a line of specialty foods and spices for large national restaurant chains. In March 1989, Popeyes — then the third-largest chicken chain — purchased Church’s Chicken, the second largest behind KFC. The two chains, operated separately, gave Copeland more than 2,000 locations." ap.com  

Critics, Chefs Face Rounding Errors       
The New York Times’s Kim Severson reports that after years of gluttony, many food journalists, chefs and others who appreciate skillful cooking and gluttonous feasting are finding that their bodies can’t keep up.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
From FooBooz.com, in honor of Philadelphia’s recent Beer Week, here’s an hour’s worth of classic beer commercials:

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From The Orlando Sentinel

APPLE SHOOTER FROM DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA GRILL

Yield: 4-6 servings.
6 yellow sponge cake circles

Almond crumble:
3 ounces almond paste
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons shortening
1 cup cake flour
1 stick melted butter

Caramel sauce:
1/2 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream, warmed
1 teaspoon vanilla

Poached apples:
1 cup each: water and granulated sugar
1 each, cut into small cubes: Granny Smith and Braeburn apples

Caramel mousse:
1/2 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream, warmed
4 tablespoons powdered gelatin, bloomed in 1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon each: vanilla extract and Grand Marnier
1/2 cup egg yolks
2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1. For crumble, mix almond paste and sugar. Mix in shortening, a little at a time. Alternate, adding flour and butter a little at a time, until mixture is smooth. Pour into parchment-lined pan. Cut into strips; freeze. Grind into small pieces, place on baking sheet, bake at 350 F 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool and store in airtight container.

2. For sauce, combine syrup, sugar and water in pan. Stir while bringing mixture to boil. Using brush dipped in water, brush away sugar crystals on side of pan to prevent recrystallization. Without stirring, cook mixture to amber caramel (350 F). Do not let mixture smoke and burn. Carefully add butter and warmed cream to mixture; be aware mixture will rise high in pan. Stir, and then bring back to boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool to 86 F. Add vanilla.

3. For apples, combine water and sugar and cook until mixture reaches boiling stage. Add apples. Cook until apples are tender but still crunchy. Take off heat and cool.

4. For mousse, mix syrup, sugar and water in pan. Stir while bringing to boil. Using brush dipped in water, brush away sugar crystals on side of pan to prevent recrystallization. Without stirring, cook to amber caramel (350 degree F). Do not let mixture smoke and burn. Carefully add butter and warmed cream; be aware mixture will rise high in pan. Stir; bring back to boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add gelatin; let cool to 140 F. Pour into mixing bowl. Add vanilla and liqueur. Temper eggs by mixing with a little bit of warm mixture. Add warmed eggs to bowl. Whip until cool (86 F). Whip cream to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream and caramel together.

5. Add sauce to small rocks glass. Place circle of cake on top. Add poached apples next, then the mousse and top with almond crumble. Portions of each item can vary.

iEAT BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

NYC Chef Lidia Bastianich to Feed the Pope
The New York Times’s Frank Bruni reports, "When Pope Benedict XVI makes his first trip as Pope to New York next month, the cook taking charge of his nightly dinners will be the grande dame of this city’s Italian chefs, Lidia Bastianich." nytimes.com

Historic ‘Bama Restaurant Closing
The Associated Press reports the scheduled March 30 closing of of Eutaw, Ala.’s The Cotton Patch, a log cabin restaurant, first opened in 1937, with massive stone fireplaces and a legacy of down-home food. The restaurant and its 35-acre grounds have been sold. The restaurant’s grounds are being logged. The Cotton Patch has long been a favorite road trip for University of Alabama students. Its original building on U.S. Highway 11 north of Eutaw burned in 1975, but it was rebuilt on its current site in 1977. ap.com

Old Spaghetti Factory Spawns Chain Hopeful
Like his father before him, Old Spaghetti Factory owner Chris Dussin is creating a new restaurant with his own stamp, the Portland Business Journal reports. Blue Sage Cafe was to debut March 22 at West Linn Central Village. A second location will open in May in Lake Oswego. Dussin’s parents, Sally Dussin and the late Russ Dussin, formed Old Spaghetti Factory in 1969. Old Spaghetti Factory International operates from headquarters above its restaurant in Portland’s South Waterfront district and has 30 restaurants, plus 10 franchises. Five franchises in the Tokyo area are what make it "international." Blue Sage Cafe will serve American fare with a Southwestern twist and a diner-driven approach that aims to appeal to families on the go. portland.bizjournals.com

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[WEEK of March 17 2008]

With This Chef, I Thee Blog
More and more chefs are blogging, as Regina Schrambling reports in the Los Angeles Times. "In the last few months some of the bigger names in food across the country have joined the online chattering class, posting their innermost thoughts, with photos and recipes, just as home cooks have been doing for years." Iron chefs Mario Batali and Michael Symon are among the chef bloggers.

Playboy Bares Its Top 10 Burgers
In its March issue, Playboy magazine names its top 10 burgers nationally:

• Ann’s Snack Bar, Atlanta;
• Christian’s Tailgate Grill & Bar, Houston;
• Dyer’s Burgers, Memphis;
• The Hungry Cat, Hollywood, CA;
• Kuma’s Corner, Chicago;
• The Meers Store & Restaurant, Meers, OK;
• Shake Shack, New York City;
• Solly’s Grill, Glendale, WI;
• Tessaro’s, Pittsburgh;
• Town Topic, Kansas City, MO.
  playboy.com  

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
From The Boston Globe’s Dishing blog, here’s Mo Rocca’s video interview with semi-disguised New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/dishing/

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From Denver’s 5280 magazine (5280.com), a soup recipe from Denver’s critically acclaimed — and Where the Locals Eat Top 100 Denver restaurant — The Kitchen Cafe:

THE KITCHEN’S TOMATO SOUP
Courtesy of www.thekitchencafe.com
(Serves 8-10)

When using canned tomatoes, we recommend the San Marzano brand, available at Whole Foods and online. If you cannot find San Marzano, any good-quality canned, whole peeled, organic tomatoes should work.

• 1/3 pound (1 1/3 sticks) good-quality
  unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• sea salt
• 3 16-ounce cans good-quality whole peeled, organic tomatoes, undrained
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing

In a large pan, melt butter over low heat. Add onion and a good pinch of salt. Reduce heat to very low, cover, and cook onions for about 30 minutes or until translucent and soft (not browned).

Add tomatoes with their juices. Increase heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.

Working in batches, blend tomato-onion mixture in a food processor or blender, adding cream while blending. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, drizzled with a little olive oil.

BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Fibbing Celeb Chef’s St. Pete Spots a No-Go
The St. Pete Times reports that celebrity chef Robert Irvine, caught fibbing about his education, culinary experience, British royal relationships and assorted bits of his life, will not open two highly anticipated restaurants in downtown St. Petersburg. The project was planned for 400 Beach Drive, the new 29-story, condominium tower at Fifth Avenue N. tampabay.com

NFL Broadcaster Dierdorf’s Restaurant Closes
Stlalamode.com reports the closing of the downtown location of Dierdorf & Hart’s steak house, which bears the name of former St. Louis Cardinals football stars Dan Dierdorf (the well-known broadcaster) and Jim Hart.

Atlanta Chain Relocating to Austin
The American-Statesman’s Shonda Novak reports that Austin-based Murphy Adams Restaurant Group, which owns three Mama Fu’s restaurants and has more on the way, has bought the Atlanta-based fast-casual Pan Asian brand and its 17 restaurants, and will locate the chain’s headquarters in Austin. austin360.com

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[WEEK of March 10 2008]

As Food Costs Soar, Chefs Use Their Noodles
From the Wall Street Journal’s Juliet Chung: "Get ready to eat more pasta. With food prices rising at their highest rate in decades, chefs are swapping out high-end ingredients for humbler substitutes and scratching low-profit entrees off the menu. Meat scraps that used to get ground into hamburger are now listed as a $12.95 steak tartare at Murray’s steakhouse in Minneapolis. At Gramercy Tavern in New York, the caviar-topped hamachi appetizer has been replaced with a tuna-and-beet tartare topped with sliced radishes. Uptown at Isabella’s, a pasta dish is squeezing out a sirloin." Among the measures chefs are taking:

• Taking scraps once used for hamburger meat for first courses, such as a tartare
• Cutting caviar and other imported food items
• Adding pasta dishes
• Adding less expensive veggies as sides
• Cutting back on European wines
• Raising prices
• Shrinking plate sizes

Make Way for the $4 Pizza Slice
From the New York Daily News’s Will James, "The price of a slice of pizza or a bagel is about to rise, but don’t blame the poor guy behind the counter — point the finger toward far-away farms in Australia and Russia. Lousy crop yields across the planet and growing consumption have made the price of flour rise like a loaf of bread with too much yeast, and New York restaurants, bakeries and pizzerias are reeling. Many have already begun to pass on the cost to customers, and it could get a lot worse, according to people in the industry. "You’re going to be paying four bucks for a slice of pizza soon," said Sal Casella, vice president of Howard Gordy Bakery Supplies in East New York, Brooklyn. Hamlyn Seebaran, who owns "D" Original A & A Restaurant, a Caribbean eatery in Ozone Park, Queens, said he saw the price of a 50-pound bag of flour jump to $26 from $16 in a matter of two weeks. When he tried a new distributor a few days later, the best he could do was $36. "I’m confused, just like the customers are confused," Seebaran said. nydailynews.com

Food Network Cans ‘Dinner Impossible’ Host
From New York magazine’s Grub Street: "This must come as a surprise to no one, but the Food Network has officially given Dinner Impossible host Robert Irvine the mitten. Irvine, you may remember, was the TV chef who went around telling everybody that he was not just a knight, but Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, the penultimate rank of one of England’s major chivalric orders. Various other dubious claims were dispelled once someone checked the facts, and Irvine’s career then entered its Milli Vanilli phase. The Food Network stresses that he really is a good cook, though! Our favorite part of Irvine’s statement? “I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences regarding the Royal Family.” It’s okay, Bob — it could happen to anybody." nymag.com

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Stefan Nadelman’s Food Fight "is an abridged history of war, from World War II to present day, told through the foods of the countries in conflict. Watch as traditional comestibles slug it out for world domination in this chronologically re-enacted smorgasbord of aggression."

RECIPE OF THE WEEK
From the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the acclaimed Big Easy restaurant Brigsten’s:

BRIGTSEN’S CREAM OF OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER SOUP

Makes 20 servings
5 cups oyster liquor
3 cups heavy cream
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 cups diced yellow onions
5 cups diced celery
6 cups coarsely chopped spinach (stems removed)
8 cups sliced green onions (white and green)
2½ cups finely chopped parsley
1½ teaspoons finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic Seasoning
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¾ cups Herbsaint liqueur
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
40 medium or 60 small shucked oysters

In a 2-quart saucepan bring oyster liquor to a boil; turn down heat and keep warm. In a 5-quart saucepan bring the whipping cream to a boil; turn down heat and keep warm.

In a 10-quart saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, spinach, green onions, parsley, garlic and seafood seasoning. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Lower heat to medium and add the 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not let mixture stick to bottom of pan.

Add the warm oyster liquor and the Herbsaint and cook 20 minutes more, scraping and stirring constantly.

Remove vegetable mixture from stove and puree. Return to saucepan and bring back to a boil. Add the warm cream and let simmer 40 to 45 minutes. Correct seasoning with salt and cayenne.

To serve, poach 2 medium or 3 small oysters per serving in their liquor and cover with 4 to 5 ounces of the creamy soup base. Serve in pre-heated 8-ounce soup or bouillon cups.

iEAT BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

Charlie Trotter Opens in Vegas
The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Vettel reports, "The grand opening won’t be for several weeks, but [acclaimed Chicago chef] Charlie Trotter has quietly opened Restaurant Charlie in the glittering new Palazzo Resort, on the Las Vegas Strip." chicagotribune.com

Wizard of Oz Eyes Beale Street Sports Bar
Former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith and his business partners are looking to open several sports bars across the country and are eyeing a location on Beale Street, the Memphis Business Journal report. Smith’s group is considering a 6,900-square-foot space at 349 Beale, the only sizable available space left on the street. The two-story space with mezzanine at the southwest corner of Beale and Fourth Street used to house Have a Nice Day Cafe. memphis.bizjournals.com

New York Mag Critics Pick Favorite Newcomers
New York magazine’s Best of New York issue includes critics’ picks for favorite new restaurant:

• ADAM PLATT — Dovetail (103 W. 77th St., nr. Columbus Ave.; 212-362-3800);
• GAEL GREENE — Anthos, 36 W. 52nd St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-582-6900);
• ROBIN RAISFELD — Dell’anima (38 Eighth Ave., nr. Jane St.; 212-366-6633); and
• ROB PATRONITE — Resto (111 E. 29th Street., nr. Park Ave. S.; 212-685-5585).
  nymag.com

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[WEEK of March 3 2008]

Mags Select Country’s Best Breakfasts, Sandwiches
In the March issues, Details magazine picks its best breakfasts in America, including Lou Mitchell’s (Chicago 565 West Jackson Boulevard, 312-939-3111; loumitchellsrestaurant.com) , while Esquire magazine selects the best sandwiches in America, including Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles (419 North Fairfax Avenue; 323-651-2030).

‘Times’ Critic Picks Top New U.S. Restaurants
The New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni lists his top 10 new restaurants (since Jan. 1, 2006) in the U.S., in alphabetical order:

• Central Michel Richard (Washington, D.C.)
• Cochon (New Orleans) LINK
• Coi (San Francisco)
• Fearing’s (Dallas)
• Fraiche (Culver City, Calif.)
• Guy Savoy (Las Vegas)
• Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink (Miami)
• O Ya (Boston)
• Tilth (Seattle)
• Ubuntu (Napa, Calif.) 

Video of the Week
From YumSugar.com: "In their first appearance since Martha bought Emeril’s empire, the duo appeared on the Late Show With David Letterman to provide their top 10 entertaining tips."