I enjoy trying regional specialties, hence my trying to recreate the Italian Beef when watching the recent season finale of The Bear. Maine has some obvious ones, and, no, I’m not referring to the McLobster (“with flecks of real lobster” was an actual selling point back in the day), though a real lobster roll is good. No, another item you will find in that flattened bun is a Maine-only hot dog known as the red…
The Bear, FX’s much-lauded, frequently-awarded show is coming back for its fourth, and potentially final, season. Readers of this blog may recall I love the show for a number of reasons, none of which are dependent on it being a comedy. In fact, an arguable element to admire in the show is its depiction of the inherent drama within a restaurant kitchen. But how accurate is that portrayal? Veteran chef and restaurateur Paul Liebrandt weighs…
The official unofficial start of summer is coming, which means more than a few families are planning some road trips. And on those trips, you may be tempted to stop at a restaurant that isn’t as familiar, perhaps a regional chain. But did you realize some of these regional chains might have once had visions of national grandeur? Ernie Smith, in an article on Atlas Obscura, dives into the occasionally deep-friend origins of some of…
I could ask the question, “Who doesn’t like waffles?” — but we all know the answer. Communists. Communists hate waffles. Communists hate the liberties freedom-loving folk take in placing any variety of fruits, whipped cream, or simply syrup –but not simple syrup— on their waffles. Wait, scratch that. If you want to put simple syrup on your waffles, do so. We can’t let those Commies win. I know you have questions. Have I always been…
The McRib and the Shamrock Shake will always have their adherents. Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffins will be the go-to McItem for many. But since the debut of the McDLT and its egregious use of Styrofoam, I’ve always had a soft spot for the “other burger” on the McDonald’s menu. For a brief time in the late 90s, that role was filled by the Arch Deluxe, McDonald’s attempt at a “grown-up burger.” It failed. Miserably.…
A holiday tradition for many people is cookie making, which is all well and good, but what to do about all those cookies once they’re made? Here, we learn from the undisputed master of cookie eating.
Thanksgiving feasts will be on the tables of millions of Americans in less than a week, but for this Friday before said feast is completely on everyone’s mind, let’s talk about sandwiches. Social media exercises frequently make the rounds regarding where people have traveled, so I read this article by Terry Ward for CNN about some of the world’s best sandwiches, and I thought this was just as interesting a score to tally… and far…
Full confession: I wrote and scheduled the first version of this post in the depths of Summer, convinced that “Fall flavors” would be in stores before the end of August. I was not wrong. “But why?” you may ask. “Why must the end of Summer be sullied with an impatient corporate lust for seasonal profits that ignore all seasonal boundaries?” You know why. Allecia Vermillion covers the intriguing origin story of the Pumpkin Spice Latte…
Continuing my Friday theme of food posts, I switch from savory to sweet. This week, it’s Emily Mangini’s article for Serious Eats which goes into the history of Nutella. Okay, apart from a lot of hazelnuts, it might not be that nutty, but if you like food histories like A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage, you’ll find this a nice appetizer of an article. A connection to last week and…
Look, I’ve been doing food posts for the past few Fridays, so I’m not going to stop now… certainly when I can share the story of Sriracha, which is a surprisingly American story. Okay, maybe it’s surprising to me because I first noticed Sriracha when I was in Indonesia, which was sometimes next to homemade sambal on the table. I got so used to its omnipresence at Indonesian food stalls, the first time I saw…