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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Flavor Trippin'
Posted by Brian Ries on Tue, Jul 8, 2008 at 1:32 PM
From our man in Sarasota, Justin Richards:
This past weekend, a friend from Ft. Lauderdale bought berries (at $3 each) from a local horticulturist, and seven of us prepared a smorgasbord. We each chewed a berry, swished it around in our mouths for a minute, then began to taste.
First, we did lemons and limes. Some said they tasted like tangerines, but there was more to the flavor than that: essence-of-lime without the sourness. We sliced them up and squeezed them one after another into our mouths.
“It has buttery notes!” said the person next to me.
Heineken became very drinkable on the miracle fruit. Some of the tasters thought it evoked cream soda. One friend suggested writing a letter to the brewer: “Dear Heineken, we had to pay $3 to enjoy your beer.”
Ranch dressing tasted like custard.
Bordeaux tasted like Riesling.
Goat cheese tasted like cream cheese.
Dubliner cheese tasted like a milder cheese.
Tequila tasted like tequila. (Tequila will not be moved.)
As you can see, the flavor conversions weren’t as wild as I’d thought they’d be.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Food Party!
Posted by Brian Ries on Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 7:33 PM
Have you ever seen Food Party? Uhm, just watch...
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For more, head here.
Monday, June 30, 2008
66 Dogs, 12 Minutes, A Lifetime of Glory
Posted by Brian Ries on Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Fireworks? Barbecue? Boston Pops? A celebration of independence? Bah!
Don't think you can just show up and join the fun; these days you have to win a qualifying contest to enter the Nathan's Championship. Go to the International Federation of Competitive Eating to check out other upcoming events, and get tips on how the pros do their grotesque thing.
St. Pete's own Dairy Inn will also hold their, much more relaxed competition on July 4th, starting at 11:30 a.m. Stop by the restaurant to pick up an entry form, along with a great burger and a shake.
You can also read my piece on competitive eating to get a little more background, as well as a glimpse into my own mercifully brief foray into the stomach-stretching arts.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Thank The Lunch Lady
Posted by Brian Ries on Thu, Jun 26, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Scared to send your child out of the house for hours at a time to run off their summer vacation energy? Now you've got something else to fear.
According to a NYT article, kindergarten and 1st grade kids put on body mass two to three times faster during the summer, compared to the school year. Some of that has to do with the lack of scheduled eating and activity enforced by schools, some has to do with sitting around watching TV and playing video games. Sadly, kids who need to gain weight also did better during the school year, putting on more mass, likely thanks to the almost-guaranteed offer of two-to-three squares a day from the government.
School cafeteria food may not be ideal, but Sarasota has the right attitude to help kids with nutrition. Pinellas and Hillsborough are a little behind the curve.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Mr Wonderfull's Surprize
Posted by Brian Ries on Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 1:16 PM
The Florida Sun-Sentinel has a truly awe-inspiring series of retro cereal box photos posted on their website. Sure, there's Quisp and and Mr. T cereal, but there are also many I've never heard of. Cap'n Crunch's Punch Crunch. Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs. And, perhaps my very favorite, Crunchy Loggs.
Makes me want to go out and buy whatever movie tie-in cereal is currently available. Maybe Indy's Crunchy Skulls, or Get Smart Shoe Puffs, or Love Guru Fruity Genitalia. Mmm, artificially-flavored corn-puff penises.
If that's not enough, here's another good resource for retro cereal packaging, and another, and this one that's a tad too high concept to be useful, but interesting nonetheless.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Greenpeace and Alton Brown Team Up
Posted by Brian Ries on Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Sort of. Greenpeace recently released a study that ranks supermarket chains by their commitment to sustainable seafood. Since GP essentially advocates taking a break from any type of fishing -- not a bad idea, considering the apocalyptic scenarios outlined here -- they are understandably a bit harsh in their ranking system. In our area, Whole Foods ranks highest, with a whopping 4 out of 10 points. Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Target manage to eke out a 3, while all the typical supermarkets -- Publix, Sweetbay and Winn-Dixie -- fill the bottom of the list.
In other news, food personality Alton Brown announced he'll be shifting the focus of Good Eats. ""I've been busy being clever, but now I want to use what credibility I may have to help people think about sustainability," he told grist.com in an interview. He even offered to ride along with Greenpeace, saying "somebody needs to sink the Japanese tuna fleet. Everyone's willing to point the finger, but nobody's willing to pull the trigger."
Damn, concerns for sustainability on the Food Network? Maybe they should have a talk with Paula.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Hog Wild
Posted by Brian Ries on Mon, Jun 23, 2008 at 1:58 PM
Hogs are running wild in 37 states. Florida is one of them, with the second largest population of wild porkers in the country. Why worry about a few feral pigs? They eat just about anything and can clear the ground of native plant and animal species at an alarming rate, wrecking the ecosystems of acres of protected land in a very short time. More development just means a higher density of hogs on undeveloped land. And they're mean som' bitches.
Check out these stats that show how Sarasota deals with its porcine problem. Yep, 2 trappers bag over 1,000 hogs every year, just in the SRQ. That might be a drop in the bucket of Florida's pork population, but it sure is some tasty huntin'.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Chipotle Wants To Buy Your Peppers
Posted by Brian Ries on Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 1:08 PM
Chipotle -- the fast-food burrito joint owned by McDonald's -- has been trying to push more local foods through its restaurants for the past few years. Part of it is marketing, like their high-profile agreement with Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms (immortalized in Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma) to provide all the pork at Chipotle's Charlottesville, VA locations.
Now, the restaurant chain is expanding their commitment, vowing to source at least 25% of at least one produce item from small and medium local farms at every one of Chipotle's over 700 locations, at least when the veggies are in season. One item seems like a drop in the bucket, but with the massive volume fast food places go through it could mean big bucks for local farms.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wine Recommendations For $20 Menu Challenge
Posted by Brian Ries on Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 6:02 PM
From our wine maven Taylor Eason comes inexpensive wines with our inexpensive menus (bolded wines will work for the whole menu, if you don't want to go with course-by-course wines):
David Miller, Savant Fine Dining:
Sweet Potato Soup: Big Fire 2006 Pinot Gris, $15
Heirloom Tomato Salad: Columbia Crest 2007 Two Vines Rose, $10
Braised Lamb in Peach Gastrique with Sweet Potato Scallops and Baby Eggplant: Jaboulet 2005 “Parallele 45” Cotes du Rhone, $15
Fabrizio Schenardi, Pelagia Trattoria:
Polenta with Sauteed Mushrooms: St. Francis 2004 Red, $12
Open-Faced Ravioli: Masi 2006 Masianco Venezie, $15
Seared Salmon with Green Beans: Beringer 2006 Pinot Noir, $20
Fruit Crepes: Banfi 2007 Rosa Regale, $18
Mashed Potato Salad: Bonny Doon 2005 Le Cigare Blanc California, $20
Lentil Soup: 7 Deadly Zins 2004 Zinfandel, $13
Lamb Tibs: Onix 2006 Priorat, $12
Grass Root Tofu Scramble: Sokol Blosser Evolution #9 11th Edition
Mushroom Medley: whatever red wine you use in the recipe OR Campo Viejo 2004 Rioja Crianza, $12
Ravioli: S.A. Prum 2006 Riesling, $12
Giving Africa The Finger
Posted by Brian Ries on Wed, Jun 18, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Thanks to reader Erica comes news of this local "natural" wonder from Tate Brothers Pizza on Davis Island. No word yet if it will be included in alongside modern monuments like the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge, but we'll see. Better yet, you can own it for approximately pocket change.
Best part of the description -
"This continent is flavored with a mild wing sauce and has been frozen in carbonite to protect its value."
Second best part -
"We DO NOT Reccomend eating this. It's for display purposes only."
Yeah, I don't recommend eating these things even when they aren't shaped like Africa and shipped cross-country.
