Home

Here’s what was being written about today in the world of food and dining news:

• Eating Our Words gets us ready for the weekend by alerting us to the existence of pocket shots. Finally, an alcohol product designed specifically for endurance athletes.

So stupid it’s awesome. (Or maybe vice versa.)

Here are some of this week’s most noteworthy restaurant reviews from across the country:

Broward-Palm Beach

Gratify

I’ve got some major beef with the potato chips served at Gratify. These chips, the bar’s equivalent of complimentary bread and butter, are crinkle-cut and fried in-house, which is admirable. But they’re also sliced so thick that, in order to get them to crisp, the kitchen has to practically burn them. What you end up with is a basket of potatoes either bottom-of-the-fryer brown, or soggy and limp without any sort of satisfying crackle. More >>

Dallas

Hibiscus

The first taste of the baked Dungeness crab dip provoked a moment of quiescence. The silence, short-lived, was followed by ravenous arm wrestling for more. The appetizer dip, served with shards of unleavened bread–think matzo par excellence–was a reward for the tortuous hunt for non-valet parking in the eatery-heavy Knox-Henderson district. Better suited for a party of four or more, the dip was a portent of the meal to come at Hibiscus, an unabashedly New American restaurant. Praise the West and its ability to meld super-sized portions and exquisite tastes! Here was no affected nouvelle shop. Here was American cuisine–with a Pacific bent–and its knack to push boundaries, be they of flavors or waistlines. More >>

Sara Kerens

“Its chef might have changed, but the food at Hibiscus–in this photo, crispy skate wing with roasted marble potatoes–is worth the price.”

Here’s what was being written about today in the world of food and dining news:

• City of Ate keeps the Mother’s Day articles rollin’ on in with a list of five bizarre food commercials starring moms. Our favorite, the high fructose corn syrup ad below. Because if you can’t clearly articulate why something totally unnatural is bad for you, it must be A-okay.

Minus the fact that there are no measurements in this instructional “how to bake a cake” video from YouTube, and there’s lots of soothing elevator music and the words “yolks” and “sift” are misspelled, you could, at the very least, gain some inspiration for future baking efforts. And also, how in the world does this video have over 100,000 views? Amazing.

Here’s what was being written about today in the world of food and dining news:

• In case you’ve been living in a hole, Cafe Society is here to remind you that today is Cinco de Mayo. And, in honor of this Americanized drinking holiday, they’re suggesting Cinco de Drinko and other great theme party ideas.

Mmm…margaritas.

bravotv.com

​Daily Fork was fortunate to interview a very talented chef and one of the contestants of season 2 of Top Chef Masters, Jody Adams. Jody owns a four-star restaurant called Rialto in Cambridge, Mass., and is also a James Beard award winner and has been the recipient of many rave reviews and accolades over the years. After already watching her cement a place in the second round during last week’s quickfire challenge, we asked Jody a few questions about being on Top Chef Masters, her favorite guilty pleasure food, and more. Check out the interview below:

How much of Top Chef had you seen before this season of Top Chef Masters, and what do you think of the show?

I’d caught a few snippets of the regular Top Chef while trolling through the channels late at night, but I’d never watched enough to even know what a Quickfire Challenge was and, believe it or not, I’d never seen Top Chef Masters before they contacted me. I was on a holiday bike tour in Italy, when I snuck a look at my Blackberry, saw the message and said out loud, “No way!” As in, “No way they’re going to get me on that show.” My attitude must have offended the TV gods–within half an hour my Blackberry jumped out of my bike bag, crashed in the road and died. For the rest of the trip I fretted over whether I should or shouldn’t do it. The consensus of the group was that I should do it.

When I got home, I apologized to the TV gods and humbly tuned in.

I soon realized that although the cooking was great and the competition exciting, the real draw was the people. Top Chef may be a little more rough and tumble than Top Chef Masters, but in both cases, you want to get to know the characters.

Isn’t it about time you turn the tables and cook for mom on her one special day? There’s nothing that says, “Mom – you’re awesome,” like a handmade, lovingly crafted dessert. Out of all the sweets in all the world, there are none made with more love than a homey pie, so take this list and get to work.

1) Key Lime Pie

Flickr: paul goyette

​
Don’t fret if you’re in Wisconsin, where a key lime doesn’t stand a chance, just grab a bottle of key lime juice, a few eggs, condensed milk and some graham crackers. Instead of topping with heavy whipped cream, like most recipes, try your hand at meringue, like my mother-in-law Gayle Ambrose does. Promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Substitute lemon juice for key lime, and have yourself a lemon meringue pie instead.

Here’s what was being written about today in the world of food and dining news:

• Fat City kicks things off with the puzzling news of a new White Castle-scented candle. You know it’s a questionable product when the profits are going to charity, and you’d rather just donate money directly.

Is that grease and regret I smell?