This summer the phrase “too hot to cook” has been tossed around more than ever before. I live in the northeast, coastal Connecticut to be exact, and the weather has been nothing short of beastly. Several of my friends from Charleston, SC summer up north and have remarked that the weather patterns are strikingly similar to those in the Battery, in August. That kind of heat is serious-- they would never joke about a thing like that.
With the excessive heat and humidity outdoors, and only semi-effective air-conditioning indoors, my Naptime Chef-ing lately has focused on fare that doesn’t require hours over the flame. Instead, I’ve been working on cold salads, marinating meat for the grill and baking goods that only require short amounts of time in the oven.
A heated debate took place last week in the blogosphere over a review posted to Yelp about a Scottsdale, Arizona based restaurant. Dine & Cook's editorial team invited both parties involved to present what happened in their words.
I am a Mom and a foodie. And I don’t think these two things should ever be mutually exclusive. Most people would read that sentence and agree with me. Of course parents can and should enjoy good food-- of course they should never give up the simple pleasure of cooking a good meal. But, have you ever tried to cook with kids underfoot and an infant in the bassinet next to the counter? It’s not easy. Trust me, I’ve tried.
The plan was to go for sushi at this great restaurant in my hometown underneath the el train, but I wasn’t really in a mood for sushi. The food would have been as reliably good as it ever was, but I was craving something a little different. Something more substantial. Something more Mediterranean. So I called my friend Dustin and told him there was a change of plans. We were getting chicken. Not just any chicken, but really good chicken.
When did we become so obsessed with cooking things quickly? On “Iron Chef America,” contestants duel it out to create a gourmet meal in just one hour; there’s the quick fire competitions on “Top Chef;” Rachel Ray only cooks in 30 minutes; and now we have a show debuting on the Food Network where competitors have 24 hours to open a restaurant. Enough already! Food isn’t all about speed!
I was back in New York City for the first time in a year. I was going with a friend of mine to see Conan O’Brien perform his second night at Radio City Music Hall. We had some time to kill before the show started and he asked me where I wanted to eat. I would have been perfectly content grabbing a hot dog from the cart across the street on 7th Avenue and writing a thousand-word column about street food and how the humble hot dog cart became a staple of New York life. And every last syllable would have been bullshit. Fortunately, he had a better idea. He asked if I was in the mood for a burger. Having cut my consumption of red meat back by about 90 percent, I immediately agreed. So we started walking.
France, for many food lovers it’s the highest plain-- food Nirvana, it just doesn’t get any better. Two weeks prior to Dine & Cook’s launch, I spent ten days in Paris and southern France. Yes, the food is good, amazing. Did I have the best meal of my life in France? No, and that’s just fine with me.
Everyone's favorite globetrotting, trash talking, Rachel Ray-hating chef, Anthony Bourdain spoke to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Monday night to discuss among other things, his new book "Medium Rare," the differences between American and Asian food courts, and his hatred of the hamburger.
