April 2010


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A Famine of Fashion

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Editors Note: The Endless Simmer inbox is the recipient of mostly press releases, a lot of product offers and once in a while, something really funky.  I had absolutely no idea what an interactive fashion show dubbed Avante Garde Supperchic would be like, but I knew I needed someone to check it out. The early April event took place in San Francisco so I invited ES fan Mariah Carey to attend on our behalf. She convinced her friend, who we’ll call interWEBBz, to go with and write it up. Here’s her take on this trial of fashion and food.

“It’s a Famine of Fashion.  A FAMINE OF FASHION.”

I’ll be honest, there was no shortage of fashion or lack of food, but whenever there is an opportunity to paraphrase André Leon Talley, my fellow lover of all things cuisine and couture, I can exhibit no self-control.

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When this San Franciscan thinks of San Francisco, three things instantly come to mind:

  1. An abundance of restaurants with delicious (albeit sometimes pretentious) food
  2. Fashion-forward designers and last but CERTAINLY not least
  3. The likelihood that you will be out-dressed (and all around out-done) by the gays

Sure, some who’ve never been here might be inclined to say the Golden Gate Bridge, Trolley Cars and Nancy Pelosi.  Other San Franciscans may say GoCars, Bay to Breakers or Mission Hipsters at Dolores Park on a sunny day. But the above three constant sources of inspirations in my life converged at the “Avant Garde Supperchic” interactive event at Supperclub.

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I thought the bed in bars thing was over the second Carrie Bradshaw and her crew drank champagne while laying on sheets, but I guess not. Upon entering this fashion and food event, I was escorted to a roman-style bed by a woman with rhinestone nipple tassels (see first picture, left). My lord, I thought, the evening could only go up from there.

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in Restaurants / Trends 3 comments
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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Philly Burger Beatdown

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The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.

– The locals are not taking kindly to the new Philadelphia location of Bobby’s Burger Palace.  That’s what you get for defeating Philly legend Delilah Winder on Throwdown.

– A new iPhone app will let Mark Bittman follow you around like some kind of creepy food genius.  Question:  How comfortable are you bringing a several-hundred-dollar electronic device into the kitchen with you?

After the jump…food television Upfront-a-palooza!

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in Celebs / TV 4 comments
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Something “Good” is Happening

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Guest blogger April Stamm is a chef and food writer whose work has appeared in a wide range of publications including Pastry Scoop, an online pastry magazine, and The Nibble, a gourmet product review and foodie information site. She is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and a member of Women Chefs and Restauranteurs.  More of her writing and ventures can be found at www.aprilstamm.com. Today, she tells us about an upcoming foodie event from ES sponsor Good Commons.

I was nervous.  Sure, we had known each other for years and were great friends, but we had never done this. What if we weren’t compatible? What if he went left and so did I—and we ended up colliding—sending carrot peels and chef knives soaring through the air?

But not to fear, my first guest chef gig at Good Commons, a private retreat center and vacation home in Vermont, was a delicious success. It was also one of the most restorative three days of my life. So, I’m jumping back in the kitchen with my friend and Good Commons’ resident chef, Matthew Wexler, to create some delicious farm-to-table meals for their Memorial Day Food, Wine & Rejuvenation Weekend.

It may sound crazy, but the body, mind, and soul-bolstering experience of Good Commons begins with the bus ride. No rushing through Grand Central, fighting the throngs of clueless tourists and aggressive Wall-Streeters. Instead we board “the Good bus”, a private jitney stocked with homemade snacks and artisanal cocktails created by an on-board mixologist.

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She’s Choppin’ Broccoli, She’s Choppin’ Broccola

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80P and I were walking home together from our respective offices and we were discussing the lack of dinner options and I declared that this has been my worst year of cooking on record. And on record, well, my record, that is, only counts since I’ve started cooking, so if you are to count all of my years on record, not just cooking years, than I’m not doing terribly, as I did fry cottage cheese. But in years that I have made it a priority in my life to find joy in the kitchen, this year, not so much is happening in that 10 foot by 5 foot space.

Anyway, don’t get all excited that this will be some glorious post about a new recipe. This actually proves my point. I now make sandwiches. Or simple pasta dishes. But with farmers market season starting, I have a feeling I can turn 2010 into to a year that will not tarnish my cooking record. Okay, enough records. Well, except for the record that my friend Vi always plays when I come over. Total crush on Band of Horses.

Back to the cottage cheese for a second. In January 80 and I were in Florida and I re/discovered two items that have found their place in my fridge many times this year.  One was cottage cheese (which I’d never had and decided it would be a good idea to make a sandwich out of it. See, there it is, another sandwich. A freaking cottage cheese sandwich.)

2010’s other popular item is smoked whitefish. Although I try not to eat that many animals, I can’t get over this salty, creamy, pungent, addicting addition to my life. (Can you use the phrase addicting addition? It’s overkill, huh?)

I usually eat the mashed fish on a bagel or dark bread toast, either solo or with raw onion. And once, out of obvious limited options, I had spread smoked whitefish on matzoh. This week I tried to switch it up and added in more veggies. And can I tell you, I am really digging raw broccoli these days.

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in Fish / Sandwich 2 comments
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ES Local: What’s Eating DC

Our weekly local roundup of the best eating and drinking events going down in Washington, DC…

Event of the Week: Head out to any of the Earth Day events happening on Thursday, Poste, Oceanaire, The Butchers Block and many more….
View ES Local: What’s Eating DC in a larger map

Remember, you can check out the constantly updated map any day of the week.

If you represent a restaurant or bar and wish to have your event listed on the ES Local: What’s Eating DC map, please write to me at britannia(at)endlesssimmer(dot)com

in Restaurants 0 comments
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Endless Contests: We Have a Donut Winner!

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The donut is already darn near close to the perfect food item, so when we threw down the gauntlet to our readers to come up with the greatest donut combo ever assembled, it was no small task.

The folks at Dunkin” Donuts were running a contest that was a little more closely tethered to reality, and it looks like they came up with some fantastic suggestions that you can vote on in the hopes of seeing them turn up at your local store.  Of course, we loosened the constraints a bit and let you add any ingredient you wanted, and you certainly pokies 88 didn”t disappoint.

Though the thought of a cardamom/vanilla buttermilk donut or a bananas foster version were fantastic, we had to hand it to reader Alex, who took the already indulgent donut and turned it into a cholesterol bomb of epic proportions:

Lightly glazed plain donut (whole wheat flour? Can you do that? For fiber) filled with creme de brie and homemade, fresh blueberry jam. The glaze is largely for sticking the crushed hazelnut topping to the donut. It’s kind of like a personal-sized baked brie.

Good to see that you worked in the whole wheat “for fiber.”  We wouldn”t want this to be unhealthy.

Congratulations, Alex, a brie donut sounds delicious.  Your $60 Dunkin’ Donuts Gift Card is on its way!

(Photo: wader)

in Breakfast / Cheese / Contests 3 comments
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Cheeky Indian Photo of the Day

India 1134 (500 x 400)

Somehow I don’t think that slogan would fly in the United States.

in Food Travel / Photos 0 comments
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