Hott Links

by BS

Hott Links: Drink, Drank, Drunk

Ugh. I’ve been freelancing in an office all week, which means I’m currently sharing that universal Friday feeling with all you other desk monkeys out there – the overwhelming need for intoxication. Lucky for you (and me), I’ve got the lowdown on the latest news in drunk city:

– When you’ve just got to go out on a Friday, but you know you’re going to be too tired to even talk to your friends, the go-to strategy is simple: mix your alcohol with a red bull, and you’re an instant social butterfly. But what about when you want to drink yourself further into solitude, when you only want to drink so that you can take a nap? That’s when it’s time to grab yourself some Drank: The anti-energy drink. Supposedly inspired by a cough-syrup-like concoction popular in the Southern hip-hop world, this carbonated, grape beverage is spiked with melatonin, valerian root, and rose hips, and promises to “slow your roll.” Mix it up with some vodka, invite a few friends, and get ready for a slumber party.

– And what about when you wake up on Saturday morning with the urge, to well, keep drinking? Bloody Marys made it acceptable to drink vodka in the a.m., and mimosas did the same thing for Champagne. Now check out the Rosy Dog, a brunch-y invention that finally makes 9 a.m. beer drinking a classy activity.

– Next up on the drinking horizon is a development that only those inventive Japanese folks could have brought us. Space Beer. Necessary? No. Awesome? Yes.

in Drinks 3 comments

by gansie

Red Derby

I’m a total dorky food writer. I spend my week eating at restaurants and then my weekend writing about them. Basically leaving no time to visit bars. Hence, my breakfast write-up on a cool, new-ish bar. I’ve yet to party at Red Derby, even though it lives in the hood, boasts a can-only beer selection and caters to the 20-something crowd. Oh well. Instead, I went to eat breakfast there hungover (I guess I do get out sometimes).

I found out about the bfast offerings while eavesdropping on the bus one day. Now, I suck at listening in on others’ convos. I usually can’t be bothered, but if I do, I stare right at the people talking and make facial expressions exclaiming the fact that I’m crashing their chat. 80P (and his mom) on the otherhand, are quite skilled in the art of eavesdropping. I mean, I could be telling 80 the story of the decade, he’s nodding, looking straight at me, and when I drop the money line and his face stays the same, I finally ask: What’s going on over at that table?!?!

Hott Links: Picture Pages

How tasty is this Dutch public art exhibit?

Don’t break the yolk! [Serious Eats]

Veal’s new PR pushback to the ethical eating crowd: the Pope eats it. What now, fools? [Slashfood]

Is that an almost-kinda-sorta smile? What happened to Anthony Bourdain’s perma-scowl? Might have something to do with the fact that he just singed a lucrative deal to write three more books, including the long-awaited follow-up to Kitchen Confidential [Grub Street]

in Celebs / Eggs / TV 6 comments

by BS

LeBron Fans Call Foul on Papa John’s

If it’s a Monday morning in the middle of May, it must be time for Washington Wizards fans to look back on another first-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. As usual, there’s controversy, but this time, it involves food.

Jon over at So Good had tickets to the fateful Game 6 on Saturday night, and of course was on the lookout for any corporate giants to take down, so he was delighted to see Wizards fans wearing shirts that taunted LeBron James for being a crybaby, especially when he realized these shirts were sponsored by Papa John’s Pizza.

Some shrewd ~~marketing~~ pandering by Papa John’s to endear themselves to the quality-pizza-starved Beltway crowd, but unfortunately for the company, it turns out people in Cleveland have both television and the Internet. And they are not happy.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with LeBron James, his status in the state of Ohio is roughly similar to that of Jesus, albeit with less concern about genocide.

Fast forward a few hours, and angry Cavs fans are swearing to never eat at Papa John’s again, the Boycott Papa John’s website is up and running, and the corporate office has been forced to issue an official apology to LeBron Nation, complete with a $10,000 donation to a Cleveland charity and a slash of their prices in the Cleveland area to 23 cents per pizza (pick-up only, those bastards). Of course, if you take into consideration the high-quality ingredients used in Papa John’s pizza, they’re still looking at about a 22 cent profit on each pie.

After the j, check out So Good being interviewed (!) about the controversy on Cleveland television.

Hott Links: JoeHoya

While you may think star-commenter JoeHoya (or affectionately, JH) may simply spend all of his blog reading time with ES, you’d be shockingly mistaken. JH actually writes for the *rival* food blog, DC Foodies. And as I never really read other food blogs (unless he/she comments on our posts and leaves a link to their blog) I have neglected JH’s hard work elsewhere. So, here, JH – our official ES tribute to our first and favorite non-friend commenter. (Actually, you know what that stinker first wrote on our blog – he corrected a misspelling of mine…) Anyway, enjoy our ~~GOP foe~~ boy, JoeHoya.

Investigative Reporter [JoeHoya]

Disgruntled Cheese Plate Eater [JoeHoya]

Exhaustive Restaurant Critiquer [JoeHoya]

in Contests / Drinks / Personal / Trends 10 comments

by BS

To be Considered, You Must Submit One Full-body Shot (Bikini or Nude) and a Recent Pay Stub Showing Proof of Employment at the Olive Garden

No, that’s not the skeeziest craigslist roommate ad of all time, it’s merely the submission guidelines for Playboy’s newest themed pictorial “Girls of the Olive Garden.”

And this isn’t a joke, apparently the men’s mag has run out of college conferences to profile and has turned to everyone’s favorite purveyor of free breadsticks to find America’s next top nude model.

The inspiration for the contest is a woman named Kendra Wilkinson, whose illustrious life accomplishments include her roles as one of Hugh Hefner’s pretend girlfriends; and as runner-up to Shar Jackson on MTV’s Celebrity Rap Superstar. Shar Jackson, for the record, is Britney Spears’ ex-husband’s baby mama (and she’s a rap superstar, but you knew that).

And, Kendra’s a blogger! You see, Kendra’s mom is a former Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader and a proud resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which qualifies Kendra to blog about the Eagles.

With the Hef pushing 83, Kendra is apparently pulling the shots over at Playboy, and because she loves the Olive Garden more than life itself, she’s decided to feature their waitresses in a pictorial that is totally not endorsed by the restaurant chain (although NY Post reports they won’t fire their employees if they pose).

After the jump, Kendra explains what it takes to make it as a girl of the O.G.

Hott Links: Drink, Drank, Drunk

Red Derby

Hott Links: Picture Pages

Hott Links: Appeasement Edition

LeBron Fans Call Foul on Papa John’s

Hott Links: JoeHoya

To be Considered, You Must Submit One Full-body Shot (Bikini or Nude) and a Recent Pay Stub Showing Proof of Employment at the Olive Garden