The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.
– It may be great, it may be terrible. I don’t care. I’m having geek overload: Star Wars-themed beer.
– Nah, I don’t care that Tiger Woods is apparently a serial philanderer. Wait…he eats at Perkins? Take him for all he’s worth, Elin!
After the jump… grilled meat beats MREs any day of the week, a celeb who won’t capitalize on her fame and I don’t think that’s kosher.
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I haven’t read the book yet. I’m actually scared to.
I emailed with my friend Tim yesterday and I told him about my latest purchase and what I did on Tuesday night. Liza (of ES) and I saw Jonathan Safran Foer speak about his new book, Eating Animals. As I wrote to Tim, I’m afraid that after I read it my pending vegetarianism will be cemented. Or I will only eat properly raised animals. Ugh. I just don’t know.
I’ve been on a mostly vegetable diet for the past year and a half. There are a ton of reasons for the slow conversion, but reading Michael Pollan (Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, his New York Times Magazine pieces) has been undeniably influential. And of course my ritualistic dedication of eating what the farmers are selling at my local market has enthusiastically showed me how to eat produce with the seasons.
Andrew Sullivan, of Subway fame, introduced Foer at the 6th and I Historic Synagogue in DC. I had no idea that the already segmented gay Republican is also a vegetarian. He started with a story of his own book tour in Scotland. He’d been hammered with questions regarding his sexual orientation and was then innocently asked, “Do you eat meat?” With laughter from the audience, Sullivan joked with us that there were several possible answers to that question. He replied, however, that “No, never. It’s the only thing I can truly justify.”
And then Foer came on and pisted me off.
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I don’t know about you, but I won’t be cooking much this week. DAD GANSIE sent me back with a shit ton of left overs: pureed squash with sage and goat cheese (that was stuffed into phyllo dough triangles), mashed potatoes, stuffing, Thai curry sweet potato soup (pureed sweet potatoes with turkey stock, lime juice and Thai curry paste), pumpkin pie, chocolate moose and a slice of pizza (of course we ordered in on Sunday night after days and days of cooking and rewarming of old food.)
Anyway, these are photos I snapped of “DC celebrity” Ezra Klein of the Washington Post and the The Internet Food Association. He moderated a discussion with David Sax, author of “Save the Deli.”
Maids and I attended the event at the 6th and I Historic Synagogue last month (and am also thinking about going to this week’s food event). Anyway, we were gonna post this great blog about Jewish delis and Maids was going to position it through a Sephardic lens (re: falafel and hummus and general vegetarianism), but, um, yea, all we got around to was showing Mr. Klein stuffing his face with a black and white cookie.
Have you spotted a celeb eating? Send us the goods at info@endlesssimmer.com
View LES Food Stops, Old and New in a larger map
You know we usually like to think of ES as a huge, important international operation. Actually, scrap the ‘usually’ — I’ll stand by that. But sometimes we also like to obey the whole “all Internets is local” mantra. So over the next few months we’re going to be teaming up with the folks at new travel website Oyster to bring you some local NYC food content. Twice a week, we’ll be posting mini-guidebook style posts about our favorite New York food stops. You can read the posts both here on ES, and over at the new Oyster Locals blog.
First up, we’re looking at the Lower East Side, a neighborhood that serves as NYC’s ultimate dichotomy. With shiny new hotels and condos rising next door to rundown tenement buildings, it’s the new Manhattan plopped down right on top of the old Manhattan. Actually, it’s a really effing weird place right now. But for food lovers, that means a wondrously schizophrenic smorgasbord. Here are three of the best classic LES food stops still standing, along with three newcomers that are worth the hype.
Old LES: Katz’s Famous Delicatessen. Sure, New York’s oldest deli has become a bit of a tourist trap ever since Meg Ryan had “what she’s having” here, but the circa-1888 salami shop deserves credit for keeping their sandwich prices relatively reasonable, unlike some other brand-name NY delis. 205 East Houston St.
New LES: WD-50. The immigrant Russian family who founded Katz’s would likely roll over in their graves if they saw the passion fruit-filled foie gras and scrambled egg ravioli that mad scientist chef Wylie DuFresne whips up here. But if you’ve got $100 to throw around, NYC’s most playful 10-course tasting menu is a worthy diversion. 50 Clinton St.
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– If you were impressed by LC’s lamb roast, you’ll want to hear from Shannon, who writes in to one-up her:
Your lamb on a spit post reminded me of this photo. We’ll be trying to roast our own gator on a homemade contraption this weekend for the Florida/LSU game. FYI, you can buy gator from farms down here. They mostly raise them for the skins, so the meat is really cheap. A four foot gator runs $30-$40.
HOT DAMN. All ES readers should feel free to keep writing in with any new roast-animals-on-a-stick discoveries.
– Fine, so no one agrees with my high-minded call for better bread at Jewish delis. Adam says the sub-par bread is the whole point:
I would agree that the bread at delis like Katz’s is sub-par, but I think the reasoning is because it’s meant to be as unobtrusive as possible. With other sandwiches, the bread is important. When it’s surrounding a pound of pastrami, it’s job is to make the pastrami go into my mouth, while slightly lowering the amount of grease and mustard I get on myself.
And Mike B will have none of it:
Pastrami on *toast*? A baguette? An everything bagel?! I’m… I’m speechless….
But Karen from French’s Mustard writes in with a novel idea I can’t believe I hadn’t previously considered:
Next time you go into a Jewish deli (I do loves me some Katz’s), demand they put it on a nice, thick and toasted piece of challah. They’ll charge you more, wayyy more, but I promise it’ll revolutionize your sandwich. And as far as where to put your mustard? I have an idea for that too…but, you have to make your own first.
Challah-pastrami, that’s it! I am on board. It will probably cost $30 at 2nd Ave, though.
So we don’t often post PR requests here, but since Karen wrapped hers up with a sweet ‘strami suggestion, we’ll make an exception. Go and enter French’s homemade mustard contest and win some big $$$! Deets after the jump…
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Britannia got our mini-rant series going last month with his admonishment of the salt and pepper shaker filler-uppers, and now I’d like to tell you yell about something else that burns my bacon, er…pastrami.
I think we can all agree that an old-school, New York-style Jewish deli is just about the best place in the world to get a serious sandwich. Pastrami from Katz, corned beef from 2nd Avenue Deli — wherever it is, you know the deal: some form of exquisitely cured beef product piled far beyond reason and then shoved between two slices of bread; mustard, pickles and slaw on the side.
But there’s one thing that has always bugged me about Jewish delis, and I’ve been afraid to ever say it, fearing an outpouring of anger from the traditionalist eaters. But I just can’t stay silent any longer.
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JoeHoya does some research into why we eat apples and honey on rosh hashanah:
Found two sources that seem to offer similar explanations for both the apples and the honey:
http://www.aish.com/h/hh/rh/48959531.html
(From aish.com. Slogan: Your Life. Your Judaism.)http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1280
From Reform Judaism Magazine, the official voice of the Union for Reform Judaism).Long story short: the apple was seen as a symbol of rare beauty (see the Song of Songs for a comparison to Israel) and affection by the Israelites at various points. The fruit is further praised and compared to Israel for its bold appearance before any protective leaves surround it (see aish.com for the reasoning).
Good to know. And happy Yom Kippur everyone (can you say happy Yom Kippur?) Anyway, let us know if it raises any further food questions.
– Jessica J shares her own ice cream micro-snack:
I do something similar. Spoonful of honey roasted PB, sprinkle a few chocolate chips over it, then dip the tip in Nutella. Lord have mercy.
And Erica has one as well:
I always thought a couple spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream in a cup of hot lipton tea was divine. then again, i’m kind of weird.
– Finally, thanks to everyone who has already sent in their photos for the smallest kitchens contest. Keep those entries coming — we’ll be posting the best next week.
(Photo: ForestForTrees)