Mario Batali -

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Hello, Joe!

BS’s recent mac & cheese article reminded me: There’s a Trader Joe’s opening about two miles from my house this Friday!

You probably think it’s funny that the mac jogged my memory, but it illustrates a bigger point about TJ’s, which is that I love shopping there despite the fact I’m not 100% sure the stuff there is head-and-shoulders better than my local supermarket.

For instance, they have an organic shells and cheese that uses the ubiquitous packet-o-cheeze powder, yet I feel so much better about eating it. Recently, there was the case of the canned tomatoes that I used for my quick marinara the other day. They were a bit tinny and kind of scrawny, with a bad tomato to juice ratio. I’ll be sticking with my Muir Glen.

And yet I just love shopping there, with the energetic, brightly-clad staff, copious samples and bell-ringing code that I can never quite decipher. And, hey…most of the stuff there is pretty good.

I’m excited about the new Princeton store despite the fact that I could literally throw a baseball from my desk at work and hit the TJ’s in Philly. The fact that I’ll no longer have to pack a fully-outfitted cooler in order to buy the frozen products has me downright giddy.

Now, if only I can convince them to change their mind and sell alcohol at the Princeton location, I’d be in heaven.

Free samples of smörg served by Hawaiian-shirted foodies below!

– Mario has some advice for the pharmaceutical industry? Oddly enough, it has nothing to do with his close contact with the pharmaceuticals traditionally used in large amounts to fuel kitchen staffs.

– From the ES “Been There, Done That” File: In 1995, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin tried to hail a cab in his underwear outside the White House because he wanted a pizza. He was drunk, of course. The difference is that Yeltsin had Secret Service there to wrangle him back inside whereas I had my equally drunk friends reminding me to bring them pepperoni.

After the jump, yet another reason to love that cuddly Brit on Top Chef and fresh news from some old adversaries.

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Welcome to the Rock

Let me start off by making something perfectly clear: I don’t give a rat’s ass who wins on any reality competition show. For the most part, I think the contestants on these shows are the equivalent of tissues — made to be used and discarded as quickly as possible. I don’t find these people in the least bit interesting and if your most impressive “skill” is your ability to get chosen to appear on American Idol, or that sewing show that used to be on Bravo, I have no interest in following your exploits after the season is over, even if you are the big winner.

And although I pretty much feel this way about Top Chef Masters, I’d say I only have about 99% apathy. Why? Because I totally want Hubert Keller to win this thing.

Two reasons:

He’s a PBS show host and I always like seeing those guys get props.
He looks exactly like Sean Connery at about the 14 minute mark in The Rock. After he washes off the prison grime but before getting the full make-over by the barber.

I figure this as good an excuse as any to root for him. Oh…brainstorm! We need a Michael Bay-directed food movie. Given his love of fire and slow-motion, that is going to be one AWESOME crème brûlée scene.

Enough silliness…on to the smörg.

– I pray to you, oh Flying Spaghetti Monster, let there be a reality show involved: Human Train Wrecks Rocco DiSpirito and Jeffrey Chodorow could hook up again?

– How can you tell that a controversial issue is reaching the mainstream? Shaq tweets about it. Er, I mean: When the folks in the industry embrace it. Chipotle will be screening Food, Inc. at locations around the country.

After the jump…the vocal stylings of Mr. Mario Batali, a link to a story that includes the words “Giada” and “testicles,” and confirmation that Food Network and a former Olympian are completely in on the joke.

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Stems and All

I think I was inspired by gansie’s recent attempt at eating down the fridge to exercise a bit of frugality of my own the other night. Or maybe it was just an empty stomach and a lack of hot sausage that made me reconsider something that usually is bound for the garbage.

Monday night was pasta night in the TVFF household and the dish this week was orecchiette and broccoli rabe with olive oil and toasted garlic. Typically, that dish gets some crumbled Italian sausage to make it more substantive, but I found myself without. And so I turned to the lonely broccoli rabe stems, which I usually lop off and toss in the trash.

It took a bit of time and some tedious peeling, but what was left was the size and consistency of tender asparagus. I gave them an extra minute’s blanche and then threw them in with the florets and leaves, providing a slight crunch and a fuller meal. The net result was a very tasty dish and a guilty conscience about usually discarding a perfectly edible item.

So…any great, thrifty hints that can save you a buck and make better use of the ingredients in your kitchen? Share your frugal secrets in the comments.

Nothing ever goes to waste in the smörgåsbord!

– After the past week, I have newfound culinary respect for the President–despite my previous reservations. I had my first Five Guys experience (great burgers, even though they don’t serve medium or rare) and now the prez is grillin’ and chillin’ with Bobby Flay.

– Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali talk Italian food in Aspen. The YumSugar folks list some of the advice that they provided, although we suggest you avoid adopting Mario’s unconventional hair-care technique.

After the jump: free investment advice (which is worth every penny you paid for it), your last chance at fame and fortune (yeah, good luck with that) and Gordo runs afoul of of the bobby while pushing his pram and driving his lorry (insert additional British slang here).

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: On the Wings of Love

I’m not a complicated man. I’ve discussed many of my food weaknesses here on the site. For the most part, they’ve been very specific…a particular dish from a particular restaurant or a traditional recipe made in an exact way. But there is a more generic food item that gets me salivating like Pavlov’s Pup as soon as I hear the words.

Buffalo wings.

Dangle the possibility of deep fried chicken wings tossed in hot sauce (side of blue cheese dressing, please), and I’ll pretty much travel to the ends of the earth. Funny…the one place I don’t travel is the owl-mascotted restaurant chain that’s located less than a mile from my house, because Mrs. TVFF doesn’t look kindly on that establishment. Anywhere else buffalo wings appear is a place I’m going.

So when my Twitter reader started BINGing with a tweet from the local bar McGillin’s Olde Ale House — plenty of atmosphere, good food and great local microbrews — mentioning a special offer of $.25 wings, I knew what I’d be doing that evening. McGillin’s may be the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philly (since 1860), but they’re au courant with a Twitter account. Wings, twitter – you got my number, McGillin’s.

OK, enough e-drool. On to the smörg…

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: A Dingo Ate My Soufflé

Food movies can be a dicey proposition. Sure, we were able to find plenty of great food movie scenes, but the truth of the matter is that there are plenty of bad food-centric movies out there. Does anybody remember Simply Irresistable? Yeah, that’s what I mean.

But I’m pretty sure that I’m going to like Julie & Julia. Why? For starters, it’s about Julia Child, who is scheduled to be canonized by the Pope any day now. Second, it stars Meryl Streep, and she’s doing an accent. I smell Oscar. And finally, I’m certain that I’ll love it because — as the trailer points out — it’s about a blogger! Once J&J takes off like gangbusters, it’s only a matter of time before Endless Simmer: The Movie. What will it be about? Who knows, but I guarantee strong language, needless violence and gratuitous nudity. Lots and lots of nudity.

Which leads me to my first point in the smörg…

– Padma Lakshmi showed up at the White House Correspondents Dinner in DC wearing a see-through dress. Really, Padma? Can’t you just cry out for attention with an overdose like every other celebrity? Photos NSFW, obviously.

– Two of our favorite food competition show runners-up, Kelsey Nixon of Next Food Network Star and Spike Mendelsohn of Top Chef, are starring in a new video series for Food2.com, the new site from the Food Network folks that features all kinds of original content and social media integration.

After the jump…a less-than-rare celebrity fashion sighting, two pretty boys team up to make America skinnier and the world’s greatest chef sends out for a slice.

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Apparently, Brian Boitano Has a Sense of Humor

In journalism, there is a concept called “burying the lede.”

The “lede” (an insider-ish spelling of “lead”) is the most important or juiciest part of the story. So, if you were to bury the lede, your story would include a bunch of paragraphs with mundane information and then, as you’re getting to the end, you insert a bombshell revelation like it was nothing. Burying the lede isn’t good when you’re a journalist. But when you’re writing a press release, burying the lede is really bad because you want to grab hold of the reader’s attention as soon as possible to sell whatever it is you’re selling.

And so I have to call out the folks at Food Network for their latest press release, which features a number of new shows that will be premiering in the coming months. Another Alton Brown show…a new season of The Next Iron Chef…Sandra Lee…blahblahblah…nothing earth-shattering. And then I get way down near the bottom.

WHAT WOULD BRIAN BOITANO MAKE?

Premieres: August 2009

Everyone knows Brian Boitano won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. What they don’t know: Brian is an accomplished cook who loves to entertain! In this new series, Brian takes viewers on a reality cooking adventure as he creates amazing food for a new event in each episode. Funny, knowledgeable and irresistible, Brian brings himself and so much more to What Would Brian Boitano Make?

Whaaaaaat?!? Are they really going to have a show title that refers to the legendary pre-South Park The Spirit of Christmas? (See video above…language extremely NSFW) There is simply no way that this is not the best show on Food Network, even before it debuts.

More delicious smörg after the jump…

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