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by Twin Tastes

A Blackout Pasta Dish

Monica’s Mercato, around the corner from our apartment in Boston, has hands-down the best Italian subs in Boston, but we were also mesmerized by the display of fresh and dried pastas. The eery ebony squid ink spaghetti called out to us. While we had never experimented with this type of pasta before, we had sampled it in Italy and various North End eateries, and loved its salty, briny sea flavor.

To accompany the spaghetti, we bolted across the street to the North End Fish Market and grabbed a few jumbo sea scallops to sear and pair with crumbled bacon and a garlicky lemon sauce. The combination of the slightly orange-hued bacon and the black spools of pasta got us thinking it’s about time to start planning for the upcoming ghoulish holiday.

Black Squid Ink Pasta with Seared Scallops and Bacon

The Endless Road Trip — San Diego’s Top 10 Eats: 2. Tostada Loca

As has been mentioned many times previously on ES, I have a crazy addiction.

Because I am so obsessed with bringing you, dear readers, news of the outrageous and over-the-top food world, I always, always, always have to order the craziest thing on the menu. If the item actually has the word “crazy” in its name, it’s just over.

The well-reviewed Mariscos German Taco Truck (that’s pronounced her-man, they’re Mexican, not some kind of weird Bavarian taco truck) in San Diego had tons of exciting, classy menu items on the day that I went. There were smoked marlin tacos. There was shrimp ceviche. There was calamari. There was also something called “tostada loca,” so I pretty much had no choice.

Top Chef Masters Exit Interview: Episode 1

As we say farewell to Top Chef All-Stars, we turn our attention to the newly revamped Masters. No longer will Kelly Choi grace our screens as she has been replaced by Aussie chef Curtis Stone. With him he brings the traditional format that we know and love in Top Chef — no more counting points, just plain and simple quickfire and elimination challenges — and we were in for a treat as the first episode was Restaurant Wars.

Keep reading to hear what the first eliminated chef had to say.

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

– First up, congrats to reader Deanna, who won our spontaneous summer giveaway and is headed up to Good Commons in Vermont for a foodie-rific weekend. Thanks everyone for playing!

– Everybody loves tomatoes! But one recipe is a clear favorite. Greg:

Holy christ that “Scallop BLT” is probably the sexiest foodstuff I’ve ever seen! Ever.

– And going all the way back to the Top 10 Foods Only American Could Have Invented, TerryAnne defends the motherland (and her sandwiches):

I had a teacher from Kenya who told me that the tribes there lived on cow’s blood mixed with milk. I’ll take a reuben thank you very much.

(Photo: Bite Sized)

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