Photograph from OS2k on Flickr Jane Black wrote a fine piece for the September issue of Boston magazine decoding the labels we all see at fish counters—"organic," "day boat," "wild" versus "farmed." The first myth she debunks is whether it's worth paying extra for organic seafood. Black correctly points out that there are no USDA standards for farmed fish, "so the 'organic' designation can mean whatever the seller wants it to." Her hilarious conclusion: "A fish without an 'organic' label is like a fish without a bicycle." Hey, wasn't that a lyric in a U2 song?... More

This week's Cook the Book recipes are from The Young Man and the Sea, the cookbook I wrote with Dave Pasternack, the chef-partner of Esca, a southern Italian seafood restaurant in New York City. Dave knows more about fish and fish cooking than anyone I've ever met. I even caught my first fish, a 20-pound striped bass, with Dave's help. What's great about Dave's recipes is how much passion he brings to his food and how simple the recipes are. All you'll need to cook from The Young Man and the Sea is a good fishmonger, a grill or a fry pan, and a cold beer or a glass of wine. The first of those recipes will be along shortly.... More

How could I resist this invitation (right), which gave no hint of what was to come yesterday around lunchtime? Mario Batali serving roast pig, which, from a previous appearance at his house in northern Michigan, I knew I would enjoy immensely. Dave Pasternack from New York City's Esca roasting and grilling octopus, which I knew from co-writing his about-to-come-out cookbook, was just about the most delicious tentacled morsel of food you could eat. And the hospitality of Batali partner Joe Bastianich, who apparently lives large on a few acres of prime real estate in suburban Connecticut. The first mistake I made was emailing Mario to see if he was really leaving Del Posto at 10 in the morning to... More

There were four huge bags of Sullivan Street Bakery ciabatta rolls. They were supposed to have been split at the restaurant before they began their journey to Joe Bastianich's cookout. They were not, and someone had to split those thousand rolls before the guests arrived in an hour. "Dude," Mario said, "you ready to split the rolls?" I believe this was the definition of a rhetorical question. More