Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

What is your favorite type of restaurant smell?

Bacon, fries, or preferably both together.

burgerblogger at 11:56PM on 08/25/10

NOLA: A Hell of Town: Part One"
NOLA Part II: How Things have Changed

36 Hours in New Orleans: Where to Eat

I was down in New Orleans a few months back for a bachelor party and, amidst some serious drinking, got to experience an awesome food town, for sure. My experience at Domilise was transcendent! I was definitely bummed that I didn't get to eat anything from Cochon except their take on the muffaletta, which was delicious (who knew getting 10 dudes into a popular restaurant on a Saturday night would be difficult?).

I shared some of our foodie experiences down there on my blog:

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

- james

burgerblogger at 11:10AM on 08/17/10

From Serious Eats: New York

Lunch for One: Salumeria Rosi

Kathy, this is the strangest coincidence-- I was sitting in a park in Chelsea with my bike and decided to try lunch at Salumeria Rosi. Great minds...

-james

burgerblogger at 4:03PM on 08/09/10

What's the worst/weirdest thing you found in restaurant food?

A coworker got a salad from a since-closed deli on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan an had a small frog nestled amidst her spinach greens.

Based on her shriek, it didn't taste like chicken.

burgerblogger at 6:17PM on 08/08/10

From Serious Eats: New York

The Burger Lab: The Ins-n-Outs of an In-N-Out Double-Double, Animal-Style

Kenji, yet again you prove how you are my hero. You make me want to be a better food nerd.

burgerblogger at 12:19PM on 07/23/10

Xi'an Famous Foods: When Food Leaves Flushing, Does Flushing Leave the Food?

Carey,

Great review of the newest installment of Xi'an. I totally agree that I would spend $10 here rather than at a more "generic" fast-foot place in a heartbeat. For the World Cup finals, we ordered around 75% of the menu, and we came to pretty comparable conclusions. Like you guys, we missed out on the lamb face salad. I can't decide if that is a good or a bad thing.

The pictorial menu is probably my favorite feature of the Xi'an locations. The photos manage to accurately express what you get on your plate without any fuss or embellishment. The numbering/lettering system makes ordering a breeze, and on those rare occasions that you can snag a seat (in the East Vil location), they actually add a nice layer of ambiance, in addition to the pictures of the famous terra cotta warriors.

Last thing I've gotta reinforce: Jason is one of the nicest guys in the East Village. As we were walking away from Xi'an with our 12 containers bagged up, he came running out of the store at a full sprint (despite a line of hungry and waiting patrons) to let us know that one of our salads had been left out by mistake. A sign of a guy who truly cares about his customers.

- james

burgerblogger at 1:28AM on 07/21/10

Brunch In Manhattan

If you're looking for something on the inexpensive side, Recipe on Amsterdam and 82nd is a great choice. They have an interesting menu and you can definitely leave without breaking the bank.

If you want to go uptown, Kitchenette, also on Amsterdam, but in the 100s, is great, but can come with a wait (as can Good Enough to Eat, unless you go at 9am).

burgerblogger at 12:09AM on 07/15/10

Jaw Surgery and Restaurant Rec.

What about ippudo? I love their broth, and some of them are more hearty and satisfying. (Definitely great when I had gum surgery a few months ago).

Bonus: you get bonus ramen.

burgerblogger at 1:07PM on 07/12/10

Charleston: An Arterial Adventure

Roadtrip Maine to South Carolina- where to stop for food

In/around Chastown: FIG for local/seasonal food, Hominy Grill for low country classics, Virginia's on King for fried chicken, and Sweatman's BBQ (outside of Charleston in Holly Hill) for whole hog bbq. The GF and I actually went out to Charleston a couple of months ago and posted a ton of pics of everything we ate here:

Sweatman's is definitely unlike any of the other restos, but only open on Fri/Sat. Definitely check it out if you can, it's a trip!

burgerblogger at 1:03PM on 07/12/10

MacGyver cooking tips?

I made waffles in my george forman grill once time. It worked out surprisingly well (sometimes a little imagination works in your favor).

I documented it on my blog, take a look to see the results!

burgerblogger at 4:52PM on 06/30/10

This Week in America's Test Kitchen: Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

You guys have seriously saved my relationship!

Let's go back in time to when I accidentally deleted this episode of ATK from my DVR box and could not find a re-broadcast on PBS.

It wasn't pretty.

Now order has been restored to the universe.

burgerblogger at 1:45PM on 06/29/10

How To Make Tortillas

Perfect timing, planned on making some tortillas this weekend for some steak tacos. Thanks, kenji!

burgerblogger at 1:42PM on 06/29/10

P.J. Clarke's Revamped Burger Leaves Me Longing for the Old

I went to PJ Clarke's today for lunch and ended up with a burger... Truth be told, I have never been a fan of PJ's in general, but I actually thought the burger showed improvement, contrary to what seems to be the general consensus. The bun was also the squishy preservative-filled kind. Not sure if maybe the customer reaction drove them to change back some of the updates, but I didn't find any sacrilegious changes.

burgerblogger at 5:14PM on 04/27/10

From Slice

Doctors Propose 18% 'Pizza Tax' to Fight Obesity, Offset Health-Care Costs

While I fundamentally disagree with taxes such as this because I think that it does meddle with individual choices and all that (not to get political). HOWEVER, the problems that stem from obesity and those that "over-consume" are not limited to the individual. If I eat a ton of pizza and become unhealthy because of it, my medical costs will unfortunately get passed along to you.

All of a sudden, individual choices aren't so individual. The real issue is the fact that we even need to have this type of tax on the table (i.e., a societal change). Rather than DIScourage consumption of some foods, let's ENcourage consumption of others. Let's not answer a negative problem with another negative solution.

burgerblogger at 11:19AM on 03/11/10

Do you shop Farmers' Markets or belong to a CSA?

I live by myself and a CSA is just too much food for me. I feel a business opportunity arising...

That said, I'm a farmer's market regular.

burgerblogger at 4:28PM on 02/22/10

What do you think of Frozen Meat?

A greenmarket regular and unable to explore the great butcher shops here in NYC, I am a regular frozen meat eater. At first I was hesitant to buy it as I perceived a loss in quality, but the stuff I've been getting from Sun Fed beef and Grazin' Acres is top-notch quality, and I have not noticed a significant drop in quality. Bobo chickens are also great for poultry, and of course Flying Pigs farm for pork. The packaging plays a big role, and all of the aforementioned vendors know how to do it right.

I think the key is in proper defrosting-- if you can spare a few days and prepare in advance, do it nice and slowly in the fridge.

As for your second question, no idea... Sorry :)

burgerblogger at 4:23PM on 02/22/10

Where's the Love for Chestnuts?

@msmississippi et al-- hope you saw the recent article in the WSJ magazine recently about American chestnuts! I have not had the pleasure of ever seeing them for sale, but they sound fantastic.

I guess I'll have to deal with the Italian ones (and of course the Faugier chestnut puree).

Article here: http://magazine.wsj.com/gatherer/the-specialist/marron-made-in-heaven/

burgerblogger at 4:25PM on 02/03/10

From Slice

Taste Test: 5 Frozen Pepperoni Pizzas

@redfish and all-- Amy's margherita is a decent frozen pie if in a pinch. I always keep a few on hand in the freezer if the late-night beers somehow become early-morning beers.

burgerblogger at 4:21PM on 02/03/10

From Serious Eats: New York

what's your favourite candy bar?

100 Grand.

By far.

burgerblogger at 9:38PM on 01/05/10

What's Your Favorite Burger In New York?

Minetta Black.

burgerblogger at 3:16PM on 12/07/09

Ruminations on In-N-Out Burger

I was just in LA last week for the holiday, and having grown up near Pasadena, I can truly say that going to in-n-out is one of my favorite childhood memories. Before the proliferation of locations across Southern California, I remember when there was only ONE within an hour of my house (now there are at least 10), and we'd wait in the car for 30 minutes, just to get a few burgers and shakes for the family.

And, I must highlight, it has (almost) nothing to do with the burger itself.

Sure, it's good, but the mojo at an in-n-out is unlike that of any other fast-food place in the country (and this is where I have a real problem with all of the I-N-O haters out there-- not every fast-food chain can conjure up the food and taste of the 1930's diner that you have in your small town in rural Indiana, so don't compare it to that). You've gotta just stop by any location (as Nick points out, the quality is universal) and take it in for what it is-- a classic fast-food experience with a freshly made product. Period.

burgerblogger at 11:37AM on 12/01/09

Photo of the Day: Hamburger Macaron

That is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. @dbcurrie, I am going to just imagine that it tastes like a fresh vanilla macaron from laduree in my imagination...

burgerblogger at 11:18AM on 12/01/09

From Recipes

Seriously Italian: Broccoli Romanesco

The romanesco has been popping up at the farmer's markets lately here in NYC, and I must say I have been enjoying it tremendously.

Served it the other day as a side dish atop a chunky root vegetable puree (carrots, fingerlings, and parsnips), sauteed simply with olive oil, garlic and a good dash of salt. I thought the nuttiness played nicely off of the gentle spice of the parsnip and the sweetness of the carrots. Some toasted pine nuts would have been nice in there, too.

burgerblogger at 1:23PM on 10/29/09