See this at: events.nytimes.com| Added on 10/14/09

He’s called it DBGB, a play on CBGB, the club at 315 Bowery that first brought the neighborhood underage kids with shaved heads — and later its cachet. Once, this kind of nerve might have gotten his plate-glass windows smashed. (We ain’t got time for... See more

He’s called it DBGB, a play on CBGB, the club at 315 Bowery that first brought the neighborhood underage kids with shaved heads — and later its cachet. Once, this kind of nerve might have gotten his plate-glass windows smashed. (We ain’t got time for that now.) These days it brings middle-aged Bouluddites in town cars and sportswear to eat and drink beer, to talk gaily of the market, the Galliano show in Paris, the Astor verdict, Letterman. A cynic would call this fashion and scoff. But one bite of the crispy lamb ribs that were served in the bar area when the place first opened — sweetly glazed, grassy meat, with a dab of creamy mint-flecked yogurt sauce — ended all snark: Mr. Boulud has opened a very good restaurant. The lamb was sublime, earthy and spicy and rich, evidence of superb technique, the sort of snack that separates his empire from others in the celebrity firmament. Recent visits to all five of Mr. Boulud’s New York restaurants suggest: his kitchens put out perfectly... See less

See this at: nytimes.com| Added on 05/20/09

AFTER-HOURS calls to Huy Fong Foods, here in the suburbs of the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, are intercepted by an answering machine. One recent day, 14 messages were blinking when Donna Lam, the operations manager, hit “play.” A woman... See more

AFTER-HOURS calls to Huy Fong Foods, here in the suburbs of the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, are intercepted by an answering machine. One recent day, 14 messages were blinking when Donna Lam, the operations manager, hit “play.” A woman told of smearing Huy Fong’s flagship product, Tuong Ot Sriracha (Sriracha Chili Sauce), on multigrain snack chips. A man proclaimed the purée of fresh red jalapeños, garlic powder, sugar, salt and vinegar to be “the bomb,” and thanked Ms. Lam’s employers for “much joy and pleasure.” Another caller, hampered by a slight slur, botched the pronunciation of the product name before asking whether discount pricing might be available. Finally, he blurted, “I love rooster sauce!” (A strutting rooster, gleaming white against a backdrop of the bright red sauce, dominates Huy Fong’s trademark green-capped clear plastic squeeze bottles.) “I guess it goes with alcohol,” deadpanned Ms. Lam, who, like David Tran, the 64-year-old founder of Huy Fong and... See less

See this at: nytimes.com| Added on 03/24/09

THIS dish is about as close to fusion, to “made-up,” as I will allow. It’s not traditional, it’s not regional. Though it has an Asian flavor, it’s not even that. What it is: a tasty, lightning-fast, cheap, infinitely variable broth-and-noodle... See more

THIS dish is about as close to fusion, to “made-up,” as I will allow. It’s not traditional, it’s not regional. Though it has an Asian flavor, it’s not even that. What it is: a tasty, lightning-fast, cheap, infinitely variable broth-and-noodle combination. Its preparation is slowed down only by waiting for the water to boil. A key ingredient is ketchup; if you can’t bear that thought, you can use tomato paste instead. There’s also sriracha, the popular Southeast Asian hot sauce; and soy sauce; vinegar; and sesame oil, all of which add character. The noodles I use are fresh egg pasta, but just about any kind of noodle can be used. You can’t get much more flavor out of a dish whose main ingredient is water. Once you’ve made this once, you’ll probably want to take it to a showier place. Cook thinly sliced shallot, ginger or garlic in a little peanut oil before adding the water for the “broth,” or add sliced celery, bean sprouts, snow peas or sliced carrots to it. Switch to rice noodles,... See less

See this at: nytimes.com| Added on 01/08/09

PERHAPS, like me, you have this romantic notion of shopping daily — maybe even a mental vision of yourself making the rounds, wicker basket in hand, of your little Shropshire or Provençal or Tuscan village. The reality, of course, is that few of us... See more

PERHAPS, like me, you have this romantic notion of shopping daily — maybe even a mental vision of yourself making the rounds, wicker basket in hand, of your little Shropshire or Provençal or Tuscan village. The reality, of course, is that few of us provision our kitchens or cook exclusively with ultra-fresh ingredients, especially in winter, when there simply are no ultra-fresh ingredients. See less

See this at: nytimes.com| Added on 01/07/09

PEOPLE praise chicken soup, especially in these chilly, Kleenex-ridden days, but a bowl of it is usually greeted politely — not rapturously. Purists find pleasure in a clear, golden broth with a few perfect dice of carrot and egg noodles, but the... See more

PEOPLE praise chicken soup, especially in these chilly, Kleenex-ridden days, but a bowl of it is usually greeted politely — not rapturously. Purists find pleasure in a clear, golden broth with a few perfect dice of carrot and egg noodles, but the taste? Dull, honestly. Bland, even. See less

See this at: nymag.com| Added on 06/26/08

1. The Claws Separate the arms from the body. Hyperextend the lobster’s “thumb”and pull it off. Use a cracker or knife (or your hands) to break the...

See this at: umami.typepad.com| Added on 06/19/08

santos, yes well 3 sacs of mentaiko... when in doubt, use more, no? slurplog, I should think so, seafood makes great risotto. fish fish, you haven't been watching enough TV lah. chihuahua, the carnaroli rice can be found at Thos SB, Raffles Hotel.... See more

santos, yes well 3 sacs of mentaiko... when in doubt, use more, no? slurplog, I should think so, seafood makes great risotto. fish fish, you haven't been watching enough TV lah. chihuahua, the carnaroli rice can be found at Thos SB, Raffles Hotel. Have also seen other types of risotto rice (arborio) at Culina. See less

See this at: bonappegeek.com| Added on 06/19/08

What bird poo and squirrels thieves can do. » I have cake head. It’s like bed head, except bed head is a huge bald spot flanked by two cowlicks and accompanied by a sleepy look in the eye whereas cake head is a crazed look in the eye flanked by... See more

What bird poo and squirrels thieves can do. » I have cake head. It’s like bed head, except bed head is a huge bald spot flanked by two cowlicks and accompanied by a sleepy look in the eye whereas cake head is a crazed look in the eye flanked by crumb-filled hair and accompanied by the permanent aroma of vanilla. The cure is not a shower, but the end of a wedding reception to be held in less than three months. Cake head is the cause of this poor blog’s suffering. I made paella and forgot to take pictures. My aversion to beets ended and I failed to document the drama. I fell hard for salt caramels (better late than never) and haven’t even attempted to write a love sonnet. There are already 67 cups of assorted buttercreams in the freezer, and that’s only half of what I need. Why oh why did I decide on four-layer cakes? Why? Well I decided to make something sweet that didn’t involve buttercream, fondant, or the oven. Call this the hack’s sesame seed candy. Sesame seed candy/cookies are... See less

See this at: nymag.com| Added on 06/04/08

In Australia, a sheep station is a huge expanse of a ranch, often dotted with windmills that bore underground for water. On the western fringe of Park...

See this at: nytimes.com| Added on 06/04/08

While traveling throughout Western Europe intermittently since February, I saw them eaten raw, braised, sautéed and fried, served solo or with lamb, shrimp, octopus or pasta. And I internalized, as I never had before, that artichokes are not a... See more

While traveling throughout Western Europe intermittently since February, I saw them eaten raw, braised, sautéed and fried, served solo or with lamb, shrimp, octopus or pasta. And I internalized, as I never had before, that artichokes are not a precious ingredient but a regular vegetable and can be treated as such. In a way they remind me of lobster: they’re so great steamed, with lemon or butter, that you forget that it’s easy enough to take them a step or two further. On my extended periods at home, I bought artichokes whenever I saw decent ones. It didn’t hurt that they don’t seem too expensive this year. I began not only duplicating beloved recipes from past years, a seasonal ritual with many of my favorite ingredients, but also improvising with them. The best consequence of all that was this quick sauté, in which as I was trimming my artichokes I began piling them, cut side down, into a pan filmed with hot oil. (I’m not a big fan of soaking artichokes in acidulated water to keep... See less

Highlights: * New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging * Well: Experts Revive Debate Over Cellphones and Cancer * Maureen Dowd: She’s Still Here! * The Science of Sarcasm (Not That You Care) * Dark, Perhaps Forever * Opponents of Evolution Adopting a New Strategy * Man in the News: Barack Obama:...

See this at: ifood.tv| Added on 05/14/08

Thai-crispy pork belly (moo krawp) recipe and video from ifood.tv. Try out this simple and easy Thai crisp pork belly recipe for a delicious snack. This quick and eas

Thai-crispy pork belly (moo krawp) recipe and video from ifood.tv. Try out this simple and easy Thai crisp pork belly recipe for a delicious snack. This quick and eas See less

See this at: nytimes.com| Added on 05/14/08

LOOKING at a butternut squash and a fistful of rhubarb, James Parker sees a jellyfish and its tentacles. Show him a carton of pineapples and he will envision stacking them end to end to form the trunk of a palm tree. Pumpkins put him in mind of the... See more

LOOKING at a butternut squash and a fistful of rhubarb, James Parker sees a jellyfish and its tentacles. Show him a carton of pineapples and he will envision stacking them end to end to form the trunk of a palm tree. Pumpkins put him in mind of the sun and red peppers suggest its rays. See less

See this at: allrecipes.com| Added on 04/20/08

* In a blender, combine the minced onion, peanut oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, celery, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and...