Gluttons Club

NYT: Continuing with the farm fresh theme, the top article today is about fresh produce from local sources appearing on university cafeteria menus. I'm fairly certain that never happened when I was in school. The second one down sings the praises of the modern toaster oven. With access to my roommates convection toaster oven, I second the sentiment--they are pretty cool. The minimalist makes gazpacho out of salsa, I think by simply spelling it differently. Fresh dates, which are in season, are celebrated. Time now for someone to make a joke about me not having any dates.

The wine tasters sample 25 sicilian reds. Sicily is an interesting wine region. Unlike most of Italy, they don't look to the past for guidance but rather they are willing to experiment with different grapes and techniques and make what works. Read this article. Florence Fabricant fabricates a pasta with tuna to match the wines.

SF Chronicle: I think I just fell in love. Check out the cheese chick! The top article is about an artisanal cheesemaker and has a photo of the delicious looking young lady and a wheel of cheese she made. Other top articles lament the abundance of zucchini in home gardens, a cook grills dinner for simplicity, an Austrian Jam wins a contest and Betty Crocker can get a date...but I can't.

The wine section focuses on affordability: bargain burgundies and inexpensive cabs that deliver the rich suppleness that defines the more expensive bottles. The regional focus is on Russian River valley (again?), the cheese is sierra nevada cream cheese and halibut is on the chardonnay pairing menu. Spirits column is about a $650 cocktail. I've been seeing lots of articles of this sort lately. Who cares? If some swank gin joint can actually find someone willing to pay that much for a few ounces of liquid, more power to them but it is extremely unnecessary.


Charlotte Observer: We'll be staying down south for the guest spot this week, taking a trip to Charlotte, either north or south Carolina. I can never remember which.

At first glance, the section looks pretty slim. It has a nice layout and look, including some excellent foodtography but only two major headers. A closer look reveals more content than originally thought though some of it is listed in the "other news" section at the bottom. I reckon these are either older articles or some such.

The content is pretty good. The lead article is a back to school feature on pack lunches beyond PBJ. The second main header is about sushi and includes a bevy of articles on where to go, what to try the first time, wines to match, etc. I like it when a common theme ties together a series of articles. The rest of the articles, both listed above and in the "other" section appear to be columns.

Ah crap, I just noticed that you need a login to read the articles. I hate that. I'm going to have to start registering for these things and maybe creating a gluttons club account for y'all to use. I start with it next week after I have time to consult with my lawyers.

This article is about my friend Molly's local organic producer. In an age of mega farms, genetic veg and vast acreage of supermarkets full of processed foods, it's always good to see the local farm honored.

Thanks for the tip, Molly.

NYT: Lobster may be nice but the littler crustacaens that sorta look and taste like lobster are even better. On the other hand, they look even more like bugs. Capitan Minimalismo makes the most out of earful. Ferran Adria, the spanish innovator has teamed up with Lays potato chips of all products. In the stuff section, a simple string saves the day. The rest is restaurant news which I avoid.

The tastings wine column tackles the difficult choice of wine to serve with assertively spiced foods. Bubbly does well.

SF Chronicle: The lead article celebrates the aioli. A mobil station is celebrated?! A New Jersey native remembers the produce of summers past. Blanching gets its due. Fruit is 'tarted' up (that one never gets old). And finally, a very specially focused tasting of toasted sesame oils.

In wine, there is a persistent article on a family vineyard in Amador going through turbulent times. This article has been around for a while but is still listed at top. I'm confused. Otherwise, the tasting is of Washington state Merlots and a related article on drinking merlot despite the sentiments of "Sideways". The cheese, it's a british sheeps milk cheese; the pairing, it's bean dip. The spirits is same as last week, I think...the wine section seems to be on a different schedule, I'll try to sort this out during the week.

Times Picayune (New Orleans): An old friend who used to live in Nawlins reminded me of this paper the other day. While its hot up here, let's visit the big easy to be reminded of what hot and humid is all about.

The section is pretty straightforward with no pictures and simple navigation. The main column lists the feature articles with summary sentences. The nav bar has archived articles and dining and bar guides. They too have a thursday food section so we'll report on last week.

Leading things off is a series of articles inspired by the recent hurricane activity. With power outages causing food spoilage, topics related to how long food can last at what temperature are addressed as well as how to make the most of the food before it goes bad. I like that they devote the focus of the section to this. Very informative and important, especially with many more big storms forecasted for this year.

In other topics, a home cooking column lists the best of readers recipes, advice on canning summers bounty, and The Rock makes burgers (loose interpretation).

I like the section though it lacks distinct wine/beer/liquor articles. The topics relevent to the area are addressed and reader input is valued. New Orleans is known for boths its high and low cuisines so I sort of expected more restaurant coverage but then again I don't comment on that so what do I care?

There is such greater income potential with wine than there might ever be with beer.

MEATSTOCK IV was last night and in the annals of MEATSTOCK history, it will go down as the most high-tech, the wettest and the most controversial.

The menu this year saw a good range of meats from the usual bbq ribs to the exotic ostrich and goat. Bentley and Rose’s pork with not-so-secret marinade was a popular favorite while Sean went exotic with ostrich and buffalo burgers. The goat was nice for the novelty but less nice for the flavor and texture. Lesson learned on that point. Freshly shorn Mike and Xandra provided a big ole hunk of pork that took most of the night to cook and unfortunately wasn’t ready until everyone was too stuffed to eat any more. I’ll make a nice lunch or two out of it. The variety of other meats were delicious and I’m sorry I can’t mention them all. This is a blog, not an essay.

Stretching the definition of MEATSTOCK, we saw the first ever seafood entries in shrimp on the barbie and few salmon steaks. Though their legitimacy was debated, there was little hesitation to eat them.

To wash it down, CBC Pale was in the keg, sangria from homemade wine was in the pitcher and a variety of bottles from Sam light to de Koninck filled the cooler.

This year MEATSTOCK entered the modern age with actual electric appliances enhancing the entertainment. Bentley brought a utility light, his ipod outdoor setup and a long extension cord. The novelty of being able to actually see the horseshoe stakes and to hear a selection of music was terrific. Despite late night tyranny over the play list, it was a major reason for the success of the night.

The horseshoes were flying as intense matches brought perennial tossers Bentley and Ballog back to the pits while Andy and first time MSer Steve impressed the crowd with their skills. Your host even managed to sneak in a game or two in between cooking and fretting. As a bonus, the long lost shoe was found in the sand a little rusted but no worse for wear.

Perhaps seeded by the smoke from the grills, the sky opened up at just about peak grilling/eating time causing a slight rain delay. With thunder and lightning giving warning, we were prepared to bring everything inside if and when the first drops began to fall. The plan went smoothly: everyone grabbed the nearest platter, plate or beverage and headed inside. The party went indoors for a short while, the cooking went on uninterrupted (the rain felt great, I didn’t mind staying outside one bit to man the grills) and once things blew over, the crew got to work drying the furniture and bringing the fun back outside where things were soggy but blessedly less hot and humid.

Many thanks to all who showed up and made it a party. The meats were delicious and diverse and your company was pleasant as always. Extra special thanks for the rapid rain response and willingness to continue on afterwards. When some people may have left for the night, the crowd last night rallied to keep the party going. All y’all rock, thanks.

NYT: Ice Cream again! This time, make it (and sorbet) at home. Related, check out "shave ice," the asian frozen treat. Speaking of not eating sweets, Governer Huckabee of Arkansas lost 100 pounds and is urging his constituents to follow suit. I'll withhold the Yankee prejudiced jokes about fat southerners.

In the columns, Mr. Minimal hopes to save the eggplant and tomato based italian dish from a soggy hell. The wine guys are still ignoring wine but this time they at least put their energies towards rum. Better than the mysterious prohibition of last week.

SF Chronicle: Those damn liberals! The lead article is about training low income folks to become bakers for career advancement. Wasn't that in one of last weeks papers? All kidding aside, this is obviously a good program but I'm not sure it belongs in this section.

Ice cream and hot dogs! Look, I realize its summer and you expect to see some standards but its making my task rather boring. But then comes the article on the chicken taquito and all is well in my little world. Leftovers: the instant noodle dilemma, fruit bowls and ocean friendly fish.

Over in the wine section, the lead is about US place name protections. It is certainly true that the US is lacking in the extent of regulations that most of Europe uses to classify wine by quality and type. On the other hand, as happens in bourdeaux, it can be abused.
The tasting is of select sonoma chards. The cheese is burrata and the spirit is a local 'tender who won an aperitif competition in Italy.

Des Moines Register: We travel to Iowa for this week in guest papers. The Register seems to put their food section in on Thursday which completely screws up my thing here but I'll just comment on last weeks articles for the sake of getting it done on my day off.

The section is pretty trim and a couple of restaurant reviews, which I purposely don't cover, slims it down even further. Actually, I'm left with virtually nothing. The upside is that for a town in Iowa, Des Moines seems to have some pretty good restaurants. Hmmph. Locals may be interested in the article on how long waits are at area restaurants or the bar scene review. That's about it.

Ok, bye.

Chefs are unusual creatures. This one reminds me of Bunker, my grandfather.

Related note to my Anti-Rachel RAy rant.

It makes sense but I doubt it will be a simple matter to change the habits of the entire country.

NYT: The lead article talks about Healdsburg, CA where proximity to several notable wine appelations has turned the town into a froofy wine tourist destination. Located near the Alexander and Russian River valleys, it has more than 100 wineries within 20 miles. The interesting part is how the town itself changed. It reads like a republican attack ad: "The feed stores are gone from downtown Healdsburg, along with the fellows who sell farm implements, hardware and cheap haircuts. There seems to be a pottery maker or an antiques dealer on every corner now, and the hotel newsstand sells The New York Review of Books. Coffee shops have become coffee bars pushing grand latte and, on their walls, the earnest efforts of local artists."

The rest of the section seems a little thin this week. The Chef column does fritters, Mini-man makes ginger jam, a program trains teens to wait tables and the season for celebrating the tomato is ushered in. Inexplicably, the "tastings" column is MIA.

SF Chronicle: The SF Gate page is also pretty thin this week. I guess even food writers go on vacation sometimes...

The top article is about Hmong immigrants and their farming practices which are at risk to the ravages of modernity. The rest is fairly pedestrian; ice cream, chilled avocado soup, tomato juice taste test, gadgets.

In wine, the lead is on the complexities of old vine zins and the history imbued within. Tastings this week are meritages (bourdeaux-style blends of cab, merlot, cab franc and petit verdot) NOT from Sonoma or Napa. The cheese course is grilled, the buying guide is bargain italians and the cocktail is the Seelbach. Again, I have to mention how cool the cocktail column is in this section. The writer really knows his stuff and wonderfully sets up a scenario to draw you in and make you thirsty.


Ah, poop. I can't find a decent food section in a guest paper this week. I had several ideas but they didn't work out. I'll take any suggestions from your hometown papers for next week.