Rowdy’s take on burgers
With the burger war raging fiercely across our otherwise culinary rich city, I’ve decided to make a stand. I refuse to eat another burger out. Seriously. I now think of burgers as I do democrats and republicans — if we quit ordering them, they will go away.
The below video is by Rowdy Food, a home gourmand who requires no introduction. His hardcore rock & roll food videos are some of the best 30-second flings on the net. One of his latest episodes is his version of the grass-fed burger. Never cooked above true medium rare, I am told. It definitely isn’t a cheap burger, but it looks tasty.
Local Three to take over Joel Brasserie space
It’s finally official! I received this email from Ryan Turner of Muss & Turner’s regarding their restaurant-to-be, Local Three. Big news!
After 2.5 years of trying to find a home, it is with great excitement to announce that the opening of our new restaurant with Chef Chris Hall is near. Local Three will be located in the Piazza at Paces development on Northside Parkway in the former space of Joel Brasserie. We are embracing a unique opportunity to utilize one of the best kitchens in the country to introduce a new neighborhood gathering spot rooted in the same DNA and philosophy of Muss & Turner’s . We look forward to engaging the community with a come-as-you-are atmosphere and “foie gras in your flip flops” ambiance with the seasonal, high quality cuisine at affordable prices alongside value driven wines, craft beers and artisan spirits. Our partner Chef Chris Hall will man the helm at Local Three returning to the neighborhood where he was raised – around the corner on Peachtree Battle Avenue. Formerly Chef de Cuisine at Canoe and most recently helping Jay Swift open 4th & Swift two years ago, Chef Hall is thrilled to realize the dream of owning his own restaurant and even more about going back to his old stomping grounds to pour his heart and soul into executing his undeniable passion for food and making people happy.
Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive and inquisitive of this venture.
It is important that you know, the commitment and presence Muss and I have at M&T will remain strong. We have chosen a very particular path in how we grow as a company with purpose. It is critical that we maintain balance and not compromise everything we’ve worked so hard for the last 5.5 years in Smyrna.
I will be in touch with details of opening date etc.. Until then we have a restaurant to run and a mountain to climb.
To great food, drink & people,
Ryan
Ryan Turner
ryan@mussandturners.com
This Is One Way To Get Rid of Price Complaints
Pay-what-you-want eating … is it the next hot fad?
This article in the NY Times says it’s gaining traction.
Click here for full article.
Some will call it a hot trend, others a pipe dream, but the notion of letting diners choose what they pay for their meals has been gaining traction over the last decade as an outgrowth of the organic food movement and the advent of social entrepreneurs — those who believe that making a profit and doing good are not mutually exclusive.
Letter From The Editor: Sea-To-Table Under Seige
As I type this, a massive oil slick is reaping havoc on Gulf coast marine life, seriously threatening to wipeout, among other species, the entire Gulf coast oyster, shrimp and fish populations. Certainly none of it will be edible for a decade, or longer.
Why? Just for oil? Who needs it? There are so many proven, simple, and eco-friendly alternatives that efficiently run our automobiles and fuel our homes. We are hopelessly hooked on oil only because powerful oil tycoons pay big money to keep us addicted to their stuff.
Ironically, that same greedy behavior will likely drag BP, and anyone else involved, into financial ruin. But sadly, they will leave behind an environmental disaster unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Read more
Lunch Money
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry recently cleared the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, proposing a $4.5 billion increase in spending over the next 10 years for school nutrition programs. Legislators hope to be able to increase the number of students eligible for free or reduced-fare lunch. Additionally, the program plans to provide more farm-to school programs, train more food service workers, set higher nutritional standards, and provide a 6-cent per meal increase in reimbursements to schools.
This reauthorization is an admirable agenda. But without increased spending it could quickly turn into mere one-time lofty goals.
Non-profit organization Slow Food USA recommends a one billion dollar per year investment over the next ten years (as does President Obama) to truly implement these needed changes in our school food system. Slow Food USA also organized the Time for Lunch campaign to create a network of activists fighting for better nutrition in schools. Read more
Sustainability on Highway 61
Last weekend I visited a friend to celebrate the annual “Juke Joint Festival,” in Clarksdale, Mississippi. In 48 short hours I accumulated around 40 bug bites, grooved alongside legendary blues men and women, and indulged in delicious street food. The combination of soulful sounds, smoky smells, and sticky sandwiches was the perfect sensory overload.
While I was kind of expecting all of that in the birthplace of blues, what I wasn’t expecting to find in Clarksdale was the timely reminder (it’s Earth Day, people!) of what sustainable food really is.
Instead of a bombardment of green catchphrases on recycled paper menus, the Clarksdale street food reminded me that what sustainable food means is preserving a healthful food culture that allows the land, grower, and consumer to thrive.
Let’s break it down with the ever so popular Clarksdale Crawfish Boil. Read more
A Blog Worth a Billion Bucks (or The Child Nutrition Act)
It’s spring-cleaning time for my browser bookmark bar, which means only 12 sites earn a title spot right above my homepage. Usually this is a daunting task, but with the recent influx of food photography blogs, it’s becoming easier to decide which sites make the final cut, as I can simply check out a few photos instead of reading through rambling posts.
I skip over the you-are-what-you-eat chronicles (i.e., “Look what I ate at 4:23pm today….and again at 4:57!!”) and immediately add Fed Up with Lunch: The School Lunch Project. I suggest you follow/share/tweet/ subscribe to this blog. It could be worth a billion big ones.
Mrs. Q, the anonymous Midwest teacher behind “Fed Up,” pledged to eat her school’s lunch every day for the year 2010. She posts a photo of the (not so) goods each day and comments on their edibility factor. Read more
Craigslist Market: Who’s your dealer?
I’m all about cheap stuff. Thrift store on a half-price Monday? Check out my new earrings on Tuesday. No club cover before 11? I’m there at 7:30.
A few weeks ago my friend gave me some of her family’s 50-year-old yogurt culture. The fact that I’m enjoying my yogurt every morning for the cost of just a few cups of milk brings me satisfaction sweeter than my one- dollar-per-pound homemade granola. Now, I can survive almost exclusively on milk, granola and Groupon.
I recently read a New York Times article on Kombucha, a fermented tea that is the latest of the do-it-yourself craze. Similar to making your own yogurt, you need a starter culture, often called a “mushroom,” to brew your own batch. One of the most popular places to get a starter, surprisingly enough, is Craigslist. Read more
You’re an idiot if…
I stumbled on this new blog by a local restaurant manager. Thought this post was hilarious and assures me that absolutely nothing has changed since my departure from the industry more than a decade ago. First time I read it, I said to myself, “Hey, I remember that guy!”
*Warning* This blog link below is very raw and contains some language.
http://codenamecrackerlips.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/your-an-idiot/
Letter From The Editor: The Chang Bang
Friday evening, Mach 26, I made a noisy post online announcing the return of famed chef Peter Chang to Atlanta. Since departing Atlanta some three plus years ago, Chang has built an even larger fanatical following that now spreads throughout the entire east coast, and he did it without a single appearance on Bravo’s Top Chef.
Chang is most recognized for the spicy, numbing sensation of his cooking derived from a combination of oily chili and spicy Szechuan peppercorns — regarded as ma la among obsessive Changians.
According to The Hook, the online presence of the Charlottesville, VA newspaper, food writers from as far away as New York traveled here to get a taste of the elusive Chang.
Sunday, March 28, while attending a small private dinner at Tasty China, cooked by Chang himself, I learned the deal between Chang and Dahe Yang, owner of Tasty China, had fizzled for now.
Over the course of that evening, I spotted a local food writer and Washington Post journalist dining at the same table.
Nearby, an ogly, star-struck food blogger went as far as posing in photos with Chang. Read more
Poll
Have chefs quite being chefs during this bad economy?
- Some, but not the majority (79%, 22 Votes)
- No, none of them (11%, 3 Votes)
- Most, but not all (11%, 3 Votes)
- Yes, all of them (-1%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 28
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