If you are not already in Hawaii, or at least on your way, this is pretty short notice. But it sounds like fun! The 8th annual Maui County Agricultural Festival takes place on the Maui Tropical Plantation in Wailuku this Saturday, April 4th. The festival’s goal is to raise awareness of Maui agriculture by bringing local farmers, ranchers, food producers, and chefs together in a festive environment where they can talk story (Hawaiian for chat) with the public and demonstrate their unique talents. Continue reading
Month: March 2015 (Page 1 of 8)
Danny’s Diner, Binghamton NY
All things considered, we think Danny’s Diner is the most Binghamtonian place for breakfast in the Southern Tier. Staffed almost completely by women, this Depression-era Sterling diner is remarkably gleaming and shipshape. These folks serve basic diner renditions of eggs, hash, potatoes, toast and coffee at low, low prices and dish out a warm and friendly rendition of diner sass. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL TATER DAY!
Fort Pierce Oyster Festival, Fort Pierce FL, April 4th 2015
True, not everyone loves oysters, but for those who have a true passion for the bivalve, the Fort Pierce Oyster Festival taking place this coming Saturday, April 4th, features a menu sure to satisfy: oysters grilled, Mexicali, casino, and, of course, raw on the half shell. Don’t eat oysters? Here’s a partial list of what else you’ll find: conch fritters and conch salad, crabs, coconut shrimp, chowder, lobster bisque, a grouper basket, jambalaya, crawfish platters… It ain’t all seafood either – you can score some BBQ, burgers, Italian sausage, gator – but, yeah, it’s mostly seafood. Continue reading
De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies, Robbinsville NJ
REVIEW
Start with one of America’s finest pizza makers: De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies on Hudson Street in Trenton, NJ. Add a selection of salads and a bathroom (there was none on Hudson). What do you get? The finest pizzeria in New Jersey, and one of the top ten in America, De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, NJ. Yes, Robbinsville may be the suburbs, and the new restaurant sure is spacious and modern, but the pizzas that emerge from those ovens are identical to the ones formerly served on Hudson Street. Continue reading
HAPPY TURKEY NECK SOUP DAY!
50 Years for O’Steen’s in St. Augustine FL
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restaurant opened by Robert and Virginia O’Steen in St. Augustine, Florida. O’Steen’s has always been known for their local Florida seafood and, especially, for their fresh, locally harvested shrimp, which they shell, clean, and butterfly in-house before frying. Today the restaurant is overseen by Lonnie Pomar, who began working at O’Steen’s as a kid, and Lonnie’s wife Barbara. Continue reading
Tony Luke’s Coming to Ocean City MD in May
A new Tony Luke’s, popular South Philly purveyor of cheesesteaks and Italian roast pork sandwiches, will be opening on 33rd Street in Ocean City, Maryland in May. The restaurant will remain open year-round, i.e., it’s not a summers-only venture as is the practice of many businesses in Ocean City. Read more in this DelmarvaNow story.
The Mike Hardin Memorial
At 11:11 a.m. Saturday morning, the memorial for Mike Hardin, owner of Hodad’s in San Diego, began at Petco’s Park in the Park. It was a public event, open to all, including the many friends he made along the way. Some of them spoke at the memorial, including Guy Fieri, U.S. Navy Chaplain John Owen, and his fellow Messlords, a group of chefs who cook for American troops around the world. A common theme was Mike’s kindness, generosity, and humanity. Continue reading
The Attman’s Deli Story
Attman’s Deli on Lombard Street in Baltimore turns 100 years old this year. Today’s Attman’s is famous for their sandwich menu but what most fans don’t realize is that, for about the first 50 years of its existence, Attman’s was really a Jewish grocery that fixed the occasional sandwich for those customers who asked. It was founder Harry Attman’s son, Seymour, who turned it into a true restaurant in the ’60s. Continue reading
Catfish Festival, Crescent City FL, April 3rd and 4th 2015
Tell a regional food aficionado about a festival that features fried catfish fingerlings, frogs legs, gator tail, and swamp cabbage stew, and she’s sure to know that festival will be happening somewhere in The Sunshine State. Those Florida specialties and much more will be on the menu at the 37th annual Catfish Festival put on by the Rotary Club of Crescent City, Florida, on Crescent Lake, about halfway between Orlando and Jacksonville. The festivities begin 5 p.m. Friday, April 3rd and continue during the day on Saturday, April 4th. Continue reading
Settebello, Henderson NV
REVIEW
Take a former USC quarterback who has completed his two years of missionary work for the LDS church, and place him in a pizzeria in a wealthy suburb of Las Vegas. This does not sound like a promising formula for pizza greatness. Yet that is exactly what owner Brad Otton has achieved at Settebello. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL LEMON CHIFFON CAKE DAY!
Winstead’s, Kansas City MO
REVIEW
We’ve encountered a style of hamburger cookery in the Midwest that we rarely see in the East. Many of these places use fresh, coarsely ground beef and smoosh it down hard on the cooktop, resulting in a thin, irregularly formed patty with crisp edges and the chaw of real beef which hasn’t been pulverized to a pulpy paste. The Kansas City chain Winstead’s makes such a burger. Continue reading
HAPPY SOMETHING ON A STICK DAY!
50 Best Fried Chickens in the USA
Msn.com’s getting in on the act – everyone wants to present their list of America’s best fried chickens! From #50 Hill Country Fried Chicken of New York City to #1 Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken of Tennessee (and currently expanding nationally), they present all the usual, and worthy, suspects interspersed with a goodly number of out-of-the-box picks. Have a look!
Betty’s Strawberry Pie
We were saddened to hear the news earlier this week that Betty Lassard, founder of Betty’s Pies in Two Harbors, Minnesota, recently passed away. Why not remember Ms. Lassard by baking the first pie she ever baked? The Lake County News Chronicle has posted the recipe for that inaugural pie, a fresh strawberry number topped with whipped cream, and a pound of lard in the crust (lard produces the flakiest pie crusts)! The story is more than a recipe – read about Betty Lassard here.
Phillips Grocery, Oxford MS
REVIEW
Phillips Grocery in Oxford is a branch of the original in Holly Springs. The one in Holly Springs is a can’t miss stop. This one, while not really a grocery, or even a former grocery, is a genuinely old wooden house south of town, converted into something reminiscent of the Holly Springs original, in an impressionistic sort of way. There are some picnic tables out on the front porch, and they can be a very pleasant place to spend some time munching on first-class hamburgers. Continue reading
Stroll around downtown Belzoni in the state of Mississippi and you’ll notice something right away: what are all these ornately decorated human-sized fish doing here? If you happen to find yourself on Magnolia Street you may come upon the Catfish Museum. Step inside to learn the “complete story of the catfish from fingerling to frying pan.” Outside the museum, admire King Cat, the world’s largest catfish sculpture. Continue reading
Posted on St. Elmo Steak House’s Facebook page Wednesday:
Despite the actions and intolerance of the majority of our elected officials, Indiana is a friendly and welcoming state. People make this state great — not politicians. At St. Elmo Steak House and Harry & Izzy’s, we employ, welcome, and serve ALL. Most other businesses do as well, because it’s the right thing. The word Freedom should only be used when it’s inclusive and fair for all.
The post from the Indianapolis restaurant is in response to the governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, signing a bill that gives people the ability to claim a religious exemption to anti-discrimination laws.
