As controversy and scandal continues to swirl around Bill Cosby, organizations and groups have been rushing to sever their ties to the entertainer — Disney is the latest example, as they recently removed a Cosby statue from their Hollywood Studios theme park in Orlando. Yet Ben’s Chili Bowl of Washington, D.C. has not turned their back on Bill Cosby and appear unlikely to do so. Why is that? Tim Carman has written an interesting story on that subject, exploring the relationship between the two that goes much deeper than business. There are issues of family, loyalty, and morality at play, and the Ali family, longtime owners of Ben’s, has never shown an inclination to put their restaurant ahead of their sense of right and wrong. Read the full story here.
Author: Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle (Page 23 of 61)
HAPPY NATIONAL SUGAR COOKIE DAY!
Yarmouth Clam Festival, Yarmouth ME, July 17th through 19th 2015
Whole fried clams in crumbs. Fried clam strips. Fried clams in batter. Clam chowder. Clam cakes. Steamed clams. Yep, it’s time once again for that ultimate festival for clam-lovers: the 50th Annual Yarmouth Clam Festival in Maine. Over 100,000 visitors are expected in Yarmouth the weekend of July 17th through 19th. Continue reading
The Pilot House, Kingston ON Canada
REVIEW
A Pilot House special of sun-dried tomato soup filled with rice – good rainy-day food
Banana Pudding Love
We know Germantown Commissary, in the Memphis suburb of Germantown, as the site of classic Memphis barbecue — we’ve even mail-ordered first-rate Q from them — but if you’re dining in, you may want to avail yourself of the dessert menu. Michelle Lewis, writing for the alternative weekly Memphis Flyer, expresses her love for the Commissary’s homemade banana pudding, adding a little additional praise for their entire dessert menu. Read it all here.
North Dakota State Fair, Minot ND, July 17th through 25th 2015
We love everything about state fairs, from the 4-H exhibits to the butter and cheese sculptures, from the headline country music concerts to the Sweet Adelines, but what really grabs us are the food possibilities. Unfortunately, some fairs treat food as an afterthought, offering nothing but standard carnival fare. The North Dakota State Fair, perhaps surprisingly, is not one of those. Interesting things to eat are front and center in Minot! Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL CHOCOLATE WITH ALMONDS DAY!
Manganaro’s Heroboy, New York NY
REVIEW
Decades of lawsuits settled once-and-for-all the long-running feud between the two branches of the family that owned the side-by-side Managanaro’s stores on Ninth Avenue, near Port Authority. This resulted in the closure of the Grosseria a few years back. Hero Boy was the larger, and more modern (and generic) looking store of the two, a cafeteria-style restaurant; no groceries for sale here. Continue reading
Graeter’s Now Open in Oxford OH
The Oxford, Ohio Graeter’s ice cream shop that, last we heard, was slated for a May 2015 opening finally opened its doors to the town at 1 p.m. yesterday. Their address is 29 West High Street.The owners say business at the store, which specializes in handcrafted French pot ice cream, was very good on opening day and about as expected. An official grand opening has not yet been announced.
HAPPY NATIONAL STRAWBERRY SUNDAE DAY!
Seed spittin’ and watermelon eatin’ contests: sounds like a watermelon festival! Pageland, South Carolina, the Watermelon Capital of the World, just over the border from North Carolina, is where all the fun will happen on Friday and Saturday, July 17th and 18th. Continue reading
White Rose Diner, Linden NJ
REVIEW
Sue places a breakfast order for a Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. She does not like runny yolks.
SUE: How do you do your eggs?
COUNTERMAN: Well… when I get here in the morning I turn on the grill and let it heat up. Then I get the eggs out…
(Laughter from the working men dining at the counter, almost to a man with work pants riding down low enough to expose butt cleavage)
SUE: I get enough smart-ass answers from my husband.
(More chuckles)
BRUCE (to counterman): I think she’s falling in love with you.
(Further laughter from the pew)
COUNTERMAN: It happens that quick, does it? Continue reading
Rhode Island Clam Cakes and Chow Mein Sandwiches
It’s the smallest state in the union, by area, yet Rhode Island provides the culinarily curious with a surprisingly extensive selection of local cuisine. Much of it can be sampled at Evelyn’s Drive-In, a summer-only shack on the water in Tiverton. You’ll find The Ocean State’s unique and fabulous clear-broth clam chowder, and those fried balls of clam-spiked dough that go so well with the chowder, clam cakes. Stuffies, lobster rolls, fried belly clams, Grape Nut pudding, and frappes are also on Evelyn’s menu (as well as the notorious chow mein sandwich). Read more about Evelyn’s in this profile in The Boston Globe.
HAPPY NATIONAL FRIED CHICKEN DAY!
Porter Peach Festival, Porter OK, July 16th through 18th 2015
Free peaches and ice cream! Do you need any other reason to attend the 49th Porter Peach Festival in Oklahoma? The festival dates are July 16th through 18th. The peaches and cream will be handed out Saturday at 1 p.m. When it comes to peaches, that’s not all: earlier Saturday, contestants will be competing at the Porter Civic Center in the annual peach cooking contests, in the categories of cobblers, desserts, and preserves. And you’ll be able to pick your own peaches (or purchase them already picked) at Livesay Orchards. Continue reading
Ristorante Buca Mario, Florence, Italy
REVIEW
1/2 Melone al Porto: The melons we encountered were just amazing. Never have we had melon in the US as ripe, sweet, and full of flavor as the ones we had in Italy.
Hoover’s Cooking of Austin Wins Award!
Chef and owner Hoover Alexander and General Manager Alvin “Skip” Walker of Austin’s crowd-pleasing Hoover’s Cooking were named Outstanding Restaurateurs of 2015 by the Greater Austin Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association. Said Hoover, “I am just a working man, and am so humbled and honored to be chosen for this by my peers who best understand the sweat, sleepless nights, sacrifices and hard work that goes into our business.” Congrats to Mr. Alexander and Mr. Walker!
HAPPY NATIONAL APPLE TURNOVER DAY!
Central Maine Egg Festival, Pittsfield ME, July 13th through 18th 2015
“Brown Eggs Are Local… And Local Eggs Are Fresh.” So says the website of the Central Maine Egg Festival. We guess that rule applies to Central Maine; don’t know if that’ll work in the rest of the country. Anyway, the town of Pittsfield, in Maine, is host to the egg fest, which begins Monday the 13th and will continue through Saturday the 18th. Continue reading
Madonia Brothers Bakery, Bronx NY
REVIEW
We knew of one woman, 85 years of age, who lived in the northern suburbs of New York City. She probably shouldn’t have been driving at all anymore, yet she still made the twice-weekly trip to Madonia Bakery, 97 years of age, in The Bronx, for her fix of the Italian bread she grew up with. Good, old-fashioned bread will do that to true yeast fanatics. Continue reading
