Author: Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle (Page 29 of 61)
Portland Oregon Donut Deathmatch
Can there be any doubt that Portland, Oregon is America’s donut capital? Apparently spurred on by Voodoo Doughnut‘s national acclaim, local entrepreneurs have attempted to out-Voodoo Voodoo. And judging by the results of the first ever Donut Deathmatch, held by Portland company Roundhouse, a “creative agency” (we don’t have a clue either), they have succeeded. Roundhouse rounded up donuts from seven of Portland’s finest donut artisans, including Voodoo, and the winner was declared to be Blue Star Donuts. Helen Bernhard Bakery finished second, and Pip’s Original was third. See the video below to witness the competition: Continue reading
A pink tomato festival. With no prior knowledge of the event we would have assumed that this is a celebration of a locally grown tomato that ripens to a pink (rather than deep red) color (there ARE such tomatoes). But no… what they are celebrating, here in Bradley County, Arkansas, is a variety of tomato that ships well if picked when the tomato tops just barely turn pink (ripening further after picking). That pink tomato is now the official state fruit and vegetable of Arkansas. Continue reading
Maruca’s Tomato Pies, Seaside Heights NJ
REVIEW
There are still many Trenton-area tomato pie aficionados who get misty-eyed at the mention of the long-departed Maruca’s. De Lorenzo on Hudson Street (now in Robbinsville), De Lorenzo on Hamilton Avenue (now in Hamilton Township), Papa’s (also now in Robbinsville), Joe’s (closed), Maruca’s: those were the Big Five. Maruca’s opened a branch at the Jersey shore and eventually closed up shop entirely in the city. Today, Maruca’s shore reputation may surpass its capital city rep. Many people claim that Maruca’s serves the best slices on the shore. We tend to agree with them. Continue reading
50 Bites of Charleston
Foursquare has analyzed, in some arcane and inscrutable way, the massive trove of data generated by their users for that eater’s paradise known as Charleston in South Carolina to produce a list of the 50 foods to eat along with the best places to eat them. You know what? Having recently spent a week in the Low Country we can say that, perhaps surprisingly, it’s not a bad list at all. We’d start with the addictive oyster sliders at The Ordinary and follow that up with Hominy Grill‘s benchmark shrimp and grits. After that, you’ve got 48 directions in which to head!
HAPPY JELLY-FILLED DOUGHNUT DAY!
Gelateria Dondoli, San Gimignano, Siena, Italy
HAPPY NATIONAL CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM DAY!
Egg Shortage Sends Cookie Jar of Sioux Falls Scrambling
The Cookie Jar has achieved a reputation for its freshly made cookies that extends far beyond their Sioux Falls, South Dakota hometown. Cookies (and pies and cakes and cupcakes, which they also bake with particular expertise), of course require eggs. Unfortunately, the recent bird flu has resulted in the destruction of 40 million laying hens, creating a severe egg shortage that may take up to a year to ease. Watch the video below to see how The Cookie Jar is coping with the shortage of eggs and disappearance of its suppliers: Continue reading
Pizza Perfect, Trucksville PA
REVIEW
Pizza snobs beware: what you will find at Pizza Perfect in Trucksville, PA, and at similar pizza specialists in the region, requires you to compartmentalize everything you think you know about what makes great pizza and what constitutes inferior pizza. In other words, enter these doors with an open mind and a LAF spirit. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL APPLESAUCE CAKE DAY!
Abbott’s Sets 18 Pound Lobster Free
We like to go to Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough of Noank, CT once each spring, get a giant lobster, and share it. We’ve gone as large as the 5- to 6-pound range, which is A LOT of lobster, probably too much for two hungry lobster lovers. But 18 pounds?! A lobster that large, they say, is probably about 40 years old. It’s quite a sight, and something about a lobster that large seems to make some folks a little sympathetic to its plight (Bruce = sympathy, Sue = dinner time!). Abbott’s, as they do each year, released an 18-pounder into the Long Island Sound on Wednesday. A video of this amazing creature follows: Continue reading
Times have changed! Here’s how we began a story about Harlan’s Poke Sallet Festival a decade ago: “Think you make the best poke sallet in Harlan County? Want to pit yourself against Kentucky’s finest poke sallet cooks? Want to know what poke sallet is? Then attend the Poke Sallet Festival in Harlan, Kentucky this week. . . . Poke sallet meals will be available at Jac’s Coffee Shop, Mary’s Country Store, and the Coal Miners Cafe.” Those days (and those three restaurants) are long one. We see no mention of the poke sallet cooking contest on the festival website either. Today, poke sallet serves as more of a regional mascot than an edible at the festival, which focuses on fun and games and entertainment. Continue reading
Saffron Salmon, Newport OR
REVIEW
The most common words used to describe Saffron Salmon are “fine dining.” Yes, the quality is high, and be forewarned, prices, while by no means outrageous, run beyond what LAF fans may have come to expect. Nevertheless, in our opinion, of the pricier restaurants of Newport, there’s no better place in which to drop a Benjamin. Continue reading
The 50 Best Barbecue Spots in the South
Southern Living presents what they are calling the top 50 barbecue joints in the South. Ten of the 50 are designated Top Picks, and they include both obvious choices like Louie Mueller and Franklin of Texas and some places that we’re not familiar with. Which is wonderful! In fact, there are plenty of Q shacks among the 50 that are totally new to us, and we can’t wait to hit the road to sample as many as we can. Just one question: where’s McClard’s of Hot Springs, Arkansas, our favorite Southern BBQ joint?
HAPPY NATIONAL GINGERBREAD DAY!
This year (2015) marks the 106th Lebanon Strawberry Festival in Lebanon, Oregon, which was started in 1909 to celebrate the Mid-Willamette Valley strawberry. The festivities begin today, Thursday, June 4th and continue through the weekend, at Cheadle Lake Regional Park. Continue reading
Greasy Nick’s, New Rochelle NY
REVIEW
For a summer patio picnic, Greasy Nick’s is just the ticket. A fiercely downscale New Rochelle spot, across the street from a gas station, there’s nothing refined about the food or setting. This urban shoreline treat is vaguely reminiscent of a New England clam shack, but with a city grit that is far removed from anything you’ll find along the coast of Maine. Continue reading
HAPPY NATIONAL COGNAC DAY!
America’s Top Dozen Donuts
This past winter we popped into Frangelli’s Bakery in Philadelphia to try their donnoli — that’s a donut filled with cannoli cream. Alas, they were out, and we returned home with a fine selection of “regular” donuts, which included a dossant (like the trademarked Cronut). Little did we know at the time that their jelly donuts are a force to be reckoned with. Frangelli’s jellies were just named one of America’s top 12 donuts by The Huffington Post (full disclosure: the story’s writers are from Philly). Continue reading
