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Category: News (Page 6 of 25)

Latkes frying at the Carnegie Deli

Mourning the Possible Loss of NYC’s Carnegie Deli

December 14, 2015 / / 0 Comments

If the Carnegie Deli is gone forever, they have nobody to blame but themselves. Between paying out over two million dollars last year in a back wages settlement to employees, and the divorce battle between the owner and her philandering general manager/husband, and the closing of the deli in April when illegal gas hookups designed to cheat the utility were discovered, the collapse of this institution seems inevitable. The owner from time to time announces the impending reopening of the Carnegie but it never comes to pass, and the talk is getting louder that the Carnegie may be closed permanently. Continue reading

The colorful array of salsas ("Our Salsas Are Hotter Than Your Wife") are ever changing.

Salsas Like You’ve Never Tasted in Tucson

December 13, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Maria Mazon, the restless and inventive mind behind Tucson’s BOCA Tacos y Tequila, was born locally but grew up in Sonora, Mexico. You won’t find crisp taco shells beneath or sour cream atop any of the two dozen wide-ranging, Sonoran-styled tacos available daily in her restaurant. You WILL find an ever-changing roster of salsas with which to garnish your tacos. Perhaps you’ll fall in love with a fresh garlic and chai tea salsa, or a pickled jalapeño and honey salsa. Don’t grow too attached to any particular salsa, however, because Ms. Mazon will likely swap it out for some other fevered inspiration. Read more about Maria and her Tucson taqueria in this Tucson Foodie story.

Boone's BBQ truck is often a participant at Food Truck Friday. Just look at the bark on that meat!

Change in New Spot for Charlotte NC’s Food Truck Friday

December 12, 2015 / / 0 Comments

About a month ago, we posted the news that Charlotte, NC’s very popular gathering of about 14 food trucks, Food Truck Friday, would have a new home next spring, as their longtime spot was undergoing development. Well, there’s been a change in plans: yes, they still have to move, but they’ve changed their new home. They will open on April 1st at Sycamore Brewing, which organizers note is an ideal site, with plenty of space for the trucks and customers to park, picnic tables, and an expanse of lawn for picnicking. And, of course, there’s all that fresh-brewed beer to go with the food! Continue reading

A steaming kettle of booyah at The Booyah Shed of Green Bay

Booyah: State Soup of Wisconsin?

December 11, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Booyah! It sounds like the sort of fad expression Ivy League college students used to say a century and a half ago, but no siree, it’s a soup found in northeast Wisconsin. We’ve been to Wisconsin multiple times, even northeast Wisconsin at that, and left without ever having heard of much less tasted it. Our loss, apparently. The concoction, said to originate with Belgian Walloon immigrants (though that is in some dispute), is generally prepared in huge kettles, outdoors, for big public gatherings. It’s based on chicken, often supplemented by beef or pork, with plenty of vegetables including some combination of cabbage, beans, potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, and tomatoes. Continue reading

Take a sausage-making class at Avril-Bleh Meat Market and come home with 15-18 pounds of links.

Learn to Make Sausage in Cincinnati!

December 10, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Looking for a special gift for your favorite carnivore? Here’s an idea that we think she or he would love: a sausage-making class at the Avril-Bleh Meat Market in Cincinnati. The class last three to four hours, and during that time you’ll grind, mix, stuff, and link a dozen or more types of homemade sausage. The cost is $125, which sounds pretty reasonable to us for the class but it’s way more reasonable than you think, because you get to take home all the sausage you make! That generally runs between 15 and 18 pounds of links. They also serve everyone a sausage lunch, and you get a t-shirt to boot. Continue reading

Red AND green peppermint candy in Young's Jersey Dairy's peppermint stick ice cream... we approve!

‘Tis the Season for Peppermint Ice Cream!

December 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

When the weather turns cold, and the scent of pine is in the air… and twinkling lights hang from the eaves, and fat men in red suits loiter on street corners and in department stores… it can only mean one thing: peppermint ice cream is back! We’re not talking about the green mint chip ice cream that is available year round (and which is quite alright by us) but that (unfortunately) seasonal pink concoction, often studded with red and white bits of peppermint candy. Continue reading

Nikki's shrimp and grits, a signature dish, will once again be available when Nikki's Place reopens next year.

Nikki’s Place of Orlando Reopening Early 2016

December 8, 2015 / / 0 Comments

It was back in March when Nikki’s Place, 16-year soul food favorite in Orlando, FL, suffered a devastating fire that closed the restaurant. It’s been closed ever since. Now, with help from a Minority Women Business Assistance Program loan/grant of about $25,000, they are planning to reopen early next year. The MEBA money will be used for things like a stove, convection ovens, and new signage. We are happy for owners Nick and Elaine Aiken, of course, but this is also great news for those visitors to the area’s theme parks who might choose to search for some real food in town. Which we always recommend!

Plate lunch extraordinaire at Arnold's

2nd Arnold’s Opens in Nashville Today; Dinner, Breakfast Coming Soon?

December 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We relayed the news a few weeks ago that the supreme plate lunch specialist of Nashville, TN, Arnold’s Country Kitchen, would be opening a second location in the Green Hills section of Nashville in December. Well, we just learned that today’s opening day for the new eatery. Like the original Arnold’s, it’s open for lunch only, Monday through Friday, but there’s a second nugget of news: they hope to begin serving dinner soon, which is great to hear. No reason meat-and-three should be a lunch only meal! And here’s a third nugget: the new Arnold’s will begin serving breakfast when the original restaurant closes in March while it undergoes expansion and renovations.

A fresh tomato pie at Sally's - Wooster Street pizzas rarely emerge from the oven in any shape resembling a circle.

Sally’s Apizza of New Haven CT Being Sold

December 6, 2015 / / 2 Comments

When discussion turns to the greatest American pizzerias, New Haven, Connecticut, without fail, is part of the mix. In particular, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is often cited (including by us) as the source for the country’s finest pizza. Frank Pepe founded the pizzeria in 1925. In 1938, with Frank’s blessing, his nephew Salvatore Consiglio opened Sally’s Apizza a few doors down Wooster Street. There are many folks who, today, claim that Sally’s pies are superior to Pepe’s. We can’t say as we’ve never been to Sally’s, not out of some wacky sense of loyalty to Pepe’s but because we love Pepe’s so much that we could never bring ourselves to miss a rare opportunity to enjoy a Pepe’s white clam pie while passing through New Haven. Continue reading

Italian beef from Al's #1 of Chicago may be fast food but it's so much more satisfying than the arches or the colonel.

Fast Food with Soul

December 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Fast food doesn’t have to mean dollar menu drive-thru burgers and drab buckets of chicken. Many American cities have their own local fast food traditions, where the eats are just as inexpensive and greasy as at any national chain, and you are served by local high school kids within a minute or two of ordering. The big differences? The restaurants are locally based (even if it’s a small chain) and the grub actually tastes great. CNN looks at four of these local fast food gems, where you’ll find chicken wings, cheeseburgers and pie wedges, Italian beef, and Cuban sandwiches. Have a look!

Bon Ton serves the booziest bread pudding in town. It's one of the best, too.

Feel the Warmth at Bon Ton Cafe of New Orleans

December 4, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“Comforting food with a Cajun touch.” Tom Fitzmorris, veteran New Orleans restaurant reviewer, recently paid a visit to Bon Ton Cafe, a yearly ritual he observes on the first cold evening of the year. He captures our feelings about one of NOLA’s old-timers perfectly. We might add that it’s under-appreciated in this town. It doesn’t get negative attention, it simply doesn’t get much attention at all. Perhaps that’s because it serves the same food, made from the same recipes, year in and year out. It’s not an approach designed to excite the foodies, but it excites us because it’s always executed well, and served with warmth and style. Read more about Mr. Fitzmorris’ visit here.

Rowley, MA's Agawam is a 1950s-era Fodero that remains true to the traditional spirit of New England diners.

Agawam’s Chicken Pie Named One of Top 5 Diner Dishes

December 3, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We’re big fans of the Agawam Diner of Rowley, Massachusetts. The Agawam was founded in 1940, bounced around The Bay State, and settled in a 1950s-model Fodero before resting in the town of Rowley. We’ve enjoyed dishes like hot dogs with homemade potato salad and mile-high banana pie at the Agawam but now want to return to try their chicken pie, which is good, old-fashioned chicken pie with one innovation: it’s served upside down. Also, it’s been named one of the country’s five best diner dishes by The Food Network. Continue reading

Briny, salty, garlicky, juicy, oily, toasty, chewy... Pepe's New Haven, CT white clam pizza is the perfect food!

Pepe’s Pizza Makes Boston Debut 12/16

December 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments

It sometimes seemed like it would never really happen, but all doubts have been erased: Pepe’s will be bringing their incomparable New Haven pizza to Boston in two weeks. The Mall at Chestnut Hill opening is scheduled for December 16th. The oven will be identical to the New Haven original but word is there will be new toppings and salads. The char will remain. If it’s a success, there could be further Pepe’s openings in the Boston area. For you first-time Boston visitors, here’s some advice: no matter what else you get, order a white clam pie!

Top Pot Bringing Doughnuts and Coffee to Tacoma

December 1, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Top Pot, with 17 stores in and around Seattle and three more in and around Dallas, plans to bring their much-loved hand-roasted coffee and “hand-forged” doughnuts to Tacoma, Washington. There will be two Tacoma cafes, the first of which should soon be open at 2724 North Proctor Street. Then, in the spring of next year, another Top Pot will open in The Village at Chambers Bay. We’ll take a Glazed Old Fashioned and a Glazed Chocolate Old Fashioned, please!

Pineapple upside down cupcakes at D.C.'s Florida Avenue Grill - if that's all they served, we'd be there!

DC’s Florida Avenue Grill Adding Alcohol?

November 30, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We love America’s classic old soul food restaurants, especially the 1944 Florida Avenue Grill in the nation’s capital. It’s easy to forget that these are not museum pieces but actual businesses struggling to turn a profit. To that end, the Florida Avenue Grill has applied for a liquor license. They say their dinnertime business just isn’t there and they need to serve alcohol to make the nighttime meal more attractive to potential customers. They are not, however, trying to turn the place into a bar. If that’s what it takes to keep ’em around, we’re all for it.

Over 8000 Served Free Thanksgiving at Norma’s of Dallas

November 27, 2015 / / 0 Comments

It began 27 years ago when 150 free Thanksgiving meals were served by Norma’s Cafe of Dallas, and this year the number of free meals served yesterday may have exceeded 8,000. Norma’s is not a large place so if you weren’t able to eat in, a free dinner was there for you to take home. Watch the two videos below to see Norma’s free Thanksgiving in action and to learn more about Norma’s 27 year tradition of giving back to the community: Continue reading

Oysters St. Claude are on Upperline's reveillon menu.

Celebrate a Creole Christmas with a Reveillon Dinner in New Orleans

November 25, 2015 / / 1 Comment

If you grew up a Creole in 19th-century New Orleans, you likely enjoyed one of the biggest feasts of the year following Christmas Eve midnight mass. All the stops were pulled out for these multi-course meals, called reveillons, which traditionally featured the finest the family could afford. Such celebrations virtually died out by the middle of the 20th century as kitchen staffs for private homes became a thing of the past for all but a very few. Over the last couple of decades, however, a reveillon revival has taken place in New Orleans, centered in restaurants for the month of December. Continue reading

Jeff Magill has been tending the bar at the original Billy Goat since 1981.

Jeff Magill’s 34 Year Run as Billy Goat Bartender Ending Soon

November 24, 2015 / / 0 Comments

“I want to sleep when I’m tired and eat when I’m hungry.” Those are the words of Jeff Magill as he explains why he is bringing his 34 year Billy Goat Tavern bartending career to a close at the age of 65. Can’t think of any better reasons to retire! Mr. Magill, referred to as “The Last Gentlemen Bartender” in a lovely piece in Chicago Magazine at the beginning of the year, will be missed by his many loyal patrons. Future plans? Winter golf in Dallas, writing about his time at the Goat (yes, please!), maybe even a little more tending bar at some point. Whatever you choose to do, best of luck, Jeff Magill.

Anchor Bar Wings on the Vegas Strip

November 23, 2015 / / 0 Comments

The inventor of the Buffalo wing, Anchor Bar, opened a branch on The Strip in Las Vegas, in the Venetian. So how do these wings stack up against the original? Writing for Las Vegas Weekly, Brock Radke says “stick to mild, medium or hot sauces, and you’ll find simple wing happiness. They’re plenty meaty and wonderfully crispy, and not at all dried out like what might happen at your neighborhood bar.” You can also go Full Buffalo and get yourself a beef-on-weck while you’re at it (that’s roast beef on a salt-and-caraway spangled roll), which must be a rare sight west of the Rockies.

The Rogers family has been slinging their local version of chili since 1945.

Joe Rogers’ Chili of Springfield IL Sold

November 22, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Looks like Marianne Rogers has finally figured out a way to retire for good! The Chili Parlor, of Springfield, Illinois, was founded by Marianne’s father, Joe Rogers, on New Year’s Eve in 1945, and came into her possession in 1973. She’s twice sold the chili parlor but, seeing as she was doing the financing for the buyers, twice she regained ownership. This time, the sale is for real – no backsies. Roy and Stephanie Beal take ownership outright on December 1st, and ownership includes the 70-year-old chili recipe. The Beals say nothing whatsoever, including the customers’ choices of heat and grease levels, will be changed.

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