Left at the Fork

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There'll be plenty of homemade apple pie, a la mode if you prefer, at the annual Apple Pie Jamboree in Pateros, WA.

Apple Pie Jamboree, Pateros WA, July 17th through 19th 2015

July 10, 2015 / / 0 Comments

The Apple Pie Jamboree began in 1947 as way to raise money for the local hospital. The festival continued in fits and starts over the years – the next Jamboree was held in 1950 but stopped after the ’57 party. It wasn’t until 1969 that the festivities took hold for good in Pateros. Those early years featured raffles of refrigerators and an 800-pound steer. In a scene foreshadowing a classic episode of a ’70s sitcom, one year live chickens were tossed off the roofs of local buildings! Yes, much has changed over the years but the apple pie remains. Continue reading

We love the rice noodle in all its forms. They can be filled with almost any sort of meat, poultry, or seafood.

Wonder Seafood, Edison NJ

July 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

REVIEW

We have nothing against modern, chefly dim sum restaurants, any more than we object to fancy-pants chefs’ takes on Italian cuisine, say, or beachside cuisine. We often enjoy the upscale, pricier stuff made from carefully sourced ingredients, artfully plated. But sometimes we want a perfect plate of simple, homey lasagna, or an overflowing basket of fried belly clams with o-rings. Or, more to the matter at hand, old-school dim sum served from rolling carts in a frantic, bustling, hyperventilating weekend morning scene. And there are none in the North Jersey area (and few, for that matter, in Manhattan’s Chinatown, across the river) the equal of Edison’s Wonder Seafood. Continue reading

The Special Relationship Between Bill Cosby and Ben’s Chili Bowl

July 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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.

Watch the pros show off their skills in the clam shucking competition, or give it a go in the amateur event!

Yarmouth Clam Festival, Yarmouth ME, July 17th through 19th 2015

July 9, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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

Ribs from Tennessee's Germantown Commissary

Banana Pudding Love

July 8, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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.

Westrum's wild rice burger

North Dakota State Fair, Minot ND, July 17th through 25th 2015

July 8, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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

Juicy meatballs, fresh mozzarella and sauce: the meatball hero is one of the best items on the Hero Boy menu.

Manganaro’s Heroboy, New York NY

July 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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

One of Graeter's most popular seasonal flavors: peach

Graeter’s Now Open in Oxford OH

July 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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.

A traditional New Jersey Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese is served on a hard roll. That setup is available at the White Rose, of course, but we recommend going one step further and getting your sandwich on a hero roll.

White Rose Diner, Linden NJ

July 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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

A basket of Evelyn's clam cakes, here seen without its constant companion, Rhode Island clam chowder

Rhode Island Clam Cakes and Chow Mein Sandwiches

July 6, 2015 / / 11 Comments

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.

Nab a basket of fresh-off-the-tree peaches at the Peach Auction!

Porter Peach Festival, Porter OK, July 16th through 18th 2015

July 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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

Insalatina di Zucchine, Parmigiano, Pinoli e Olio di Tartufo: A very beautiful salad of thinly sliced zucchini with Parmigiana, pine nuts, and truffle oil

Ristorante Buca Mario, Florence, Italy

July 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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.

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.

Continue reading

Make us a great banana pudding, like the one from Hoover's, and we'll love you forever!

Hoover’s Cooking of Austin Wins Award!

July 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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!

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