- Beleaguered burrito chain Chipotle could be adding a new frozen beverage to its menu. The company is serving slushy paloma cocktails at its New York City test kitchen, charging $6.20 for 14 ounces of the tequila-grapefruit concoction. Chipotle has been serving frozen margaritas since 2013.
- And speaking of Chipotle, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed the chain lied to investors and customers about the circumstances leading to the company’s many foodborne illness outbreaks a few years back.
- Did you know there is a culture war raging over the egg spoon, a vessel made famous by Alice Waters that allows cooks to roast a single egg over an open fire? Whether that sounds like slow food bliss or the epitome of culinary elitism, the New York Times takes a detailed look at the history and controversy surrounding this instrument.
- A gelato parlor in New York City is serving ice cream sushi. That’s the dessert molded to look like traditional nigiri and rolls, not raw fish integrated into frozen custard.
- Former dictator of North Korea Kim Jong-il could eat well on his personal train. There was French wine, fresh lobster, and “any dish of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and French cuisine.”
- Shack Shack has some special cherry blossom season-inspired packaging in Tokyo, and it’s lovely.
Shack-ura Shake @ Shake Shack in Tokyo #sakura #cherryblossom #hastobedone pic.twitter.com/2ZOmedjpWQ
— Elizabeth Auerbach (@ElizabethOnFood) March 26, 2018
- Forty-fourth President of the United States Barack Obama recently dined at Piggy Smalls, one of the hottest new restaurants in Honolulu. Sounds like it was an excellent meal: Laotian fried chicken wings, ahi tataki on Spanish toast, roasted akule marinated in caramelized curry, lilikoi semifreddo cake, Burmese salad, koji aged beef ribeye, and hu tieu noodle soup with wontons.
- Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods has produced some headaches for the upscale supermarket chain. But, stores that have installed Amazon lockers are seeing an increase in “micro visits.” Online shoppers who are worried packages might be stolen from their homes have their Amazon goods shipped to these lockers. When these people pick up their items, they grab a few groceries too.
- Serious bitcoin mining takes a lot of electricity and produces a significant amount of excess, and usually wasted, energy from all those computer servers. Someone has figured out a way to make the process a little more efficient by pumping the heat from those servers into a greenhouse to grow tomatoes. They’re ingeniously calling the produce “cryptomatoes.”
- Thoughts and prayers to fast food eaters in Irvine, California, where a McDonald’s delivery truck has overturned, spilling french fries all over the free way. Thankfully, the driver of the truck was not injured.
- Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza discusses the relationship between food and social justice. “There is something about being nourished that I think must change your biochemistry in a kind of way,” Garza tells the Washington Post. “If I need to have a hard conversation with someone, I’d way rather do it over food.”
- If you’re in need of a new chef’s knife and short on cash, you can make one out of a standard roll of aluminum foil. Just be prepared for a whole lot of hammering and sharpening.
- Finally, America runs on Dunkin’, or so the doughnuts and coffee chain claims. Now America can run in Dunkins. The company is the latest food #brand to get into the clothing and accessories game by producing its own sneakers. These kicks “feature playful elements in one of Saucony’s most popular running silhouettes for a superior lightweight fit,” according to a press release. They can be purchased online for $120 a pair.
