An Inedible Bag, a Zabar’s Hat, and More Things to Buy This Week

This post originally appeared on June 4, 2019, in “Add to Cart” — the weekly newsletter for people who love shopping (almost) as much as they love eating. Subscribe now.

The word “influencer” has become so overused that at this point, the sound of it literally exhausts me. But in its essence, “influencing” is just about trust: If I respect someone’s intellect or insight, I’m likely to seek out their advice. If I trust their taste, I’m likely to take their shopping recommendations. It’s never not valuable, in my opinion, to surround yourself with people you trust who have something interesting to share.

Which is why I’m pumped about the Eater Young Guns Summit, which was just announced today. Taking place in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 27, it will bring together chefs and sommeliers and restaurateurs and cookbook authors and other fascinating food world (and food world-adjacent) individuals to talk about dining culture today. They don’t all have the same taste or the same life experience — in fact, the beauty of Young Guns is that these rising stars have a fresh perspective that industry veterans might not. But they each have something to offer, from baking tool recommendations from Zoe Kanan (’19) to advice on the best kitchen speakers from JJ Johnson (’14). And I, for one, am ready to be influenced.

Things to buy

• I spotted this Zabar’s hat on someone’s head at a restaurant last week. As a resident of the Upper West Side for going on 12 years, I’m pretty sure I need it.
• Paired with this delightful “Don’t Be Bitter” long-sleeve tee, the whole outfit radiates normcore vibes. (Is... normcore still a thing?)
• Or you could go for high camp with this “Do Not Eat” silica gel packet-shaped bag (the quality of which I cannot vouch for, but damn is it clever).
• With grilling season upon us, this mesh grilling basket — recommended by Katrina Zito of St. Anselm for small items that would otherwise fall through the grill cracks, like shishito peppers or Brussels sprouts — is a smart buy.

Things to know

• The latest phase of Big Fizz: the declining dominance of LaCroix.
• Happen to live in Pittsburgh? If so, you’re lucky enough to be within driving distance of the semi-annual All-Clad factory sale, which takes at the Washington County Fairgrounds near the brand’s facilities in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The sale is RSVP-only with a $20 entrance fee on June 6, and free to the public on June 7 and June 8. For up to 70 percent off All-Clad pots, it might be worth the weekend road trip.
• People may have heard of the organized crime that surrounds the black market sale of wine, specifically Champagne, but less known is the one surrounding truffles. A new book, The Truffle Underground (out today), explores the bonkers world of truffle fraud (!).
• Because it’s impossible to get through this newsletter and not link to a canvas tote, here’s a delightful roundup of tote bags for digital media folks.

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