Eater: All Posts by Irishttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2009-11-20T07:05:00-05:00https://www.eater.com/authors/iris/rss2009-11-20T07:05:00-05:002009-11-20T07:05:00-05:00Eating Like a Twi-hard, 101
<figure>
<img alt="You know you want one." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2bjKCXAhiHlq3-pqe9oraI_cEV4=/6x0:519x385/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39254034/twilight_burgerking.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>You know you want one.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p> <p>When it comes to dining trends, the <em>Twilight</em> franchise is an unlikely inspiration, what with its focus on drinking blood and otherwise looking wan, anemic, and underfed (albeit with killer hair). But then, this thing is the rabid, foaming Patient Zero for all trends these days, <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-18/gross-vampire-product/">raking in a ridiculous<strong> $771.5 million annually</strong> </a>. Everything the stars touch turns to gold--they're like young Midases, covered in Noxema and pomade.</p> <p>So<em> of course</em> the restaurant world is getting in on it! You think food merchandisers are going to miss a chance to exploit Robert Pattinson's dreamy gaze to sell hamburgers? Crazy talk. From <strong>a Burger King promotion to upstart theme restaurants</strong>, people across the country will be able to digest the vampire mania on <em>New Moon'</em>s opening weekend. <a href="http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?menu_id=1368&id=376164">And that includes you</a>. </p> <p>1) <strong>Burger King</strong>: The leader of the oh-my-god-how-do-we-capitalize-on-this-NOW movement, Burger King is now offering a special six pack of mini "burger shots" (a.k.a depraved sliders), served with a custom Twilight-branded box, a special BK crown, and a side of collector's cards. Of course, the burgers aren't <em>good</em> (Slashfood <a href="http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/18/twilight-bk-burger-shots/">reports</a>, "t<strong>he product inside falls flatter than Taylor Lautner's abs in "New Moon</strong>"), but who cares? The true goal is to slam back enough beef shots to earn the coveted "Edward" gift certificate ($10 at Hot Topic) or the rare free <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.cafepress.com%2Ftwilight%3Fsrc%3Dhph1&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eater.com%2F2009%2F11%2F20%2F6752443%2Feating-like-a-twi-hard-101" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">T-shirt</a>. It may not seem worth sacrificing your digestive health for swag, but Bella was willing to sacrifice <em>her life</em> for Edward. Put things in perspective.</p> <p>2) <strong>Movie Tavern Grill </strong>: This <a href="http://www.movietavern.com/">in-theater restaurant chain</a> has locations in Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado, and Virginia, all employing the same classy concept--waiters deliver burgers, pizza, fries, margs, and beer to moviegoers' seats <em>during</em> a film. Luxury! The chain's <a href="http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?menu_id=1368&id=376164">midnight showings</a> of <em>New Moon </em>sold out, and this Sunday, Twi-hards will have the chance <strong>to donate blood outside the theaters</strong> before the show. Save a life, order some hot wings. Being part of the movement is just that easy.</p> <p>3) <strong>Volterra</strong>: Fork, Washington entrepreneurs Tim and Annette Root are opening a "<strong>steak and seafood</strong>" joint next year to accommodate the over 67,000 tourists who have flocked to the small town on part of their Bella Swan peregrination. It's actually not a bad idea, given the fact that <em>Twilight</em> fans will buy <a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/when-twilight-merchandise-goes-too-far-robert-pattinson-panties-532429/?pg=7">just about anything</a>, and they have to eat <em>sometime</em>. The Root family already owns the "Dazzled by Twilight" store in town, and plans to name the restaurant after an Italian town mentioned in the book series. Unfortunately, a Seattle eatery of the same name is <a href="http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?menu_id=1368&id=376164">asking them to back down</a>, but the Roots have the upper hand here. Twilight is the new city hall, and it simply can't be fought.</p> <p>4) <strong>NECCO</strong>: The New England Confectionary Co. has been making the same, chalky conversation hearts for years, but they are upping their Valentine's game this season with a <a href="http://twilightnewsresource.blogspot.com/2009/01/necco-will-release-their-twilight-candy.html">Twi-branded version</a>. The messages will include <strong>"Soul Mate," "Dazzle," and naturally, "Bite Me."</strong> And because everything's better in vampire country, NECCO is even introducing new flavors for the hearts, from Orange Obsession to Tempting Apple. Though not officially out until March, a superfan got her hands on a box and <a href="http://www.buytwilightstuff.com/2009/02/26/buy-twilight-candy-conversation-hearts/"> wasted no time in making a video about it</a>.</p> <p>5) <strong>Vitamin Water</strong>: And then, there's this.<br><embed src="http://www.johnnyikon.com/site-1/player/player.swf" height="385" width="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="logo=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnnyikon.com%2Fsite-1%2Fimgs%2Fplayer_logo.gif&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnnyikon.com%2Fdata%2Farticles%2F2009%2F10%2F7973%2FPicture1.png&file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.johnnyikon.com%2Fdata%2Farticles%2F2009%2F10%2F7973%2Fvitwaternewmoon.mp4&plugins=viral-1d"></embed></p> <p>Go forth and suck some blood.<br></p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/20/6752443/eating-like-a-twi-hard-101Iris2009-11-20T04:42:59-05:002009-11-20T04:42:59-05:00Public Defectors
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YfInNUbRkcuWq7hVMOE8VFtyAV0=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39504302/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><img alt="Mark_Sargeant.jpg" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1328816/Mark_Sargeant.0.jpg" width="85" height="140" class="padded float-right"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=al5jmr.0yp7A">On the heels of news that Gordon Ramsay's F-Word show is tanking in the UK comes more bad news for El Gordo</a>--<strong>Mark Sargeant, Ramsay's number two for over 13 years, has done gone and quit.</strong> He goes on to become creative director of the Swan Collection, a restaurant group that runs the dining program at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, among other places. Though the split is being played as amiable in the press, the departure comes at the end of a no good, very bad year for Ramsay, what with the threat of bankruptcy, show cancellations, and plummeting ratings in his native England. No wonder he's planning to <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2009/11/17/gordo-gone-soft.php">cook live with Americans</a> instead. [Bloomberg]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/20/6752483/public-defectorsIris2009-11-20T04:22:15-05:002009-11-20T04:22:15-05:00Symphony of Flavors
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YfInNUbRkcuWq7hVMOE8VFtyAV0=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39504302/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><img alt="Music-Director-Lorin-Maazel-conducting-the-New-York-Philharmonic%282%29.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1328820/Music-Director-Lorin-Maazel-conducting-the-New-York-Philharmonic_282_29.0.jpg" width="210" height="139" class="padded float-right">With Rachael Ray <a href="http://www.nj.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf/2009/11/martha_stewart_rachael_ray_not.html">popping up on <em>Nightline </em></a>and Guy Fieri earning millions<a href="http://eater.com/archives/2009/11/19/in-which-our-hero-blows-the-minds-of-the-guys-from-the-big-gay-ice-cream-truck.php"> by throwing al dente pasta into the faces of innocent Americans</a>, it's easy to forget that there is a still line that separates the culinary wheat from the Food Network chaff--but the New York Philharmonic is here to remind you! <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5AI3JW20091119">The symphony will host a series of post-concert suppers next year, and the affairs will be, as one might expect, on the high end :</a> <strong>Alain Ducasse, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Lidia Bastianich</strong> and <strong>Daniel Boulud</strong> have all signed on. Food critic Mimi Sheraton, who will host the dinners, muses: "There is, I feel, a sort of affinity between all things that signify the good life. <strong>People who look forward to music very often appreciate fine food and art.</strong>" Basically, Fieri can capture AC/DC fans, but violin-lovers want a little demi-glace with their Debussy. [Reuters]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/20/6752487/symphony-of-flavorsIris2009-11-19T06:30:04-05:002009-11-19T06:30:04-05:00Jamie Oliver Named Honorary West Virginian as His Appalachian Adventure Comes to an End
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MDO0piYba9xXbxavctfIy5PWbps=/0x19:260x214/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39254180/jamie_with_pig_large1_282_29.0.JPG" />
</figure>
<p>Cuddly Brit chef (and <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2009/11/17/launches-releases-4.php">dating expert</a>) <strong>Jamie Oliver</strong> has been camping out in Huntington, West Virginia for just about two months now, teaching the citizens of "America's fattest city" how to live healthy lives for a new television series. Though Oliver's goals of teaching Americans about eating well have earned positive (and frankly, gushy) reviews in the mainstream press (example: the Oliver <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11Oliver-t.html">love-in spanning many pages</a> last month), the West Virginians weren't always as welcoming. Last month, a band of aggrieved locals <a href="http://www.wsaz.com/healthytristate/headlines/64449792.html">coalesced into an angry mob</a>, prepared to run the Naked Chef out of town with pitchforks and fighting words. As a local radio DJ pronounced: “<strong>No one wants him to be here pointing out our faults</strong> and as near as I can figure, that’s all he’s here to do.”</p> <p>But the mountain people can breathe easy again. <strong>Oliver leaves on Saturday.</strong> But not before he gets a party in his honor!<br></p> <p>For the Golden Boy's final weekend in West Virginia, he will be <a href="http://www.wsaz.com/huntington/headlines/70430637.html">honored</a> with a <em>real country celebration</em>, with a street food fair in the town square and a free concert from twangy supergroup Rascal Flatts in the Keith-Albee theater. As Oliver hands over the keys to his kitchen inside Huntington's Outreach Center to a local charity, he also leaves West Virginia as a de facto citizen. After a "lengthy dinner" with the chef State senator Bob Plymale <strong>named Oliver an “Honorary West Virginian”</strong> declaring that he believed Jamie to be “sincere in his efforts.” Southern hospitality at work! </p> <p>Below, a grainy exit interview Jamie gave to a local news network: "<strong>I'm always going to come back to Huntington, but you know, I come from England. </strong>It needs to live on once I've gone, really."</p> <p><script type="text/javascript" src="http://video.wsaz.com/global/video/videoplayer.js?rnd=329233;hostDomain=video.wsaz.com;playerWidth=300;playerHeight=257;isShowIcon=true;clipId=4314001;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=null;enableAds=false;landingPage=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.wsaz.com%252Fvideo%252F;islandingPageoverride=false;playerType=MINI_EMBEDDEDscript"></script></p> <p>· <a href="http://www.wsaz.com/huntington/headlines/70430637.html">Chef Jamie Oliver Finishing Up His Time in Huntington</a> [WSAZ]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/19/6752657/jamie-oliver-named-honorary-west-virginian-as-his-appalachianIris2009-11-19T04:23:40-05:002009-11-19T04:23:40-05:00Top Chef-onomics
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YfInNUbRkcuWq7hVMOE8VFtyAV0=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39504302/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><img alt="hubert-keller%282%29.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1328982/hubert-keller_282_29.0.jpg" width="117" height="175" class="padded float-right"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/19/DD1L1AK640.DTL">It pays to be on Bravo, literally--after appearing on <em>Top Chef Masters</em>, SF chef <strong>Hubert Keller</strong> claims that his business has seen a 25 percent spike</a>. The figure comes as part of a larger, sad trombone-y story in the SF Chronicle about the power of celebrity when it comes to food these days (which is to say, it's everything). Cookbook publisher <strong>Bill LeBlond</strong> tells the paper that the <strong><em>Top Chef</em> cookbook is outselling other tomes four times over</strong>, and that he is reticent to sign any authors that aren't already boldfaced. <em>The Joy of Cooking</em> is out, the Joy of Being Guy Fieri, in. [SFGate]<br></p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/19/6752671/top-chef-onomicsIris2009-11-19T04:01:57-05:002009-11-19T04:01:57-05:00Public Smears
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YfInNUbRkcuWq7hVMOE8VFtyAV0=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39504302/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/11/martha-stewart-criticizes-rachael-ray-rachael-ray-agrees/">Tonight on <em>Nightline</em>, <strong>Martha Stewart</strong> gives her first interview since landing in prison five years ago, and she has some not-so-nice words for <strong>Rachael Ray</strong></a>: "She -- just did a new cookbook which is just a re-edit of a lot of her old recipes...and that's not good enough for me...<strong>She's more of an entertainer, with her bubbly personality, than she is a teacher,</strong> like me." And Rachael Ray agrees! She responded to<em> Nightline</em> by professing her allegiance to Team Stewart: "Her skill set is far beyond mine. That's simply the reality of it... <strong>I'd rather eat Martha's than mine, too.</strong>" [EMD]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/19/6752679/public-smearsIris2009-11-19T02:45:17-05:002009-11-19T02:45:17-05:00NBC Greenlights New Show From Top Chef Producers
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rf0Of5CDpJ9h2vUaD8rOHK10bUY=/17x0:246x172/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39254206/Magicalelves_282_29.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>Ooh boy. NBC <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE5AI0NW20091119">has ordered up an ambitious new show </a>from Magical Elves, the production company that created sister network Bravo's <em>Top Chef</em>, and it will offer <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3if90bc32271c417b8b5471836203b10bd">one of the biggest television prizes <em>ever</em></a>--at least in cooking show history. <strong><em>The United Plates of America</em></strong> will bring together would-be restaurateurs to compete for funding from a "a panel of wealthy investors from the cooking and business world." The contestants need not be professional chefs (producer <strong>Dan Cutforth</strong> said that "It's a culinary competition that anybody can take part in"); they simply need to have and execute an idea for <strong>a great national eatery</strong>.<br></p> <p>Whether the winning idea will be closer to McDonald's or Momofuku, only time will tell. And in return for a killer concept? "<strong>The show's winner will receive a restaurant chain that opens in four locations</strong> in various U.S. cities on the night of the show's season finale." </p> <p><em>Four </em>restaurants from a reality show--this is huge. <br>· <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE5AI0NW20091119">NBC reality series cooks up serious competition</a> [Reuters]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/19/6752689/nbc-greenlights-new-show-from-top-chef-producersIris2009-11-18T08:00:36-05:002009-11-18T08:00:36-05:00Terms We Are Aware Of But Choose Not to Acknowledge
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YfInNUbRkcuWq7hVMOE8VFtyAV0=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39504302/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><img alt="kid_chef.jpg" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1329064/kid_chef.0.jpg" width="112" height="168" class="padded float-right"><a href="http://www.supermarketguru.com/index.cfm/go/sg.viewArticle/articleId/853">Yes, we know that the Web has been exploding over consumer analyst<strong> Phil Lempert</strong>'s introduction of a new gastronomic term, <strong>"koodies," </strong>a.k.a. kids who like black truffles and Julia Child</a>. And as pointed out by San Francisco critic <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/mbauer/detail?entry_id=51750">Michael Bauer</a> and <em>New York Times</em> honcho <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15food-t-000.html?scp=1&sq=cooking%20with%20dexter&st=cse">Pete Wells</a>, there does seem to be more 10-year-olds enjoying foie gras and squid ink these days (or maybe just more media coverage). But we simply can't condone any slang that sounds like an elementary school taunting device: The kid who waxes about Eric Ripert in the third grade is already going to be an outcast, why make his life harder by calling him a koodie? [SupermarketGuru]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/18/6752783/terms-we-are-aware-of-but-choose-not-to-acknowledgeIris2009-11-18T07:35:51-05:002009-11-18T07:35:51-05:00Gourmet, 1941-2009
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YfInNUbRkcuWq7hVMOE8VFtyAV0=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39504302/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><img alt="2009_11_aureole.jpg" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/1329072/2009_11_aureole.0.jpg" width="150" height="111" class="padded float-right"><a href="http://gawker.com/5407238/for-christmas-conde-nast-will-party-at-a-restaurant-now+defunct-gourmet-magazine-once-heralded">In a turn of events as bittersweet as the chocolate<em> Gourmet</em> once promoted, a review in the now defunct magazine directly impacted the venue choice for Conde Nast's swanky Christmas party.</a> CEO Si Newhouse is throwing the fete at New York's <strong>Aureole</strong> this year, a spot <em>Gourmet</em> raved about back in July, noting that it was a place where "<strong>people crowd in to air-kiss and clink glasses after work</strong> as they snack on pastrami pork belly sliders and fluke sashimi." Those <em>people</em> just won't include Ruth Reichl and her staff this year. [Gawker]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/18/6752791/gourmet-1941-2009Iris2009-11-18T06:13:02-05:002009-11-18T06:13:02-05:00Mother Nature Network Names "40 Under 40"
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CxBhPVq4GQzZqdrQ0TKwCvnMebk=/197x0:330x100/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39254284/chefs-topper_282_29.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>Environmental news hub MNN, which caught our eye earlier in the summer with a ranking of the <a href="http://www.mnn.com/food/farms-gardens/stories/40-farmers-under-40">40 hottest farmers under 40</a> (one word: overalls), is back in the list game today with <a href="http://www.mnn.com/food/cooking-recipes/stories/40-chefs-under-40">a compendium of the best young chefs</a> around the country who make earth-conscious cuisine. On the list of 40 are such notables as White House chef Sam Kass (#11), Spike Mendelsohn (#26), <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2009/10/02/john-mariani-names-dcs-barton-seaver-chef-of-the-year.php">Mariani fave</a> Barton Seaver (#37), and Mozza executive chef Matt Molina (#38). Slipping into the top 10 are two current television contestants, including <em>Top Chef</em>'s <strong>Kevin Gillespie</strong> and <em>The Next Iron Chef</em>'s<strong> Jose Garces</strong>.<br></p> <p>The full list is below, but here are the top 10:</p> <p>· 1) Julia LeRoy, 28, Chef, Bookhouse Pub,Atlanta, Ga.<br>· 2) Marisa Baggett, 32, Sushi chef, Tsunami Restaurant, Memphis, Tenn. <br>· 3) Brittany Baldwin, 30, Chef/owner/farmer, Portland Home Chef, Portland, Ore. <br>· 4) Jose Garces, 38, Executive chef/owner, Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Village Whiskey, Philadelphia, Pa.<br>· 5) Sean Brock, 30, Executive chef, McCrady's Restaurant, Charleston, S.C.<br>· 6) Kevin Gillespie, 27, Executive chef/partner, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta, Ga.<br>· 7) Josh Adams, 29, Chef/partner, June, Peoria, Ill.<br>· 8) Adam Cooke, 29, Chef de cuisine, the Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tenn. <br>· 9) Gerard Craft, 30, Chef/owner, Niche, St. Louis, Mo.<br>· 10) Sonja Finn, 30, Chef/owner, Dinette, Pittsburgh, Pa. </p> <p>And here's Julia:<br><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1659835044" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=48523738001&playerId=1659835044&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></p> <p>· <a href="http://www.mnn.com/food/cooking-recipes/stories/40-chefs-under-40">Mother Nature Network's 40 Under 40</a> [MNN]</p>
https://www.eater.com/2009/11/18/6752803/mother-nature-network-names-40-under-40Iris