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October 31, 2007

Activities for Halloween: Free Beer and Pig Ears for Halloween Dinner

What:R.I.P.P.E.D. A Halloween Masquerade Bash
When: Wednesday, Oct. 31st
Where:29 Wythe Street (@ North 13th Street) Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Fee:Free with RSVP, Complimentary Bass Pale Ale bar all night, no cover with RSVP.
About:
Live Performances by: Apes & Androids, Totally Michael, DJ Dirtyfingers, Andrew Andrew, DJ Kingdom
With crazy hosts Darryl Nau and Krystyna Printup ( Peace of Pizza), who dress like it's Halloween every day, and huge n' scary punk-rock pinata, made by the guys who made this. Plus, cheap cash bar for any non-Bass Ale Pale drinkers, and... more candy!
[from Freewilliamsburg.com via MyOpenBar]

Pigs Ears, It's What's for Dinner...on Halloween
Even when The New Yorker magazines pile up, we always find time to read the "Table for Two" column. This week's column points us to an appropriate spot to dine on Halloween. El Quinto Pino features Pig Ear Salad.

A more unconventional option was the pig's-ear salad, served cold and with a vinegary dressing. The ears, carved into bite-sized chunks, were a little gray, and gristly; one could easily imagine them flapping against a porcine skull. (It didn't taste bad, exactly, but it was the only dish left unfinished.) Slightly less shocking (and infinitely more appealing) was the sea-urchin panini, a slim cylinder of baguette slathered with butter, spice, and briny, aphrodisiacal roe.

[from The New Yorker by Andrea Thompson]

Posted by Cakehead at 03:59 AM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007

An Unlikely Camouflage: Beverage Vending Machines

photo from NY Times

If you're an attacker in Japan these days, you may wonder where all your victims are hiding. It's likely that they're in camouflage, hiding on a dark alley in an elaborate fabric vending machine costumes, designed by experimental fashion designer, Aya Tuskioka.

Ms. Tsukioka lifted a flap on her skirt to reveal a large sheet of cloth printed in bright red with a soft drink logo partly visible. By holding the sheet open and stepping to the side of the road, she showed how a woman walking alone could elude pursuers — by disguising herself as a vending machine...These elaborate defenses are coming at a time when crime rates are actually declining in Japan. But the Japanese, sensitive to the slightest signs of social fraying, say they feel growing anxiety about safety, fanned by sensationalist news media. Instead of pepper spray, though, they are devising a variety of novel solutions, some high-tech, others quirky, but all reflecting a peculiarly Japanese sensibility.

[from NY Times]

Posted by Cakehead at 06:36 AM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2007

Dining Secrets

We're going to let our readers in on a secret. Portland, ME has a great dining scene. But just because we told you, doesn't mean you need to invest in a summer home there. Now that JetBlue flies directly from NYC to the Portland International Jetport, we recommend dashing up while the leaves are still orange and check out some of the top notch restaurants. And now there's a map to help diners figure out where to eat. But if you think the map is going to make the choices easier, think again. It's just going to present all the delicious options that are possibilities. The Portland Food Map was created by Anestes Fotiades, in response to a fundamental question often asked by potential diners: What do I feel like eating?

There are no streets or avenues. Instead, Fotiades displays the dining-choice questions we often ask as guideposts -- "Eating Out," "Grab a Bite," or "Drinks."....But the site offers more than just an overview -- it culls the Internet for helpful tools for the hungry, including reviews, restaurant Web sites and maps. The Portland Food Map joins a growing crowd of Web sites, blogs and forums that use Internet tools to share a devotion to food culture.

At first impression the food map may more closely resemble a science class diagram or basketball tournament bracket. The map includes more than 400 listings, broken down into six categories, ranging from "Nibble and Sip" to "Take Home." Each category branches off into smaller groups, so "Eat Out" leads to American food, barbecue, vegetarian or Thai.

From there a simple click on a place like Uncle Billy's Resto Bar brings up separate information in a different window, including the restaurant's Web site, and a collection of reviews from sources such as the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, the Portland Phoenix or The Bollard.

The food map also links to the Google Maps application to geographically pinpoint a single eatery or multiple places across the city.

[From The Portland Press Herald]

Posted by Cakehead at 06:08 AM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2007

India's Own Little Shop of Horrors: Man-Eating Trees

This tree will eat anything. Photo by Jody Boyman Red Ranger Came Calling from Arborsmith.com

After allowing six months to lapse four times, without a visit to the dentist, I finally scheduled an appointment and went in for a cleaning. Sitting in the dentist chair with my mouth stretched wide, it wasn't long before my jaw started to hurt. I recalled the Little Shop of Horror torture scenes that take place at the dentist's office and reminded myself to be glad there were no drilling or needles involved.

Later, at home, my mouth still red from long-term stretching, I read a story about a tree in India that eats people and cattle. I may have endured a little torture by the dentist, but at least I wasn't consumed by a man-eating tree.

MANGALORE: Carnivorous trees grabbing humans and cattle and gobbling them up is not just village folklore. Residents of Padrame near Kokkoda in Uppinangady forest range sighted one such carnivorous tree trying to dine on a cow last Thursday. According to reports, the cow owned by Anand Gowda had been left to graze in the forests. [from newindpress.com]

If you're interested in carnivorous plants and live in the Bay Area, check out this exhibit at The Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco. [from Gardening]

[both tips from Buzzfeed.com]

Posted by Cakehead at 04:13 AM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2007

The Sneeze Tests Out the Domino's Pizza Ordering Robot

We've all lost hours at a time, filling out online surveys, purchasing wedding gifts from online registries, or buying groceries from Fresh Direct. Now prepare to block out even more online purchase time to place your Domino's pizza orders. As The Sneeze reveals in their investigative pizza ordering report -- not only can you choose from a multiplicity of toppings, you can also choose the quadrant of the pizza where the toppings should be placed.

Regardless of your feelings about Domino's, the fact that you can order it online without having to talk to a human being is fantastic. Type a little on your computer and magically a pizza shows up at your door. It's the closest thing we have to Star Trek's food synthesizer...But I also love the amount of control they give you. Beyond choosing your crust, each topping comes with your choice of "light," "normal," or "heavy." Just like tampons. (Am I right, ladies?) But what I've become obsessed with is that when you only want a particular topping on half of your pizza, they make you specify WHICH HALF. LEFT or RIGHT.

[from The Sneeze]

**warning: In no way are we advocating the purchase of Domino's Pizza. In fact, we're saying don't eat the stuff. Here's why.

[Thanks for the tip Jeff at AndIamnotlying.com]

Posted by Cakehead at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)

The Food Obsessed Comedy Central

We're big Sarah Silverman fans -- but last night our respect for the hilarious comedian grew even greater when she went on the her favorite cooking show, "Cookie Party."

Play the Cookie Party game.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:38 PM | Comments (1)

October 23, 2007

McDonald's Toppings: Begging for heart disease

Sunday night, we helped christen a friend's new deep fryer at a backyard fry fest. We fried the classics - catfish, batter-dipped green beans, octopus. As the night wore on, our stomachs lubed with a few inches of oil, our creative juices kicked in -- pumping like an Alaskan oil rig. We slathered peanut butter and jelly on Wonderbread and threw it in the deep fryer. We formed guacamole balls. Macaroni and Cheese balls. Rolled thin strips of pork belly. All were submerged into the hot oil and promptly eaten. Two days later our insides still hurt. So when we received visual instructions on how to construct a pizza featuring a variety of McDonald's dishes as toppings, we're confounded as to why it actually sounds appetizing.

Since there's no McDonald's in our neighborhood we may need to load up our pizza with treats like the Surf & Turf sandwich from White Castle.

[thanks for the link, Jeff at AndIamnotlying.com]

Posted by Cakehead at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

Sniff your way through a full menu of food-inspired perfume

At the CB I Hate Perfume Perfume Gallery in Brooklyn, create a multi-course meal of perfume scents. The new "Food Series" is extensive and can meet all dietary cravings and restrictions. Start with a cocktail sniff of the Pimms Cup. Then choose from a list of savory appetizers perfumes-- the California roll, pesto or cucumber sandwich. There's the scent of roast beef for the main course. The cakeheads that we are, we truly appreciate the extensive dessert perfume menu. Choose between candy corns, sticky toffee pudding, pumpkin pie, carrot cake or strawberry shortcake.

Christopher Brosius Limited - CB I Hate Perfume Gallery
93 Wythe Avenue (Between North 10th and North 11th)
Williamsburg Brooklyn (directions)
718-384-6890
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 12PM - 6 PM

Posted by Cakehead at 03:48 PM | Comments (1)

Iron Chef for Astronauts? The Canadian Space Agency Kitchen is the victor against NASA's.

image from collectspace.com

Not only has the Canadian dollar overtaken the US dollar in value. Canada's space snacks are a better value too. Developed by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the Canadian Space Agency, these snacks rival NASA's in taste and texture. We don't want Canadian astronauts bullied into handing over their delicious snacks by fellow US Astronauts. In the interest of preventing inter-galactic lunchroom fistfights, Congress better start reallocating funds so the NASA kitchen gets the money it needs to prepare some tastier snacks.

The problem with NASA's freeze-dried snacks is that if you're eating sliced strawberries or Neopolitan ice cream bars, they all taste like oversweetened sofa foam. That's why the Canadian Space Agency just unveiled their own contribution to the space munchies race: the "Canasnack." A cream-filled sandwich cookie, it's made with all-Canadian ingredients like maple sugar, cranberries, blueberries, canola oil and oatmeal. The cookies are bite-sized, which offsets the risk of any potential crumbs floating around in the gravity-free cabin and jamming circuitry boards.

Another new Canadian snack being eaten on NASA's shuttle mission STS-118 is caribou jerky. According to astronaut Dave Williams, speaking to media via satellite uplink, dried strips of salty reindeer meat are the perfect way to get pumped for a spacewalk. Onward, Blitzen!

[from Adam Gollner on Gourmet Magazine's Choptalk.com]

Posted by Cakehead at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2007

Cakesicles

Cakesicles! Yup—now you can make your own popsicle-shaped mini cakes on sticks, thanks to Norpro's Cakesicle Pan, which accommodates 8 healthy sized cakes at a time. But the fun really begins after they’re baked: they're super-fun to decorate; you can put frosting on all sides; and since they’re on a stick, you can eat them while walking. No fork and plate holding you down.

[from Cakespy.com]

Posted by Cakehead at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2007

Activities for the Weekend

Friday, October 19th
What: Ben Sherman CMJ Bash
When: 7-10 pm
Where: Ben Sherman Store, 96 Spring St, SoHo
Fee: Free Bass beer with RSVP. RSVP to iwanttogo@filtermmm.com
About: DJ Andy Smith of Portishead is the main attraction at this SoHo Ben Sherman Store stop n' shop, with the free Bass Pale Ale coming in a close second. [from Myopenbar.com]

What: The Gourmet Institute
When: Friday, Oct. 19th-Sunday, Oct. 21st. Click here for full schedule.
Where: Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle at 60th Street
Fee: Requires sponsorship or deep pockets for the $1,395.00 pricetag. If you have either, call 888-308-6133 to register.
About: The epicurean world's top talents will come together under one roof for a very special weekend of insider-only seminars, cooking demonstrations, tastings and more. Get an exclusive sneak peak into the world of Gourmet with A-list chefs, including Anthony Bourdain, Thomas Keller, Gray Kunz, Masaharu Morimoto, Charlie Palmer, Michel Richard, Eric Ripert, and Marcus Samuelsson.

Saturday, October 20th
What: The Red Hook Harvest Festival
When: 10 am-5 pm
Where: Columbia & Signourney Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. Click here for directions.
Fee: Free
About: Explore the Red Hook Community Farm, New York City’s largest urban agricultural project and take a tour of the facility led by a member of Added Value

Sunday, October 21st
What: The Food Theater Project presents: Milk-n-Honey and the After Show Cafe
When: Opening, October 21, 2007 3:00 pm running through November 18, 2007
Where: 3-Legged Dog Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich Street @ Rector St, NYC
Fee: $15 each. Buy tickets by clicking here.
About: Milk-n-Honey, a multimedia play about the politics and pleasures of eating. Followed by the After Show Cafe, where audience members can eat Fair Trade treats and hang out with artists, scholars and activists. Milk-n-Honey was created from interviews with farmers, waiters, migrant workers, flavor chemists, advertising executives, dumpster divers, grocery clerks, diabetics, activists, and eaters like you.

Posted by Cakehead at 02:22 PM | Comments (1)

October 18, 2007

Tiny Pigs for Our Mini Meal Menu?

Wandering through the Union Square Farmers Market yesterday, we were impressed with the broad range of miniature edibles available at the market. We saw baby carrots, baby onions, tiny beets and ended up purchasing some baby fingerling yams and baby bok choy. We were hoping to find baby artichokes and baby corn to supplement the miniature meal we were planning for a small crew of vegetarians. But we were out of luck. We needed one more menu item, so back at our office, we turned to the internet for ideas. When we came across photos of the tiniest pigs on Buzzfeed, we had to remind ourselves that only a sick mind would feature these cooked cutie pies alongside the baby vegetables.

And don't worry. These cute pigs are safe from hungry carnivores with similarly sick minds. According to Chris Murray, the co-owner of a farm in England that breeds miniature pigs, he doesn't think they'll be featured on restaurant menus anytime soon. "They are too small," he said. "It would be uneconomic so it's unlikely they will be used for meat and there is already a huge amount of different pig meat available." [From BBC via Buzzfeed]

In the end, we made mini-vegetarian quiches and never admited that we considered sneaking in a little baby bacon.

UPDATE:

Our friends at our favorite restaurant, Little D Eatery had the same idea. They're now serving Heirloom Pumpkin Risotto with thyme and blue cheese garnish.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:47 PM | Comments (4)

Cookie Gift

A few weekends ago we attended a wedding. Next to our plates, we were presented with the greatest gift of all: a little bag of homemade cookies. With the hope that other guests were on strict carb-free diets, we lingered deep into the night, hoping to gather up the gifts that were left behind. We managed to scrounge up a wide assortment of cookie flavors: chocolate-chocolate chip, chocolate chip and lemon sugar. The cookies were made by a little start-up bakery in Hoboken, NJ called Sugar Flower Bakery.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:36 PM | Comments (1)

Very Short Lists Tells Us How to Find Fancy Fish Smoker and Tar Candy

Finnish Fish Smoker

Cool kitchen appliances, office supplies and gardening tools from around the world are now available for purchase at Kiosk -- the business of some clever entrepreneurs who are into global travel.

When you visit a foreign country, it's easy to stumble upon tons of cool, indigenous stuff you can't find at home -- but you can never fit all of it in your suitcase. Thanks to married-couple entrepreneurs Alisa Grifo and Marco Romeny and their Website, Kiosk, all those amazing discoveries you passed up in Nagoya or Stockholm can be yours--for a fair price.

[from VeryShortList.com]

The Very Short List is a short and sweet daily e-mail, that points to great discoveries from both high and low culture. The project was founded by Kurt Andersen, founder of Spy Magazine, and Michael Jackson, President, IAC Programming.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2007

Cakehead of the Week: Farewell to the other Cakehead

cake by the other Cakehead

For the past year, plus, we've been sharing the name, Cakehead, with another blogger named Natalie. She is as obsessed with cake as we are. But earlier this weeks she announced that she is "bidding adieu to The Great Cake Adventure...I just do not have the time to put into making cakes now that I did when I started it."

I am also dropping the Cakehead name. I originally chose Cakehead because cake was like my crack, and now I just think it sounds stupid. So until I think of something totally awesome to rename myself (that will probably never happen), I'll be known as Natalie. I know, cutting edge, huh?

We happen to like the name Cakehead, but despite the slight, we will still award her with Cakehead of the Week Award. While we're busy stealing the images of other people's cakes, she actually bakes them. Click here to look at all the cakes she's baked over the past year. We picked out our favorite cake that she made and are presenting it to her -- from one Cakehead to another. Good luck with your new photography blog.

Posted by Cakehead at 09:58 PM | Comments (1)

Fun gadgets to help you play with your food.

Motorized Ice Cream Cone

Presenting the motorized ice cream cone, for those of you with a tongue too lazy to lick. [from Foodie Obsessed]

Because shaking the salt takes so much energy, here is the self-shaking salt and pepper shaker set [from Cooking Gadgets]

Burn messages into your toast. [from Japan's Sasha Tseng via Cooking Gadgets]

Posted by Cakehead at 09:10 PM | Comments (0)

Military Industrial Food Complex: This is not a US Soldiers Holding a Bakesale

We wish this was a picture of soldiers at a bake sale raising money for George Bush's war. Based on this Wall Street Journal article, it's more likely that these soldiers are serving up very expensive slices of pie at the expense of taxpayers.

Prominent American food companies are under scrutiny in a federal probe of possible fraud and corruption in the military's food-supply operations for the Iraq war...The inquiry is focused on whether the food companies set excessively high prices when they sold their goods to the Army's primary food contractor for the war zone, a Kuwaiti firm called Public Warehousing Co. A related question is whether Public Warehousing improperly pocketed for itself refunds it received from these suppliers. Public Warehousing bought vast amounts of meat, vegetables and bakery items from the food companies, and delivered them to U.S. troops.

[from the Wall Street Journal]

Posted by Cakehead at 04:59 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2007

Restaurant Reduces Carbon Footprint by Serving Local Squirrel

squirrel meat image from The Gastronomic Diary

The Famous Wild Boar Hotel in North West England is serving up free grey squirrel pancakes to hungry diners.

The restaurant at Crook, near Windermere, in Cumbria, is giving diners the chance to try the canapes free of charge. The grey squirrels were caught in the hotel's 72-acre woodland grounds and have been prepared by head chef Marc Sanders.

[from the Daily Mail]

But you don't have to cross the Atlantic to eat this gamy delicacy. With Steven Rinella's book, The Scavenger's Guide to Haue Cuisine you too can prepare a 45-course banquet that includes squirrel as one of the less exotic dishes.

Using the 1903 Le Guide Culinaire by master chef Escoffier, Rinella sets out to

shoot, fish, slaughter, raise (as in pigeon husbandry), gather and otherwise procure the ingredients for these dishes himself, with help from his fishing and hunting buddies. Rinella's girlfriend is a vegetarian, and he's aware that this project may seem distressing to some, but he offers a spirited defense of choosing to "make his own food." Rinella's year took him all over the U.S. and Canada with plenty of unusual outdoor adventures: frog gigging, eeling, "glassing" for elk, making headcheese and sparrow-trapping. Preparing the feast, with its huge list of ingredients, took more than a week, with hard-breathing last-minute tension. Some dishes worked, some didn't (e.g., Crayfish Mousse, and Elk and Antelope Kidney Pudding). This unusual memoir could serve as a tasty gift for sporting types.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007

The Grossest "Delicacies" that People Will Eat

Baby Mice Wine from Korea

I admit that I'm not the most adventurous eater out there. My vegetarian lover is more daring when it comes to sampling obscure dishes from around the world.

For those of you who do need a high gross factor to experience a true culinary challenge, here is the ultimate list of what you must sample, brought to you by Cracked.com.

6. Escamoles are the eggs of the giant black Liometopum ant, which makes its home in the root systems of maguey and agave plants. From Mexico.
5. Casu Marzu is a sheep' milk cheese that has been deliberately infested by a Piophila casei, the "cheese fly." The result is a maggot-ridden, weeping stink bomb in an advanced state of decomposition. From Sardinia, Italy.
4. Lutefisk is a traditional Norwegian dish featuring cod that has been steeped for many days in a solution of lye, until its flesh is caustic enough to dissolve silver cutlery.
3. Baby Mice Wine. It's what it sounds like. From Korea.
2. Pacha is a sheep' head. Boiled. From Iran.
1. Balut are duck eggs that have been incubated until the fetus is all feathery and beaky, and then boiled alive. The bones give the eggs a uniquely crunchy texture. From the Philippines.

Posted by Cakehead at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007

Activities: Spend Your Weekend Thinking About Food Systems

from Julia Mandle's performance of'Come and Have a Chicky Meal, Cuz, You're Gonna Love This Deal'

Friday, October 12th
What: Opening of King Corn, a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.
Where: Cinema Village
When: Opens tonight. The film is only scheduled to be at Cinema Village for four days, unless enough people go to see this important film. Help to extend the run and buy your ticket now.
Fee: the cost of a movie ticket.

Saturday, October 13th
What: Performance Artist, Julia Mandle's 'Come and Have a Chicky Meal, Cuz, You're Gonna Love This Deal'
Where: The Art Directors Club gallery, 106 West 29 St
(betw 6 & 7 Ave)
When: Oct. 9-Oct. 13th, Gallery Hours: Weekdays 10am – 6pm; Sat. 12 – 5pm
Performance Times: Wednesday-Friday at 7pm; Saturday at 5pm
Fee: Free
About: In 2005, during a visit by England's cricket team to Pakistan, a bombing at a Karachi KFC killed 5 and wounded 15. Performance artist Julia Mandle remembers the event, and has created an installation called "Come & Have a Chicky Meal, Cuz You're Gonna Love This Deal." The title is taken from a sign found in the rubble. The work fuses ensemble performance, visual art, embroidered costumes and architecture to ask, "What is the 'deal' that American democracy offers the world today? Is our consumer culture larger than our sense of civic responsibility?"
[from Gothamist]

What: Bluegrass on the Hudson - Concert & Family Picnic
Where: 109th Street on the Riverside Park promenade; Take the 1/9 train to 110th Street
When: Saturday, Oct. 13th, 4 pm
Fee: Free
About: A foot-stompin’ bluegrass concert featuring James Reams & the Barnstormers. Start Halloween early; join the Puppeteers Cooperative and get a chance to be a life-size puppet! The Flour Patch Bakery will have a table where you can Decorate Your Own Cookie! And there will be free free popcorn from Dale and Thomas® Popcorn, and free drinks from Purity Organic.

Posted by Cakehead at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2007

Aww, Shit. Score one for the Vegetarians

image from Vegan Campus

Between Mad Cow, deforestation of rain forests to make way for the beef industry and now, a finding that , if you're eating meat, you're also eating feces, carnivores like us are finding a lot of reasons to switch teams.

Doctors petitioned the USDA to ensure "Feces-Free" meat or issue biohazard labels after a survey found that 84 percent of adults have no idea that the primary source of salmonella, campylobacter, E. coli, and other foodborne pathogens on poultry and meat is animal feces.

Our findings show the vast majority of Americans do not understand there are feces on meat and poultry,” says Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) staff attorney Mindy Kursban. “In fact, there’s a major disconnect in the public consciousness between the foodborne illnesses that sicken so many of us and their originating cause: animal excrement.”

[vegancampus via Buzzfeed]

Posted by Cakehead at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

Book Review: Food, edited by John Knechtel

We've been devouring a delightful new book, Food, edited by John Knechtel. This refreshingly Canada-centric collection of photography and writing takes a 360 degree approach to covering the endlessly fascinating subject of food -- from an essay on dining in outerspace to poetry about overeating -- this collection does not limit its scope on our favorite topic. We love the results of this hodgepodge of food writing.

One of the highlights was the discovery of an essay by one of our favorite food bloggers, Debra Soloman of Culiblog. She describes the public eating/activist art project, Fallen Fruit. The project began as a mapping project. David Burns, Matias Viegener, and Austin Young created comprehensive guides to all the public fruit trees in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Echo Park, Hancock Park and Silver Lake. Santa Fe has been mapped for public fruit trees too.

Since we're currently obsessed with West Coast living, this project scores another point for the West.

Check the Fallen Fruit site regularly to find out when the next Public Jam will take place.

We ask that the citizens bring along home-grown or public fruit and any clean, empty glass jars. At the end everyone left with a jar of communal jam. Even those arriving empty handed left with jam. We made radical and experimental jams, like basil guava or lemon pepper jelly. We discussed the basics of jam and jelly making, pectin and bindings, as well as the communal power of shared fruit and the liberation of public fruit. Vats of fun for all!

Posted by Cakehead at 04:55 AM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2007

Two NYC Dining Guides Compete for Your Love

Today, the 2008 New York City Zagat's Restaurant Guide hits the bookstores and so does the 2008 New York City Michelin Guide.

For the first time, the latest editions for 2008 of the two restaurant guide books were published on the same day.

The guides generally agree on the quality of a number of the restaurants. Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin remain the only restaurants in New York with Michelin's highest rating, three stars, and each was among the top seven restaurants in Zagat, with 28 of a possible 30 points.

[From NYTimes]

We're awfully proud since our neighborhood restaurant, Dressler, just was awarded a Michelin star! It is one of only three "outer borough" restaurants to receive this distinction -- Peter Luger, a block away in Williamsburg, and Saul in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill, Dressler are the other two.

Posted by Cakehead at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)

October 09, 2007

Activity: fabulous new documentary to premiere on Friday

Cancel your plans for next Friday night and go to see King Corn. It's a wonderful new documentary opening October 12th at Cinema Village in New York. We would even go if one of the filmmaker wasn't the brother of our favorite brother-in-law!

King Corn is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In King Corn, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from.

The Boston Globe says, "King Corn is an enormously entertaining moral, socio-economic odyssey (and statistical bonanza) through the American food industry."

Posted by Cakehead at 10:13 PM | Comments (0)

October 08, 2007

Essential Williamsburg, Brooklyn Culinary Experiences

Marlow & Sons

There is a mass exodus under way. Over the past four years, our friends have been gradually leaving Brooklyn for greener pastures in California, Chicago and abroad. But this week alone we lost three friends to the Bay Area. We tried to dissuade them with fear mongering -- warnings of earthquakes, fires, landslides and real estate prices higher than here. It didn't work.

In a sad, last ditch effort to win back our West coast-bound friends, we have assembled a list of mouth watering dishes they can only eat in the neighborhood they have left behind.

Dumont
DuMac & Cheese - The oozing cheddar, gruyere and parmesan cheeses seep perfectly into every crevice of the radiatore noodles. And when it comes to the chunky bacon bits speckling the dish, we've never seen this level of generosity.
Dumont Salad - The perfect continuation Dumont's bacon journey. Oh, and a great way to get your daily dose of nuts, cheese and vegetables.

Marlow & Sons
Oysters - It's hard to find oysters with such taut freshness. In your new home, you will have no trouble getting fresh Pacific Oysters, but good luck finding briny East Coast goodness like this.
Brick Chicken - We hear that California chefs are against baking chicken under bricks. So, for you it's good bye to the juiciest roasted chicken.

Dressler
Braised Short Rib & Grilled Hanger Steak - If you're looking for a Brooklyn splurge of a meal get gussied up and hit this spot --a recent recipient of a Michelin star. It's worth the extra dollars. And if you're on a tight budget, saving your pennies to flee to the West Coast, try their Sunday brunch.

Bonita
Fish Tacos - Delicately fried fresh fish, drizzled with creamy goodness. For years you've been complaining that NYC doesn't have any good Mexican food. Just when there are finally some fantastic basics you leave?
Mexican Corn - Corn slathered in mayonnaise and crumbles of queso Mexicano. Sure you can get this in California. But you'll be in California, not Brooklyn.

Brick Oven Gallery
Pizza Margarite - New York already wins the world-wide pizza contest. So to have the very thinnest, tastiest brick oven pizza in your very own neighborhood, how could you leave that?
Peter's #1 Favorite Pie - It's like eating a peppery pizza salad -- piled high with uncooked arugula, prosciutto and shaved parmigiana

Fada
Mussels - The tightest little mussels are always piled high in the broth du jour. The almost floral, anise and garlic is the best you ever tasted.
Nicoise Salad - Of course you'll find a good nicoise salad in the Bay area. But it could take weeks or even months to dine around and determine where you'll get tuna cooked to this perfection. Save yourself the trouble and come back.

Bahia
Zucchini & Cheese Pupusas - Thick hot corn pancakes oozing with cheese and shredded zucchini, just around the corner. Your favorite meal after a long hard day when you just didn't feel like cooking.

Aurora & D.O.C.
The plates of Italian fixings are always tasty at both of these eateries. But they don't make romantic settings like this in San Francisco.

Moto
The best use of a corner space, this dark hole-in-the wall beneath the JMZ train tracks, feels like a noiry speakeasy. It's also one of the few spots that serves whole artichokes (the perfect vehicle to sip melted butter).

Queen's Hideaway
Technically, this restaurant shouldn't qualify since it's beyond the Williamsburg boundary, tucked away in Greenpoint. But with a changing menu that revolves around what's fresh, unusual and good -- we know ex-pats will have trouble locating a replacement that manages to simultaneously comfort and surprise their taste buds.

With Thai restaurants springing up faster than cheaply built "luxury" high rises, we know you won't miss Eurotrash magnets like Sea & Planet Thai (that instantly went from essential to average when it switched locations). But ever since Bozu and Zenkichi hit Williamsburg's restaurant stage with their delicious Japanese pub fare, Williamsburg has become the izakaya capital of Brooklyn.

It would be negligent to forget that before the hipsters invaded the Northside of Williamsburg, it was a Polish neighborhood serving up great pierogis that can still be found at Kasia's Restaurant.

And of course this list would not be complete without mentioning the Williamsburg institution, Peter Luger Steakhouse. It's pretty obvious what they serve.

Of course, we'll admit there's some pretty good eating in California too. After all, instead of shelling out three bucks at the corner bodega, they can pick their avocados right off the tree! And we'll even concede that California has us beat with their tacos and wine. But remember, it's hard to pick the right wine to go with your Burrito Pescado when the restaurant’s swaying from a shaker that measures 7.3 on the Richter scale.

Stay tuned to find out the very best places to drink in Williamsburg.

[thanks to FreeWilliamsburg for all the restaurant links]

Posted by Cakehead at 03:54 AM | Comments (5)

October 05, 2007

Activities: Autumn is here. You don't have to go far for NY apples.

Saturday, October 6th
What: Candy Camp
Where: Sapa, 43 W. 24th St., near Broadway, New York, NY
When: 10 am-11:30 Am
Fee: $40, for tickets call 800-939-2990
About: It's the first Saturday of the month which means, it's time for Candy Camp at Sapa. Renowned AIX pastry chef Jehangir Mehta holds confectionery classes for kids. Candy Camp includes a brief education on the healthy stuff as well. What? Healthy candy?

Sunday, October 7th
What: Apple Festival
Where: Queens Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., nr. 74th Ave., Glen Oaks, Queens
Directions: Subway: E, F at Kew Gardens-Union Tpke., then take the Q46 bus to Little Neck Pkwy.
When: 11 am-4 pm
Fee: Free
About: The Queens County Farm Museum's apple festival, has freshly pressed cider and the nation's largest apple cobbler (baked on site), neither of which contains fruit from the museum's 80 or so Newtown Pippin, Delicious, and Cortland specimens. While you're there, be sure to pick your own pumpkin.

What: Pastry Scoop Fall Conference
Where: French Culinary Institute, 462 Broadway, @ Grand Street, New York, NY
When: 9:30 am-6 pm
Fee: $55, click here to read about workshops and buy tickets
About: The city's finest talents gather to host workshops on a variety of topics including fanciful wedding cakes, desserts with international flavor, and the latest in the high-tech pastry revolution.

[from NY Magazine]

Posted by Cakehead at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2007

Cake Crumbs: Remainders

Our hero Amy Sedaris makes cheeseballs with Martha Stewart and makes Stewart say "bong water." [hat tip Buzzfeed]

Comical Cookbooks - a humorous look at old cookbook treasures

Women celebrities only eat when they're pregnant. Since J. Lo has been eating a lot of junk food, the only logical conclusion is she must be pregnant.

Posted by Cakehead at 06:58 PM | Comments (0)

Cakehead of the Week Award: Sputnik Sweetheart

Kremlin-shaped cake by cakediva.com

This week's Cakehead of the Week award goes to the Russians for launching the first man-made satellite first. Today is the 50th anniversary of the paradigm-shifting event. We want to take this opportunity to revisit how far Space Food has come since the early days of the space program. The NASA website provides an overview of the astronaut dining evolution.

John Glenn, America's first man to eat anything in the near-weightless environment of Earth orbit, found the task of eating fairly easy, but found the menu to be limited. Most agreed the foods were unappetizing and disliked squeezing the tubes. Freeze-dried foods were hard to rehydrate and crumbs had to be prevented from fouling instruments. Eating on the Gemini missions improved somewhat. Bite-sized cubes were coated with gelatin to reduce crumbling, and the freeze-dried foods were encased in a special plastic container to make reconstituting easier. Gemini astronauts had such food choices as shrimp cocktail, chicken and vegetables, butter-scotch pudding, and applesauce.

Apollo astronauts were the first to have hot water, which made rehydrating foods easier and improved the food's taste. These astronauts were also the first to use utensils via the "spoon bowl," a plastic container that could be opened and its contents eaten with a spoon. Thermostabilized pouches were also introduced on Apollo. The task of eating in space got a big boost in Skylab. Skylab featured a large interior area where space was available for a dining room and table. Eating for Skylab's three-member teams was a fairly normal operation: Footholds allowed them to situate themselves around the table and "sit" to eat.

[from NASA and Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum exhibit on Food in Space]

Space food cook off. Will they beat last year's winner who made Astronaut Fish Gumbo?

Posted by Cakehead at 06:03 PM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2007

Winner of Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge makes boogers look almost good enough to eat

Alright. It's not actually boogers you're looking at. But it is a computed tomography (CT) view up the nose of a 33-year-old Chinese woman being examined for thyroid disease. The image was created by Kai-hung Fung of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, who is one of two, first place winners in the photograph category of the National Science Foundation's Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge.

Fung is not the only winner who has created yummy results. This is just another reminder that science is not only fun, but tasty.

[from boingboing.net ]

Posted by Cakehead at 12:14 AM | Comments (2)

October 02, 2007

Let's pretend we're in Antarctica so we don't have to go Outback tonight

Let's not go Outback tonight. We'd rather pretend we're in Antarctica.

Today we were contemplating a trip to Antarctica -- curious about the dining options and about whether the world contains a foodie-free zone. Serenading our fantasy was the Of Montreal song about pretending to be in Antarctica, "Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and other games)." We were excited to get started on our travel research, but first we needed dinner. What they say about grocery shopping holds true for planning a trip that involves food: Don't do it on an empty stomach.

Since Monday is TV dinner night, we turned on the tube as we scarfed down spicy burritos. Ironically, the airwaves greeted us with Of Montreal belting out "Let's go Outback tonight" to the tune of "Wraith Pinned to the Mist." I hope that they made a ton of money on this sell out. This song is going to be stuck in our heads for a long time. If Of Montreal endorses Outback's steaks, does that mean we can dine on them in Antarctica?

Posted by Cakehead at 04:25 AM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2007

Pack your last supper in the Last Supper Lunch Box

photo of lunchbox from Just a Girl With a Camera

A little carrying case for the blood and body of Christ. Buy it at Amazon for a mere $9.95.

[via Digg]

Posted by Cakehead at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)