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Food News Wrap

Feb 21

Posted by admin in beverages, food universe, news

Think that Sunday mornings take on a special new meaning as I do my weekly round-up of info we didn’t have time to discuss fully  this week. Today is no different. So much news. So many topics.

–Here’s a heads up, rather than a look back: IHOP has a special promotion this Tuesday (BTW, have you ever noticed how many one-day food deals there are on Tuesdays?), National Pancake Day. They hope you will enjoy the free pancake short stack (3) and consider making a charitable donation. This is a great two-fer as the company has managed to raise over $3 million dollars in the past few years of the event and would like the figure to reach $5 million. Take advantage and share your advantage.

–As long as we’re thinking pancakes, you might want to visit Bisquick’s Pancake Nation website where you’ll learn about pancake fundraising opportunities and potential grant information. As all states and counties seem to be struggling with budget issues, here’s an opportunity for schools and its organizations to kick start a fundraising effort.pancake

–On the less sunny side of sweet news, there’s a warning from the FDA about Eggo waffles coming from a Georgia plant. The company has not yet responded. This is a watch-and-see situation as we wait to hear from Kellogg that the problems have been remedied at the Atlanta plant.

–This is the week that we had affirmation of a common trend we have promoted: The popularity of locally grown food. Seems a remote thought now with all the snow but a dreamy concept as the days get longer and the fields again produce the bounty we have come to expect. Time for individuals to decide about joining a CSA or starting their home-grown seeds. Have definite proof, spring is on the horizon (March 20).

–A little positive health news to end our round-up: Cranberry Juice is again in the news as a positive beverage to lower blood pressure and help promote a heart-healthy lifestyle of good cholesterol. The new study from Queen Mary University in London shows that those who do not choose an alcohol-based beverage are wise to select cranberry juice for its similar effects.

The week goes on.

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The Power of Gluten-Free

Feb 15

Posted by admin in gluten-free

We know that gluten-free products are literally increasing exponentially. Grocers are devoting more shelf space to this important category, and chefs are becoming more knowledgeable how to help the customer who needs a gluten-free menu. Nor are all baked goods stuck in the freezer section as more bakeries are making inroads into this important space and supplying grocers with breads with a longer shelf life.

Of course, if your needs are most strict as with celiac disease, then your requirements are quite different from those who just have a preference.  Dining out can pose a greater challenge, but there’s major improvement without the hassles of just a few years ago.

On the corporate scale, look at companies such as General Mills which have heavily advertised, front of label, their gluten-free line. Rice Chex and Corn Chex, two of the company’s long-standing cereals, now boast their special G-F properties. That’s great news as these products are readily available, and it means you can continue to make the popular Chex Mix as long as you add G-F pretzels such as those by Glutino.

If you follow strict guidelines, then ask stores you regularly shop for their G-F list. Many, such as Trader Joe’s, have quite an extensive product line, and having a printout makes shopping much easier when you know in advance what they carry. Some stores do a fabulous job having label tags that draw your eye to a product that qualifies.

If you are better off without gluten, so-called gluten intolerant, you’ll notice an increase in the number of familiar, everyday products that now list the fact that they are G-F. Study the two labels in the accompanying image and note that the one on the right touts the fact it is Gluten-Free: An important marketing tool. With “Gluten-Free” on the ingredient list, they have expanded their marketing base. Whether they have always been free of gluten or not, there’s a true advantage, a potential new customer base, in spelling out that your product is G-F.

If you look at the ingredient breakdown, you’ll notice they now also identify themselves a having 0 mg of Cholesterol. (Even though they have always been listed as a zero fat product, they want the zero cholesterol specific spelled out, too). Another marketing wave?

The breadth of product choices makes shopping in this category significantly easier than it did even a year ago as G-F product launches continue to increase.

Welcome aboard.

lea & Perrins

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Take Out the Party Hats

Feb 13

Posted by admin in lifestyle

Talk about a place ready for a party, and you’re probably thinking New Orleans. Didn’t they just have a party after winning the Super Bowl? Sure, but the big, annual (I didn’t say the Super Bowl win couldn’t happen again) fun fest is Mardi Gras. The religious day, Fat Tuesday,  before Ash Wednesday is a time of major celebration, after all deprivation is just around the corner. So this Tuesday, February 16 is the time to party. Religious notes aside, it’s a food feast.

If you’re not in the Big Easy, you can easily plan a Mardi Gras party and serve yourself some Cajun or Creole treats. Think Gumbo, Jambalaya, or even Etouffee.  If you prefer to go out and really whoop it up, plenty of restaurants are willing to show their true spirit by turning a single day event into two days of traditional foods and drinks. Bakeries stand ready for exhibiting their prowess with the traditional King Cake which you can make if you’re too late to place an order. Plenty of recipes, like the Emeril Lagasse Food Network version, make the colorful, ringed sweet a not so difficult spin for the mixer.FNmag_King_Cake-image_s4x3_sm

Those in the East who are still digging out from the record book snowfall are definitely looking for an excuse to celebrate something. Here’s an easy way to let the good times roll and partee.

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Food Rocks: A Television Feast

Feb 8

Posted by admin in beverages, food universe

So much Monday quarterbacking focuses on the plays, for some the memorable parts of the game.

Me: I focus on the food ads (or that memorable part of the game), and there were a few that have people still laughing.

The 3 big players: Coke, Denny’s, and Doritos.

The score: Denny’s will fill ‘em in on Tuesday, Grand Slam free day, but in the process am sure the PETA folks are lining up. Maybe a few too many chicken jokes or is that reality placement?

Coke and Doritos performed well throughout the game and came up with a few winners.

Should do a slap laugh at enlisting Betty White in a memorable Mars (Snickers) ad–get that energy bar! Whatta winner!snickers

Can’t leave out the brews. It was a close call whether the Clydesdale’s would make it, but thankfully the love bit was a winner.

If you wanna see the staying power of ads, check out Mo Rocca’s piece on CBS Sunday Morning. This will show you the power of an ad and give you a quick sociological understanding of our demographics.

No matter what your beef is or which team came out a winner in your play book, the food ads always win.

They just keep marching on.

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It’s A Wrap: Food News

Jan 31

Posted by admin in Michelle Obama, news

So many food leftovers as we close out this week and the month. That’s always a good sign!

–A week before the biggest snack game of the year and some new interesting products are ready for serving. Not officially G-F, but the new Quaker Baked Rice and Corn Crisps (Tortillaz, Zesty Guacamole flavor) give old-fashioned rice cakes a boot off the field. They are tasty, perfect snack dippers.images-1

–While we’re talking G-F snacks, look at what’s happening at delis and bagel shoppes, they’re stocking Cracklebred: a perfect crunch solution to an otherwise missed opportunity. Congratulations to all the traditional bread outlets for carrying this product.

–We’ve extolled the health virtues of wine, now we can add grape juice to that list. Not a big, logical jump but one affirmed as a memory booster. Now you have a perfect excuse to stay with Welch’s beyond your 12th birthday!

–Have you noticed that the humble French Fry has taken on a new persona: A highly visible accompaniment to multiple restaurant dishes or as an expensive side as in Truffle, Mole, or Sweet. It’s been deliciously elevated as a special flavor treat. I accept.

–What’s it mean when a restaurant of  multiple-star recognition decides to close down for a couple of years to reinvent itself and come out of the gate as a different persona? That’s the question the food world asked this week with the news that the impossible-to-get reservation at Spain’s El Bulli need not cause you anxiety until they reopen as ??  Molecular tapas?

–Have you noticed that the Happy Hour is back? Hardly an hour but a solid period of time to help bring in both after work diners and late night partyers. As in times of old, it works nicely as an early, inexpensive, affordable outing. Many places have decided on a double shift: afternoon and late nights.

–Not just a healthy garden project for the First Lady, but a role as the spokesperson on Childhood Obesity, sadly,  the growing, national health concern.

–Yes, not a week goes by without some food recall. This week it’s more on burgers and now peppers and noodle dishes are a concern, too.

If the weather starts to improve, you’ll see plenty more food trucks. Right now they are operating under extreme conditions in most of the country, but this mini restaurant at the curb continues to be an influential trend.

Now it’s time to think February and recognize the longest month of the year; no matter what the calendar says!

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February Food Holidays

Jan 30

Posted by admin in champagne, chocolate, lifestyle

This year the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Tiger, falls on February 14. Does that date ring a bell, one that starts your heart a quiver or makes you panic that you haven’t realized we close out the month of  January this weekend? You could combine the two holidays with a night out at a Chinese restaurant on Valentine’s Day, or…

The list of possibilities to make this fun day, this year’s Valentine’s Day, extra tasty, after all this is a food blog, keeps on multiplying. No matter what last year was like; this is a new decade. Move on.

It may be too late to get personalized chocolate bars, but there are no shortage of Sweetheart candy messages. If it’s ice cream treats you covet, then Maggie Moo’s has two options to suggest: Pink Champagne Sorbet or a Dream Cake for two. That’s a small-sized cake of strawberry ice cream drizzled with chocolate ganache and topped with a chocolate covered strawberry.

What is it about strawberries and chocolate dips anyway? Just walking past Godiva windows should convince you that they have the market on the biggest berries out there. Yes, they are beautifully covered in chocolate!

Dairy Queen changes its cake shapes for the month of February. Not a round but a heart-shaped ice cream treat (chocolate soft serve topped with crunchy chocolate cookies pieces and then layered with vanilla soft serve). They also feature the Midnight Truffle Blizzard (chocolate truffle pieces, dark cocoa fudge and vanilla soft serve).

If you want more than just dessert, then restaurants have you covered with no shortage of options for special Valentine’s Day (evening) dinners. Prix-fixe menus are all the rage. Plenty of people will tell you that dining out that evening is a semi-hectic experience, but if you’re curious about its popularity, look at all the restaurants normally closed for Sunday dinner offering special dining packages. A great source for info is Open Table. Better hurry and reserve if dining out is your goal.

If you purchase by the 14th, you can extend the heart-shaped dining with Krispy Kreme’s assortment of heart and chocolate doughnuts, including the chocolate-iced heart doughnut with red drizzle. If you buy a dozen, they have a treat for you: “A Share the Love” card with a sweet surprise.

No one wants to be left out of this marketing maze.

Dining-in works, too. So many wonderful recipe possibilities and items from Sunday farm markets–what’s redder than a beet?

Don’t forget champagne!CHAMP_VEU12

Ok.

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Food News Round Up

Jan 17

Posted by admin in Starbucks, gluten-free, news, restaurants

A week has so many items of interest, newsworthy pieces that somehow skip thru the blog cracks. Each week ends with a larger pile of possibilities. Here’s this week’s Round Up:

–The BPA controversy continues. Remember not that long ago the FDA said plastic containers that still held BPA were OK. The news was a little iffy for many people and they went out and bought BPA-free containers. Stores heard the cry and increased their supply of BPA-free water bottles and assorted sized food containers. They were able to charge a little more, OK, make that a lot more, as they were free of the dreaded, uncertain BPA. Now the FDA has new words on this topic. They are urging greater caution. Here is their most recent statement.

–Chefs who are hired to create a space need to listen to their bosses. They will not survive if they are out on the solo creative limb. See Fabio Trabocchi, one of my favorite chef geniuses, but he did not hear the words spoken and unspoken by the regulars at The Four Seasons New York. He could not man the space and just follow his heart. He had to follow what management wanted; in other words, the same Four Seasons type menu that has been filling the space for years. He was not given a restaurant to make his own as when he created Maestro at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. He had to conform and give the Four Seasons guests what they expected: Nothing New. He was ousted this week. January is not a good month for him!

–Tom Colicchio of New York restaurant fame but more recently Bravo’s Top Chef has tried to make and remake his restaurants into more affordable destinations. He had started to cook again and not just be a celebrity chef  (Tom: Tuesday Dinner was his first attempt). His Craftsteak was always a step ahead of the menu mavens, but the concept seemed too expensive for those just looking for a steak. Now he’s ready to showcase Colicchio & Sons in that space. More of a relaxed, less expensive, fun vibe with a focus on more local purveyors.

–Restaurant Weeks have once again proven popular and convincing as many restaurants decided a single seasonal week is not enough. Business has been too good so in various locations throughout the country, a sizable list of restaurants are turning the one-week promotion into a longer lasting, table-filling affair. Sububran restaurants have banded together and decided they, too, could offer their own week or multi-week promotions. (Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week).

–More Gluten-Free products hit the market. How about Risotto Chips from the folks that sell Bagel Crisps. Smart move into an ever-growing category of G-F free snacks. Arborio rice now has found a home in 3 distinct rice chip flavors: Spicy marinara, Parmesan & roasted garlic, and sea salt, the new darling of the scoopable chip industry.image_risotto

–Today is the first day of the West Coast version of the Specialty Food  Show, the Winter Fancy Food Show in SF. How about a little chocolate water? The Metromint folks have a new drink: ChocolateMint Water (zero calories, just essence of mint and  chocolate). Just when you thought you had tried every possible flavored water. More from this show later.

So many stories. SO much news.

Enjoy your Sunday with its Starbucks newspaper insert: All-day oatmeal and hot panini $1 off coupon (good til March 8th).

See what I mean: Hard to stop telling you about the news you need to know!

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Love is in the Air: One Month Warning

Jan 14

Posted by admin in chocolate, coffee, wine

At least merchants who believe in fairy tales have their windows and aisles all gussied up for an event that is four weeks from today. OK, don’t panic. The all-American lovefest, commonly known as Valentine’s Day, has become a major marketing opportunity for retail, grocers, and restaurants. Also anybody else you can think of, like those little Girl Scouts who are already out hawking their yummy cookies.

Besides the giant heart-shaped boxes of candy, this is the year you might consider designing your own specialized candy bar for your love. The German company Chocri has figured out that Americans, too, have a sweet tooth and are offering us the opportunity to personalize a chocolate gift with Fair Trade, organic, Belgium chocolate. This has real possibilities, especially the Marzipan rose!marzipan

There’s also time to go the personalized M&M route, and the almost limitless array of other candies already dolled up in special V-Day boxes. Sweet choices.

Besides chocolate, which I have few complaints about unless it is milk chocolate rather than higher concentrations of cocoa, there are other wonderful food and beverage options. How about coffee or tea? Plenty of those already packaged up and ready to go. Don’t forget wine–so many choices. So many winning opportunities: Maybe this is the time of the year to think of a wine club, a lovely possibility!

Or just purchase a special wine for the final touch to a beautiful evening. How about a Late Harvest Riesling or a true Ice Wine to warm your spirit.

So many wonderful food choices for a special Valentine’s Day.

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Buckwheat: Gluten-Free

Jan 13

Posted by admin in gluten-free

Sometimes words are just plain old misleading. Those who go in search of G-F products learn pretty quickly that wheat is a common enemy. Watch out. Stay away. Those are the phrases most often associated with wheat products. Then you hit the ultimate conundrum: Buckwheat and learn that it is gluten-free. What about the wheat?  How does this work?

It turns out that buckwheat, in and of itself, is gluten-free, but it is often added to other grains, and there’s the rub. Lots of people with a gluten intolerance avoid buckwheat because it can be grown in a field that is not protected. In other words, it may actually come into contact with pure wheat which then puts it back into the danger zone. Buckwheat, in an analysis, is not considered a grain but a fruit, a member of the rhubarb family. Getting strange, right. The word just becomes more confusing by the second!pancakebuckwheat

When you find a buckwheat product that says it is G-F, then it means that the buckwheat has been grown, processed, and packaged in a self-contained area, away from other grains. Then you’re halfway to making great G-F pancakes. One warning or attention-getter: Buckwheat is pretty heavy, go easy.

So do not let the name dissuade you. Check out the product. Make certain that if it says “buckwheat,” it also says, “gluten-free.”

It starts out that way. What happens next is critical.

The list of foods continues.

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What’s the Deal with Pepper?

Jan 12

Posted by admin in dining out

In my meat universe, a great piece of beef is just that: A Great Piece of Meat. It needs a heavy char, a rare, warm-to-the-touch inside, and little else. One over-condiments a product that is not of high quality. A superior piece of beef, Black Angus, dry-aged, or Certified Prime, needs no doctoring, just an attentive grillmaster. Why are so many consumers now saying, “hold the pepper”? Why did pepper become such a major flavor profiler whether it is with top-quality meats or sushi-grade tuna?

Both those fine foods need little outside interference. It goes back to purchasing quality, preparing it simply, and not ruining it by fussing with unnecessary seasonings.

Just yesterday attention was on the salt crisis: How we are oversalting everything and our health is paying for using too much of this seasoning. Black pepper has been making the research rounds as a positive, but encrusting a steak with pepper (unless you ordered steak au poivre) is a negative in my book. It can overpower a food and make the taste get lost under its weight. Plenty of people like salted and peppered food. I am a believer in top quality products that need little extra attention. If the quality is good, you have nothing to hide. Inferior cuts of beef will take more than salt and pepper to solve.

Hold the pepper, bring on the 12 oz beauty. I can handle it.filetmig_sm

OK, I promise to take  some home for lunch tomorrow.

Who made pepper King, anyway?

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