lucky dip – Page 9 – Sheryl Kirby

Lucky Dip – Friday, August 26th, 2011

Could you live for a week eating food from Dollarama? How about at least throwing some canned fruit and veg in there, for fibre? [Toronto Star]

Pop-ups, food trucks, facial hair, they’re all there in this list of bad restaurant trends. [Village Voice: Fork in the Road]

Speaking of pop-ups, Diner En Blanc is scheduled for tonight in NYC. So is a hurricane. But don’t forget that if you bring an umbrella, it has to be clear or white. [Village Voice: Fork in the Road]

All chefs are called Matt. Okay, not all of them, but 3 of Toronto’s most-well known chefs share the same name, if not the same philosophies about food. [Toronto Star]

Really, when are food bloggers going to realize that if even one of us falls for the scams from viral marketing companies it devalues the work of every blogger out there? [Virginia Willis Culinary Productions]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Friday, August 26th, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Back in my days in Kensington Market, we’d refer to the week or so before school started as “pup season”; in part because of all the keen shiny young kids from cities and towns far and wide converging on Toronto to attend university, and also because if they were of the punk/goth/industrial persuasion, they’d inevitably be wearing a Skinny Puppy t-shirt. This week Steven Davey has a whole selection of food stories for “pup season” from cheap eats and late-night noshing to delivery options and of course, the obligatory experiment (especially for Skinny Puppy fans) with veganism. [NOW]

Speaking of cheap eats – will the Urban Eatery concept at the Eaton Centre actually work or is it going to be a big ol’ disaster zone come Saturday afternoons? [BlogTO]

New food adjective – “Hestonian”, as in the 3 Hestonian flavours of frozen cookie dough that Blumenthal is selling through Waitrose. [Telegraph]

Martini = gin & vermouth. That’s it. Appletinis do not count, and are just one ofthe many signs that you’ve picked a bad restaurant. [Food & Wine: Mouthing Off]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Thursday, August 25th, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Wednesday, August 23rd, 2011

Could it be that we might eventually enjoy eating at a food court? The new Urban Eatery at the Eaton Centre, to open September 1st, is looking good. [Toronto Star]

You know that whole “know where your food comes from” philosophy? It applies to wine as well. Seems some South African wines are produced under horrific human rights conditions. [The Telegraph]

Office workers complain of stinky food items eaten by co-workers. Or, y’all could just not eat lunch at your desk, which is pretty darn gross anyway, even without the stink of tuna sandwiches. [Wall Street Journal]

The US Department of Agriculture refuses to implement a ban on using food stamps to purchase soda and other unhealthy beverages. [CBS News]

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Grandmother, a hipster or a flavour fanatic, there’s plenty of reasons and ways to get canning. [National Post]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Wednesday, August 23rd, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

I’ve been attempting to avoid any and all 9/11 stuff for a variety of reasons but this one I just can’t let alone – 9/11 memorial wine. A wee bit of the proceeds go to charity, so that makes it okay, right? Eesh. [Globe and Mail]

Sweet merciful crap – I knew it was a growing trend but I’m a bit terrified by the “breastaurant”, also known as a “bra and grill”. These are restaurants where female servers wear scanty outfits in hopes of tips from drunken bozos. How very incredibly pathetic – for both the girls who work there and the sad losers who frequent the places. [Eater]

Too many markets, not enough farmers? Toronto’s had this problem for a few years now. [Grist]

You know them (hopefully you’re not one of them) – those people at the next table who screech and howl and make it impossible to think straight. So what do you do? And what should the restaurant do about disruptive customers? [The Guardian]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Monday, August 22nd, 2011

When you hear about the CNE’s “30 food on a stick”, you never really consider eating all of them. Or do you? My hero Jennifer Bain and the lengths she’ll go to for a story. [Toronto Star]

Did you know that Alex James of rock band Blur owns a farm and makes cheese? It’s so popular, he’s signed a deal to sell it in UK supermarket ASDA. [Orange News]

Crinkly bag = crunchy potato chips. Not that simple? It could be to our brains. [Good]

Biscuits, waffles, pickles and red velvet cake batter. The sometimes wacky things served with and done to fried chicken. [Eatocracy]

Food that fight fatigue. For when the 3pm coffee and donut and the 4pm crash and burn just aren’t on the schedule. [Toronto Star: Health Zone]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Monday, August 22nd, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Friday, August 19th, 2011

My evil plan to shame restaurants into improving their websites is growing. Others are catching on and joining in. Excellent. [Torontoist]

Anthony Bourdain is at it again, spouting vitriol against people he thinks he’s better than, this time Paula Deen. But he might have picked on the wrong lady, because Deen doesn’t strike me as someone who backs down. And unlike other Bourdain victims who have tricked him into rolling over and showing his belly by sending him a fruit basket, Paula Deen is not taking his shit. Maybe Bourdain should stick to picking on dead people (like his assaholic comments about deceased musician Stiv Bators) – at least they can’t fight back. [New York Post]

Milk better than water for kids? During the years where I mostly did nutrition writing, I always made a point of asking who paid for a study that seemed particularly biased. Oh, Dairy Farmers of Canada, you guys need to clean up your act and stop trying to trick people into thinking that they need milk to be healthy. No matter how many studies you pay for and try to present as fact, the truth is against you. [Globe and Mail]

Seven tips for chefs on Twitter – please to note #7. Seriously, stop retweeting every nice thing someone says about you. [Grub Street Boston]

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Lucky Dip – Thursday, August 18th, 2011

I love this story about a revitalized hospital cafeteria menu featuring fresh ingredients. This is how is should be done. That we skimped on health and flavour for so long to save money is a travesty. [Toronto Star]

Fun dining versus fine dining – why pop-ups make little economic sense, especially when guests are paying more for less compared to an established restaurant. [Grub Street]

Delighted again by more good words about Pizza e Pazi. I didn’t know about the weekday buffet, though. Even better. [NOW] [The Grid]

Going to the Ex? Don’t pass up some unhealthy junk food (just this once!) – but maybe find some friends to share the donut burger with. [Toronto Star]

The restaurant industry – both businesses and customers – still haven’t figured out this whole Twitter thing. It seems that now, dissing a restaurant on the Twatter while you’re sitting at the bar could get you kicked out. Bad behaviour on everyone’s part here. [Houston Press]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Thursday, August 18th, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

The real costs of being a farmer and coming to market. It’s more than you think. [Ontario’s Own]

A celebrity chef’s name is no longer enough of a draw at newly-opened restaurants. Especially when you’ve taken over the Laurier in Montreal. [Globe and Mail]

Local butcher shops are a hot trend everywhere, but in the UK, they just might be the beginning of a return to the high street. [The Guardian]

Well, that explains the whole comfort food thing – fatty foods can alleviate sadness. Makes sense. [National Post]

The KISS-themed coffee house so popular in South Carolina will open a second location in Las Vegas. Alright, that’s it, I demand a Duran Duran-themed cocktail bar. [Las Vegas Sun]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Wednesday, August 17th, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Dear fellow fatties, join me in gesturing, “Price Is Right”-style, at a new program for determining health risks related to weight that says exactly what we’ve all been saying for years – WEIGHT IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF HEALTH. Fat folks can apparently be just as healthy as skinny folks, and, I know, surprise, just as smart when it comes to knowing their own level of well-being. [Toronto Star: HealthZone] [Globe and Mail] [National Post] [Toronto Sun – avoid the comment section here; the trolls are out in full force.]

Also, enjoying and savouring an occasional cupcake or hotdog is better than wracking yourself with guilt over it. The news is awesome today, isn’t it? [National Post]

Wait, if Canada’s version of the Food Network is “better” than the US station (and okay, Martin Picard does make a difference), why are we still getting all the crap shows from the US? Also, we’ll trade you 3 Canadian food network “celebrities” of your choice if you give us David Rosengarten (who is no longer on the Food Network, which is a crying shame.) [Village Voice: Fork in the Road]

The 411 on lactose intolerance; the least fun you’ll ever have while drinking a milkshake. [Globe and Mail]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Tuesday, August 16th, 2011”

Lucky Dip – Monday, August 15th, 2011

Dear Toronto, since I know our cultural conservatism means we only do things after they’re dead and buried in a bigger, more important city, take note – the New York Times has called for the death of pop-ups. Better get out there and set up a cupcake truck or something while we can still hold our heads high as being hipster trend followers. And since “Diner en Blanc” also appears to have jumped the shark, maybe we can have one of those now too. It’s okay, most sheep are white. [New York Times] [Village Voice: Fork in the Road]

Did you donate money to send food aid to Somalia? How would you feel knowing that aid is regularly being stolen and sold instead of going to people who are starving? [Globe and Mail]

Salad dressing on the side. Besides ruining it for everybody else by making it the norm in some restaurants, all you dieters do know that you end up with about twice as much salad dressing in a ramekin (that you usually eat all of) than if the salad was dressed in the kitchen, right? [Epicurious]

10 things to never do in a restaurant. Like change your baby’s diaper in the dining room! (Although as an allergy sufferer, if I got up every time I had to blow my nose, I might as well just have my meal delivered to the restroom. How about if I promise to do it discreetly?) [Toronto Sun]

Continue reading “Lucky Dip – Monday, August 15th, 2011”