eat me drink me

For those of you who don’t know, I am now a contributing editor for Tea Magazine. That’s right, it’s a magazine dedicated solely to tea. I love it, though now I have piles and piles of tea. So please, stop over for a cup or 12.

The magazine isn’t online, you have to subscribe, which is a practice I whole-heartedly agree with. Still, I decided to attach a PDF of my big, two-page feature that came out in the last issue, I hope you like it! Also, here are some other pieces I have written about regarding tea.

Tea Magazine: Modern Tea in Tea Magazine

Food Republic: Coffee and Tea, Together at Last

Bites Blog: Celebrate Tea Month With These Eight Unusual Blends

Eat Me Drink Me: Lavender Earl Grey Yogurt

Once again I am excited to say whiskey does more for you than just create a buzz while giving you a tasty beverage. This article by Lifehacker delves into a how to help a sore throat with this wonderful tipple. I like this plan, and, if you just keep drinking it, you probably won’t care that your throat is sore.

On a related note, want to know the best way to fill up a flask when you are funnel-less? JN Urbanski shares her fool proof method in this article she posted on her blog, which also has many pieces relating to food and the economy and is worth a read.

Pi Pie by Cakespy

Here are some of my latest published pieces. I have been writing for Zagat and MSNBC quite a bit. Check them out!

Celebrate Pi Day With Pie: Who knew math could be so tasty? Today is Pi Day, the time when nerds rejoice because the date, 3-14, lines up to the infinite number pi, otherwise known as 3.14159265… And, just as there are thousands of numbers in pi, there are also thousands of types of pie, and thousands of excuses to eat pie…(continue reading)

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Often people ask me where to go for dinner as I have  become the person you go to when going out. Instead of listing off some of my picks willy-nilly, I am going to start posting them in segments.

This one deals with cheap eats and was inspired by my friend Jenny Neal who had me on her WIOX radio show The Economy of…, where we talked about how to eat out on a budget in New York.  I would post it here but can’t seem to get it small enough, so stayed tuned on that front!

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Photo by Brian Everett of EVRT Studio

I know it’s been a while, heck, it’s been over 6 months since I have updated my food blog but I guess that’s how things go sometimes.  Of course I kept meaning to do it, but this article I read in Slate pushed me over the edge–I had to write about the devastating news that pickles might cause cancer.

I know, WTF.  Brian Palmer said this in his piece:

“Doctors have repeatedly attempted to substantiate the connection between pickled vegetables and cancer through clinical studies, with mixed results. But, taken as a whole, there does seem to be an association.”

Does this mean I should now avoid one of my favorite foods? True, pickles tend to be packed with sodium, which doctors have been saying for years that it’s  bad for us, but I have a hard time accepting that an innocent, tart, pickled vegetable could be evil. The most unfortunate part, Palmer suggests homemade pickled goods proved the worst kind, stating that mass produced gherkins don’t actually ferment, hence leaving out the step where microbes eat the vegetables sugar, turning it into alcohol, acids, and some (possible) cancer-causing carcinogens.

Ah! Instead of my life being over I am instead going to share with you my favorite pickles with you, if I’m damned you might as well be too.

Top 5 pickles: Rick’s Picks smokra’, McClure’s spicy pickles, Wheelhouse Pickles, house made pickles at The Vanderbilt and at Buttermilk Channel.

Welcome to the 3^rd Annual NY Beer Craft Week. As you’ve probably guessed, this seven-day festival focuses on beer, those glorious, malty, hoppy, fizzy concoctions from small breweries all over the country. › Continue reading

On Friday, Patricio Sandoval’s Mercadito (all locations) is launching a program called “Tacos For Strength,” where each month they will feature a non-Mexican cooking chef to create a special taco.  The first taco is going to be done by Andrew Carmellini of Locanda Verde, and is an Italian style with a shrimp meatball, pasta, and a spicy sauce that ties it all together nicely.  A portion of the sales go to support Share Our Strength and their goal to end hunger among children by 2015.  So, not only do you get a tasty, unique taco to munch on, but it’s for a good cause.

Fresh Green Chilies at the Hatch Valley Chile Festival

Ever since I left Denver, Colorado in August 2002 and made my way to Brooklyn, there is only one thing I really missed: green chilies.  Sorry East coasters, you don’t know what I am talking about unless you happened to spend some time in the Southwest and indulged in the these delicious, hot, and meaty green peppers.  This love and constant craving finally drove me to hit up the Hatch Valley Chile Festival in the tiny town of Hatch, New Mexico this year.  › Continue reading

To kick off my attempt to be better at blogging (ha!) I thought I would share a little juicy tidbit about Tillie’s, my old place of employment.  According to a piece from New York Magazine’s Daily Intel, Russian spies were using the Fort Greene coffee shop to do devious spy like things such as: sipping black coffee, wearing berets, gossiping, and passing state secrets.  The Wall Street Journal reported:

“The U.S. and Russia have sent spies to each other’s countries for decades, even in the 20 years since the Cold War ended. Still, the latest allegations come at a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia have been warming….They used coffee shops, bookstores and street corners to contact handlers, according to the FBI.”

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