Recent Episodes

 

Dwight Furrow, the author of American Foodie: Taste, Art, and the Cultural Revolution, talks about the philosophy of food. We discuss everything the impact of everything from automobile to Alice Waters to the Slow Food movement have shaped the way Americans think about food.
 
 
 
 

 

Inbal Baum, the Founder of Delicious Israel, joins us to talk about where foodies should eat when they travel to her country.

• Shakshouka is a popular dish in Israel
• Israeli Breakfast is a distinct and important meal
• The modern cherry tomato has roots in Israel
• Tel Aviv and Jerusalem top the list of cities you should visit
• Beach season runs from April to October
• Rosh Hashana is a great time to visit Israel
• When you visit Tel Aviv, go to the Carmel Market, the Levinsky Market
• Try the date syrup, Silan

 

 

Food for Thought

• Q: After pita bread, what is the most common food used to “wipe” humus?
• A: Raw onion.

 
 

Out of the Frying Pan

• Favorite Spot for Outdoor Dining: Milgo & Milbar
• Favorite Place to Buy Spices: Cafe Arma in Levinsky Market
• Herbs to Try: Za’atar and Hawaij (in Yemenite Coffee)
• Favorite Winery: Sphera
• Favorite Place for Dessert: The Malabia
• Favorite Food Experience for Kids: Max Brenner
• Chef to Watch: Eyal Shani
• Dish to Try at Different Places: Shakshouka and sabich

Bennet Jacobstein, author of The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine, talks to us about what foodies can find at different baseball stadiums around the country.

• Hot dogs and sausages are not the same thing.
• The quality of ballpark food was elevated in the 90s as new stadiums were built and food television shows took off.
• Stadiums have highlighted regional foods.
• Gordon Biersch‘s founder Dan Gordon introduced garlic fries at Candlestick Park in 1994.
• The song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was written in 1908.
• The Yankees replaced Cracker Jacks at one point, but brought it back after a public outcry.
• 

  San Francisco Giant Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries

  Veggie Happy spearheaded the movement to get veggie dogs sold at ballpark stadiums.

• Andrew Zimmern has a stand in the Minnesota ballpark.
• Rocky Mountain Oysters are bull testicles.
• “The Big Six” are the food companies that service the major ballparks.
• As you go from ballpark to ballpark, try the hot dogs at each to see how they’re done differently.
• Proceeds from Bennett’s book go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

 

Food for Thought

• Q: In what year were Cracker Jacks first served at a baseball game?
• A: 1896 in Atlantic City.

 

Out of the Frying Pan

Here’s what Bennet recommends you try at each ballpark:

• Yankees Stadium in New York City: Chicken and Waffles.
• Fenway Park in Boston: Lobster Roll and a cuban sandwich.
• Wrigley Field in Chicago: Chicago-style hot dog with Vienna beef.
• Turner Field in Atlanta: Boiled peanuts.
• Marlins Park in Miami: Cuban dishes.
• Safeco Field in Seattle: The Ivar’s hot dog (with fish) and cream cheese hot dog.
• Nationals Park in Washington D.C.: A cauliflower hot dog and presidential cupcakes.
• 

  Chicago White Sox Chicago-Style Hot Dog

  Busch Stadium in St. Louis: The BBQ.

• Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles: Tommy Lasorda Spumoni ice cream.
• AT&T Park in San Francisco: Crab salad, lamb sausages, and Gordon Biersch garlic fries.

Try a Food Tour

Top 5 Lists

*Give or take.
 

 

When you find yourself in Los Angeles with only a fin in your pocket, here is the list of the top 5 places to get the most bang for less bucks! The Los Angeles dining scene is hot on the heels of New York City and Chicago, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot to get a great meal! These 5 restaurants are where you can taste the essence of multicultural L.A. for less than it costs for the cab ride there.
 
 

1. Chego

Only the father of the food truck movement, Roi Choi, could bring us such Korean goodness and for such little money! His beer battered ooey gooey fries for $6 will keep you coming back!
 

727 North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA

http://eatchego.com

 

 
 

2. Pink’s Hot Dog

An L.A. Institution since 1939 that began with a couple of Pink’s selling hot dogs on the corner, and morphed into an L.A. Landmark! Pink’s Hot Dogs is still a place you can go and have an original chili dog for $3.85. Plus with an ever changing menu of “super star dogs” you can keep coming back to Pink’s to taste the celebrity dujour!
 

709 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
(323) 931-4223
http://pinkshollywood.com

 

 

 RELATED: Where to Eat in Los Angeles.

 
 

3. Ink Sack

Surprising low prices for such a hot chef, Michael Voltaggio’s Ink Sack feeds the masses with his well priced “sandos” My personal favorite is the Jose Andres aka “the spanish godfather” made with ham, tomato, chorizo and manchego for $6 dollars. Another great find is the cold fried chicken, and with a $5 price tag you can afford to have 2.
 

8360 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

http://mvink.com

 

 
 

4. Porto’s Bakery

Although this restaurant is technically in the valley, it’s worth the drive for some of the best Cuban food in the city (and as a Cuban girl I should know!) A freshly pressed “Medianoche” will only cost you $4.25…possibly less than the cost of the gas it took to get you to Glendale!
 

315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA
(818)956-5996
http://portosbakery.com

 

 

 RELATED: The inside scoop on the Los Angeles food scene.

 
 

5. In-N-Out Burger

No list of affordable LA eats would ever be complete without a nod to the food that has kept it classy since the beginning. Even with a recent 10 cent price hike, you can still get a cheeseburger “animal style” off the not so secret menu for less than $4.
 

7009 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California

http://www.in-n-out.com

 

 
 

 

---

 

About Caroline Gelabert-Noh

Caroline Gelabert-Noh is a cultural anthropologist who enjoys the finer things in life while still finding frugal ways to do it. Read more from her at EatDrinkLA.com.

With a reputation as a multicultural city, the gastronomical offerings in Vancouver and its surrounding neighborhoods (the Lower Mainland) cement this claim. There is no shortage of exceptional dishes to be found here, and a quick search on the internet can instantly direct you to any number of lists, links and accolades heaped on the numerous restaurants in the Lower Mainland. So I offer you a different perspective:

The best of the unexpected.

These are the ‘supporting cast’ dishes that shine so brightly they threaten (and in many cases overthrow!) the stars of the menu. Starting from breakfast in the morning to a late night dessert, I present: 5 unexpectedly phenomenal dishes of Vancouver.

1. Buttermilk pancakes at Kingston Taphouse

As a bar, you can expect the usual array of comfort food at Kingston Taphouse and alcohol as expected of such an establishment, but one bite of these pancakes would change your mind on coming here just for the booze. Crispy on the outside and fluffy in the center, these pancakes rival (and surpass!) many of the other fine dining or brunch-dedicated restaurants I frequent in Vancouver. Pancakes are easy to make and aren’t the most sophisticated item on any menu, but to be truly phenomenal… now that’s unexpected, and least of all in a bar. FYI, these pancakes are on the brunch menu only and brunch is currently only served from 10am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. A narrow window to sink your teeth into what should deservedly be available 24/7, but so worth it to pencil this visit down in your schedule.

$$
755 Richards Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
(604) 681-7011

 

 

2. Cold ramen at Motomachi Shokudo

The only ramen on the menu with no broth, needless to say this bowl of noodles faces tough competition against its hot counterparts. But the texture! Oh the texture of these noodles! A really bouncy, elastic pile of noodles with the perfect al dente mouth feel. The complementary side kicks, the tororo (grated taro potato) and the perfectly poached egg lends a slipperiness that just works with this particular type of ramen, that no broth could hope to imitate. A seasonal item (May to October), almost in sync to every new season broadcast of Game of Thrones (guess who’s a fan), equally addicting.

$$
740 Denman Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
(604) 609-0310

 

 

3. Foie gras nigiri at Octopus Garden

Octopus Garden’s focus is on à la carte nigiri sushi. Whilst it offers an array of the usual suspects of salmon, hamachi, etc. (all very, very tasty), an unusual option co-exists on this restaurant’s menu: the foie gras nigiri. Although its price tag is predictably one of the highest on the menu, its flavor more than exceeds the equally high expectations associated with same. The foie gras is buttery and rich, but not heavy, looking quite unassuming on the rice (which is also well made, you can practically taste each plump grain in your mouth), and – at the risk of sounding cheesy – melts in your mouth. The sliver of sweet, fresh mango on top cuts through just enough of the richness without stealing the show. Far too often, many a restaurant would slap on ‘foie gras’ on its menu in an attempt to raise its calibre, but execution of same doesn’t always succeed. I am most happy to report that Octopus Garden raises the bar in the quintessential world of Japanese cuisine by reigning in a traditionally French ingredient and perfectly balancing this with the foundation of all nigiri. How’s that for multicultural?

$$$
1995 Cornwall Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia
(604) 734-8971

 

 

4. Octopus carpaccio at Lupo

Strictly speaking, octopus carpaccio isn’t entirely a foreign item (though rare) on an Italian menu, but with the level of difficulty in making octopus even half-way edible, I thought this dish deserves its time in the spotlight. Octopus is notoriously tough, chewy and rubbery if prepared incorrectly, and is so easy to get wrong. ‘Boil it’ is the usual way to go, but an insufficient time in the pot and the octopus remains hard and indigestible; overdo it and you now have rubber to gnaw through. At Lupo, the octopus carpaccio was shaved so thinly that it was completely see-through but was presented in a mille-feuille-like fashion. With several layers of this super thin octopus, the texture on biting through a forkful was one-of-a-kind. Cooked just right, not rubbery, chewy or tough in the least, this was an octopus that got shaved to a near-impossible width and put back together with a sauce in the right amount of acidity to create a dish that lingers in the memory long after the last wisp is consumed.

$$$
869 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
(604) 569-2535

 

 

5. Chocolate chip cookies at Pourhouse

And finally we arrive at dessert. The most ordinary of all the dishes featured above, the most easily attained item at just about at every cafe, supermarket and gas station, so ‘vanilla’, that it came as a surprise when I first saw this on the menu at a sit-down restaurant because, well, no self-respecting restaurant would offer something so pedestrian right? As a butter enthusiast and a fan of anything rich and sweet, I can assure you I have had quite the spread of cookies in my lifetime, from gourmet cookies at high-end patisseries to the ones at the corner store, and I affirm that not a single one of them hold a candle to this ‘plain Jane’. Served piping hot fresh from the oven, these cookies are crisp all around on the outside, with the slightest crunch on the very edges, yet fluffy – oh! the airiness – inside, and the little nuggets of chocolate chips simply oozing, “addiction” has a whole new meaning. A comfort dessert like no other, this is THE dish to end the night on.

$
162 Water Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
(604) 568-7022

 
Do you have a favorite Vancouver dish?

---

About J Evans

J is a food enthusiast resident in Vancouver, Canada, tasting, logging and rating dishes across the Lower Mainland in search of the yummiest morsels. Track J’s food adventures @ Vanbrosia.

Choosing the top five of any food category in Providence is going to delight and disappoint, cause contention and elation and be ever changing as exciting new and traditional established vendors vie for the hearts of Providence food lovers.
 
The bakery selection in Providence is incredible, with the vibrant influences of Downcity, progressive West Side and classic East Side culinary communities continuing to offer delights of the pastry variety, here is my list of Providence’s “Top 5 Bakeries.”
 
 

1. Foremost Baking Company

 
With flavors coming from traditional European recipes, and utilizing the best ingredients, Foremost is a standout supplier in the Providence Bakery world. Seasonal local whole fruits, single origin South American chocolate, house made fills and syrups make Foremost stand out in the Providence Bakery game.
 
Foremost hopes to open their own retail concept soon, but in the meantime can be found supplying many local cafes and restaurants in Providence, including:
Cafe la France at Amtrak, Bolt Coffee (where their face-sized croissants are incredible!), Small point café, The Grange and Flan Y Ajo to name but a few.
 

25 Eagle Street Unit 107
, Providence, RI 02909
(401) 744-5132

 

RELATED: How well do you know the Providence food scene? Take our quiz and find out.

 
 

2. Ellie’s Bakery

 
Located in the Biltmore Garage on Washington Street in Downcity Providence, Ellie’s is the little bakery sister to Gracie’s. Known for their elegant high class dining, Gracie’s bring their wondrous command of flavors and exquisite technique to this Parisian inspired bakery.
 
Famed for their French Macarons (served up by Millie the Macaron Cart, filled with ice cream in the Summer months) Ellie’s is the Downcity go-to for pastries, sandwiches and their upscale take on the brown bag lunch.
 
Their breads and bakes change seasonally and use local flavor and ingredients- some must try items are: mustard crusted pickle bread, the gluten free chocolate brownie and Ellie’s very own ‘Elios’.
 

61 Washington St, Providence, RI 02903
(401) 228-8118

 

 
 

3. Olga’s Cup and Saucer

 
Tucked into a tree shaded corner on Point Street in the Historic Jewelry district of Providence, Olga’s courtyard garden offers a reprieve from the hub bub of the nearby city.
 
When you’re a met with a backdrop of freshly baked breads upon entering a store you know you’re in a place of bakery brilliance. Using artisan techniques and creating everything by hand, authentic and traditional is the name of the game at the Cup and Saucer.
 
Among the varieties adorning the bakery wall are: Kalamata Sicilian olive sourdough, rosemary olive oil, golden raisin fennel as well as traditional sourdoughs, pillow bread and multigrain offerings.Winners of the Edible Rhody 2013 Local Hero award, Olga’s credentials are a widely known and long standing in the Providence community having established the current bakery in 1997.
 
Serving breakfast, lunch and a weekend brunch, a visit to Olga’s is not complete without an oat, chocolate chip and pecan ‘Cowboy Cookie’ whilst sitting in the courtyard garden or a breakfast treat of Black Forest Ham and Swiss cheese croissant.
 

103 Point St, Providence, RI 02903
(401) 831-6666

 

 
 

4. Seven Stars

 
Locally born and locally ‘bread’, Seven Stars is an institution within Providence. With three sites: Hope Street on the East Side, Broadway on the West Side and The Rumford Center in East Providence, their popularity is evident from their expansion since launching in January 2001.
 
With daily baked breads, pastries and treats on offer, complimented by teas and locally roasted coffees of both the iced and hot variety, Seven Stars is a neighborhood and community hub in all its locations.
 
Baking everything from scratch using ‘local eggs, real butter, unbleached flours and some organic whole grains’ as well as eschewing additives or preservatives, Sevens Stars serves up not only a delicious product but one of integrity and quality- priding themselves on ‘classics done well’.
 
Highly recommended is their fresh take and bake pizza dough, almond croissants and vegetarian sandwich on rustic French baguette, filled with Narragansett Creamery ricotta, arugula, roasted peppers and olive tapenade.
 

342 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909
820 Hope St, Providence, RI 02906
Rumford Center, 20 Newman Avenue, East Providence RI 02916
(401) 521-2200

 

 

RELATED: Where to eat in Providence, Rhode Island.

 
 

5. North Bakery

 
New to the Bakery line up is North Bakery, an offshoot of the eponymous bijou, Asian fusion restaurant located just around the corner from the bakery also on the West Side.
 
The bakery concept is led by friend of the restaurant, Kelly Dull, whose reputation was one of the prompts for creating the bakery and bringing her on board.
With a personal history firmly within the West Side, the Battey Street location continues the authentic, dynamic and progressive story of North.
 
Considered a non traditional American bakery, North take familiar flavor profiles and turn them in a unexpected but recognizable way. While the Dan Dan Hand Pies are a hot ticket item at North, my money is always on the coconut macaroons or toasted meringue crumble topped lemon tarts!
 

70 Battey St, Providence, RI 02903
(401) 421-4062

 

---

 
Cooking, living and working in Providence, Rhode Island, Holly Vine is originally from Sussex, England. Posting recipes, kitchen hints and thrifty tips on her blog Holly Likes To Cook, she is discovering America and New England through its food, flavors and many incredible eateries.