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

Join Master Chef and Historian Walter Potenza in the discovery of great foods and history of Federal Hill in Providence. Our Premiere Food Tour will take you to different locations where you will be sampling Cheeses, Charcuterie, Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars and many more ingredients present in the repertoire of Italian Cookery. You will also learn food terminology, products information, how to shop, how to store and anything that may be of interest in expanding your culinary horizon. Throughout the walking event you will meet the people who make it possible for Federal Hill to be recognized as a food and historical destination in the USA. Your walking tour will end at Chef Walters Cooking School where Chef Walter will present the “Pasta or risotto of the day”, paired with the “Wine of the day“. Of course samples are offered. After the tasting you will visit the Federal Hill Heritage Center Photo Exhibit of early Italian Immigration in Rhode Island located on 286 Atwells Avenue. Only collection in Rhode Island

In-depth details here!

More in this Country

Alyssa Daigle Scheonfeld is the founder of Bites of Boston Food Tours and currently serves as the CEO (Culinary Experience Officer) – for the Sweet and Savory South End Tour. A Massachusetts native with a passion for all things food, culture and urban community, Alyssa has found her bliss in guiding locals and visitors through one of Boston’s most historic and tasty neighborhoods. We asked her a few questions…
 

1. What foods is Boston known for?

Clam chowder and Boston Cream Pie are probably the most well known. Others include lobster / lobster rolls, fried clams and Sam Adams Lager!
 
 

2. When a foodie comes to Boston, what neighborhoods should they visit?

The North End and South End for sure. The North End is Boston’s Little Italy and offers a tremendous selection of Italian foods and pastries. The South End is a much more eclectic neighborhood, offering a wide variety of ethnic foods and eateries. Venezuelan, Senegalese, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Ethiopian, Asian Fusion and Southern restaurants – to name a few – can all be enjoyed in the South End neighborhood!
 

RELATED: How well do you know the Boston food scene? Take our quiz!

 
 

3. What can people expect on your food tours?

On the Sweet and Savory South End tour, guests can expect a creatively concocted combination of walking, eating and exploring. We offer a 3+ hour walking food and neighborhood tour during which our goal is to provide a taste – both literally and figuratively – of Boston’s South End. Our guests not only enjoy sampling foods from 6 local eateries and specialty food markets, but also learning about the chefs / owners and how the establishments came to arrive in the neighborhood. Additionally, between restaurant visits, we also provide a hearty helping of historical, architectural and cultural information about the South End. The South End is not a touristy neighborhood in the city, but is certainly a vibrant culinary and cultural community. We love to introduce visitors and locals alike to a less-traveled yet visit-worthy area of Boston during our tours.
 
 

4. Are there any great Boston food events we should schedule our trip around?

Oh yes – there are plenty of food events in Boston! Between May and October, the SOWA Open Market is always a great way to spend an afternoon. The market takes place on Sundays in the South End and now spans over 3 parking lots. In one you’ll find a large farmer’s market, local craftsman/artisan tents in the second, and a third lot full of local food trucks. This is a great way to discover some local producers and farms, as well as to visit and sample foods from many Boston food trucks all in one day. As far as food events go, a couple of the lesser known I would recommend include Chefs in Shorts which is held in June at the Seaport Hotel. This is actually a charity event in which a large number of Boston chefs come together and serve dishes from their respective restaurants. It ends up being a special type of “Taste of Boston” which benefits Future Chefs – a program geared towards preparing aspiring teen chefs for careers in the cooking world after school. Also, Boston Magazine’s “The Cue” and “Battle of the Burger” was a back-to-back event in August this year in South Boston. The Cue featured leading BBQ chefs and Battle of the Burger sought to find the Best burger in the city. If BBQ and/or burgers are your thing, these summer events are a fun idea.
 
 

5. Which Boston chefs should we keep our eyes on?

Chef Jamie Bissonette of Toro and Coppa Enoteca in the South End. Jamie won a James Beard award this year for Best Chef in the Northeast and has his first cookbook, The New Charcuterie Cookbook, coming out this month (September 2014). Toro also recently expanded to a location in NYC and both Toro and Coppa are very popular with Boston locals. I definitely think there is more to come! Top Chef Kristen Kish is also worth keeping an eye on as is Chef Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks BBQ.
 

RELATED: The Top 5 Desserts in Boston.

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Dave Dadekian

In this episode of the Find Dining Podcast, David Dadekian of Eat Drink RI talks about the new Eat Drink RI Festival in Providence, which will showcase the best chefs and food producers of Rhode Island. We discuss hot wieners, Rhode Island-style calamari, and bars in lingerie shops.

• The Eat Drink RI Festival was on April 19-21, 2013
• The Mayor’s Own Marinara Sauce
• Johnson & Wales University has an excellent culinary program
• Get a craft cocktail at Cook & Brown Public House, The Dorrance, Eddy, or Justine’s
• Cochon 555 three times
• Visit the Johnson & Wales Culinary Museum
• Check out Waterfire and Spogga
• Big Nazo defies description

Providence Dining Districts to Explore:

• On the West Side, visit Nick’s on Broadway, Broadway Bistro, and North
• On the East Side, visit Farmstead, Chez Pascal, Cook & Brown Public House, and Al Forno
• Downtown, visit New Rivers

Food for Thought:

• Q: What type of food establishment does Providence have more of per capita than anywhere else?
• A: Coffee Shops. (Rhode Island runs on Dunkin’ Donuts.)

Out of the Frying Pan Picks:

• Favorite Italian Restaurant: Al Forno
• Best View of Waterfire: Cafe Nuovo or Jacky’s Waterplace
• Favorite Hole-in-the-Wall Spot: Los Andes
• Favorite Diner: Liberty Elm
• Favorite Place for Drinks after Work: Eddy
• Favorite Place for Dessert: Gracie’s

See a map of more podcasts.

Chris Angelus is the founder of Portland Food Adventures, which turns local chef’s restaurant recommendations into unique food experiences. He also writes for About Face Magazine as its cuisine editor. Most recently his latest venture is a podcast, RightAtTheFork.com, a weekly talk with some of Portland’s discovered and undiscovered culinary talents. We sat down to ask him a few questions…
 

1. What is Portland Food Adventures?

 
It’s become more diverse than it was, but basically it’s a unique way to explore the Portland food scene through interactive dinners where chefs talk about their work and personal lives, and then talk about their favorite eating and drinking places in Portland. Diners then may go explore the chef’s favorite places armed with gift certificates they received at that chef’s Portland Food Adventures dinner.
 

RELATED: Hear our interview with Chris Angelus of Portland Food Adventures.

 

2. What do you enjoy about the Portland Food Adventure dinners?

 

What has become most gratifying for me isn’t necessarily eating great food at a fantastic restaurant. It’s the social experience of getting a group of like-minded people together and having them click, and have a party. Nothing makes me happier than the sound of 35 people having a blast. I love when people who have come to a dinner call to reserve the next one and ask if they can sit with the people they first met at the previous event. Those experiences are invaluable to me, and they happen often.
 

3. Tell us how the food scene in Portland has evolved in the last decade.

 
I’ve been here about that long. It was just really starting to blossom in 2005. And then The Food Network came into being, and people started paying attention to chefs. Now we’re into another generation of chefs beginning to realize their dreams. Some have worked under our nationally known chefs like Vitaly Paley and Andy Ricker, like Gabriel Rucker and Nong, who just opened her first restaurant after having one of Portland’s most popular food carts for a long time.
 
Now guys like Rucker are opening new places or their sous are on the build their own careers. Lastly, the big guys and gals are all doing cookbooks now. Next up, service. But one of the things that keeps Portland dining relatively inexpensive is that service isn’t always the star of the show. It can be, but it’s inconsistent.
 

RELATED: Hear our interview with Chef Andy Ricker of Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon.

 

4. If a foodies are coming to Portland for the first time, what neighborhoods should they check out?

 
Portland is made up of neighborhoods, and each has its own vibrant food scene. Downtown is hot now. Last year it was Division (and it still is!) and Alberta before that. Mississippi and North Williams are kicking ass, too. Did I mention Concordia? And the Northwest? And the Pearl. It really is crazy.
 
If someone wants the full on experience, they need to be here for weeks or months, not days. Only then does one really get an understand of how vast our food scene is, especially for a city our size. A Portland food vacation is a great idea, including the beautiful Oregon coast. And I’d be happy to plan one out for people for a reasonable “food sherpa” fee.
 

5. What is the food truck scene like in Portland?

 

First of all, in Portland, they are not food trucks. They are called food carts because the vast majority are stationary and can be found in what we call pods. There are dozens of pods strewn throughout different neighborhoods, which are basically empty city blocks filled with anywhere between six and thirty-six food carts. (Downtown has three huge pods). So, a few hungry people can visit a pod, and decide individually what they would like to eat, and experience very good food made by passionate people who specialize in one or two things. Or, for the real foodie, they can eat like a beast and try many different types of food without going too far.
 
Many of our food cart owners go on to open excellent restaurants. Pok Pok (now with multiple locations in Portland and New York), Lardo (Two years ago one food cart. Now four sandwich joints and a pasta place), Shut up and Eat and Nong’s come to mind. It’s different than any other city with our stationery pods.
 

RELATED: Everything you want to know about food trucks.