Not Intent on Arriving

Yum! During my trip to San Francisco last week, I fell behind on reading my beloved food blogs. I read Eater’s daily listages (that link is an example), which are full of interesting food news. Therefore, I’ve decided to put together some links to the most interesting articles. Get ready for more food-related stories on this blog.

1) The Iceman Cometh (The Atlantic): An interesting look at the latest in food trends: gourmet ice. The owner of one “luxury ice” company stresses that poor quality ice can ruin a cocktail. He says the only way to evaluate his claims is to try his product.

2) Undercover Fish Testing Reveals Mercury at Three Times Federal Limits (GOOD): As this article warns, watch out sushi lovers. San Francisco-based “Got Mercury?” tested 32 samples of fish obtained from supermarkets throughout the state. Of those tested, only 6 fish tested below the federal guidelines for mercury.

3) Good Healthy Food News All Around: Several large corporations recently announced greater commitments to healthy food options. Dominoes announced they would offer reduced fat pizza options for schools and  Wal-Mart, now the country’s largest grocer, pledged to reduce fats, sodium and sugars in their food selections (teaming with Michelle Obama). It’s not perfect, to be sure, but any positive changes among such large corporations could make a big difference nationally. Good news except at Burger King.

4) 10 Best NYC Restaurants Of The Last Two Centuries (Village Voice): How can one reasonably make this list? You can’t, but it’s still  interesting. I’ve always wondered, “Who first thought of the concept of the restaurant?” This article reveals the first restaurant to open in NYC.

5) Italy’s Legendary Butcher Comes to New York and Boston (Atlantic): A look into the rise of celebrity butchers. I swear this is a real thing.

6) New York’s 12 Most Expensive Cocktails (Eater): Hey, it’s nice to dream every once in a while, right? Any of these cocktails is over-the-top. The winner comes from the Covet Lounge and is called, “the $100 Icarus Cocktail. It’s a mix of Louis XIII Cognac (priced at $1,600 a bottle) and … imported, Iranian saffron oil, served over hand-chiseled dry ice, for that oh-so-desirable haunted house effect.” Or the $10,000 “Martini on the Rock” (it has a diamond at the bottom of the glass) at the Algonquin Hotel.  Drink up.

Two separate stories relating to beer drew the attention of people across Seattle today.

1) Beer and Wine Tasting at Farmer’s Markets?: A new bill would create a pilot program of beer and wine tastings in 10 farmer’s markets across the state, beginning in summer 2011. Proponents argue that small wineries and breweries struggle to market to consumers and this program would allow small business owners easier access to potential buyers. The Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Washington State Farmers Market Association and Rockridge Farms all testified in support of the proposal.

2) Qwest Beergate: As you may have heard, the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks somehow managed to limp their way into the playoffs with a 7-9 record. On Saturday, they play the defending champion New Orleans Saints in Seattle. The mayors of both cities have made a bet on the game. The last thing the city needs the day before the game is a major beer scandal. Too bad.  The video below appeared today, showing that the small and large beer glasses hold the same amount of liquid.The company that supplies the stadium says that the 16 oz. cups actually hold 20 oz. of liquid so…the fans have been getting a great bargain! Yeah, whatever.

The pint, one of Britain’s cultural staples, may soon be going to way of the dodo bird.  Under a new set of rules, restaurants and pubs could begin to use the Australian measure of a schooner— or roughly 2/3 of a pint. The government says the changes are in response to changing “consumer tastes.” Government officials say that the British people now prefer slightly smaller amounts of “hard drink,” and the schooner would offer more choices. Others suspect that the new measurement will discourage excessive drinking, which is growing more prevalent across the country.