Food & drink

Food & drink

Chef Ron Sonderman's gift lies in elevating the comforting into the sublime. That's what he did with slow-smoked meats as the pitmaster at critically acclaimed Federalist Pig in Adams Morgan and with fried chicken at Honeymoon Chicken in Petworth. Now he's aiming to make his mark on Capitol Hill by tackling two other classics, fried wings and rotisserie chicken. On Dec. 6, Sonderman willtake to the patio of forthcoming Little Engine on Seventh Street SE, across from Eastern Market.

I combined way too many foods that should've never met, and now it's your turn to make sense of the chaos. First up is a food fusion quiz! You'll get 10 images of completely made-up hybrid dishes that I created, and your job is to guess which two foods were combined to create each one. (For example, if you saw a slice of pie stuffed into an ice cream cone, the answer would be: Pie + Ice Cream).

Momofuku founder David Chang says America's youth isn't drinking alcohol in the same way as earlier generations, and it has become the "real existential threat" to the restaurant industry. "Kids just don't drink anymore," Chang said in an interview with TBPN talk-show hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays this week. "They are never going to know what it is like to wake up at 3 p.m. in the afternoon and be like: 'Shit, I left my credit card in that bar.'"

A landmark study reveals that American cuisine typically features a greater range of ingredients compared with British. Scientists studied a data set of recipes covering 23 cuisines around the world - ranging from British and American to Thai and Eastern European. While Britain opts for carb-heavy comfort foods like meat and dairy, the US adds more in the way of herbs and spices. However, neither British nor American cuisine use spices and herbs at the same level as Indian cuisine.

I used to eat paneer butter masala regularly with an Indian friend, Aditya, at a little place near Russell Square in London until one day something awkward happened that meant we never went back. That day, he made the error of wearing a black shirt and black trousers to dinner and, like a rugby player with the ball, was tackled a couple of times on his way to the bathroom as he was mistaken for a waiter.

Lidia Bastianich notes that the traditional filling of pumpkin ravioli is simple. Instead of the traditional roasted Mantova squash, she uses butternut here and says it's a good substitute. She also uses crushed amaretti cookies, breadcrumbs, eggs, and grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano, so the filling is not too sweet. In the northern Italian city of Mantova, they add mostarda di Mantova, a chutney of preserved local fruit in syrup.

As a born-and-bred Southerner from the Mississippi Delta, where I spent childhood surrounded by cornfields, flooded rice paddies, and canopied pecan orchards, food was always central to the concepts of community, connection, and abundance. When shelling huge sacks of black-eyed peas or shucking corn on the front porch, it's a given that the bounty will nestle beside something fried by suppertime - preferably piled-high platters of crispy fried chicken. It's the unofficial multi-state symbol of Deep South cuisine, at least in my book.

I met my wife while working at Target, marking the beginning of what became a decadeslong career in retail. Over the years, I moved into leadership roles at several major brands before eventually joining a senior living company in a senior role. Then, in August 2019, I got a call that changed everything: I was being let go. At the time, my wife, Danielle - who'd also built a successful career - was home full-time with our four kids.

Prized for its presentation, this fancy French potato dish, Duchess potatoes, dates back to the 1700s, when it was created and given its aristocratic name to help elevate the reputation of the humble tuber in France, where it had yet to be widely embraced by home cooks. These are my squiggly duchess potatoes. For a new take on mashed potatoes, we're looking back on a classic French potato dish.

The big harvesting opportunity comes during mautam, the rare mass flowering of bamboo (Melocanna baccifera) that triggers stink bug outbreaks. There isn't a fixed date or month; it's mostly around September-October, says Lalvohbika, a conservationist at Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram. But weather patterns are changing these days. In 2022 we saw them as early as May and then again in September-October.

The king of cheeses is ready for the spotlight. The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, the governing body of the Italian cheese, has reportedly signed with United Talent Agency in order to pursue product placement opportunities in film and TV projects. According to a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the organization is looking to "introduce Parmigiano Reggiano to a wide pool of partners [and] further its message of gastronomical excellence and high quality ingredients, production and distribution."

In Bed-Stuy, Barker Cafeteria is a daytime spot run by a couple who've worked at places like Blue Hill Stone Barns and Superiority Burger. On the menu there are sandwiches, like a cold roast beef number with horseradish, watercress, and hickory sticks, soups, salads, and pastries, like currant scones with clotted cream and jam. We haven't been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists.

Waiters are dressed like charros, and the decor made me think it was designed to attract Americans eager to relive their Mexican beach vacation. During peak hours, Manchamanteles gets busy but never packed; the massive space means reservations aren't required. The staff is kind and attentive with steady service that doesn't feel rushed. Friends, dates, and large parties filled the space on Saturday night during my visit, while Bahena roamed the dining room speaking to guests.

Let's start with the obvious: all four drinks-the strawberry glaze skin, the Malibu mango, the coconut cloud and the vanilla matcha-looked beautiful. The colors were magnificent, especially the blue and the green (which couldn't be said about the flavors themselves, but more on that later). The Time Out team immediately scooped up some of the blue coconut cloud smoothie ($24), made with almond milk, pineapple, banana, avocado, almond butter, coconut cream and enhanced with vanilla collagen and blue spirulina (all organic).

Rush Creek - We wait all year for our two deliveries of Rush Creek (one in November, one in December). Rush Creek is one of the two main raw milk Vacherin Mont d'or-style cheeses made in the U.S. (Jasper Hill Winnimere, November-April is the other). And, seriously, if you haven't tried it, do yourself a favor. This is one of the best cheeses of the year and one of the best cheeses made in the United States:

A small bakery in the West Village is making rich, Halloumi cheese-filled pastries that are unlike any other. The brick-and-mortar launch of Hello Halloumi happened a few weeks ago and their savory pastries are bringing Cyprus' diverse flavors alive in the Big Apple. Originating from the birthplace of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, Cyprus is home to the production of halloumi cheese. Known for its unique savory, salty and slightly tangy flavor, the cheese has a growing market in the U.S. in recent years.

Tucked down a lane off super-central Dawson Street, on the site of a former wine bar, new arrival Comet is a European-style bistro that's got foodies in the Irish capital all aflutter. The pedigree of the team who run it is impressive: chef Kevin O'Donnell cut his teeth at Dublin favorite Bastible before working in starry kitchens in Denmark and returning home to roll out popular supper clubs.

That's right: the Portland Mercury's Holiday Drink Week returns for another glorious marathon of festive booze magic! From December 1 through December 7, the city's best bartenders are shaking, stirring, and summoning up brand new, holiday-themed cocktails- and they're only $10 each! We've once again teamed up with some of Portland's finest bars and restaurants-plus our spirited pals at Jim Beam and Travel Portland -to deliver a week-long sleigh ride of delicious, limited-edition cocktails!

"She ordered three entrees. My manager knew about the scam. He went over there and told her, 'Hey, you're not going to keep this food unless you have a form of payment.' She laughed at him," Ross, a waiter at the eatery told the Post, declining to share his last name. He added Chung was already seated by 5:30 p.m when he arrived. Video obtained by The Post shows Chung seated at a corner table in the eatery, shortly after posting pics on Instagram, before heading to the bathroom.

An unexpected stop on a trip to Iran in the 1970s gifted Thomas a chance meeting with a Persian doctor and his breakfast: fresh labneh with soft, still-warm lavash. It was a revelation. On his return, Thomas got to work creating a fresh cheese from goat's milk (similar to chevre) and from cow's milk, marinated and preserved in oil, with an extra t to avert confusion with the Greek-style feta, that's still being utilised by cooks and chefs right across the world.

"We help F&B businesses build lean, profitable, and resilient models that give owners freedom, not burnout. Our focus is on streamlining operational structure, eliminating debt, and embedding robust financial systems that boost profit and cash flow. Ultimately, our goal is to help F&B owners step back, enjoy the reward of their hard work, and build a lasting legacy through their business."

Darden reported Q1 revenue of $3.04 billion, missing the $3.07 billion estimate, while EPS of $1.97 fell short of the $2.02 consensus. The company still posted 4.7% same-restaurant sales growth and 24.5% net income growth year over year. Olive Garden generated $1.30 billion in revenue during the quarter, and LongHorn added $776 million. CEO Rick Cardenas said the company had "a strong start to the fiscal year with same-restaurant sales and earnings growth that exceeded our expectations."

Tiki Ti is far from the picture of Hollywood glamour, or the tourist trap nightmare of Hollywood Boulevard itself. It's located on a mostly desolate strip of Sunset between the city's Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and East Hollywood neighborhoods. Driving by it would be easy to miss the tiny bar, but wedged next to the Scientology Media Productions studios, a (currently empty) cannabis dispensary, and a cool-sculpting fat removal service, the location does have a certain grim LA character.

Sesame oil comes in two varieties: regular and toasted sesame oil. Regular sesame oil will provide a mild nuttiness, but the fuller flavor is found in the toasted oil. You may have been advised not to fry with this oil due to its low smoke point, but the medium heat required for the perfect fried egg won't be enough to burn it.

This is brutal.

While based on an actual event between English colonizers and members of the Wampanoag Nation, the November holiday as many people celebrate it today actually took shape in the mid-nineteenth century, to help the United States heal after the Civil War.

As bird flu affects poultry supply and people grow tired of the usual spread, we ask chefs, artists and regular Christmas Day dinner hosts for their alternative take on the menu, from meaty to spicy, veggie and hassle-free Christmas is coming but this year it doesn't look like the goose, or the turkey, is getting fat as an outbreak of bird flu has led to the culling of thousands of birds in farms across the country, many of which were destined for the Christmas market.

When my kids were little, I couponed, planned meals around the weekly specials, and tried to keep a tight rein on our grocery budget. But as they grew, I began working more. We all got busier, and I let some of those habits go. Slowly, without really realizing it, our grocery costs inched up. A few months ago, I tracked every grocery expenditure for the entire month and discovered our bill totaled $2,300. I about had a heart attack.

Imagine hopping aboard a train with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate in hand. But instead of heading to the North Pole, you're journeying through the Napa Valley in beautifully restored antique rail cars. The Napa Valley Wine Train is once again running its Santa Train experience, a magical journey aimed at kids, but enticing enough to lure kid-free couples and singles-especially when you get a peek at the onboard menu.