Thought for Food

A Prada advertisement by Roman Polanski — starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Kingsley — proves that no one’s dreams are interesting, not even Ms. Bonham Carter’s.

(via Annie’s delightful little Friday roundup)

A glow-in-the-dark driveway! Made possible with glowstones. Simply marvelous.

Major grill inspiration — from Cajun-style salmon souvlaki to rum-basted pineapple — right this way….

Happy June, everyone!!

It’s been more than two weeks but I’m still going to post our lunch at Topolobampo, Rick Bayless’ most high-wire joint in Chicago (he’s also the proprietor of the lunch spot Xoco, among other things). I haven’t eaten at every restaurant in the country (yet) but between M. and me, we’ve covered a lot of ground — and I think it’s safe to say that Topolobampo is like no where else. 

(M. even confided that he found the meal possibly more exciting than the one we had the night before. Yes. It was that good.)

Topolobampo is a no-holds-barred celebration of Mexican cuisine, both modern and traditional — a cuisine that, judging from this crazy blog, is one of the most exciting in the world right now. Furthermore, like all of Bayless’ restaurants, they only serve sustainably grown and sourced ingredients, including seafood (no small feat).

After a round of margaritas, a plat de mer of that glorious sustainable seafood, and chips with easily the best guacamole I have ever had (secret is in the touch of sundried tomato threads and thinly sliced radish), we shared appetizers: foie gras with platano macho crisps and a deep-brown, subtly sweet and very fiery chili sauce that I could not get enough of (I asked if they sold it in bottles). Neither of us had ever had a spicy foie gras preparation — it was a revelation. The creamy fat of the foie can more than stand up to the occasion. And our other appetizer: Caesar salad (it originated in Tijuana) and melt-in-your-mouth street-style chicken, stuffed with some sort of masa situation. Equally extraordinary, if significantly less flashy.

For our mains, lamb with mole negro for him, a stunning platter of stuffed morels for me — once we saw it on the menu, we need knew we had to order it. (I always, ALWAYS consult with M. before ordering because he is for reals, the best orderer I have ever known. It’s a true skill. Half the time I think the reason why I have different opinions than others about a restaurant is because they ordered the wrong thing. There will always be boring options that the chef tosses on the menu as appeasements. M. has taught me to identify them and steer clear. His gift cannot be distilled but here’s a primer: if there are morels on a menu, especially a Mexican menu, you order them.)

Anyway. Those morels. They were — oh my god — so good. Stuffed with a cheese and corn mixture, served with an unexpectedly delicate frijole sauce, radishes, a green herb oil of some kind. Imagine a walk in the woods. And like the foie, it was like nothing we’d ever tasted before.

And that’s the point of eating out right? To eat the foods you can’t — or realistically won’t — make at home. That’s why he ordered the mole; that’s why we love BBQ and sushi; that’s why a blow-out meal is so damn exciting.

Chicago, I know other places are trendier but you’ve got a real gem in Topolobampo. I would eat there as often as I could.

snackgirl:

It has begun. (Taken with Instagram at The Lobster Shack)

Take me to your leader.

thedailywhat:

Case For Sunscreen of the Day: This man is 69 years old.

He drove a truck for 28 years.

The premature aging from sun damage to the left side of his face is extensive enough to warrant a feature in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Trucker or not, don’t forget your sunscreen.

[gizmodo]

What was I just saying?

Southern Californians — this is especially relevant to you. Dermatologists down there regularly see more severe left-side sun damage, or so I’ve read.

jamesnord:

A mosquito looking to land in the sunset. 

Beautiful.

Jon Stewart, once again not quite getting it. 

For his take-down of Bloomberg’s proposed ban on high-calorie drinks larger than 16 oz, the only giant cup that his prop team could find, apparently, is one that advertises Coke Zero. A diet drink. I.e., not part of the proposed ban. (Diet drinks should probably be banned for other reasons, but that’s an issue for the next generation.)

And why is it the only cup they could find? Because Coke wants it that way. Because they want you to think “zero” even as you fill that sucker up with your patented, 900-calorie blend of Dr Pepper and Sunkist.

Giant drinks didn’t exist in the ’70s and no one was demanding that they did (Stewart mentions how thin New Yorkers were back then, but makes the bizarre claims it was because of the crime rate? come on now). Portions have gotten larger by the decade and it’s not an expression of so-called personal liberty. It’s a calculated assault by multi-conglomerate corporations on American public health (pocket books if you prefer) designed to turn ever larger profits. Study after study shows that if you give someone a larger bowl (even a bottomless bowl), they will keep eating far past the point they would otherwise call themselves full. It’s even worse if that bowl is chock full of addictive/borderline addictive caffeine and high fructose corn syrup.

People are fooled if they think this is about choice. It’s about the single biggest threat facing Americans today. You want to kill yourself? You want to be fat? Buy two cups.

But don’t come crying to me and my government with your diabetes.

See Peter for more on the good fight.

And here’s my big PS: this fight should come from the top. We should outlaw high fructose corn syrup. We should stop subsidizing the agro-industrial complex that make these products so cheap for the producers. This ban is a drop in the 32 oz bucket. He can’t do it all — he is but one mayor who thinks he’s a king.

At least he’s started the conversation.