Recently in Food Category

A new KitchenAid 5 Qt mixer showed up at my doorstep on Friday. (Thanks Flora!) Being a diligent engineer I obviously had to give it a test run as quickly as possible. Even for making something as simple as chocolate chip cookies, it's obviously far superior to the old electric hand mixer. Can't wait to try some more difficult items.

Yes, these are definitely a bit more "brown" than usual... I tried a recipe with primarily brown sugar, plus a higher proportion of bread flour. It has the advantage of making them a little more chewy.

Yesterday's Times piece on barbecue (the slow smoke kind, not the grilling most of us will do this weekend) gave me the though that things would be a lot more peaceful on this planet if everyone recognized how much they like barbecue. Just about every culture has their own version of it, although (of course) I think the American method, especially Carolina-style pulled pork, is the best. If more of us had to wait 14 hours for our food to be ready, and it tasted as good as pulled pork, we'd have a lot less inclination to go fight with each other.

(For the Middle East, maybe we'll just show them how brisket works and not mention the pulled pork. Something tells me it wouldn't sell there.)

I was up in Pennsylvania yesterday whitewater rafting (it was COLD) and on the way there got to sample McDonald's new breakfast offering, the McGriddle. It's part of McDonald's recent efort to improve earnings, following some bad quarters. The launch so far, however, has been very quiet -- I don't think I've seen a TV ad so far, and they're almost non-existent on the web according to Google.

The McGriddle is basically an Egg McMuffin with pancakes and maple syrup instead of muffins. I'm more inclined towards salty than sweet, but I have to admit it was pretty damn good -- the sandwich equivalent of a plate of pancakes with some breakfast links, eggs and maple syrup. (Even if I doubt it's the chemical equivalent of basic breakfast staples.)

Still, the breakfast menu is pretty much the only thing worth getting at McDonald's, since the lunch is generally disgusting and overpriced. Next time you're on the road at 7 AM, I'd say it's worth taking a flying on a McGriddle.

It's easy to find expensive, mediocre places to eat in NYC, but finding a reasonable place with good Italian is a real gem. Pisticci, a few blocks north of Columbia's campus at 125 La Salle St. (between 122nd and 123rd Streets), impressed me today with a great lunch menu, comfortable atmosphere and great dessert menu. If you're in that neighborhood, give it a try -- you can get a good lunch there for less than $10, easy, and I'm sure dinner is similarly reasonable. I had the orecchiette with broccoli raab and sausage, and it was some of the best Italian I've had in NYC. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Bleah It's amazing how quickly your sense of taste changes... a month ago I was drinking coffee pretty regularly in the morning (one a day at most) but I stopped after I started working out, because I was getting breakfast before going to work. I picked up a coffee this morning because I happened to be coming in from the other side of my office building, and it just, well, doesn't taste very good to me. I don't think it's the coffee, either.