Adam D. Roberts's Blog, page 95

Michael Voltaggio’s ink.

There was a moment at Michael Voltaggio’s ink.–where Craig and I went to celebrate our six year anniversary this weekend–when I washed down a bite of my egg yolk gnocchi (the first course on the tasting menu) with a cocktail made of mezcal and smoked salt and thought to myself: “I’ve never tasted anything like what I’m tasting right now. How is this happening?”

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Michael Voltaggio's ink.

There was a moment at Michael Voltaggio's ink.–where Craig and I went to celebrate our six year anniversary this weekend–when I washed down a bite of my egg yolk gnocchi (the first course on the tasting menu) with a cocktail made of mezcal and smoked salt and thought to myself: "I've never tasted anything like what I'm tasting right now. How is this happening?"

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Everything Bagel Bombs

If you live in a great bagel city–and by that, I mean New York–this post will not be important to you. Feel free to skip it.

Everyone else: this is the most important post on a food blog you will ever read. In fact, if I were you, I'd stop whatever you're doing, shut the door, and power off your phone. Even if you're a brain surgeon in the middle surgery, or a diplomat negotiating peace in the Middle East, this takes precedent. Please sit down.

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Chanterelle Risotto with White Truffle Salt

Here's a friendly tip: make yourself buy an exotic ingredient even if you're not sure what you're going to do with it.

For example, a few weeks ago I was at the Spice Station in Silverlake and I bought a little bag of white truffle salt. I bought it because after sniffing from the giant jar of it, I was like: "Whoah, that's really potent and really smells like white truffles." A small bag cost about $10 or so which is way less than you'd pay for an actual white truffle. And knowing that I had it, I kept my eyes open later that week at the farmer's market for anything that might work well with it; which is how I ended up buying a bag of chanterelle mushrooms.

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Let's Bring Back The "Thank You" Note

The worst moment of my 13 year-old life was when my mom pointed to a stack of cardboard cards featuring my name written in glitter and told me that I had to write "thank you" notes for all of my Bar Mitzvah gifts. This was weeks after having been hospitalized for dehydration (my Bar Mitzvah was very stressful; all those "CH" sounds) and I couldn't imagine a universe where anyone, in their right mind, would voluntarily write a "thank you" note. "Thank you" notes are strictly for those whose parents are making them write them.

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A Hunger Games Banner

It was inevitable! But, I mean, c'mon–how could I not? Thanks to Lindy for making it happen and to Katniss for shooting my sandwich instead of shooting me.

How To Prep A Dinner Party A Day Ahead

When I first started cooking, I resented the idea of making food ahead for a dinner party. I wanted my food to be fresh! Cooked in the moment! Assembled minutes before the guests arrive!

It's only recently, though, that I've started to see the virtue in prepping the food ahead. One: if you're making a soup or a stew or a chili, that'll only taste better after spending a night in the fridge. And two: you'll be way less harried when your guests arrive. So here's how to prep a dinner party a day ahead (with two dinner party examples).

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Musso & Frank

Some restaurants are like living museums. Musso and Frank is one of those restaurants: it's a memorial to and a celebration of Hollywood's rich cultural history. The Musso & Frank website explains it best: "In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the golden years in Hollywood, almost everyone in the entertainment business dined or drank at Musso and Frank. Through the years, waiters served Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Edward G. Robinson, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Cesar Romero and many more. But the restaurant was also known for it's clientele of famous writers. The famous back room was home to William Saroyan, John Fante, Scott Fitzgerald, Nathaniel West, William Falkner, Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway and many more."

With Craig's parents in town (along with more family), we knew Musso and Frank might be just the spot to take them for a taste of Old Hollywood.

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Things To Stir Into Your Oatmeal

It's hard to follow up a post about pushing the genre of food blogging forward without feeling self-conscious. So let's talk about oatmeal.

Do you like oatmeal? I love it. On Sunday mornings, sometimes I'll make my Sunday Morning Oatmeal where I cook the oatmeal in milk, stir in butter, and top it with nuts, dried fruit and honey. When I'm feeling innovative, I'll noodle around with the components and come up with something like my Oatmeal with Ginger, Coconut Milk and Lime. Mostly, though, I just cook oatmeal and then stir something into it–which is what this post is about.

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Are Food Blogs Over?

[Image from Roboppy's Flickr via Slashfood.]

In this week's New York Magazine, there's a story about a 27-year old who spends most of her life and her money eating out at trendy, of-the-moment restaurants. To be honest, I didn't read the article—that's the side of the food world I have zero interest in (fad-following)—but one line (highlighted by Eater) stood out for me to the point that I've been thinking a lot about it: "The food blogs are still big, but they really had their moment in the early aughts."

At first, I rolled my eyes. But then I scratched my head. I mean, I don't agree with the time frame—if food blogs had their moment, they were in the late aughts—but the larger question that this glib statement poses is a good one: are food blogs over?

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