Disgusting “Bluebottle” Jellyfish Invade Queensland Australia!

Yes, there is a Jellyfish invasion underway!

It’s a very painful invasion with almost 23,000 people reporting Jellyfish stings in Australia!

These disgusting looking Jellyfish are causing big problems.

Here is how the terrific news site The Guardian is reporting this:

“More than 5,000 people were stung by bluebottles on Queensland’s Gold and Sunshine coasts over the weekend as weather drove a wall of jellyfish onto the shore.

Conditions eased on Monday but remnants of the bluebottle armada (the correct term for a bunch of bluebottles) still dot the beaches and more than 200 people were treated for stings, mostly at the Sunshine Coast.”

The Guardian goes on to report:

“Across Queensland, but mostly in the south-east, 22,282 people sought treatment for bluebottle stings between 1 December and 7 January compared with 6,831 in the same period last year.”

Wow, that’s a lot of stings – and a lot of Jellyfish!

Here is the entire story at The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/07/jellyfish-sting-more-than-5000-holidaymakers-on-queenslands-coast

Wow, those are disgusting…but I have a way to solve this crisis:

Eat Them!

That’s right, some inventive Chefs have already begun to cook with Jellyfish! They are edible, nutritious, and as you can see – VERY PLENTIFUL!

I’M NOT KIDDING.

I posted this story last year about inventive Chefs who are cooking with Jellyfish – making dishes like this:

Yes, this is Jellyfish Tempura! Dig in! See more recipes by reading my original story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/10/08/jellyfish-recipes-the-new-taste-sensation-jellyfish-salads-fried-jellyfish-too/

It will be interesting to see how they solve this Jellyfish crisis – I hope they cook them all up!

Want To Eat A Meal Naked?

Doesn’t that look like fun? Take all your clothes off and have a nice meal! Well, better disrobe fast, because the Paris restaurant that serves naked customers is closing!

The terrific website The Guardian reports:

Paris’s nudist restaurant O’naturel is to close its doors next month, just 15 months after it opened. “We want to make gastronomy work for nudity,” cofounder Stéphane Saada, a former insurance salesman, said in 2017. Instead, the website now states, “it is with great regret” that the time has come to pull the plug.

Contacted for comment, Saada and his twin brother and business partner, Mike, said there wasn’t much else to say: “We’re shutting down because we didn’t have enough clients. We would have preferred this adventure to go on for longer … We had a great start; now it’s best we close.”

As always, The Guardian has this covered – or “uncovered” as the case may be – see their story here:

https://www.theguardian.com/food/shortcuts/2019/jan/09/naked-lunch-why-diners-couldnt-stomach-the-paris-nudist-restaurant

Would you eat there? It’s funny of course, but would you REALLY take off all of your clothes in public and eat like this?

I wouldn’t, but I’ve posted many stories about great Paris restaurants, and unique ones like this as well:

This french Bistro in Paris actually utilizes a conveyor belt! Yes, you might like conveyor belt sushi, but what about french onion soup? See more about this wacky restaurant here:

https://johnrieber.com/2014/02/12/paris-has-a-conveyor-belt-bistro-sacre-bleu-a-movable-french-feast/

Let me know if you would ever eat naked! Cheers!

Finally! America Has A Female Three Michelin Star Chef!

The US FINALLY has a 3-Michelin Star Restaurant with a Female Chef! Bravo to Chef Dominique Crenn! The above photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF shows a strong empowered Chef who is getting the recognition she deserves…

Time To Eat At Atelier Crenn!

Of course, we had seen the “Chef’s Table” episode with Dominique, and had plans to visit her restaurant, but when the Michelin stars were announced, my wife Alex and I immediately booked a reservation to see the Chef in action, and boy did we!

Here is Atelier Crenn. As the restaurant’s website states:

“Behind an unassuming facade mere steps from the San Francisco Bay, Dominique Crenn offers a multi-course experience in a homey and luxurious dining room. Atelier Crenn is an homage to her father, Allain, with his paintings hung upon the walls.”

Here is one of those paintings that was on the wall behind our table:

The restaurant goes on to describes the meal that lies ahead:

“Each guest is greeted with a poem, each line symbolizing a presentation in the meal. The menu is focused on seafood and vegetables, drawing from the memories of her mother’s garden in Brittany through the lens of California product and produce.”

So, with that, we were seated and the culinary adventure unfolded before us!

We found ourselves with a great view of the entire restaurant from our table, as well as the paintings adorning the walls.

Dominique shares her menu two ways: first, in the form of a poem, which sits on the table when you arrive:

OK, it’s difficult at times to keep the dishes and the poem in sync, but I will try to do so – that said, you are also given the official menu at the end of the meal looking like this:

Here is the meal, dish by dish:

Pumpkin & Pain d’epices

As the poem says: “winter has come with its cool breeze”: this refreshing pumpkin broth cleanses the palate, accompanied by a unique “drink in an orb”:

Kir Breton

This “drink” popped like a chocolate-covered Cherry in our mouth…by the way, the dishes come fairly quickly, and soon after we had this Oyster dish delivered with an “icy” shell:

Rocky Point Oyster & Rose

As the poem says about this dish:

“See the efflorescing beauty with rosy cheeks rises”…an icy edible shell covers a perfectly poached oyster….the briny oyster with the snow cone top and refreshing rose…

Up next was a dish from my hometown, which Dominique describes poetically as:

“A most adored gift from Neptune, this aureate bloom”

Geoduck, Sea Urchin & Citrus

A Geoduck is a giant clam that I knew well from growing up in Seattle…it’s a tough chew normally, but his has been delicately sliced and poached on top of sea urchin and topped with some citrus foam….a delicious and briny bite…more from the sea is next:

King Crab, Seaweed & Whey

This delicate crab is topped by dehydrated gooseberries and plump sea grapes – as Chef states:

“Warriors ashore bathe in a glow as luminous as its gilded crown…”

While the menu calls it seaweed, the servers referred to it as “sea grass” – and here is how they finish the dish at the table – as you have noticed, most dishes are completed at the table!

The dish is also served with a rich crab consommé – this is an incredible dish that is the highlight so far, and that is saying a lot…

Seeds & Grains

This next dish was so creative – seeds crushed at your table, then served in a bowl with trout roe, rendered duck fat oil and marigold flower extract!

As Chef Crenn wrote:

“To bury in fallen leaves my treasures of the earth and sea”

It was a very interesting granola-like texture, and it provided the perfect transition to a double shot of my favorite foods: truffles and caviar!

Leek, Fermented Allium & Perigord Truffle

Yes, that’s a leek on the left and slices of black truffle in the middle!

“A wild dance together, to the memories of a devotion unspoken”

Hard to describe except to say that the flavor of Truffle was unmistakable and intense…and another beautifully unique presentation…

Unveil The Caviar!

Next up, Chef Crenn’s poem says this:

“By the shimmer of black pearls, tumbling in the ashen cloud…”

And what appears next?

A beautiful glass dish, unveiling this:

Golden Osetra, Potato & Onion

Yes, caviar with gold leaf was next, and for a supplement, we added one more caviar dish as well, finished table side:

Reserve White Sturgeon & Koji

Yes, this second dish of caviar with thin slices of onion surrounding a potato cream! This was phenomenal and they serve both dishes at once so you can compare and contrast!

Each dish had its own unique flavor, but the micro-thin onion leaves were incredibly full of flavor, without muting the incredibly taste of the caviar. Each dish was incredible.

Now, at this point in the meal, if you wondered if bread and butter were served with dinner – oh yes they were!

Brioche & House-make Butter

This house-made brioche shows up hot and flaky, with two different butters: one with Foie fat and another with truffle!

Abalone, Cabbage & Smoked Creme

The poem says simply:

“An armored gent listens, beneath the bluff…”

This next dish has Abalone and sauerkraut underneath a cabbage shell with smoked cream, and look at these creamy sauces that we’re next!

Striped Bass & Farm Offerings

“As the Blue Beauty sings with ebullience the season’s euphony…”

Yes, the striped bass was accompanied by a whipped pair of vegetable creams…and a last sip of the blue beauty:

Bass Bouillon

A refreshing hot bouillon was made from the sea bass bones – then it was time to finish with one more incredible fish dish with an equally incredible presentation:

Oma & Hachiya Persimmon

“For the verdant bounty of the gatherer’s harvest in caring hands…”

It begins with these dishes delivered on a large tray, and fresh herbs harvested right in front of you – then, this Oma fish and persimmon is placed down in front of you, and a white truffle makes an appearance:

Now, before we get to dessert, here is what the restaurant’s website said about this part of the restaurant:

“The synergy between Dominique and Juan Contreras, the Chef Pâtissier, is evident through his use of food as a means to share a story and reconnect guests with nature. Inspiration for the creations are often very personal and rooted in a sense of constant evolution.”

Rooted is right!

“There comes an arboreous scent, about my climb…”

Eucalyptus

This is a Eucalyptus grove popsicle – served as a palate cleanser…and next up is one of the most unique desserts I have ever had:

Snowman

Actually called “Joe The Snowman”, this is a refreshing, pine-scented sorbet body with yogurt snow and melange snowflakes…yes, a delicious “snowman” that tastes like you came across it in the woods!

As Chef Crenn wrote in her poem:

“Amongst the blanketed giants stands an old friend, pure but fleeting…”

The meal finished with a few nice bites presented like this:

Mignardises

Small chocolate bites finished us nicely.

After dinner, we were taken into the kitchen to meet the Chef, who greeted us with a big smile and happily posed with us:

Alex loves the semi-photo bomb going on behind us – and we also left with a signed cookbook!

Hopefully all of the pictures managed to show just how creative Chef Crenn is – bravo on her long-overdue third Michelin star!

If I got any of the poem wrong, you need to go and find some culinary poetry yourself!

This ranks with one of our favorite meals ever, right up there with another incredible inventive three-star Chef:

Chef Grant Achetz of Alinea in Chicago is also a wizard: I mean, where do you get served bacon like this!

Here is a look at the meal we had there:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/08/01/alinea-the-worlds-most-inventive-restaurant-culinary-molecular-masterpiece/

Again, thanks to Chef Dominique Crenn and her incredible staff for such a memorable meal!

Happy “National Pastrami Day!”

Well, this is a tasty holiday, isn’t it? I woke up this morning to discover that it’s “national pastrami day”, and here are two great ways to celebrate!

A “Pastrami” Burger!

Yes, I ate a unique burger at Astro Burger, which is located in West Hollywood, on Santa Monica Boulevard – yes, the iconic “Route 66”!

As you can see, it’s your 50’s classic soda joint vibe, and the menu is MASSIVE:

There are burgers of every shape and size – and a garden burger of course, plus a myriad of sandwiches, salads, fries, tacos, burritos, and even a huge breakfast menu in the morning…but we all know what I was here for:

A “Pastrami Burger!”

This burger is incredible, and worth a national holiday!

You can taste all of the unique ingredients, and the pastrami added a perfect, slightly salty pop to the cheeseburger, complimenting the flavor rather than taking away from it…but I will also tell you that I took a bit of it off and ate it separately, because there was so much!

They wrap it tight, and that’s a good thing, because, while the bun is hearty and toasted well, this is a juicy sandwich, and the wrapper holds it all together for you…

I don’t know that I need pastrami on my burger every time, but it was fun as a “one off” – but for those on the east coast, there is another way to enjoy pastrami:

This is the legendary Pastrami sandwich from Katz’s Deli in New York – also home to that orgasmic movie moment in “When Harry Met Sally”:

They make an unbelievable Pastrami sandwich, which I tried – the entire experience is unique: from the way you order, to the way they pile the sandwich up higher than you can imagine:

There is nothing better than sitting in a restaurant with such a rich history – and devouring a massive sandwich like this one!

I have been here several times now, and you can see my review here:

https://johnrieber.com/2017/02/26/katzs-deli-my-first-pastrami-at-nycs-legendary-deli-when-harry-met-sally-there-great-movie-food-scenes/

Let me know how you plan to celebrate “National Pastrami Day!”

Bill Gates Loves Dick’s!

For those who don’t know it, this is such a great validation for a Seattle landmark: Bill Gates waiting patiently in line to order a bag of burgers like this one at Dick’s Drive-In!

It’s an image that has blown up on social media in the last two days, because how often do you see one of the world’s richest people waiting in line for anything – let alone a burger?

As Seattle’s P-I reported, Microsoft Founder and VERY RICH PERSON Bill Gates was captured waiting in line in Seattle at Dick’s Drive-In:

“The image was shared on Facebook by Mike Galos, a onetime Microsoftie who wrote in the comments on the image that he saw it on a Microsoft alumni board. Galos said Gates was at the Dick’s location on Northeast 45th Street in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood on Sunday night.”

The article goes on to report that Gates has a reputation for liking burgers in general, and mentioned Dick’s specifically once before – focusing on their price:

In 2011, during an appearance at the University of Washington, Gates told students that being a billionaire can be overrated. And he brought up burgers.

“I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there’s a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that,” Gates said. “But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it’s the same hamburger. Dick’s has not raised their prices enough.”

So what is this shrine to “all things burger” that drives the likes of Bill Gates to wonder why they don’t raise their prices? Well, since I was born and raised in Seattle, I am here to enlighten you!

Welcome To Dick’s!

“Dick’s Drive-In” is an institution in Seattle, and rightly so: their straightforward and very limited menu offers hamburgers, cheeseburgers, a “deluxe” burger, and their signature “Dick’s Deluxe”, which is two patties, lettuce and a special pickle sauce…that’s it for the menu: no other sandwiches of any kind!

Nothing fancy here, just good flavorful burgers at an very inexpensive price, as you heard from Bill Gates…and all of their food is cooked fresh, never frozen – and it tastes good! In particular, I like their cheeseburgers, which have great flavor – you can taste the meat, and the cheese is real and delicious…

Dick’s also has terrific french fries, made out of fresh potatoes cut right in front of you! And they are delicious as well – although my daughter Jessica rightly points out that they switched out the recipe for their tartar sauce, not a positive step forward, as you MUST eat their fresh cut fries with tartar!

I also love their signature painted cow – which hangs behind big picture windows – clear glass windows so you can watch them cook your burgers and fry your freshly cut fries…and of course, I love their famous catchphrase:

“Where taste is the difference…”

If you doubt just how much I love these, I will tell you that my daughter threw a birthday party and served nothing but Dick’s burgers – stacks of burgers on plates like this:

And my granddaughter Sydney loved them of course!

And yes, the next day I flew a half dozen home with me on the plane – they re-heated just fine…and I am also known to wear this long sleeved T-shirt around the house as well:

Most people sit in their cars outside the walkup windows and eat their “bag of Dick’s” – it’s a Seattle tradition…both Pearl Jam and Nirvana were known to frequent the Capital Hill location when starting their careers in Seattle…because starving bands need to eat cheap too!

And why not? After all, the greatest singer in rock history was known to enjoy burgers – as this vintage pictures shows:

Yes, Elvis liked a burger as much as the next person – or, Bill Gates – and if you want to see some of the other greatest burgers I’ve eaten, here is a look at a few – I posted this to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/09/18/its-national-cheeseburger-day-badhappy-kumas-dicks-five-napkin-white-castle-celebrate-here/

I say “bravo” to Bill Gates, and keep enjoying your Dick’s!

Michelin’s Lack Of Stars For Female Chefs…

First, bravo to Chef Dominique Crenn for receiving her third Michelin Star last fall, for her incredible cooking at her restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco…more on that in a moment.

While my wife and I were thrilled for Chef Crenn, who has been featured on the terrific Netflix series “Chef’s Table”, it also stunned me to learn that she is the first female Chef in the United States to EVER receive this honor – in 118 years of publication!

Where Are The Female Chefs?

Yes, I was very surprised that NO female Chef in US History has EVER been given three Michelin stars – how is the possible?

And here’s another interesting fact: of the 120+ Three Michelin star restaurants around the world, only five are run by women: Arzak (Elena Arzak), Maison Pic (Anne-Sophie Pic), Dal Pescatore (Nadia Santini), Sant Pau (Carme Ruscadella, described by Michelin as a “short-haired feisty Spanish-Catalan chef”), and now, Atelier Crenn.

Here is Chef Crenn in her kitchen the night we ate at the restaurant. When she received the third star last fall, Eater San Francisco reported on their website that the honor was overdue:

Atelier Crenn earned two stars by 2013. With the exception of Baumé, all of her two-star brethren that year — Benu, Saison, Manresa, and Coi — had already been elevated to three stars. Quince, which held a single star that year, was promoted to three in the 2017 guide. All are run by male chefs (Coi was downgraded in 2019).

Hmmm…4 other two-star restaurants, run by male Chefs, received their third star BEFORE Crenn…and since the Guide doesn’t reveal their reasons for what they do and don’t choose, we have no idea why the only woman had to wait so much longer than the others!

I have been lucky enough to see many incredible female Chefs in action, and it was hard to understand why so few have been acknowledged by this guide, widely considered the most important award a Chef can receive.

So I started to research other articles about the way in which female Chefs are begin judged by esteemed magazines, guides and culinary organizations…and it’s troubling.

I found an article in Elite Traveler that asked the same question – why are so few 3-Michelin starred Chefs female? Here’s what they reported:

“The status of the top chef has skyrocketed in the past decade, with food bibles such as the Michelin restaurant guide highlighting the best of the culinary world – and recognizing those who make it what it is.

But in the midst of cooking legends from Alain Ducasse to the Roux brothers, one has to ask: where are all the women?

Research shows that 4.7% of chefs and head cooks in the US are female, while in the UK women make up just under 20% of chefs. The statistic is thought to be even lower when it comes to fine dining restaurants.

TIME magazine’s “Gods of Food” feature, published in November, was met with fierce criticism when just three – out of 15 – places were given to women, none of whom were chefs (coffee grower Aida Batlle made the list, along with Amrita Patel, chairperson of the National Dairy Development Board in India, and Indian environmental activist Vandana Shiva).”

Bravo for the great reporting, you can see the entire article at their website here:

https://www.elitetraveler.com/features/the-rise-of-the-female-michelin-star-chef

Add Food & Wine to the list of magazine reporting on this, with a great story about the Michelin award specifically for women!

35-year old chef Fanny Rey has reason to be mirthful this year. The former Top Chef France 2011 finalist saw her namesake restaurant-auberge in Saint-Rémy de Provence awarded its first Michelin star in February 2017, making her the only woman among the guide’s new winners. She simultaneously earned another honor, the 2017 Michelin Female Chef Award, a prize sponsored by Veuve Clicquot celebrating gastronomic excellence that first launched in Great Britain and Ireland last fall.

But it wasn’t the Michelin star she was celebrating on a recent October evening at her restaurant, which she runs with her companion and the restaurant’s pastry chef, Jonathan Wahid, but rather the journey toward a new legacy as an avatar of the women’s movement in the French food world. Whether she anticipated it or not, it’s a role that inherently comes with the recognition, especially in a professional context in which women continue to be underrepresented, often overlooked or reduced to delicate foils to the might of their male counterparts.

The article goes on to ask why Michelin has created a “sub-category” for women – a way to honor them without honoring them, in a sense – great questions to ask.

Read more of that story here:

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/michelin-award-female-chef-debate

I have posted stories about the Michelin Star system before – including this terrific book about a Chef who committed suicide, and the circumstances surrounding his death:

“The Perfectionist” told the story of acclaimed French Chef Bernard Loiseau, and whether his fear of losing his third Michelin star drove him to suicide.

That question was never fully answered, and has been controversial for years in the culinary community – you can read more about this story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/09/05/the-dark-side-of-michelin-stars-one-chef-rejects-them-a-famous-chefs-suicide-the-pressure-to-cook-three-star-food/

I raise the questions about female Chefs, and how Michelin has acknowledged them, because the guidebooks, and the stars, are so important to the success of a restaurant.

We were excited to meet Chef Crenn in her kitchen and eat her incredible food, which is presented in the form of a poem that she writes to capture how she feels about the menu she has created:

You can see what we ate and how it was described in Chef Crenn’s poem – click here for the story:

https://johnrieber.com/2019/01/13/americas-first-3-michelin-star-female-chef-chef-dominique-crenns-atelier-crenn-a-poem-to-gastronomy/

Let’s hope that the number of Chefs receiving this acclaim continues to rise in the future!

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Meet The World’s First Celebrity Chef!

Time for the latest edition of my “Weekly Wednesday Bookmobile” series – sharing books that I find interesting – like this one, the story of the world’s FIRST Celebrity Chef!

“Cooking For Kings – The Life Of Antonin Careme, The First Celebrity Chef”

Author Ian Kelly has written a fascinating book about the world’s FIRST Celebrity Chef, the handsome and brilliant Antonin Careme!

Dinner menu served at the Royal Pavilion, 1817

Check Out His Menu!

This is his actual menu from a dinner served at the Royal Pavilion in 1817 – and yes, he served everything on the menu at once!

He was a culinary genius, turning out banquets with literally more than a hundred dishes! He was also an inventor, cookbook Author, Chef for Napoleon – an all around food stud!

Here is what Publisher’s Weekly had to say about this terrific biography of the world’s first celebrity chef:

“Readers who enjoy being privy to the evocative details of a past era will devour this book, and foodies will have a field day with the engrossing story of a man who literally died for gastronomy.”

Carême (1783–1833) was born poor in Paris, and by his late 20s he was already Europe’s most famous chef. He cooked for monarchs and noblemen, even baking Napoleon’s wedding cake, and his fame dovetailed with the rising interest in gastronomy.

Luckily, Carême was also a prodigious author who recorded every major meal and became rich off his cookbooks.

He made incredibly intricate dishes, like these two: wild boar on the left and suckling pig on the right.

The scale of Carême’s meals will astonish today’s readers: he served literally hundreds of elaborate dishes that were served looking like this!

Cooking A Meal “For Weeks!”

The book is full of amazingly created buffets – including some that had the Chef, along with his team, cooking for weeks on end without a break.

The Feast To End All Feasts!

Here’s a great story about an amazing meal: Planning a banquet for the Prince of Wales (later the Prince Regent) took an enormous amount of time, money, and effort. The following is a partial list of food Lady Fetherstonhaugh of Uppark estimated would serve one hundred guests in 1784 – and this is the actual kitchen:

A Meal For One Hundred!

Here is what he created and served:

2 Bucks, a Welsh sheep, a doz. Ducks, – 4 Hams, dozens of pigeons, and Rabbits, Flitches of Bacon, Lobsters and Prawns; a Turtle of 120 lbs; 166 lbs. of Butter, 376 Eggs, 67 Chickens; 23 Pints of Cream, 30 lbs. of Coffee, 10 lbs. of Fine Tea; and three lbs. of common tea.

Yes, the meal included a 120 pound Turtle! And let’s not forget the booze! Here is what was served:

41 Port; 7 Brandy; 1 1/2 Hold of strong Beer; while Musicks cost £26 5s 0d and another chef to assist Moget cost £25; another 2 Bucks added cost £11; 2 more sheep cost only £2 10s, and another 2 carp £1 10s 0d.

In January 1817, the Prince Regent asked Antonin Careme, the famed French chef, to cook a meal at Brighton:

On 18 January 1817, George invited the greatest (and most expensive) chef in the world, Marie-Antoine Carême, to prepare a unique and extravagant dinner in honour of the visiting Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia.

Carême had previously cooked for Napoleon, the Rothschilds and the Tsar. But on that cold night in 1817, Carême outdid all his previous achievements – creating 127 dishes!

Dinner menu served at the Royal Pavilion, 1817

The evening’s pièce de résistance was a 4ft-high Turkish mosque constructed entirely out of marzipan, although there were pigeon pies, saddles of lamb and a hundred other delicacies. So pleasurable was the feast that the Prince Regent exclaimed: “It is wonderful to be back in Brighton where I am truly loved.”

This is an amazing story, but ultimately a sad one as well, as Careme died very young…

The Author theorizes that Careme eventually died of “low-level carbon-monoxide poisoning after a lifetime of cooking over charcoal in confined spaces.”

The kitchens in those days were often downstairs in the interior of the house…so there was no escape for the coal dust and residue to escape…and the kitchens were very small as well, and when you consider some banquets took weeks to prepare…cooking was a very hazardous profession, even for a Celebrity Chef!

The book is packed with great drawings and recipes that attempt to capture what a genius Careme was — and not just food: we can thank Carême for numerous culinary advances, like this one!

Yep, Careme invented the chef’s toques, and the course-by-course meal service we’re accustomed to today.

This book really gives you an inside look at what it was like to cook for Kings, and how Careme became the world’s FIRST Celebrity Chef! Dig in!

This is part of my new series “Weekly Wednesday Bookmobile”, designed to share a book a week – like this one:

Yes, the sexy memoir from two Stewardesses – except it was written BY A MAN! Oh yes, it was – read the story of this remarkable publishing scam here:

https://johnrieber.com/2019/01/16/board-the-weekly-wednesday-bookmobile-two-scandalous-publishing-scams-sexy-stewardesses-naked-strangers/

Enjoy the bookmobile!

“WTF-Friday!?!?!?!”

Here’s a handful of fun to end your week!

I’m starting a new weekly segment called WTF-Friday – “What The Friday!” Each week I will share something that will make you shake your head in disbelief – but you can believe it because I found it on the internet, so it’s all true, right?

And what better way to say “WTF-Friday” than with this:

Ketchup Caviar!

Well, all I can say is “well played, Heinz, well played.”

Yes, the venerable Ketchup maker has a new way to impress your significant other on Valentine’s Day – with Ketchup Caviar!

I found this article on the great “This Is Insider” website, who describes the product as such:

Each jar of Heinz’s Ketchup Caviar will have “pearls” of ketchup that possess the same taste we’re used to but in a whole new (exotic!) form.

Here’s the catch, though; you have to tweet @HeinzKetchup_US starting at 6am E.T. January 24 (through January 28th) for a chance to score one of the 150 jars that has been made for the occasion. So set your alarms *very* early, folks. Even if the caviar tastes totally gross IRL, at the very least, it’ll make those Valentine’s Instagrams so much more interesting.

Thanks for the heads up! Time to get your bid in!

Thanks to “Thisisinsider.com” for this story – a really fun website!

I’ve covered some “WTF” stories related to ketchup before – remember this ketchup leather?

Yes, there is a restaurant in Los Angeles that serves their burgers with a chewy ketchup leather that is not only unique but delicious as well – you can see it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/05/02/incredible-plan-check-burgers-ketchup-leather-bite-into-national-burger-month/

And for those of you who wonder “WTF” could show up every week, well it could be food – like this “Cheeseburger In A Can”:

Or perhaps I will share more of these “finds”: hiking trails in China that look like this:

Of course, I don’t want to tease you too much, so if you want to see this wild wild hiking trail around the side of a mountain, you can click here for the story now:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/11/07/chinas-glass-walkway-of-terror-cracks-worlds-wildest-hiking-trail-chinas-amazing-adventures/

Or perhaps it will be a trip to the exotic getaway where planes land like this – so you can run your hand along the undercarriage as they go by:

It will be anything that seems interesting to me, and you can decide for yourself – beginning with “Ketchup Caviar!”

Ready To Have Your “Afternoon Tea” Mind Blown?

Talk about a wild new way to celebrate “What The – Friday”! There is a new drink from Chicago that is blowing my mind! And it’s all thanks to a terrific food newsletter!

Why do I love the Fooditor newsletter from Michael Gebert? Because he posts stuff like this – the first time I had heard of “Cheese Tea!”

Fooditor is a great newsletter that dives into every tasty in Chicago and the surrounding area. And this line from him caught my attention this week:

“Have you heard of cheese tea? I tried it at Hello Jasmine in the Chinatown food court, and the combination of fruity tea and slightly salty, creamy foam was appealing, even if the name wasn’t.”

Wait – WTF?

Yes, Cheese Tea!

Here’s how Fooditor explains it:

“A new Malaysian place called Bingo Tea Malaysian Cafe: “Bingo’s tea menu… spans fruit teas (dragon, yuzu lemon honey, black grape), milk teas (buckwheat matcha, caramel black), and more subdued honey drinks. All are customizable with a variety of additions (boba, red beans, lychee jelly), but presiding above all is the ‘milk cap,’ or ‘sea salt milk foam,’ which is how the principals behind Bingo have rebranded cheese tea. You can top pretty much any drink with it, hot or cold, but I think its best expression is its most minimal: slowly descending into one of the black, green, or oolong teas, no sugar added. Don’t poke a straw through it. Sip through the lid’s aperture so the liquid passes through the foam, offering a hint of cheesecake and salt ahead of the tea’s tannins.”

Wow, ladle it up!

I am intrigued by this idea – I may be heading to Chicago in the next few months, and I promise to get to the Bingo Tea Malaysian Cafe to check this out myself – the restaurant looks fun and has a great looking menu as well:

One of the reasons I launched my weekly “What The – Friday” is because I come across stuff that makes me react just that way, and I will be sharing many wild, wacky and deliciously original food ideas going forward!

Now, back to Fooditor – in addition to the newsletter that shares great stories like this, they also produce an annual guide to the best and most offbeat restaurants in Chicago!

This incredibly entertaining and informative guide to Chicago’s best food is a must read: having lived there part-time for 5 years (my wife was there full time), we got to eat in a number of great places, and this guide has them all, plus so many others like “Bingo Tea!”

Make sure to go to this newsletter link and support them!

https://mailchi.mp/294f2c8f5c6a/chicken-edition-restaurant-week-a-hot-ravenswood-reservation-and-covering-chicago-from-the-wrong-time-zone?e=ece0d78cca

I don’t know Michael Gebert at all, but he once shared a link to my story about eating the “Ancient Rome” menu at NEXT restaurant, which was very nice of him.

NEXT is a fun experimental restaurant from Chef Grant Achetz, who also has the 3-Michelin Starred restaurant Alinea in Chicago – the single greatest dining experience I’ve ever had in my life – for reasons like this deconstructed potato soup with truffle:

Or perhaps it’s the way some food arrives to your table – like this piece of bacon:

Chef Achetz is a wizard, and yes, it was the greatest meal Ive ever had, and you can see it all by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/08/01/alinea-the-worlds-most-inventive-restaurant-culinary-molecular-masterpiece/

Again, bravo to Fooditor for this week’s “WT-Friday”!

Let me know if you’d try this Cheese Tea trend!

Time For A Tasty Super Bowl Matchup!

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams, for coming home to LA a few years ago, and taking us right to Super Bowl LIII!

Congratulations are also due to the New England Patriots, for heading to the big game once again – you have to give them credit for winning the big games!

You all know that for me, the big game means more than a football game – it’s a day to celebrate with Super Bowl-sized food like this!

This Stadium Is A Foodie’s Touchdown!

Yes, this “burger stadium” is just what I plan to make for this year’s big game – and since both teams come from great food cities, I will also make these two dishes as well – here is this year’s food matchup between New England and Los Angeles!

New England’s Legendary Clam Chowder!

New England has lobster of course, but the most comforting food of all is this one!

I LOVE this style of clam chowder: New England style is white-bass, full of big plump clams, chunks of potato, celery, lots of cream and of course, BACON!

There are so many ways to make this standout chowder, but I enjoy it thick and rich and full of clams and bacon…what could top this?

Well, how about a Hollywood legend:

Roscoe’s Chicken And Waffles!

Yes, nothing bets chicken and waffles on Super bowl Sunday – or any day for that matter, thanks to Roscoe!

Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles is a legendary Hollywood restaurant – so iconic that President Obama visited in 2012 – here he is telling Jay Leno all about it on “The Tonight Show”:

A Celebrity Hangout!

Hey, we’re talking LA – so any food here MUST appeal to STARS! For that reason, when I began planning my Super Bowl menu, I asked myself:

“What Would Snoop Do?”

And as you can see, Snoop goes for Roscoe’s, so I will too!

The Los Angeles Times refers to Roscoe’s as “such an L.A. institution that people don’t even question the strange combo anymore.”

And why is that? Because of this!

Yes, on Super Sunday, recreate their signature dish: a plate of incredibly crispy and juicy fried chicken, and a giant fluffy waffle with maple syrup and whipped butter at the ready – it’s delicious!

There are 7 Roscoe’s outlets in the greater Los Angeles area, check out their menu here:

https://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com

I always want to arrange my snacks in a Super Bowl-appropriate manner, like this:

Yes, let’s build our own football field of food!

As Led Zeppelin once sang about the Super Bowl – the teams might change but:

“the snacks remain the same…”

Now THIS is a Super Bowl stadium I would buy a ticket for! Yes, when the world’s biggest sporting event is on TV, you have no option but to do your part to live up to the hype – and that means only one thing!

The Super Bowl Of Food Consumption!

I plan to make a LOT of fun Super Bowl food once again this year – it’s an American tradition that goes back to the beginning of football, right?

If you want to wow your Super Bowl party guests, why not offer up your own food stadium, with all the meat, cheese, chips and more that you can handle!

What better way to celebrate the Super Bowl than to tease you with pictures of amazing food stadiums to help us swallow the following Super Bowl Food stats! First, look at these snack stadiums:

Of course, you can never go wrong when you unveil a snack stadium that looks like this – all of these great pics raise a question: how much food IS eaten on Super Sunday?

Here Are Your Super Bowl Snack Food Stats!

The Super Bowl is ranked as the number two food consumption event of the year, second only to Thanksgiving! (Source: American Institute of Food Distribution)

Get Ready To Consume 1,200 Calories!

Yes, thanks to Holytaco.com for the terrific Twinkie stadium, which should remind us all that the average number of calories consumed during the Super Bowl is 1,200! It’s the second largest day for U.S. food consumption, behind only Thanksgiving!

71.4 million pounds!

Yes, that’s the estimated total pounds of Hass avocados that will be consumed for the game this year, according to the Hass Avocado Board. That’s enough to cover the Super Bowl Stadium end zone to end zone in more than 27.5 feet of avocados – that’s a lot of guac!

I love the way the guacamole looks like the playing field here!

90 Millions Pounds Of Wings, Please!

Hope you have enough ranch dressing and paper towels to handle this one:

1.25 Billion Wings!

Yep, that’s the number of Chicken Wings that football fans are expected to eat on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the U.S. National Chicken Council, and why would they lie to us?

Don’t Forget The Chips!

Ys, potato chips are an American tradition, and we make sure to stuff our gullets during the game!

An astounding 14,500 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Calorie Control Council says we’ll eat:

— 11.2 million pounds of potato chips.
— 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips.
— 4.3 million pounds of pretzels.
— 3.8 million pounds of popcorn.
— 2.5 million pounds of nuts during their Super Bowl parties.

One last statistic to share and it involves THIS:

hamburgers and hotdogs cooking on flaming grill shot with selective focus

Cheer On #32!

Yes, we all support #32: that’s the percentage of U.S. grill owners who will be firing up on Game Day!

According to Weber, the Super Bowl ranks as one of the top 10 most popular holidays to grill. And when you do grill, turn it into something amazing like this!

Yes, nothing better on Super Bowl Sunday than a grill full of burgers and sliders, including my favorite: A burger topped with Provolone, french fries, thick bacon and tartar sauce!

You can click here for some of my favorite slider recipes:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/01/01/2016-sliderfest-blt-sliders-truffle-mayo-burgers-bite-into-new-year/

Of course, none of this food can go down without a little help!

Is There A Beverage?

Well, what do YOU think?

During the Super Bowl, there will be 325 million GALLONS of beer consumed. That is A LOT of beer…you might need a bit of help carrying it to your table…

Serving Up A Bacon Mug!

And when in doubt, just pour yourself a frosty brew in this mug and have a nice snack at the same time!

Let me know what you consume on the big day!

“Mmm-mmmm. That is a tasty burger.”

It’s The Burger Bite Heard Around The Cinematic World!

When Samuel L. Jackson asks if he can try the “Big Kahuna Burger”, bites into it and then casually offers his opinion of it, a legend was born!

Here is that wildly entertaining moment from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 Oscar-nominated film “Pulp Fiction”:

More on the film, including the incredible remastered blu-ray stuffed with great extras, to share with you in a moment but first, as Samuel L. said:

“Big Kahuna Burger. That’s that Hawaiian burger joint. I hear they got some tasty burgers. I ain’t never had one myself. How are they?”

Well, only one way to find out – let’s make one!

The “Big Kahuna Burger” Recipe!

As a fan of burgers, and Quentin, I went online and searched out the recipe – and there are many to choose from, but this seemed to capture the essence of what a great burger from a “Hawaiian Burger Joint” would look like.

Here are the ingredients and recipe to make 4 burgers, or two mega burgers:

1 pound ground beef or bison
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
4 pineapple rings (canned or fresh)
4 pieces bacon, cooked until crisp
4 slices monterey jack cheese

As is usual, making the burger itself is fairly straightforward: as you can see from the picture above, you just mix the ground meat with the teriyaki sauce and grill seasoning in a medium bowl. Divide into four quarter-pound patties.

Here is a shot of teriyaki sauce being poured over the hamburger in case you need that sort of thing…

Grill pineapple slices for approx 1 minute on each side on your grill of choice. There were no pineapple rings available, but I took the spears and “slimmed” them down to the size of a ring, and gave them about 3 minutes on each side:

Next up, just form and cook your burgers until you get your desired doneness on a grill of choice – I always go medium rare. Place a piece of bacon on each and then top with a piece of jack cheese to hold the bacon in place.

Here is that entire process in pictures – beginning with putting my patties on the grill and flipping after about 4 minutes:

While the burgers are cooking, toast your bun and slather on some Spicy Cilantro Mayo like so:

Spicy Cilantro Mayo – made this way:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili sauce
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

Now, pull the burgers off the grill, lay on the bun, top with the pineapple, add your top and here is what you get!

Behold My Big Kahuna Burger!

Well, I’m pleased with the aesthetic – it stacked nicely and offered me a few chances to capture in all of its majesty before biting into it!

As you can see, the “double patty double bacon and double cheese” strategy makes for a big mouthful, but I think it’s necessary, because the grilled pineapple has a ton of flavor! It’s sweetness is nicely counter-balanced by the Sriracha sauce, leaving me with a very satisfying taste!

The “Big Kahuna” is delicious, and while I won’t dig into one all that often (full disclosure: I am NOT a pineapple fan) but it works well as a tasty change of pace! One note: here is that Samuel L. Jackson shot from the film:

Note that bit of lettuce sticking out? I didn’t have that included in the recipe I found, which just means “The Big Kahuna Burger” can go on in many unique and tasty directions.

I found my recipe at “Food Republic” – thanks to that group and please go visit them here:

https://www.foodrepublic.com

Now, speaking of going off in unique directions, time to watch the entire “Pulp Fiction” – the Best Screenplay Oscar-winning film noir that is explosively entertaining:

I was lucky to see this film at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, a full 5 months before it was released, and became a pop culture phenomenon. My wife Alex and I also interviewed the entire cast – we were blown away by this movie!

The unique structure of the film, as well as the mind-bending screenplay, announced Tarantino as THE filmmaker of his generation. And let’s not forget the outstanding cast, from Jackson, Travolta and Thurman to Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Eric Stolz, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken and Rosanna Arquette!

This terrific special edition blu-ray includes Tarantino’s Palme d’Or award winning acceptance speech in Cannes, plus documentaries, deleted scenes and more – the film is a masterpiece, a collection of inter-related stories told in a style that sends the viewer back-and-forth thru time – with the Big Kahuna Burger making a few appearances!

Of course, we see Uma Thurman dig into a Big Kahuna Burger in the movie sequence that involves Travolta babysitting his boss’s wife – Thurman. So they go get a Big Kahuna Burger and end up on the dance floor – yes, this iconic moment happens right after she digs into a Big Kahuna burger!

This film heralded Travolta’s long-overdue movie comeback, and when we interviewed him he was charming, polite and articulate – and the film is always worth a re-watch and deep dive, because it is so significant in the history of cinema…and has a delicious burger as well!

If you want something more refined, you can always make this “dinner and a movie” combination as well – a great movie paired with a classic Boeuf Bourguignon!

Yes, make this classic french dish and then watch Meryl Streep’s “note perfect” take on Julia Child – see that recipe here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/08/11/boeuf-bourguignon-recipe-dinner-and-a-movie-with-julia-child-julie-julia/

Let me know if you are going to make your own “Big Kahuna!”

Behold The “Love Sausage!”

Sometimes sharing a “What The Friday” is so easy – like this week, thanks to a cheeky Valentines Day special.

A hilarious promotion from the London-based Marks & Spencer store is getting all sorts of online attention ahead of this Valentine’s Day – attention they caused with this tweet!

I found the story at the great newspaper The Independent from London, who reports:

Marks & Spencer has announced the launch of a new food product for Valentine’s Day: the ‘Love Sausage’, a heart-shaped pork sausage wrapped in streaky bacon.

Because, of course, nothing says undying romance better than a 460g sausage.

As can be expected, the Internet has reacted to the supermarket’s reveal with a great deal of incredulity, with many pointing out the evident sexual connotations of the meaty product.

“Someone in marketing must be very pleased with themselves for managing to sneak this past their boss,” one person tweeted.

Indeed!

The Guardian goes on to report:

The ‘Love Sausage’, which costs £5 and will be available to purchase in stores from 8 February, has been described by the retailer as being the “ultimate meaty delight for Valentine’s breakfast in bed”.

The product doesn’t come with eggs, as the promotional picture suggests.

However, it does come with a hint of truffle, which has been included specifically due to the ingredient’s supposed aphrodisiac qualities.

Well, it actually sounds pretty good, even though it was clearly designed to get your attention with the product title!

As I’ve said before, “What The Friday” is a place to share the wild, weird and wacky from the internet – and with Valentine’s Day coming up, this did the trick!

Let me know if this is on your Valentine’s Day menu!

Give The Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift: Bacon Roses!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so it’s time to get shopping – for bacon!

Here’s a way to say “I love you” this Valentine’s Day: with bacon roses! I’m not kidding: with so many people giving flowers, why not give a flower that tastes as good as it smells! And they are easy to make!

Here’s The Foolproof Recipe!

OK, making these delicious, edible roses is actually pretty easy.

You’ll need: bacon, fake flowers, a muffin tin, toothpicks and tinfoil.

1. Soak the toothpicks in water (this keeps them from charring in the oven). Grab the bacon out of the refrigerator. Line a muffin tin with foil. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees.

2. Roll the bacon to look like a rosebud, then stick two toothpicks in the bottom to hold it together.

3. Place the bacon rosebuds in the muffin spaces. The toothpicks should keep them from touching the bottom — you need that space for fat drippings.

4. Put the bacon in the oven. Cook 25-30 minutes.

5. Deconstruct the fake flowers. Pull the entire thing apart, get rid of the petals and put the stem back together.

6. Let the bacon cool, remove the toothpicks and stick the bacon bud onto the plastic stem. Voilà! Salty, crunchy flowers. And as you can see, you can also dip them in chocolate if you want to add just one more layer of wacky…

Now, these bacon roses will probably be eaten before the day is over, but if you are looking for another way to say “I love you” through the magic of food, then perhaps this is the way to go:

THE LOVE BURGER!

In the mood for love? I thought so…and what better way to show it than this perfectly shaped Valentine’s Day burger, just one of many crazy things happening between buns today!

No reason to give you this recipe: you can bake your own bun, shaped as a heart, and easily make a burger the same way – or you can do what I did and head to Marks & Spencer for their subtly named “Love Sausage”:

Yes, it’s a nicely shaped sausage that says “I love you”, with what appears to be bacon wrapped around the sausage and an added bonus of two nicely baked eggs in the middle!

Well, it’s going to be a very delicious Valentine’s Day I think ! You can see more of the “love sausage” here:

https://johnrieber.com/2019/02/08/what-the-friday-marks-spencers-valentines-day-love-sausage-a-cheeky-way-to-say-i-love-you/

The terrific “Senior Salon” is celebrating Esme Slabs’ birthday by offering up a treasure trove of great Valentin;es Day blog posts – see it here and take part!

https://esmesalon.com/senior-salon/?fbclid=IwAR3N15t1QeG-FRZn35kjUDc8yEMUL_vcivv9BuvmACBq_3-TrkkLR_gZRwE

Happy “Tasty” Valentine’s Day!

What A Nice Surprise!

As someone who posts a lot of stories on my blog, I’ve had the chance to meet many other Bloggers, and one of them was nice enough to nominate me for the 5th annual Bloggers Bash!

The blog you are reading right now has been nominated in the “Best Entertainment Blog” category – which is nice since I work in the entertainment industry and like to pot about movies, music, TV, books and all sorts of creative topics – along with lots of stories about bacon and burgers as well – and when I do I look like this:

This gif of Jim Carrey slamming away at a keyboard speaks to what blogging is: typing a lot of stuff onto a computer and then uploading it for others to read – or ignore – and many times you don’t really know which will happen!

Ultimately, ANYONE can blog, even a cat, because it truly is something that is open to everyone – although as Robert DeNiro memorably said once:

“He can’t lift the seat, Greg. He lacks the strength and the opposable thumbs.”

OK, so DeNiro was referring to a cat using a toilet seat, but I think it confirms that, in his mind at least, a cat really wouldn’t be able to write a blog, but can a pig?

I’m not sure what’s more disturbing: this person in a pig’s mask typing furiously, or the fact that it was so easy to find online…with that said, I am truly honored to be considered by this group – here the link to their organization, and their annual Bloggers Bash – check it out to see more about them, and their event – and ways that you can participate – by clicking here:

https://annualbloggersbash.com

The upcoming event in June will take place once again in London – you know, this place:

I’ve had the chance to visit London on many occasions, and have shared some of those stories “on my blog” (note the clever tie-in) – like the time I took my daughter there and thought it was a good idea to buy “fried shrimp and crab” on the street:

Yes, I did buy these, and I got a good picture of them as well – and anyone from London will tell you that this was not a smart move – you can see what happened by clicking here:

https://johnrieber.com/2012/11/04/london-calling-fried-shrimp-crab-claws-londons-street-food-debacle/

I also took my son to London on a work assignment – part of a great team shooting a TV special there:

That’s Jeff in the plaid shirt in the back – we had a blast at the time, and we walked a lot through the streets of London, including a stop at my favorite fish’n’chips shop:

This trip inspired me to do another chapter in my “Hitch Hiking” series – where I share a great hike and a classic Hitchcock thriller, this one filmed on the streets of London:

If you want to see where I walked, and also see the trailer for this gritty 70’s thriller, just click on my story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2018/09/19/a-historical-urban-hike-through-london-my-hitch-hiking-series-6-alfred-hitchcocks-thames-river-swim-to-promote-the-provocative-frenzy/

There are just two of my London stories, and I look forward to hopefully traveling back in June to attend this blogging event and shoot new stories as well – and thanks again for the blogging nomination – it truly is an unexpected and much appreciated honor!

Pepsi Cola Chicken Drumsticks!

Who doesn’t love drumsticks? While I don’t make them often, they are fun to serve at parties, or just hone hunkering down in front of the TV.

As a fan of Asian food, I am always looking for a new recipe – and I was surprised one day to find these “unique” potato chips – note the flavor:

Pepsi Chicken Potato Chips!

I discovered that in parts of Asia, cola-flavored chicken is hugely popular – as these “Pepsi Chicken Potato Chips” prove…so it made me want to find out for myself – just how good are “Pepsi Chicken Drumsticks?”

Well, I was determined to find out!

I found a number of recipes online, which gave me some ideas for the flavor combo that would work for me – and I settled on Pepsi, soy sauce and sweet rice wine cooking vinegar…infused with fresh garlic:

Here are the ingredients:

12 ounces Pepsi
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 to 4 tablespoons fresh chopped or grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

The first thing I did was boil down the liquid: I added a bit of garlic powder after 15 minutes to give it a bit of a kick, but as you can see, you just want to gently boil it down until it feels like a syrupy glaze…

There are many recipes online: many use Ketchup, some add BBQ sauce, plus onion, garlic, etc. But I kept mine simple…and after 50-40 minutes of slowly reducing the liquid – stirring regularly, I ended up with a syrupy Pepsi glaze!

Bring On The Drumsticks!

The next part is pretty easy: while the sauce is reducing, turn on your grill or turn on your oven if you plan to cook them that way – and when the sauce is ready to go, put your raw chicken drumsticks on a platter and paint them with your glaze!

I laid the drumsticks out on my gas grill, then closed the cover and let them cook for 5 minutes before I flipped them and glazed them again:

The standard cooking method for these drumsticks is to flip them every 5-7 minutes until internal temp of 185-190 degrees. I didn’t want mine to become too charred, so I moved them to the upper level after 15 minutes and pulled them off after 25 minutes – and here’s what I got:

The Pepsi sauce glistened on the drumsticks, and the crispy char on some was a nice crunchy touch – the sauce was indeed heavily “pepsi-infused” – a bit sweet, a strong cola essence, but the ginger and soy also came through as well – I loved them!

Pepsi Chicken Is A “WIN!”

If you like chicken drumsticks, this is a nice alternative to traditional BBQ sauces.

My wife Alex wasn’t originally thrilled about the concept of “Pepsi Chicken”, but she liked them as well – not a huge fan of the sweetness, but it’s diluted enough by the soy, ginger and rice vinegar to keep it within bounds…now, as I said, I decided to make these because I saw “Pepsi Chicken? potato chips – just one unique Asian flavor – look at this one:

Hot And Sour Fish Soup Potato Chips!

Yes, this is a real potato chip flavor as well! It’s one of many I found – you can see them all here:

https://johnrieber.com/2012/12/11/pepsi-chicken-potato-chips-fish-soup-chips-china-goes-chip-flavor-crazy/

Let me know if you’ve tried “Pepsi Chicken” Drumsticks!

A Cat Cora “Catfight!”

My wife Alex and I have been to Alinea, a Michelin 3-star restaurant in Chicago that is the greatest dining experience we’ve ever had. More on that in a moment, but first, the restaurant’s co-owner felt the need to post a story about an altercation between restaurant staff and Chef Cat Cora – and it’s a “cat” fight for sure!

Welcome To Alinea – And Chef Grant Achatz!

Chef Grant Achatz is considered one of the world’s greatest Chefs, and a meal at his restaurant in Chicago, Alinea, is a magical adventure…but it was anything but that for Chef Cat Cora, who went public with her treatment at the restaurant…and the restaurant fired back!

Nick Kokonas is the Co-Owner of Alinea, along with other Achatz restaurants, and last weekend there was a confrontation at Alinea between Chef Cora and the restaurant’s staff! Kokonas posted an article on the social media site “Medium” titled “Into The Litter Box”, which leads with this line:

“If you’re Cat Cora & dead wrong, best not to post to Instagram”

Here is part of what Kokonas wrote about the incident:

“Cat Cora of Iron Chef fame (I love the original Japanese version) intentionally arrived 24 hours and 15 minutes late to a booking at Alinea, proceeded to create a scene, accuse our staff of sexism, invoked a “chef’s code” whereby we were expected to ‘roll a table into the kitchen’ for her, and then left with “fuck you, fuck Grant, fuck Alinea” while flipping off one of our kindest veteran servers who tried mightily to apologize even though the situation was not his fault. When Grant would not leave the kitchen to speak with her she threatened to elevate the incident to social media and her “new ABC show”. And later in the evening she did just that.”

Yes, Cora posted these since-deleted comments to Instagram:

What is really shocking here is that Cora tagged some of the world’s greatest Chefs, dragging them into this controversy. That infuriated Kokonas, who then lays out the ENTIRE timeline for Chef Cora’s reservation controversy…they keep meticulous records of all transactions – and it appears that Cora’s Assistant booked Friday night by mistake, then tried to change it to Saturday…the restaurant was helpful actually and slotted her in at 9p that night…but first, he explains what the restaurant staff did when Cora failed to show up at her scheduled Friday reservation:

“Friday, March 1st evening — Cat Cora did not show for her booking — we reached out and offered the reschedule to Saturday at 9:00 PM in the Salon. Veronica Van Sant confirmed this change and we refunded the difference.”

He then explains what he did next – an obvious professional courtesy to a fellow Chef:

“I called Veronica and we spoke about the following: I asked for confirmation to cancel and refund the booking. I stated that if Cat arrived at 5:00 PM we would NOT have a table for her. Veronica said something along the lines of “Well I am worried they are going to show up because I tried calling and they won’t answer. They are in Chicago and I am not. Grant knows her — can’t he just reach out and let her know? I responded that I can certainly ask Chef Achatz however we do not have any contact information for Cat and that I doubted Chef would be able to reach out.”

So, Cora and her entourage just showed up at 5p Saturday expecting to be seated – and were told that they had no reservation at that time and the restaurant couldn’t accommodate them. She threw a fit!

She demanded to see the Chef, who was in the kitchen serving the other diners, and when he wouldn’t come out she screamed at the staff and stormed out – flipping them off! And Kokonas captured it and shared it!

Later she posted those comments to Instagram – since deleted but Kokonas saved them and shared them in his article – WOW!

What is shocking is that Cora would tag some of America’s greatest Chefs, in an apparent attempt to shame Chef Achetz and Alinea.

I work in the entertainment industry and have seen “entitled” people act out and throw tantrums when they don’t get their way, and don’t feel they have to follow the same rules as everyone else.

Chef Cora still insists the restaurant got the reservations song, but I’ve used their “Tock” system and you are billed immediately and an email confirms your reservation; so if they “mistakenly” had it on Friday, why didn’t they notice?

I say “Bravo” to Kokonas for fighting back against Cora’s social media smear – and he shares ALL of the restaurant’s interaction with Cora and her team in order to show they did nothing wrong.

Read the entire article here at the website Medium:

https://medium.com/@nickkokonas/into-the-litter-box-96fbf5a74f02

As I mentioned, Alex and I have been to Alinea at least a half dozen times, and their other restaurants as well…they are ALWAYS professional, polite, and excited about sharing incredible food like this!

You can see more of this magical food adventure by clicking on my story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2015/08/01/alinea-the-worlds-most-inventive-restaurant-culinary-molecular-masterpiece/

Let me know what you think of this “Cat” fight!

Time To Bake Some Eggs!

A friend of ours gave Alex a dozen FRESH eggs – yes, they have chickens – so I surprised Alex last week with “Eggs two days two ways” – and wanted to share the recipe for day one – Baked Eggs!

The idea for baked eggs – and the gorgeous photo above by Photographer Marc Hoberman, comes from my good friend Barbara Passino, who included this recipe in her terrific cookbook “Chocolate For Breakfast”!

My close friend Barbara Passino ran Napa Valley’s best bed-n-breakfast for many years, and always served Chocolate as part of her two-course breakfast…she released her own cookbook and this recipe is from that book – let’s get started!

Baked Eggs Recipe:

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

I like to load my baked eggs up with goodies inside the dish, so I browned a pound of sausage, then added garlic and onions and sweated them down…then added spinach:

You see what’s happening here…next, take your baking dish – I used a moderate sized round ramekin, greased up inside with butter – then loaded each one up halfway with my mixture – Barbara adds a splash of cream first, but since I was forced – er, “EAGER” to do a “Whole30” regimen, I left the cream out:

Next is the fun part: crack two eggs into each ramekin, right on top of the sausage mixture…I like to keep the yolk whole, but it doesn’t matter – whatever you like…then I sprinkle Oregano, Thyme and Paprika over them:

The ramekins are next placed in a “bain marie” – a water bath – fill a baking dish half full of warm water and put the ramekins in, then into the oven for 20-25 minutes…an FYI: Barbara’s original recipe includes a combination of cheddar, swiss and parmesan cheese grated over the top, but as you know, I was being “Whole30’d”, so I left that out:

Behold My Baked Eggs!

25 minutes later, here are my baked eggs – I like the yoke who because then you get a big chunk when you dig in…

Thanks to Barbara for her incredible recipe – even though I stuffed my baked eggs with lots of extras, and her recipe is a more refined, classic approach, which I would have done if not for that “Whole30” thing…like I said, this recipe is just one of dozens and dozens that are in her incredible cookbook:

You can buy this terrific cookbook by clicking here:

https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Breakfast-Entertaining-Celebration-Valleys/dp/1919939555

This was part of a “Eggs Two Days Two Ways” food adventure, and Alex posted this on Instagram to celebrate day one:

What did I make her on day two? That recipe still to come!

Ready To Gulp Down Some Crab Cola?

Yes, it’s “What The Friday”, which means we head to Japan once again for a taste sensation that must be bottled to be believed! Let’s set the stage and see how fast we get to “WTF?”

In Japan, they have spider crabs that look like this:

Japan also loves to do wacky things with beverages…remember my “Coffee Jelly?”

Well, I read a story about a Japanese company called the Takuyo Fisheries Industry that has just released their version of Coke – but they’ve added a flavor that has me saying “WTF?”

It’s Crab Cola!

Yes, it’s a cola drink that has been infused with the taste of spider crab!

Credit goes to intrepid reporter Evie Nyan at SoraNews24.com for uncovering this story. As she points out:

“The bottle design immediately caught our eye…the retro-style katakana font reads: “Kani (crab) Cola” and is romanized above as “Cani-Cola.” At the very top of the bottle, it reads “Crab flavor? A strange flavor cola!”.

Yes indeed, it looks suspiciously like a bottle of Coca-Cola, but as the label warns, it’s so much more than that!

So how did it taste? Well, head over to the SoraNews24 website for the taste test, but here’s a hint: if it moves like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck! Now exchange the word “crab” and you get the idea…but for proof, click on their link here to see all of Evie Nyan’s terrific story!

https://soranews24.com/2019/03/01/we-drank-crab-juice-infused-crab-cola-from-niigata-prefecture-because-why-not/

I love how SoraNews24 covers all the fascinating aspect of Asian culture, and I subscribe to their newsletter in order to stay up on all of it!

This “What The Friday” continues a theme of “wacky food mashups” – remember last week?

Yes, a brewery in the US made a special edition beer with the flavor of “Lucky Charms” cereal! I’d try that as well! You can see more about it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2019/03/01/lucky-charms-beer-what-the-friday-chugs-new-wacky-marshmallow-saturday-morning-beer/

And, if you are also fascinated by “Coffee Jelly”, know that it comes in a vending machine in Tokyo:

What else can you get in a vending machine in Tokyo? How about Hairy Crabs! Mashed Potatoes! Yes, you can read all about coffee jelly, mashed potatoes and more by clicking my story here:

https://johnrieber.com/2012/07/17/mashed-potato-vending-machines-intuitive-machines-coffee-jelly-hairy-crabs-viagra-vending-what/

Come on over and let’s crack open a crab coke!

Who Needs A Hot Meal And A Great TV Show?

Sixty-three years ago, two great American traditions were changed forever: watching TV and eating dinner. Thanks to the invention of the “TV dinner”, Americans could step away from the stove and leave the home cooking to someone else!

This week’s Wednesday bookmobile travels back to a time when all of your food was served on one nice aluminum tray!

Yes, delicious meatloaf, green beans, tater tots AND a chocolate brownie could be served in a beautiful tin plate – so you could settle down and enjoy a nice night of TV – America never looked back!

As time went on, Swanson knew they had to expand your culinary horizons, leading to “TV dinner” trips around the world!

Now, why am I telling you all this? Because there is a great book all about the man who led us to this “frozen food on a tin platter place”!

Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man

Break out the TV dinners! From the author who gave us “Cod”, “Salt”, and other informative bestsellers, it’s the first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.

Here is what Amazon says:

“Kurlansky…places Birdseye in the same category as Thomas Edison: amateurs who got curious about a problem, played around with it (sometimes for years) and eventually figured it out. Birdseye had many more interests than frozen foods, writes the author; he invented, among other things, a kind of light bulb and even a whaling harpoon.”

It was in the North that he began to wonder why foods frozen there—naturally—tasted so much better than the frozen foods back home. He discovered, of course, that it was quick-freezing at very cold temperatures that did the trick. He eventually invented the process that produced vast amounts of good frozen food, but then had to wait for the supporting infrastructure (transportation, storage, etc.).

Kurlansky tells the exciting tale of Birdseye’s adventures, failures and successes (he became a multi-millionaire) and his family, and he also offers engaging snippets about Velveeta, dehydration and Grape-Nuts.

Swanson’s TV Dinners!

And of course, the world was never the same once Swanson mass produced three-course dinners for a generation unwilling to take the time to cook!

Birdsye’s frozen vegetables were the reason for THIS:

Without Birdseye’s breakthroughs, the whole concept of frozen ANYTHING tasting edible when it arrived on your plate was unlikely, but thanks to him, Swanson could continue to refine, expand, and “upscale” their efforts, to a ravenous America:

I love books about food and food history – and there are books about EVERYTHING: Potatoes, eggs, beef, oysters, wine – all of it.

I have posted about terrific food books before – great cookbooks by Michael Ruhlman – serious food books like “Fast Food Nation” – and memoirs like the terrific Patricia Wells book…

My wife and I took a cooking class at her home in Provence – what an adventure! You can read about it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2013/10/20/new-patricia-wells-cookbook-her-amazing-cooking-classes/

The Author of “Birdseye”, Mark Kurlansky, has also written a number of great books about food…

I love his book on Birdseye, and here is a look at two of his other great food books!

Cod: A Biography Of The Fish That Changed The World

Yes, a fish DID impact the story of America – and this terrific biography gives this great fish its due!

Here is how Amazon describes the book: “A delightful romp through history with all its economic forces laid bare, Cod is the biography of a single species of fish, but it may as well be a world history with this humble fish as its recurring main character.”

Cod, it turns out, is the reason Europeans set sail across the Atlantic, and it is the only reason they could. What did the Vikings eat in icy Greenland and on the five expeditions to America recorded in the Icelandic sagas?

Cod–frozen and dried in the frosty air, then broken into pieces and eaten like hardtack. What was the staple of the medieval diet? Cod again, sold salted by the Basques, an enigmatic people with a mysterious, unlimited supply of cod.

As we make our way through the centuries of cod history, we also find a delicious legacy of recipes, and the tragic story of environmental failure, of depleted fishing stocks where once their numbers were the fate of the universe.

This Cod history is fascinating for a number of reasons, like the fact that America was discovered long before Columbus, but the fact wasn’t share in order to protect the great cod fishing…

This was my first Kurlansky book, and I loved it.

This book led me to his next one, involving an ingredient that was also instrumental in making Cod such a worldwide favorite…

Salt: A World History

Here is what Publishers Weekly had to say about this book:

Only Kurlansky, winner of the James Beard Award for Excellence in Food Writing for Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, could woo readers toward such an off-beat topic. Yet salt, Kurlansky asserts, has “shaped civilization.”

Although now taken for granted, these square crystals are not only of practical use, but over the ages have symbolized fertility (it is, after all, the root of the word “salacious”) and lasting covenants, and have been used in magical charms. Called a “divine substance” by Homer, salt is an essential part of the human body, was one of the first international commodities and was often used as currency throughout the developing world.

The book is populated with characters as diverse as frozen-food giant Clarence Birdseye; Gandhi, who broke the British salt law that forbade salt production in India because it outdid the British salt trade; and New York City’s sturgeon king, Barney Greengrass.

Throughout his engaging, well-researched history, Kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes.

So here now, is the through line to all of this: Cod became the world’s most popular fish because it was salted and shipped everywhere: the book Salt tells the story of how Salt created all kinds of new food, including, as it says, the story of Claernce Birdseye…

Thanks to Kurlansky, and this week’s Wednesday Bookmobile, you can dig right in to these great books about the food that has transformed the way we live!

We’re Gonna Have A “Spam Bake!”

Who’s hungry? I’m making some of the wildest, most retro recipes I can find on this “What The Friday” feast!

Save Room For The Mayonnaise Mold!

Well, doesn’t that look delicious? It’s just one of many wacky and REAL recipes from a bygone era – gone for a reason!

I found these pictures on Pinterest, which led me to a terrific article called “9 Vintage Recipes That Are So Weird, You Won’t Believe They Ever Actually Existed” By REBECCA DECZYNSKI – it’s four years old but just as entertaining now – you can see the entire article here:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/108603-9-vintage-recipes-that-are-so-weird-you-wont-believe-they-ever-actually-existed

One of the items is a “canned hamburger” and as some of you know, I’ve eaten one of those!

My “Cheeseburger In A Can” Taste Test!

Yes, my son bought me some “cheeseburgers in a can” and we tried one – want to know how it tasted? Checkout my story, with lots of picture, right here!

https://johnrieber.com/2017/05/07/my-cheeseburger-in-a-can-taste-test-i-cooked-one-i-ate-it-too-heres-my-review/

Let me know if you are coming over and I’ll chill the Mayo Mold!