As some of you may have guessed from my column this week in the newspaper, I love Burgundy. I love to drink it, think about it, talk about it and write about it.  Read More →

Paul Draper is, without question, one of the world’s great winemakers. Even though he has every reason to be an egotistical blowhard, he remains humble and democratic in spirit, asking sincere questions of those around him and quick to point to his team as the reason for the winery’s success. It may sound absurd to think that a winemaker’s personality is as discernible in the glass as the terroir , but that combination of curiosity, humility,... 

Daniel Angerer, chef and owner of Klee Brasserie in Manhattan’s Chelsea district, has mounted a rather clumsy and fairly gross publicity stunt: serving cheese made with his wife’s breast milk . Great restaurants and great chefs don’t have to rely on gimmicks. And great chefs care more about food than they do about attention. Angerer is an Iron Chef winner. ” ‘I think a lot of the criticism has to do with the combination... 

Yoplait has a new Greek style yogurt out. There’s a massive marketing campaign tie in to the new Clash of the Titans movie and Athena portraying actress Izabella Miko . Strong woman eats good yogurt. Greek gods, Greek Yogurt, Yadda yadda… The yogurt pack prominently displays “2X Protein..of the leading yogurt”. Wonder what that means. We decided to take a look inside the nutrition label and ingredient list to see if this... 

The Ethicurean has been nominated for a TreeHugger.com Best of Green award, in the Food & Health category . The Best of Green Awards recognize “the people, companies and ideas doing the best in walking the sustainability walk within their respective fields,” and the candidates are suggested by readers and winnowed by the editors. Then you get to vote . Starting today and running until Friday, April 2, 2010, you can vote once... 

The “trade down” effect for fast-food restaurants is over in the United States. During hard times, companies like McDonald ’s (MCD) benefit from people eating on the cheap rather than at pricier sit-down restaurants. At least, they benefit for a while. If things don’t improve soon enough, the effect vanishes. It pretty much has for McDonald’s.  Read More →

Friday was a rare moment in the legislative sun for the subject of wine direct shipping in the Maryland, where, as we discussed, is a felony to ship wine . Consumers and wine industry experts gave testimony before a committee. Tom Wark, executive director of the Specialty Wine Retailers’ Association, who was there writes via email: “Huge turnout in favor of shipping. Largest contingent of consumers I’ve ever seen at such a... 

European researchers are worried about antimony, a toxic chemical element, appearing at possibly unsafe levels in various juice brands: Writing in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring, scientists at the University of Copenhagen studied antimony levels in 42 juice drinks and found antimony concentrations above EU limits for drinking water in eight of them. This discovery is of concern to the soft drinks industry because antimony is a suspected... 

So you want to know what my prediction is for the new hottest brunch ingredient? Two words – creamed. corn. Now before you start thinking that Jules is loosing it and reverting to her childhood in the oh-so-ugly 1970s, I’d better come clean about my sources. You  Read More →

Aloo Gobi is a Punjabi classic made with potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi). These humble vegetables may not sound like much, but they happen to be the perfect cavas to paint on the vibrant flavours of ginger, garlic, onions and cumin. The turmeric does it’s part by imparting a golden saffron hue that makes this dish a real head turner. After going through a phase of steaks, roasts and…  Read More →

Last year it was peanut butter. Before that – tomatoes. It seems like every year there’s one major food recall that really shakes the system. Last week the FDA notified the public about another recall hurricane, this time for various products containing Hydrolized Vegetable Protein, an ingredient used in many processed foods: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to protect the public following the early identification... 

Will New Yorkers agree to a tax on sugary soft drinks? That is yet to be determined, but both proponents and opponents are not taking any chances. The Alliance for a Healthier New York is airing the above commercial til mid March. Will this counterpunch to the well oiled marketing and PR machine of the American Beverage Association succeed? We’re highly doubtful that the campaign will succeed, despite the fact that soft drinks are a major... 

The contamination of perhaps thousands of food products with salmonella should be a wake-up call to apologists for the industrialized food system. It’s not possible to bring the system down and get everyone to eat an all-local, all-fresh diet, as some “locavores” say they want. But to continue to pretend that our food system is just fine as it is amounts to an endorsement not only of widespread illness, but also of chronic... 

I bet that when you think about L.A, Japanese plum blossoms are not the first things coming to your mind. Me neither but when your first night in town start with dinner at Todd and Diane’s , this is one of the things you can expect. A delectable tour of their edible garden, a fantastic dinner and plenty of great discussions…  Read More →

Maryland, the home of the Fightin’ Terps, threatens to turn its wine lovers into perps: The laws governing these five and a half million residents make it a felony to order wine online and have it shipped to their homes. To purchase wines, consumers residing Annapolis, Baltimore or along the Chesapeake must buy from a local store; comparison shopping through retailers on the internet or ordering directly from a winery is illegal. (Small...