Would You Like Polonium With That?

by Iva Skoch on

While the popular sushi restaurant chain Itsu, famous for the recent poisoning incident involving a “Russian spy” Litvinenko, is hurting in London, the new branch that just opened downtown New York is apparently doing quite well, according to a NY Sun article.

Does that mean Americans are getting immune to the different security threats out there? Or does that mean that sushi, not Starbucks, is the new cosmopolitan answer to world peace?

Either way, I hear the “dynamite miso soup” is a hit. Should you be in the financial district of NY, please test it and report back.

Camping Recipes

by Erik Olsen on

The joys of camping are many, but having a great meal after a long day’s hike and enjoying it around a campfire, well, that’s one of life’s great experiences. They operative word here is “good” because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been camping and have had someone who was allegedly in charge of food break out the freeze-dried Salisbury steak or cup o’ noodles and then suggest this is dinner. No, when I go camping, I’m usually sure to pack away as much fresh fish, sausages, vegetables, etc. as we can carry. Sometimes, that’s not the easiest thing to do, but I usually try.

But even if you manage to pack all the right stuff, you still have to prepare it. And when someone makes a lousy batch of, say, chili, everyone suffers. So don’t let that happen to you. Go over to CampRecipes.com and download a few of the 550 or so camping food recipes they’ve got online there. Your food will be better, your camping experience will be better, and your friends will appreciate you for it. Trust me. I know. And if you want the secret Boy Scout’s recipe for “catastrophe”, drop me a note.

How to down a pint in a real Irish pub

by Justin Glow on

Guinness is an acquired taste, they say. My first sip of the black stuff wasn’t the finest; the thickness of a full Guinness left me wondering whether I had just downed a draught, or a dirty, soured milkshake. But, in time, I found that unlike American piss-waters like Budweiser (my favorite) or Natural Light, Guinness was meant to be sipped as an experience in itself. Sure, you still get drunk, but maybe that wasn’t the point — maybe there was more to drinking a beer than the inevitable loose tongue, and subsequent hangover.

Now, I’ve never been to Ireland (and rumor has it the further away from St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin you get, the worse the Guinness tastes) but when I do get a chance to visit old Eire, I’ll be using Cheryl Donahue’s World Hum guide to becoming a “first class punter” — an expert Guinness drinker — in an attempt to blend in while searching out a pint of Ireland’s finest.

First step is to find the right pub by staying away from the tourist-friendly highway bars, and instead focus on a small villages with at least three pubs. “A one-pub village won’t cut it, as everyone and their brother will be there, from the permanently drunk old-timer spewing forth about the Black & Tans to the fresh-faced passers-bye.” Once you’ve nailed down the proper bar, it’s time to order a pint like the locals: “Do not order a piña colada, gin and tonic or a margarita. Above all, do not order a Budweiser.”

Damn.

For Cheryl’s complete play-by-play on enjoying the full Guinness experience, head over to World Hum.

Cheers!

The Austin Report Part 3: Restaurants

by Neil Woodburn on

On my recent trip to Austin, Texas, I made sure to indulge in as much food as I could wolf down, from the truly pedestrian to the truly upscale. Here are four of my very favorites.

Freebirds
This is perhaps the most famous eatery in all of Austin; I had heard about it long before ever stepping foot in city limits. Freebirds (above) is a fast food joint where you make your own burrito from a selection of delectable goodies. You’re not allowed to pack it yourself; the hip looking, face-studded employees do it for you. But you do get to tell them what to shove into your Half-Bird, Freebird, Monster, or Super Monster burrito. The end product comes wrapped in tinfoil which is ceremoniously peeled away and then molded by patrons into various artwork which decorates the walls of the restaurant. Art and food! What more could you ask for?

Mozart’s Coffee Roaster
This awesome café is located on the shores of Lake Austin, a surprisingly bucolic spot that is only a short drive from the center of town. The homey, wooden café has a great coffee selection and a tasty array of desserts. People don’t necessarily come for the goods, however. The café was chalk full of students when we arrived in the afternoon. Nearly every table had at least one weary looking undergrad camped next to a laptop, sipping coffee and studying away–a stark contrast to their drunken counterparts witnessed the night before on 6th street. We found a table outside on a wooden patio overlooking the water and leisurely wiled away the afternoon with some warm coffee and a decadent Snickers Cheesecake. Mmmm….

Halcyon
Another wonderful café we visited while in Austin was Halcyon. This cafe had a totally different vibe than Mozart’s by catering to a far more artsy, bohemian crowd. Embracing their namesake, Halcyon never strayed too far from their theme by providing, among other treats, various board games so that patrons could relive the, um, halcyon days of their youth. I did so myself when I ordered the house specialty: s’mores. $5.95 buys graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows and a tiny little open-flame contraption to roast the old campfire standby. For those more anxious to remember the halcyon days of college, Halcyon also serves alcohol (and at $4 a bottle, it is a great deal).

Vespaio
Austin isn’t just fast food and college dives. The city has a growing number of quality, high-end restaurants as well. Vespaio, the only one we visited during our stay, was an absolute winner. Located on SoCo, the restaurant prepares delicious Italian dishes accompanied by an impressive wine menu. I opted for the lasagna, which was tasty and filling while my friends wolfed down some equally as delectable ravioli. It was great, home-style Italian cooking that came to a manageable $35 a person with antipasti, a bottle of wine, and a couple of martinis. Not too bad!

Yesterday: Austin’s Bizarre Shopping
Tomorrow: Austin’s Wonderful Cinema

Norway Big on Coffee

by Erik Olsen on

File this under the “gosh, what a big surprise” category.

Norway, a country way up North that gets about four hours light right about now, turns out to be one of the world’s most consumptive (is that a word?) coffee countries around. I’ve always thought of Norway as kind of the Seattle of Europe, so in many ways this doesn’t surprise me.

According to this piece over at the Norwegian Aftenpose newspaper in English, Norges drink about 20 pounds of coffee each a year. But here’s the thing that actually did surprise me. And I quote: “There are no Starbucks coffee shops in Norway”. That, dear friends, seems impossible.