A lot of snow fell over the past four days – like about 43 inches of it. No big deal for Syracuse. I like the nice thick blanket that now covers my garden, so full of food still. (more…)
A friend who has listened to me expound on the joys of vacpot coffee sent me this New York Times article, which of course I read with interest:
Loving Coffee Without Being a Drip
I just re-read that headline, after reading the author’s conclusion that automatic drip coffee, ground even days ahead of time, is just fine. He’s right, if you agree with him that coffee is a caffeine delivery system. But if you actually value the taste of the coffee and are willing to spend an extra five minutes a day to prepare something that delights you and the other lucky person you serve it to, why then, you just might be a drip! (more…)
We went to the Pride of New York Harvest Fest with a chef friend and his family. We actually ended up enjoying ourselves more than we expected, in part because New York is producing a lot of stuff! There was a serious abundance of wine and beer, to be sure. But as much as we love both of those, we’re really foodies. So we went there to eat.
Without a doubt, the “best in show” was (more…)
Dear Readers, our first-ever contest, sponsored by Pride of New York, has concluded and we do have a winner. But first let me say, this was one of the most difficult decisions we’ve made in a long time. We ended up sending the stories out to a select group of our more literate friends, and thankfully they did the choosing for us. Over the next few days we’ll post the three top stories, starting with the winning story by Michael Sweetman. He first sent us the 500-word limited story, the one we sent out for judging, but later contacted us with the longer version. It is so charming, we’re including it here:
How I Became a Butcher
Giving thought to my most memorable food moment, I can’t help thinking about the countless times I have been in the kitchen getting ready to make dinner and (more…)
We think there are some great food stories out there just aching to be told. And we’d like to publish them right here. This is a simple, down-home contest, meaning we’re not paying some independent company to look at your stories. We’re just gonna sit down with a nice cup of coffee, read ‘em over and, between the two of us, decide “Yep, that’s the one.” Fair enough? (more…)
We’re going to check out the Pride of New York Harvest Fest this year and we’re thinking maybe some of you will want to, also. We’re whipping up a sort of a contest for two free tickets to the Harvest Fest… give us a couple days to put the refinements on it. In the meantime, read up on the Harvest Fest itself: (more…)
Foodies, I hear that Man vs. Food is featuring Syracuse this Wednesday, September 1! That should be pretty fun, as Adam takes on the Dinosaur BBQ, Heid’s, and Mother’s Cupboard right here in Eastwood!
It’s on the Travel Channel at 9PM Wednesday! Here are some details. Enjoy!
We just found one of the very best food values anywhere: the New Taj India Cuisine Restaurant in the historic Corn Hill neighborhood of Rochester, NY. There are actually several new restaurants here, and we will get to all of them eventually. But we knew about this area from our several visits to Tony D’s. Just a week before we arrived in Rochester for a few get-away days, this Indian restaurant opened. It’s a 3-minute drive from the heart of downtown Rochester yet has free parking and is right on the Genesee River. (more…)
Dr. Mercola has the most popular natural health website. His articles sometimes seem alarmist, but too often they’re just telling the pretty awful truth. Just ran into this interesting article about Dr. Shiv Chopra, a whistle blower fired from inside Health Canada (the Canadian counterpart to the FDA):
Farmer Dave is at it again with food activities he’s never done before. This time, it’s peach preserves. We saw a giant box of peaches going for six dollars at Rochester’s Public Market so we had to nab them, along with a box of mangos for something like seven. Such a deal! But then what to do with all those peaches? (more…)
NY Gianni’s Bronx Style Pizza is already getting lots of rave reviews, both here and in numerous other websites like that of “the pizza geek.” So why write about it again? Because I took a little trip to heaven on the gossamer wings of something I had never eaten before: tomato pie. (more…)
When I first knew Dave about a dozen years ago, he didn’t know the difference between a tulip and a daffodil. Now he spends so much time in the garden, weeding and differentiating between leaves that used to look all the same to him, I call him Farmer Dave. Last winter he chose the Poona Kheera, a cucumber from India, as “his” plant for the garden and today he harvested the first two of what looks to be a bountiful crop. (more…)
It doesn’t take much to figure out what that might be, right, Syracusans?
It’s the Dinosaur BBQ! Manhattan’s award-winning Dinosaur is the best, but I’m willing to bet ours is better, if only because ambiance like that takes years to develop.
The best – and worst – smells in NYC
New York Daily News , July 11, 2010
The best – and worst – smells in NYC
Just found this good news:
US Supreme Court Rules Farmers May Sue Over Harms Caused by GMOs
It’s an easy-to-read blog post. Just read it. Then celebrate. There is hope.
Our English friend, Graham, visited recently and brought with him some Has Bean coffee beans, very freshly roasted. I had picked up a bag of Santa Maria Cup of Excellence from Coffee Mania in Cortland. We did a taste test. (more…)


