Tongue Tales: Nikki Smith

 

Anonymous

Name: Nikki Smith

Occupation: Marketing for Maker’s Mark

Neighborhood: Shamrock Hills (like to frequent Plaza Midwood)

Relationship status: Single

What did you eat today? 

This is yesterdays menu, haven’t eaten today as of yet. Scrambled eggs with gimme lean, spinach, Texas Pete and cheddar cheese with a mini wheat bagel with smoked salmon. Lots of snacks at a friends wine tasting…cheese- aged Gouda, Havarti w/dill, NY extra sharp cheddar, mini pizza with capers, hot cheese and corn dip with tortillas, cornichons. 

Bourdain in the Philippines

Of all the people who watch NO RESERVATIONS, it’s been Filipinos who have been consistently among our biggest fans and most vocal about our having yet to film in their country.

-Anthony Bourdain on his blog 10/22

 

 

 

Finally.  I’ve been watching No Reservations for a while now and following the exploits of Bourdain even longer.  I mean, who doesn’t envy this guy.  When I heard he was going to the Philippines I was trying to figure out how to get in on the action.  Chances were slim seeing as I’m half a world away, literally.  As it turns out, many in the Philippines are onto the whereabouts of Bourdain and bloggers are having a field day.  Or at least they were.  Seems that independent coverage (aka blogging) about Bourdain and the show in the PI was so robust, the producers are asking local bloggers to tone it down out of fears they will a.) create huge fan turnouts at the locations making filming near impossible, and b.) steal the thunder of the show before it even airs.  Many bloggers have taken down photos, withdrawn posts, and altogether curtailed coverage of the show.  After all, it’s been a long time coming and they probably don’t want to be bad guests.  Needles to say, there’s still all kinds of information out there, so…

Tongue Tales: Lynn-Lato

Name: Lynn-Lato

Occupation: 

Mom and food blogger extrordinaire – and I occasionally help out my friend, w/ his South Charlotte restaurant. I update the content on his website, update his menus help w/ menu changes item ideas and brainstorming.

Neighborhood: 

Regrettably(from a food perspective) I live in plain, ole vanilla suburbia, the Marvin/Ballantyne area 

Relationship status: 

Married w/ children & the suburbia-required yellow lab

What did you eat today? 

Broccoli cheddar quiche, bacon & rye toast w/ tea for breakfast & lunch was a boring ham sammie on wheat w/ Italian peppers & mayo – oh, and a tiny sliver of “no sugar added” apple pie from The Fresh Market (I’m a type 1 diabetic)

Dear La Unica, I Cheated On You

Dear La Unica,

I cheated on you.  Mi amor, mi vida, you know you are the only one for me.  But I am just a man.  A man who can be tempted by rumors of a better salsa verde. 

Estamos en el Sud, amor, we are in The South.  Here you are a rarity, truly La Unica.  Pero the other night a whisper floated to my ear.  A whisper I now know was El Diablo himself.  The trickster told me of a fine salsa verde to be had just down the street from you, DIOS! Yo se, I know, chipis, que barbaridad.  Pero the poisoned words of El Diablo sunk into my brain and the next thing I knew I was in my car.  

Her name is Taqueria Mexico.  I met her at 9 on Tuesday night on South Blvd.  

For posterity

[revised, re-posted]

Okay people.  I need your help.  Early on in the life of this blog (circa last month) I told you about Rebecca Federman, the librarian at the New York Public Library who is in charge of the largest public menu collection in America.  In watching her video she says that she wouldn’t ever refuse a menu.  Hmmmm…never refuse a menu you say?  This translates in my brain to “Send me some menus, STAT”.  So here’s the deal…

I’d like to assemble maybe 15 menus that say something about Charlotte NC and environs.  I’d like to keep it confined to restaurants that have been around for a while, institutions, if you will, that really speak to Charlotte history/culture.  Please give me some ideas.  I’m currently considerng the following:

1. The Waffle House ;)
2. Price’s Chicken Coop
3. The Coffee Cup
4. Green’s Lunch Mert’s
5. Something to do with Johnson & Wales (not really historical but it makes sense?)
6. Something to do with the Panthers
7. Bank of America Corporate Dinning Room (if that even exists)
8. Ditto Wachovia (possibly more historically significant)
9. South 21 Drive-in
10. Gus Sir Beef
11. The Emerald Beef n’ Bottle (thanks Lell)
12. Bill Spoon’s Barbeque
13. Fenwick’s
14. Carpe Diem
15. Alexander Michael’s

So lemme have it folks.  Please post some suggestions/objections.  Thanks.

[Keep 'em comin' people, that's why the re-post]

Swine a lot

I’ve been seeing so much interesting pork around lately, here’s a sampling:

Fat is flavor – Making headcheese at home (video), curing guanciale at home, throwing a BLT party with bacon ice cream for dessert…yeah.  This blog is my favorite of the moment, trust me, it goes way beyond pork, check it out.

Porchetta - This take out eatery is serving only it’s namesake (plus a couple sides).  Think piggy in a blanket where piggy=loin and blanket=belly.  The website tells you nothing so see the review at Serious Eats

 

Bacon Salt – Vegetarian AND Kosher?  Go figure.

 

The BBQ Song – You’ll either want to sing along or have an aneurysm.