Piquant

Alleged: Canine tooth in Chinese food at NYC restaurant

We've all heard the urban legends about Chinese restaurants using pets as ingredients.  And only the truly gullible believe them.

But, Grub Street reports at least at one NYC Chinese restaurant is facing allegations.

“I thought it was my tooth at first, and then I realized that it definitely was not mine,” Holliday says. “I was confused as to what it was because it definitely did not look human, so I brought the tooth to my dentist. He told me that it was a canine’s tooth,” she admits. “I was shocked,” she says.

Local Claims Canine Tooth In Chinese Food [Wave]

Eww.

18th annual Raspberry Festival this weekend

Cottonwood, ID -- The 18th Annual Raspberry Festival will be held Sunday, August 1, at the Monastery of St. Gertrude (465 Keuterville Road). 

A benefit for the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude, this family-oriented event features activities for the whole family, including a fun run and walk, car show, arts and crafts fair, kids carnival, quilt show, live entertainment, cultural demonstrations and raspberry products. The day’s activities kick off with the 10K Fun Run (6.2 miles) or 5K walk (3.1 miles) at 8 am. The course begins at the Museum and takes runners and walkers over a pleasant, paved road to Keuterville and back.

The quiet country road offers views of the Seven Devils mountains, the Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area, the Salmon River breaks and the Camas Prairie, making it one of the most scenic runs/walks in Idaho.

Registration begins at 7 a.m. and includes a t-shirt and post-race refreshments. Register online at www.signmeup.com/69524. A hearty Pancake Breakfast will be served outside the Museum, 8-10 am, featuring pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. Festival attendees can shop the arts and crafts fair, where more than 40 vendors have handicrafts and other homemade items on display.

Check out the classic Show ‘n’ Shine car show in the parking lot, the quilt show in Spirit Center and kids carnival on the shady lawn.

New this year, the Raspberry Rendezvous will feature muzzle loading, historical costumes and cultural demonstrations.

The centerpiece of the festival is lunch, with BBQ beef sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and Raspberry Shortcake served in the high school gym next door. Eat in the gym with your friends and enjoy live entertainment, or take your lunch outside to sit in the grass and people watch.

The 18th Annual Raspberry Festival is dedicated to Sr. Wilma Schlangen (1915-2010). Sr. Wilma tended the St. Gertrude’s raspberry patch for decades and provided inspiration for the festival.

I love lemon bars!

Fitness magazine proves less is indeed lusciously more with these lemon bars.

The recipe makes sixteen 100-calorie bars for a light and refreshing summer dessert that won't wreck your diet.

According to Kerry Neville, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, the butter used in this recipe is better in flavor and health benefits than margarine. 

Additionally, Neville says this recipe uses far fewer eggs for a lighter, healthier bar.

For the recipe, go to Slim Lemon Bars at www.fitnessmagazine.com.

Cheese and Beer Class at Stinky Brooklyn

Don't know what to serve with your stout? Let the cheese-perts at Stinky Brooklyn show you how now.

Stinky offers a class and tasting of six beers with six cheeses.  See why these two ancient staples were made for each other.

• Saturday July 31, 2010
• One o'clock
• Stinky Bklyn 261 Smith Street Brooklyn, USA
• $25 Dollars per person

Seating is limited. Call 718.522.7425 for reservations.

What's for dinner: bay scallops and pasta

Oro Bar owner teams to open Lafayette Espresso

Dorina Yuen,  owner of Oro, a cafe and wine bar in NoLIta, has partnered with Christiane Celle, French photographer Antoine Verglas and Judy Tan to open Lafayette Espresso Bar and Marketplace.

Located at 189 Lafayette Street  (cross street Broome), the new cafe will serve made-to-order juices, espresso and drip coffee brewed to order, as well as sandwiches and salads.  Also featured will be a range of locally sourced artisanal food products such as Brooklyn Brine pickles, Anarchy in a Jar preserves, vegan Cavemen Cookies and homemade granola.

  Celle is the founder of the Calypso clothing stores and owner of the Clic galleries. She is married to  Verglas.

Win a free va-cay!

Relive your “Family Vacation Mishap" on Facebook an you could win a stay at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort.

Join The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TheKingandPrince

Post on their wall about your funny misadventure and you may win a 2 night stay in an oceanfront villa (sleeps 5)!

Winners announced August 13.

Fairy bread

I love whimsical food.

This fairy bread from Fuss Free Cooking is now my go-to breakfast food.  What could be tastier with my morning coffee than bread, nutella and candy sprinkles?  

I'm sure there could be a healthier breakfast - but none so adorable and delightful.

Flower-shaped, no less!

Thomas Keller to open Bouchon at Rockefeller Plaza

It's official.

The press release is out.  Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery is opening Spring 2011 in the space occupied by high end grocer Dean & DeLuca  

The NY Times' Florence Fabricant reported last week on Keller's venture at 1 Rockefeller Plaza,  slated to open in March. 

Keller’s newest Bouchon Bakery in NYC will offer classic French-Boulangerie fare but without the restaurant component. There will be no table service.

"Rockefeller Center is such an iconic area of Manhattan, full of history and one of the great epicenters of the city," Keller said. "The team and I are very excited to make Bouchon Bakery a part of this dynamic locale, giving us the ability to share our work with even more New Yorkers and visitors.”

Sebastien Rouxel, Executive Pastry Chef of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, will oversee the bakery’s pastry menu while Tiffany Jones, Chef de Cuisine of the Time Warner Center Bouchon Bakery Café, will supervise the execution of savory selections.

Bouchon Bakery Rockefeller Center menu options will include a wide variety of sandwiches, soups and salads along with a selection of viennoiseries or yeasted pastries. On the sweeter side, a variety of both classic and seasonal tarts, cookies and traditional French confections will be offered. All items will be available for take away for guests on-the-go or to be enjoyed on premise.

Keller's other Bouchon Bakery locations are in Yountville, CA,  and Las Vegas.  

Desperately seeking food trucks

 One of the things I so desperately miss about living in Brooklyn are food trucks. Simple, fresh food trucks.

Sure, I love the gourmet wagons.  What's not to love about Van Leeuwen's artisanal ice cream or Wafels& Dinges - except the cost? 

But what I really miss are the ladies who roll their carts loaded with hot homemade tamales. And the taco trucks.
Since Durham's Latino population is larger than the state percentage by double, you wouldn't think I'd have trouble finding my comida.

Okay, I'm slow. I like to take my time about stuff - at least some stuff.

So, after driving past Super Taqueria (2842 N Roxboro St, Durham, NC 27704) about a bazillion times this past year, I finally stopped in. Good things are definitely worth the wait.

One word: fresh. Make that two words: flavorful. Did I mention cheap eats?

Get the tacos de pastor and have fun with the salsa bar (although it reminds me of oddly enough of a 70s salad bar - not its offerings, just the set-up).

For those who enjoy a venture into the brave unknown, there are tacos stuffed with variety meats - lengua (tongue) and tripa (tripe).