The Wired Wire
McDreamy now owns Seattle-based Starbucks rival Tully’s Coffee. Next up: A Grey’s spinoff involving the high-stakes world of espresso brewing? [Bon Appétit] —Tanya Pai
Foodie Follies
Three words hipsters love: Vermont, maple syrup, and terroir. Apparently flavors in the state’s most delicious export range from “fresh butter” to “leather.” [Slate] —Sophie Gilbert
“I thought wet almonds would be terrible, but I was completely wrong about that. I don’t know how to live!” A very funny article about following the Gwynnie diet. [New York] —Jessica Voelker
Soliciting Trouble
The manager of Bourbon Steak is being sued for allegedly forcing female customers out of the restaurant and calling them “prostitutes” and “ladies of the night.” [Washington City Paper] —SG
McStupid With Cheese
Alliteration-addicted Food Network star Guy Fieri is pretty much just asking for it at this point. Herewith, the 20 most absurd quotes from his new book, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown, which include this gem: “I sucked at making my Yorkshire pudding before getting schooled by Anne. Now they’re puffy McMagic, not flat McTragic.” [Flavorwire]
—Ann Limpert
Critical Mass
Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro knows about alliteration. But it doesn’t know how to handle Redditors. [Mashable] —Marisa Kashino
An important review of Alison Pearlman’s Smart Casual, an examination of the persistent and woefully underexplored Us vs. Them in today’s food world. [Slate] —Todd Kliman
Food for Thought
Why is that mass-produced chocolate bar so damn tasty? “Exploiting the taste bud: the industrial science behind creating irresistible food.” [Splendid Table] —Shane Harris
Wait—whoopie pies WEREN’T invented by the Pennsylvania Dutch? That sound you hear is the sound of my illusions shattering. [The Salt] —TP
As climate change accelerates, the bread basket will continue its migration north. [Scientific American] —TK
Michael Pollan goes deep into the heart of Carolina barbecue country. [Financial Times] —TK
It’s fashionable among a certain crust of Americans to care about where your chickens come from, and who grew your tomatoes and where, and how that hot young chef ventures out into the countryside to procure his mushrooms. So why doesn’t that curiosity extend to the treatment of restaurant workers, asks Anya Sacharow, in a piece for Time. [Time] —TK
Try This at Home
Have a fear of frying? Julia Moskin demystifies the process of making fried chicken. No deep-fryer, spacious kitchen, or brining necessary. [New York Times] —AL
Gluten-free desserts from star pastry chefs. [Food & Wine] —JV
Lesson of this article: Gin doesn’t make you sad—that’s what life is for. I can’t get behind a recipe with Rose’s, but the highball sounds good. [NYT] —JV
The Scary Stuff
Potentially carcinogenic bean sprouts and other marvels of China’s food adulteration. [The Atlantic] —MK
More signs of the apocalypse: Taco Bell is debuting a waffle taco. [BuzzFeed] —TP
