Todd Kliman, food and wine editor
• Tom Scocca is pissed–pissed!–that it takes a long time to caramelize onions, and demands an answer. Layers of Deceit
• The Romantic poets didn’t just booze it up and take opium. They ate. Interestingly, ravishingly, complainingly. The Diets of the Romantic Poets
• Hey, Washington chefs: Think you’re so clever, with your sudden, lip-smacking embrace of the farmhouse and all things retro? Chef Thomas Rode Anderson believes the past 12,000 years to be a nutritional mistake and has built his Copenhagen restaurant around the ascetic tenets of the paleolithic period: no dough, no refined sugars, no dairy. Fast-food restaurant inspired by “caveman diet” to open in Copenhagen
Ann Limpert, food and wine editor
• Jason Kessler, Bon Appetit’s resident Andy Rooney, takes aim at the ever-noxious world of flavored liquors, which has grown to include vodkas accented with marshmallow, bubblegum, and worst of all, peanut butter and jelly. Suddenly, Stoli Razberi doesn’t sound so awful, but I’m with Kessler: “My favorite flavor of whiskey is whiskey.” I’m Sick of Flavored Liquor
• On a related end-of-civ note, it’s Buffalo-wing soda, everybody! Crazy Sodas Taste Test
• A few weeks ago the New York Times let us into the world of artist Mike Geno, whose studio is crammed with gorgeous oil paintings of jelly doughnuts and bacon strips. Now, Buzzfeed shines the light on Nathan Shields, who is turning pancake batter into intricate sea urchins, saxophones, and . . . intestinal tracts (paging the Activia ad folks). The Coolest Pancakes You Will Ever See
Jessica Voelker, online dining editor
• New Mother’s Day tradition: Reading Tom Junod’s James Beard-approved essay about having a culinarily challenged mom. I don’t mean to imply that my own beloved mother isn’t a whiz in the kitchen, but let’s just say my affection for the restaurant world developed at a very young age. My Mom Couldn’t Cook
• Had I known, I never would have ordered oatmeal for breakfast: CNN’s Eatocracy says May 11 was National Eat What You Want day. National Eat What You Want Day
• In the Washington Post, Jason Wilson details the ultimate amenity for cocktail geeks. At the James Hotel, guests can partake of an “in-room mixology experience.” No baby bottles for the James–there are full-size bottles of premium spirits on hand, and guests can call downstairs for mixers like ginger beer, fresh mint, and Lillet Blanc. It’s like Leaving Las Vegas for fancy people. Not your average mini-bar at the James Hotel
Sophie Gilbert, associate arts editor
• Personally, I think it’s kind of gross to see what candidates are forced to eat on the campaign trail, especially when the foods are phallic in shape. Remember Michele Bachmann and the corndog at the Iowa State Fair? That said, President Obama is obviously in pretty good shape, and he works out, so give the man a break if he wants a hot dog every now and again. In Defense of the Junk Food Photo-Op
• I taught my husband to make a soufflé once, and now he’s so thrilled with his manly kitchen prowess, he’s apt to offer one at any occasion. They are surprisingly satisfying to make, so take a gander at some of the oddball options in this NPR piece. Power Puff: Flex Your Culinary Muscle With a Souffle
Anna Spiegel, assistant food and wine editor
• In case you need cooking inspiration, courtesy of the Awl. How to Make Bogman’s Weedseed Gruel (Without Being a Bogman)
• On the infographic front, Grub Street takes a hard look at life post-Food Network show. What Really Happens for People Who Appear on Next Food Network Star?
• And because it’s Monday and we can all use a little humor on a rainy day: Bad Photoshops of Famous People Eating Jumbo Slice
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
