Duff Clears the Air on the End of ACE

Despite its local pedigree I've never been what I would call a devoted – or even casual – Ace of Cakes viewer. Nothing against Duff Goldman and Co. but I'm not much of a "cake guy". I don't bake 'em and unless it's my wife's amazing chocolate cake or carrot cake I can pretty much walk by without so much as a sniff. So a show devoted to making monstrously clever cakes wasn't really in my wheelhouse.

But I have to admit that I felt bad for Goldman last week when news of Ace's "cancellation" by The Food Network trickled out via sites like TMZ. (I bet Duff never expected he'd be making news on the infamous gossip site when the show started back in 2006.)

My impression had always been that the show was among the network's more popular offerings and it seemed they never spared any expense to promote the show or opportunity to showcase Goldman and his infectious personality on other network properties (Next Food Network Star, The Best Thing I Ever Ate).

To me, the news seemed more like a new beginning for Goldman than the end of anything and an article in today's Baltimore Sun confirmed my suspicions.

In an interview with Sun tv writer David Zurawik, Goldman confirms that he has three shows in development with Food Network, including one about the opening of a West Coast version of Charm City Cakes in 2011. Hopefully, at least one of the other two concepts has Goldman sharing more of his obvious enthusiasm and passion for food, not just cake.

No fan of shows like TLC's knock-off Cake Boss, Duff says that he's happy that Ace – whose final season will start airing in January – gets to go out while people still view them as the best of a "catty" field.

"I think it's really cool that we're going out on a high note while we still have some respectability in a genre that is saturated with stupid people yelling at each other."

What Are Your Most Used Cookbooks?

What are the most used cookbooks in your kitchen? Not your favorites, not the ones you think are "best" or look good on the shelf when your foodie friends come over, but the ones that you go back to over and over again.

I'll have to give this some thought and update the post later with my list. It's tough, though, because the majority of our cooking tomes are still packed in boxes five years after our last move and I find myself using the internet more than ever when it comes to menu planning and recipe hunting.

In the meantime, check out the web article that started me down this path in the first place... What's Cookin writer Gregory Dal Piaz on his 7 Most-Used Cookbooks.

FOOD COURT: Suit Gives New Meaning to Arti-CHOKE

A Miami doctor is suing a restaurant for failing to explain to him the proper way to eat an artichoke. A native Cuban, doctor Arturo Carvajal ordered a grilled artichoke special and proceeded to eat the whole leaf, including the tough, brittle and sharp outer leaves. This led to abdominal discomfort and, according to the suit, "loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life".

South Park Skewers Foodies, The Food Network, Food Porn and More

Did you watch SOUTH PARK's skewering of foodies, The Food Network, celeb chefs and food porn the other night? I thought it had its moments but wish they'd gone further with their parody of the network and its stars. Great Gordo impression by Cartman, though.

If you missed it – or just wanted to see Randy getting intimate with his cooking again – you can watch the full episode at South Park Studios.

More Drink Ideas for Your Thanksgiving Table

Yesterday I posted a link to some high-powered thinking liquor drinks to get you through the passive-aggressive dysfunction better known as Thanksgiving. If liquor and you don't mix or the idea of some relative doing the technicolor yawn in your bedroom after a few too many Old Fashioned's isn't your idea of a good time, maybe it'd be best to stick with beer and wine for the feast.

Personally, THG's childhood Turkey Day meals evoke memories of my Dad saying the prayer and toasting the family with tiny glasses of tomato juice. Our crammed dining room table – used once or twice a year – apparently never had the room for actual drink glasses and it became an annual tradition to see who would eventually crack under the pressure of all that turkey, stuffing and other starchy foods and pry themselves from their chair in order to get a glass of water.

Good times, good times.

Anyway, here are suggestions about some pinot noirs and other wines to pair with your bird as well as a beers that will go with every course of the holiday meal.

Colbert Talks Four Loco and Cheese

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Thought for Food - C-Zurrrre, Medal of Hunger Winner & Cheesercize
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Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

FOOD COURT: Have it Your F*%king Way!

I don't usually read the messages on my receipts after I go to the store or fast food joint. And when I do it's always some lame survey or coupon.

But after reading this story about Burger King employees being fired for printing "Fuck You!" not once but twice on a receipt, I think I'll pay closer attention.

The ballsiest part? It was an order to be eaten in!

FOOD COURT: Councilman Calls Cops on Cupcake Sale

I know this guy thinks he was just following the letter of the law and making America safe for everyone, but what a way to crush a kid's entrepreneurial spirit.

The McRushmore: The Turducken of Fast Food

Any regular reader of THG knows that when it comes to using meat as a condiment, I'm usually on board in a big way.

Hamburger with cheesesteak? Hot dog with pulled pork? Cheeseburger topped with pork roll?

Yes, yes and absolutely.

But even I'm not sure about The McRushmore, a towering concoction of McDonald's "delights" created by some dude named Ernest Wilkins. A Frankenstein-esque melding of a McDonald's chicken sandwich, Filet-O-Fish, Angus Burger and (limited time only offering) McRib, the tower of barnyard proportions clocks in somewhere around 1800 calories or, in other words, what I try and limit my calorie intake to per day.

Why do I expect Louis Fowler to try this any day?

FOOD COURT: Sebastian Bach Bites Hand That Gets Him Liquored Up

I've always been sorta bemused by Sebastian Bach. Though I never really listened to Skid Row – they always seemed like a teen-metal act to me – he was always great on talk shows and his guest appearances on The Gilmore Girls tickled me to no end. But he always struck me as the kinda guy who was always on the verge of doing something crazy... like biting the hand of a wine bar owner.

Thanksgiving Drinks

The Thanksgiving holiday is a little more than a week away. Have you started planning your menu yet? If not, perhaps some high-powered Thanksgiving thinking liquor is in order...

Mmmmm, Church Beer

While this isn't quite as awesome as Church Brew Works – the former Roman Catholic Church in Pittsburgh that was sold and turned into a brew pub – but I like the idea of tapping into the dual concepts of drinking and charity.

Martha Stewart on Colbert

What happens when Martha Stewart (1 of 6 children) and Stephen Colbert (1 of 11!) compare notes on braunschweiger, Wonder Bread and mayo-based cheap eats? Watch and learn...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Martha Stewart
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Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election March to Keep Fear Alive

Decomposing Hamburgergate Update

There's been a lot of chatter on the interwebs lately about the alleged McDonald's burger that refuses to decompose. I suppose this experiment is to show us that fast food isn't good for us (um, duh!) but it also brings up questions as to whether the same thing would happen to a burger you made at home.

Serious Eats (by way of Boing Boing) tackles this hot topic.

McRib Roundup

When I pulled into the McDonald's parking lot for an after-school lunch with my daughter last week I was pleasantly surprised to see signs touting the McRib Sandwich hanging in the window.

Not because I'm some huge fan of the sandwich who feels the need to use the McRib Locator (an actual site whose map currently looks like one of those Zombie Outbreak graphics from a horror flick), but simply due to the fact that even THG needs a break from the monotonous fast food cycle of burger-chicken-fish.

Frankly, I can't even remember the last time I had a McRib, with its boneless, pressed pork patty, tangy bbq sauce and interesting mix of raw onion and pickle. And while it certainly won't rival the Burger King Ribs for most surprisingly tasty fast food item I've had this year, it's also not some sort of culinary monstrosity heralding the end of civilization as we know it.

Since the McRib – referred to by one site as the elusive Bigfoot of McDonald's sandwiches – is back for a limited time, here's a brief roundup of articles, posts, videos and more that I'm sure we'll be adding to as the limited-time offering runs its course...

• Luke Thompson captures his first McRib experience on video (GeekWeek)
  
• Scientist responsible for process that made McRib possible inducted into Meat Industry Hall of Fame (Journal Star)
• McRib Twitter search results range from snarky to cult-like (Twitter)
• What odd American food product launch would be complete without Stephen Colbert weighing in on the topic? (Food Beast)
• Did you know the McRib was relaunched in 1994 as a tie-in with the movie THE FLINTSTONES? (You Tube)

Have a link you'd like us to add? Post a comment below or e-mail us.

Costco Cheese Blamed for E Coli Outbreak

If you're a reader in the western United States you might want to pay attention to this one. Turns out a raw milk gouda sold at Costco has been blamed for an outbreak of E. coli in California, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.