No Foolies... Hungover Gourmet Returns to Print with Fall 2013 Issue!

I wanted to post this earlier this week but hesitated for fear that it would be laughed off as an April Fool's joke.

Despite what it said atop issue #11 – published back in 2009 – that will no longer be "The Final Issue" of The Hungover Gourmet: The Journal of Food, Drink, Travel and Fun!

We're currently accepting submissions for issue #12: The Return of The Hungover Gourmet and are looking for...

• capsule restaurant reviews for our 'For Those Who Are Fussy About Their Food' section (250-300 words max with 0-5 star rating);
• snack, beverage, fast food, frozen food reviews (250-300 words max);
• articles in the 1200-2500 word range (anything from cooking techniques and explorations of new gadgets to travel roundups, winery visits, food taste tests, etc.);
• recipes;
• photo essays;
• food/drink/travel-related zine, book, tv, movie reviews.

Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2013 with an anticipated street date of mid-November. That gives you the whole spring and summer to get your thinking caps on, get out and eat fun and interesting food, fire up the grills, grow veggies and share it all with the world. Or, at least, our small but enthusiastic readership.

All contributors receive a complimentary copy of the issue. In addition, we'll be holding a Hungover Gourmet Photo Contest with the winning photo gracing the cover! More details to come...

Have ideas? Want to contribute? Email me or touch base with me via our Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Article Roundup: I Hate Winter Edition

About a week ago my wife and I started talking about the potential storm that was due to pass over our area on the coming Tuesday and Wednesday. In other words, yesterday.

Despite an ever-wavering forecast that seemed to call for a little snow, rain, freezing rain, sleet, chubby rain, a lotta snow and – in some forecasts – nothing, we were both pretty convinced the Baltimore area wouldn't be lucky enough to get another free pass from Mother Nature.

So it came as little surprise that yesterday morning's slushy inch had turned into a thoroughly inconvenient three inches and that the evening's forecast was shaping up to be a doozy. With my better half stranded at work, the sitter unable to get here and a three-year-old who decided that hanging on the arm of Daddy's chair was the best place to be... all day... what should have been a busy work day turned into a day of reading articles and posting snarky links on our Twitter feed and Facebook page.

In case you missed them (and, shame on you if you did), here's a roundup:

• Next time you're in the mood for seven hamburgers from the Golden Arches just go for the Cheesecake Factory's Grilled Shrimp and Bacon Club instead. Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you The Worst Sandwiches in America.
• Everybody thinks "cheesesteak" when anyone mentions Philadelphia's culinary contributions, but any good DelVal resident knows that the really best sandwich in the City of Brotherly Lunch is the roast pork. Reliable sources tell me DiNic's in Reading Terminal Market is the way to go and Serious Eats' A Sandwich a Day seems to back up that claim.
• Every fast food joint has some kind of "dollar" or "value" menu featuring cheap eats. What I didn't realize was that so many people had strong opinions about what were the best things on those menus.
• If the term "food porn" gets tossed around long enough somebody is going to make, well, a food porn. This flick has been the subject of some controversy after the owner of the food truck used as a set claimed ignorance that a porn was being shot in his kitchen and food prep area. Needless to say the controversy has only brought more attention to the flick and you can get in on the fun with an essay contest.
• Slow food movement? Childhood obesity in the news? Bad weather? Apparently none of these things can slow down McDonald's, which posted 5% worldwide growth in the fourth quarter.
• I'm all for Wal-Mart introducing healthier foods, selling fresh produce, etc. But when I go to Wal-Mart and shop, that's not what I see in people's grocery carts. I see crap and I fear this quote can be applied to the vast majority of Wal-Mart grocery shoppers: "Honestly, I don't know what a trans fat is, but everybody says that's why I'm so fat... Why do they sell it to me if it's bad for me? Aren't foods supposed to be checked or something?"
• The recent controversy over the ingredients in Taco Bell food has stirred up an interesting debate. Namely, what are we expecting from food that costs 89 cents? ABC News poses the question, "Do We Ask Too Much from Fast Food?" ... and gets some interesting answers.
• We all know about the "secret" lingo used to order the variety of offerings at In-N-Out. But did you know you can walk into some McDonald's outlets and order a McGangbang or Sex in a Sandwich? The Guelph Mercury looks at how social media is helping create extreme menu item crazes.
• What's worse than being attacked by a gang of adolescents? When the little bastards pour your bottle of vodka over your head.
• A thief at a Philadelphia-area Whole Foods must have thought the gentle hippies who work there wouldn't notice him pocketing $200 worth of meat. Doesn't he know they probably all ran cross country in high school?

Got a tip for The Hungover Gourmet? Drop us a line via editor@hungovergourmet.com or contact us via our Twitter feed or Facebook page. Till next time, stay warm and cheers!

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.

Does It Hit the Spot? Reviews Taco Bell's Cantina Tacos

Did I expect these to be any good? Not really. Am I still gonna try 'em? Yeah, probably. Though the line "like eating cardboard with lime and hot sauce" does give me pause. Check out the review at Does It Hit the Spot?

Wednesday Roundup

Lotsa food and drink stuff in the news lately and not enough time to cover each and every thing in depth. So here's a quick roundup of stories that have been piquing The Hungover Gourmet's interest...

• The Senate Finance Committee is looking into a tax on vending machines, cigarettes and liquor in the hopes of finding a mix of tax increases to pay for a health overhaul. Proponents of the plan suggest slapping a $2 tax on a pack of cigarettes and a higher excise tax on alcohol. Taxing junk food, alcohol and tobacco could raise $600 billion over 10 years.
• I'm on record as a big fan of the fish tacos at Rubio's, the California fast-food taco chain. Their fish tacos make other quick fix Mexican fare pale in comparison so I was surprised they were branching out with the first ground beef menu offering in their history. I was even more surprised that the new All-America Taco features a flour tortilla wrapped around a char-grilled, beef patty seasoned with spices, topped with melted American cheese, salsa fresca, smoky garlic-chipotle mayonnaise, a jalapeno pepper and lettuce. I'm thinking Rubio's should stick to their awesome fish tacos.
• Speaking of fish tacos, I might be heading over to Baja Fresh today to try their new Taco Trio, a taco platter featuring a grilled shrimp taco, a grilled mahi mahi taco and a crispy mahi mahi taco.
• Both Popeye's and Kentucky Fried Chicken have had unfortunate PR issues in recent weeks when the establishments ran out of chicken and could not/would not honor publicized promotions.
• One person who does not seem to have been affected by the chicken shortage is producer/musician and now food blogger P Diddy (aka Puff Daddy, Sean Combs, Diddy, etc). While in the studio earlier this year Diddy decided to review the fried chicken offerings from the rival establishments. You can check out the video below:

The Name's Bacon. James Bacon.

We all know about 007's love for fast cars, hot babes and potent cocktails. But current Bond series star has slightly more down home tastes. According to a post on the awesome blog Bacon Today, Craig insisted on having bacon sarnies from the UK while filming QUANTUM OF SOLACE in Italy.

A bacon sarnie, also known as a bacon butty in the UK or pigwich in Australia, is a variant on the American BLT. Just without the healthy (L & T) parts.

Get in the Spirit with Frankenmallows

Gotta love these fun looking Halloween treats that look like Frankenstein but are made from popsicle sticks, marshmallows, pretzels and melted chocolate.

Not interested in a tasty, candy treat? Looking for something a little grosser for your Halloween dinner party? Try these Bloody Eyeballs!

Summer Means Tuna Mac Salad

When I think about summer from my childhood one of the dishes that immediately comes to mind is tuna-macaroni salad and I've totally been having a hankering.

My mom's was pretty straightforward... elbow macaroni, tuna, celery, onion, mayo, salt and pepper. She would make a big vat of it and we'd have it as a side with everything from fried chicken and hamburgers to fish sticks. But the best was coming in from a late night out and finding some still in the fridge. Many was the night I sat in the dark at our kitchen table eating away.

Nice to see I'm not alone in my love of this simple but homey dish. SlashFood has an article about it and while green onions would never fly in Mama T's recipe, I'm glad to see they kept it simple.

I actually had Chris pick up some celery at the grocery store the other day so I could make a batch for the weekend. But I told her she could supervise the "Mayo Distribution" since I'm frequently accused (and totally guilty) of putting in way too much.

What's your favorite tuna-mac recipe and/or memory?

Louis Cooks Alpha-Male Hot Wings

Some of you may be familiar with good pal Louis Fowler's reviews over at sister site Exploitation Retrospect, his fine work at Bookgasm or his recent appearances in the pages of Carbon 14. Oh, yeah, and when the long-awaited (long-delayed?) THG #11 finally hits the streets you'll be able to revel in his epic feature on... well, you're just going to have to wait till we get closer to publication for more details.

If ya think from all his movie reviews and music posts that Louis is nothing more than a big, cuddly pop culture nut you'd be wrong. Like THG, Louis is nothing if not multi-faceted and would probably trade a night of trashfilm viewing for sitting around the kitchen or grill cooking and eating.

Check out the great DAMAGED 2.0 blog for his recent post about making baked Alpha-Male Hot Wings and putting his girlfriend in her place – the salad place.

Whew, We Did It!

Unlike last November's National Blog Posting Month experiment here and at sister blog Exploitation Retrospect, we actually completed July's food-themed daily blog posting challenge. With a little help from some archived material and delayed posts, that is.

But July is over and August is now upon us. Not sure how long we'll be able to maintain that torrid post-a-day schedule but as long as politicians keep banning fast food and horrible chain restaurants keep closing you can count on THG to be there!

Update on Sustained Seafood and Overfishing

The other day I mentioned a report that NBC Nightly News did regarding what they described as the overfishing of our seas. Frankly, I was only half paying attention to the piece as I was in the middle of feeding Ryan and getting dinner ready for Chris and me.

One thing that did jump out at me was the statistic – teased by Brian Williams and repeated in the piece – that half-a-billion pounds of seafood is fished from our seas every day. While their side was not presented at all in the segment, The National Fisheries Institute has posted their reply to the story on their website.

Great New Source for Area Reviews

I like to get a lot of opinions on a restaurant before I decide whether or not to give it a try. Typical "research" might include inquiring on area food groups, tracking down blog posts, and perusing the critical thoughts of critics from the local daily and weekly papers.

In other words, that's a lot of time spent deciding if I want to hit one burger joint over another or selecting a place in the city to meet with a friend for lunch.

Enter Urbanspoon. This new site does a great deal of the legwork for me (and you!) by collecting reviews from pros (like the Baltimore Sun and City Paper) as well as bloggers and the casual eater.

Right now the site has 31 local sections – including LA, NY, Philly, Pittsburgh, Seattle and DC in addition to Charm City – and features an array of widgets and social networking features like Friends, Wishlist, Newsletters and Voting.

I really like Urbanspoon's clean design as well as its user-friendly interface. I've already bookmarked the site and started linking some THG blog posts to its restaurant pages. Check it out, I think you'll dig it.

Charm City Blogger in NY Times

Congrats to Baltimore food blogger Roopa Kalyanaraman for an enthusiastic mention in Mark Bittman's 'The Minimalist' column in the New York Times.

Bittman wrote an interesting article on embracing the microwave ("Shouldn’t you be using it for more than reheating coffee?" he asks) and mentions Roopa's blog, Raspberry & Eggplant. He even comments that "it's a good one" so hopefully that'll translate into some well-deserved traffic and new readers for the blog which focuses on original vegetarian recipes as well as "yummy sweet things".

THG Featured on Food Candy Home Page

It's almost impossible to keep up with all the food communities and discussion boards these days, not to mention the avalanche of blogs devoted to everything from original recipes to junk food.

With all the great content out there to choose from and single out, it's always nice to get featured on one of these sites so I'm pleased to mention that THG is a featured member on the Food Candy home page.

Food Candy takes the social networking aspect of a Facebook or MySpace and gives it a decidedly foodie spin, complete with member-driven content (restaurant reviews, blog syndication, etc.) and exclusive chats with chefs, cookbook authors, restauranteurs, bloggers and more.

And if you take a look at the home page you'll also see Friend of THG Dara Bunjon whose blog Dining Dish is featured on the site, too.

Off to Great Tastes... Hope to See You There

I'm headed off to the Great Tastes Show down at the Tremont Grand in Baltimore. I'll be part of the Food Blogger 101 panel at 3 PM so be sure to stop by for the chatter, grab a back issue of THG and say "hey".

Looking for a Last Minute Gift for Your Valentine?

Flowers and candy are so passé. Why not give the Baltimore-area foodie in your life a ticket to the upcoming Great Tastes culinary event being held Saturday, February 23 at the Tremont Grand down by the Inner Harbor?

A $50 ticket includes: Admission into the Expo, Souvenir Wine Glass, Unlimited Wine Sampling, Gourmet Cooking Demos on the Main Stage, Interactive Seminars on the Demo Stage, and Unlimited Sampling at Tasting Tables. There are also tickets available for Designated Drivers (just $20) as well as tickets to some of the other events being held that day.

One event that doesn't cost extra and you certainly don't want to miss is the Food Blogger 101 Panel featuring nearly a dozen members of the Baltimore food blog universe.

In addition to yours truly you'll get to hear from John (Baltimore Snacker), Xani & Erin (Black Coffee and a Donut), Dara (Dining Dish), Rachel (Coconut and Lime), Andrea (Kitchen Goddess), Kit (Mango & Ginger), Meg (Pigtown-Pigout), Roopa (Raspberry Eggplant) and Jake (Unique Culinary Adventures).

From 3 PM-4 PM we'll be chatting about how our blogs got started, some of the pitfalls and issues of food blogging, and much more. Plus, I'll be bringing free copies of THG back issues so be sure to stop by and say "howdy".

Come On Out to Great Tastes, Meet THG & Other B'more Food Bloggers

I'll be posting more info about this once I get more details, but February 23rd is your chance to come on out to Great Tastes, a cool food and wine show, and get to meet The Hungover Gourmet as well as other Baltimore area food bloggers. From 3:00 to 4:00 that afternoon we'll all be taking part in a panel about food blogging.

I'm not sure exactly who is going to be on the panel but I'm pretty sure John from Baltimore Snacker and Rachel from Food Maven and Coconut & Lime will be there, as well as Dara Bunjon from Dining Dish. (Be sure to read Dara's post about working on an upcoming episode of Steve Raichlen's Barbecue University.)

I haven't done any radio or TV appearances lately (it helps to have a new issue out in order for there to be any publicity) so this should be a fun way to meet some other area food bloggers and get to see the food show. Who knows? Maybe we'll even get to meet Top Chef Mike, who is one of the event's featured chefs/speakers.

Food Network Gives Me a Reason to Tune In

As I've mentioned here before I used to be an avid Food Network viewer. These days, not so much.

I can't turn the channel fast enough when Paula Deen or Rachel Ray pop up and once-reliable hosts like Alton Brown have grown annoying and downright irritating. The great, highly entertaining Iron Chef has been replaced by the decidedly yawn-inducing Iron Chef America and, well, my subterraneanly-low tolerance for anything Bobby Flay-centric is well-documented.

So leave it to the network to bring me crawling back with old episodes of A Cook's Tour, the Food Network series whose companion book I just happen to be finishing.

I'm an admitted Tony-Come-Lately in regards to all things Bourdain. It took me a long time to warm up to the guy and I have to credit the short-lived FOX series Kitchen Confidential for making me see the light. (Note to self: gotta pick up that box set one of these days.)

Nowadays, I'm an avid fan. His Top Chef appearances were the highlight of the season (along with any episode not featuring Gail Whatshername), No Reservations is an entertaining watch, and A Cook's Tour might be my favorite food and travel book of all-time.

So, thanks Food Network. Now, can we do something about getting rid of Diners, Drive-Ins and Douchebags?

Thanks to TVFoodFan for the tip.

Bob Tinnell and the Seven Fishes Book Tour

A couple years ago we wrote about Bob Tinnell's FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES, an excellent tale of friends, family and coming-of-age. Originally published on-line, the comic strip was collected into book form featuring the complete strip as well as treasured family recipes. (Click for our review of the book, an interview with Tinnell and a sample recipe.)

I'm happy to report that the interest in and popularity of FEAST continues. Tinnell now writes a Seven Fishes Blog featuring recipes, family remembrances, Italian Christmas notes and more. A quick read at the blog this morning turned up news that Tinnell is currently on a mini-Feast Tour which will take him to some stores around the mid-Atlantic region. If he's in your area stop by and say "hi" – and tell him THG sent ya. Check out the dates and locations below...

• • 12/9- Borders Books, Erie, Penn.
• • 12/10- Corbo’s Bakery, Cleveland, Ohio
• • 12/10- Jimmy’s Italian Food, Youngstown, Ohio
• • 12/11- Fante’s Kitchenwares Shop, Philadelphia, Penn.
• • 12/11- Vesuvio’s Ristorante, Philadelphia, Penn.
• • 12/12- Ferrara Café, New York City
• • 12/13- La Lanterna Café, New York City
• • 12/14- Boston Beanstock Coffee Co., Boston, Mass.

Phila. Foodie Pairs Wine with Turkey

I often miss Pennsylvania, the state where I went to college, saw many bands and movies, and lived off-and-on for about ten years. Great cities, great food, cool clubs... there are many things to recommend about places like Philly, Doylestown and Pittsburgh.

But one thing I don't miss about PA is its draconian liquor control laws. When I was living there, you had to purchase beer by the case and that was at an authorized beer distributor which usually wasn't open on Sundays. (I hear through the grapevine that some distribs are allowed to be open on Sundays now.) In places like Philly, corner markets were allowed to sell singles and six-packs but your choices there were usually limited to the Buds, Millers, Old Germans, and Knickerbockers of the world. You get the picture.

Want wine or liquor? That required yet another stop, this time at one of the lovely state-run liquor stores (colorlessly known as State Stores). Brightly lit and usually staffed by less-than-helpful employees, it's no wonder many PA residents openly flaunt the laws and drive to New Jersey to shop at specialty liquor stores where the sky's the limit. (I should know. While living in Doylestown it wasn't uncommon for me to drive over to Stockton to visit Phillips' Fine Wines.)

There was one thing I did enjoy about PA's Liquor Control Board, though. They would crank out wine and liquor marketing materials like they were going out of style. Just about every trip (and we're talking about a time in my life when said trips occurred two or three times a week) resulted in some new magazine, handout or chart that would heighten and/or simplify my booze purchases.

In fact, I still have a folder somewhere stuffed with the PLCB's monthly magazine (which always featured drink and appetizer recipes) and charts telling me what wine I should pair with my White Castle hamburgers.

I'm glad to see the PLCB is still at it. Phila. Foodie recently posted this year's version of the chart – luckily, it appears they're not simply recycling past charts – and just in the nick of time. I'm just about ready for Thanksgiving but I haven't had time to make a wine run. In addition to the handy dandy chart (which confirmed my plan to get some Zinfandel), Phila. Foodie added their own picks for specific bottles, most priced under $20.