As every loyal reader of this blog knows, I love watching Man vs. Wild on Discovery. I consider Bear Grylls one of my fave TV personalities, and having spent some time with him, I can assure you that he is as charming and self-effacing in real life as he is on camera. And he’s the real deal, a ballsy outdoorsman and survivalist.

But this story is disturbing: The Hollywood Reporter is sending shockwaves through the community that I swim in. I can tell you that we wrestle with the same issues as mentioned in the HR piece on our show, Bizarre Foods, and we have continued to hold fast to our commitment never to fake or stage a scene or to say we have eaten something that we haven’t or been somewhere we haven't been. M v. W only works because of the idea of ‘genuine jeopardy’ that the host is placed in at all times. If that notion is ever forsaken and M v. W is only wild some of the time, or even mostly wild, then it’s a piece of fakery, spun and marketed to achieve maximum exposure. I hope that Grylls turns out to be all wild, all the time, and that if anyone high-tailed it back to a warm tent somewhere it was his crew and not him. If this story goes anywhere, I’ll let you know.

No shock here. A few weeks ago I hosted a premiere party for No Reservations, the Catherine Zeta-Jones remake of a German film about an accomplished chef and her changing life-course when her orphaned niece comes to live with her. Mpls.St.Paul and FM 107 cohosted the event with me. We had some lengthy film discussion over the next few days here on this blog, with readers submitting some fabulous posts on food-friendly movies. Sara Dickerman is one of my favorite writers, and here’s her Slate take along with a slideshow!

Popular Science comes out with a shockingly cool gadget list every so often that I drool over. PS’s hot-gadgets list this month is no exception, and the mesh wi-fi system, the new JVC HD camcorder, and the GPS watch are high on my list of must-haves these days.

Looking to shock your friends with your awesome online digital skills? Animax Entertainment developed a user-generated mash-up contest for ice-cream maker Dippin' Dots. Users can go online and utilize a Flash-based tool to create a short featuring the Dippin' Dots mascot, Packy, for a chance to win cash and prizes. The deadline to enter is August 14.

Shocking food! Is it true that lamb brains are on the menu at Saffron?? Holy crap, that’s awesome!

I got a great e-mail last week from Claire in Cottage Grove, asking me what she could do with all her raspberry preserves. I went trolling through my recipe bin and pulled out this favorite that I had not cooked in two years. It still rocks, and despite the obvious knocks (calories, baking-takes-time lament, etc.), this is one fabulous recipe to have in your arsenal. It can be made with any flavored preserves, preferably homemade . . .

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cake
2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. plus 2 T. sugar
12 T. butter, softened
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. sour cream
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 t. almond extract

Filling
1/2 lb. softened cream cheese
3 oz. crumbled almond paste (marzipan)
3 T. sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c. raspberry preserves
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Butter a 10-inch spring-form pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare cake batter by combining the flour, sugar, and butter with a pastry cutter until softly crumbled. Scoop out a generous cup of this mixture and set aside. Stir in the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the sour cream, egg yolk, almond extract, and egg. Spread batter into pan.

Combine the almond paste and cream cheese. Add the sugar and egg. Drop filling over the batter by spoonfuls.

Drop spoonfuls of preserves over the filling, then scatter the reserved cup of flour mixture over the preserves and top with the almonds. Bake for 40–45 minutes until center is light and the edges are golden brown.

Cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the rim of the pan. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Bad: Grant Achatz says he has been diagnosed with an advanced-stage of carcinoma of the mouth. Grant is the chef at Chicago’s Alinea restaurant, an eatery that for the last two years has been, to my mind, the most important restaurant in the country. My meals at Alinea have been nothing short of revelatory, and Grant’s cuisine is, for me, the perfect blend of classical and experimental. Achatz, the winner of the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef award for the Great Lakes region this last year, also won the foundation's Rising Star Chef award in 2003. I am sure that everyone will send their good vibes to Grant and his family.

Good: Doug Flicker fans eager to sample something with more meat on the bone than the current menu fare at Mission American Kitchen can call or visit Mission's website to make reservations for Doug’s new chef’s dinners that are being offered on weekends. This is great news for the food obsessed . . . like me.

Sad and Bad: CNN International bureau reported last night that Mexican farmers are tilling under the agave cacti that they have planted in large quantities over the last three to five years to make high-end tequilas for the growing demand here and abroad (the cacti take six years to mature). And guess what? They are planting corn in those old cactus fields in order to supply ethanol plants, cashing in on the high prices on maize. And guess where they are selling most of it??? Right here in America, where we are subsidizing American farmers to grow corn at a staggering rate . . . but now our government will be double-dipping, and soon the American farmer will be getting hosed just like so many other subsidized American businesses who eventually get undercut by imports (aquaculture was one), proving once again that no one in Washington knows what they are doing.

Good and Glad: Some media inside stuff that I find fascinating . . . . CNN's YouTube debates brought in the intended younger 18–34 demo. A total of 407,000 young folks tuned in—a record for the demo for a debate televised on cable news. The telecast averaged 2.6 million viewers overall, according to Nielsen, placing it just behind CNN's June 3 Democratic debates in New Hampshire (which averaged 2.8 million viewers.) That’s a cool thing.

NBC Digital Entertainment announced new digital extensions for its fall line up of new and returning shows last week. Highlights include:

Bionic Woman – A weekly "anatomy of a scene" feature will go behind the scenes and show users how scenes are filmed using camera tricks, special effects, and other secrets. 

Chuck – Chuck's "brain" will host hotspots that reveal top-secret government information and bonus videos. NerdHerdHelp.com will host additional exclusive content.

Journeyman – Look for an interactive online video timeline, an online trivia quiz, and "then" and "now" photos.

Life – Fans will be able to further investigate Billy's conspiracy wall as he learns more about who put him behind bars. Users will also enjoy Billy's online "Zen Guide To Life."

30 Rock – Kenneth the Page will give users a tour of NBC and "TGS" ("The Girly Show").  Frank will also blog from the writer's room.

Deal or No Deal – Fans will catch up with their favorite winners and see how they spent their winnings through a web-exclusive series that follows up and tracks past contestants.

Las Vegas – A "making of" Production Video Diary that will give users a behind-the-scenes look at everything from the racy costume department to set design.

Why is this news, as any TV insider knows that everyone is creating massive video and film commitments available online? Because guys like Joost cofounder Niklas Zennstrom said at a press event in Estonia that the P2P TV-sharing service he owns has attracted more than one million beta testers. Joost will launch by December, and when it does, it will bring a flood of competition. By March 2008, you will be able to download TV and film with ease and watch TV from any PC with the right hardware/software, even from your own cable provider. The huge investments that traditional media companies are making is staggering.

Sad and Bad: Anyone wanting to read more about food and fuel issues and rising prices all across the board should check out this Texas NBC affiliate looking at supply issues and the rising cost of dairy.

With so many restaurants opening and closing, articles like this pop up all over the net. I know that Lessley was writing something fluffy and tongue-in-cheek on Chow, but it does raise some bigger issues.

I know it’s unpopular to many who think that we can ignore the obvious and shouldn’t talk about the 500-pound gorilla in the room, but many restaurants open and you know that it is just a matter of time before they close . . . sad, but true. For example, is anyone going to Temple to eat dinner these days? If they don’t get some bodies in there, it will simply cannibalize Pham's other restaurants from a cash standpoint. When the owner has to go into the kitchen because he fired the chef, it is never a good sign, I don’t care what anyone says. In a healthy restaurant he would hire another quality chef. Send in your suggestions for restaurants that are on life support in one way or another. I’d love to hear your view.

Everyone should check out Adam Platt’s new blog on our website. Adam is my editor, and his ideas and his writing are consistently the best things I read or hear on most subjects. He is coming to the blogging party a tad late—it’s not his ‘thang,’ and he’s got some rules for posting, but trust me, you’ll want to check him out. His Ellison piece is spot-on.

Was I the only one who thought that Joe Biden’s “C’mon, tell the
truth . . . !” pleas at last night’s debate on CNN made for some great TV and earned him some fans? I thought Obama underwhelmed and that Hillary did very well. Richardson even had a decent night, although Edwards looked and sounded like a wussy. Kucinich is a character out of a Grimm Bros. story, and Mike Gravel needs to adjust his meds . . . . All in all, some great entertainment. Especially the questions, which rocked. Big problem, though—they need to let all the candidates answer the questions.

Cindy Sheehan and forty-five of her cohorts were arrested in DC for storming John Conyers's office and demanding impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney begin moving forward immediately. She’s right.

Check out Gourmandia, one of my new web discoveries. It’s haughty, but juicy.

Speaking of web news and notes, here are some real beauts:

A teen was arrested under the suspicion that she put sink sanitizer in the food of three teenagers who ordered at the drive-thru. It makes you wonder what the teen working at the local BK is putting in your burger.

New dining standards are enforced in cafeterias across the nation (those that can afford it, of course). But the saving grace is the hummus. Makes you think twice about what you can do to help out your local Kids Cafe for the upcoming school year.

Leave it to Culinate to bare the solution to the natural peanut butter crisis!

I can’t believe that booze bottle characters are even being ranked, but I vote for the little dude on the Boone’s Farm bottles!

First there were smoking laws, then trans-fat bans, then bottled water bans, and now Seattle is on the cutting edge of some new legislation—making food recycling required. I think our cities' mayors need to come out a little stronger on the fats/water issues, don’t you?

4 large green tomatoes, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1/2 c. fresh goat cheese (chevre)
2 T. minced scallions
1 c. dry bread crumbs
2 beaten eggs
1 c. all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying 

Combine the cheese and scallions. Use your hands to roll the cheese into several large, tablespoon-size clumps. With your palm heel or fingertips, roll one clump at a time into a thin layer between two pieces of wax paper. Place these flattened layers onto half of the tomatoes, then cover each cheese-covered slice with another slice, making little thin sandwiches, pressing down gently.

Dredge tomatoes in flour, then the beaten egg, then the bread crumbs.

On the stove top, heat oil, at a depth of roughly 1/2-inch, to 360 degrees in an electric skillet or deep-sided fry pan. Fry the green tomatoes until browned on both sides. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with the sauce below.

Garden Dipping Sauce
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. minced parsley
1 t. ground white pepper
2 T. minced chives
1 t. Spice Islands Beau Monde seasoning (a killer celery spice blend)

Combine all ingredients and serve with the tomatoes.

Last week, I had dinner at Cut, one of the hottest new restaurants in LA and the brainchild of the Wolfgang Puck organization, whose 20.21 restaurant is one of my fave eateries here in the Twin Cities. Lee Hefter, Puck’s resident food god and the quarterback of his fine-dining restaurant group, has created an incredible menu, a reinvention of the steak house with all the markers of the classic American version put through Puck and Hefter’s prism of Cal-Asian refraction. The service was amazing, a perfect blend of elegant precision and informal passion, the wine list was a delight to the grape juice–heads at our table (the New Zealand Pinot and the high-end, NoCal Cabs to name two), and the eight of us ate our way through the entire menu. We started with two versions of the signature mini Kobe burgers; a gorgeous and tasty duck liver pavé; a tuna tartare and melba crisp construction; steak tartare; heirloom tomato salad with micro herbs and Humboldt Fog chevre; a killer crab Louis; soft shell crabs with roasted pepper sauce; two four-pound lobsters roasted and shelled, served with a black truffle beurre fondue; three types of steak, including pure imported wagyu from Japan; four sauces; four mustards; four sides, including creamed spinach with a fried egg mixed into it; banana crème pie; and the best chocolate soufflé I have eaten since the early 1980s in Lyon.

Speaking of Lee and Wolf, Puck got married on July 7, and Lee shared the menu with me.

Wedding Menu July 7, 2007
Hors d’oeuvres
Prosciutto & salamis
Local cheeses & breads
Passed canapés

Tomato and bread "mille foglie" salad
Tuna carpaccio & bottarga with local olive oil and herbs

Eggplant & lobster ravioli
Filet of chianina beef

Wedding cake

Sounds simple enough, but then again, the cheeses alone were special selections, the fromagorri and affineurs created for the wedding itself, and the cured hams were some of the number-one hams from the attics of Italy's and Spain's best producers. See where I’m going with this? Simple, but perfect. Oh yeah, my spies told me the canapés and hors d’oeuvres were a little over the top as well, from fresh lobster to Beluga 000 caviar. Nice.

Dipping into the mailbag from reader posts on this site, I can tell Reetsy that she needs to buy Giuliano Bugialli’s On Pasta book. It will change her life.

And regards Fugaise, I ate there the third month they opened and then again one day when I had the pleasure of shooting a TV package with Don Saunders, an amazingly kind and talented young chef. I put Fugaise in the top tier of local restaurants, but not in the top three. My top five for food would only be culled from the ranks of LBV, Chambers, Alma, 112, Cosmos, Masa, Vincent, Heartland, Cucina, Oceanaire, Teahouse, Que Nah, Punch (Highland!), Wagner's, my mother-in-law's house, and the cafeteria at Hubbard Broadcasting.

And here’s a note I got from Tor Westgard that should clear up any issues remaining on the table—and I get a sneaky feeling Vlach ends up in the old Carne Asada space. Just a thought.

Mr. Zimmern,

I just read your blog, partly about the Town Talk, and thought I should email you. Maybe I can help alleviate some confusion.

Tim and AJ's new project(s) do not involve Town Talk Diner LLC. They involve New World Hospitality LLC, a separate company owned and operated by Tim Niver, Aaron Johnson and Dan Ritter. They only thing we have in common is that we share some of the same members. I have become the managing partner of the TTD to set up both the TTD and NWH for future success. I will be focusing solely on the TTD for the foreseeable future, while sharing my partners with NWH and their other endeavors. You might consider referring to them as NWH, since the only thing the TTD is doing right now is becoming better at being the TTD.

David Vlach and Tor Westgard were never a part of NWH. We were only ever part of the TTD. I won't speak for NWH, but they have a chef partner already in Dan Ritter. I wish them luck, and I look forward to enjoying a meal at their new space.

As far as David Vlach's departure is concerned, he decided that it was time to take the next step, and I support him in whatever he decides to do. David and I are old friends, and I will miss cooking with him very much. I am very grateful for the time we had to work together. It was an amicable split, and who knows, we may work together again some day.

It continues to give me immense pleasure to help make so many people happy at the TTD. I am excited about the future and the continued development of our restaurant and concept. Please feel free to contact me regarding future projects for the TTD. Have a good day and I hope to see you in our dining room soon.

Here’s the Body Count . . . enriched, this week, with meaningless editorializing to placate the restless hordes who are uncomfy with unadorned numbers.

Corner Table – 10

They had record numbers last week, but reported 10 for this week. Self-reported, I might add. Scott is a class act.

Picosa – 31

A new restaurant with no buzz and no local interest

Aster/Pracna – HUNDREDS!

They had the Life Time Fitness event happening outside their door.

Everyone Happy?

The coming weeks will find our body counters away on vacation, but Body Count will return the first week in August.

According to an e-mail I got on July 13, Town Talk chef David Vlach has announced his departure from the Lake Street restaurant. According to the press release, Vlach will be making an announcement about his next project at some point in the future. Tor Westgard, currently the Town Talk Diner sous chef (and longtime partner), will be the new chef, in addition to his recently transitioned GM duties.

OK, so is the chef's exit and the 86ing of the new TTD pasta-house project a coincidence? E-mails to Vlach and calls to TTD co-owner Tim Niver had gone unanswered until late yesterday, when Niver rang me up. Seeing as how Reetsy and Alexis get all the TTD gossip late night at the bar, I had to readjust my tactics and reach out to the TTD crew for the skinny on the recent news. Why would a chef who is a partner in a successful restaurant leave after such a relatively short run, especially with a new project about to launch? Something was not adding up right. But Niver told me that the partnership was always top-heavy in the management category, and that Vlach, being young and talented, simply took an opportunity to leave and pursue other goals and other challenges.

Niver told me he does not know what Vlach's next project is. As far as the pasta project was concerned, Niver told me that the deal was 90 percent done, and then another opportunity came to the partnership on the St. Paul side of the river. The group decided to move forward with that space and allow the Lake Street pasta project to wither on the vine, a decision made easier after the Lake Street landlord told them that another party was interested in the space and asked the TTD team to make a choice. They did. Wouldn't it make for a great soap opera if Vlach's project was housed in the Lake Street location?

Why am I not sleeping? Because I was watching the news in LA last week and saw a killer KNBC story rehashing the old saw about how ethanol is a tin soldier in the war on our destructive dependence on Middle Eastern oil. It takes a gallon of oil to essentially make a gallon of ethanol, and the corn subsidies that have been playing havoc with our food and health paradigms have served only to line the pockets of Big Ag and the commercial food industry. It reminded me to post this Cool News highlight for you from two weeks ago, something I had been meaning to do for several days now:

"Between 1985 and 2000, the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables increased nearly 40 percent, while the price of soft drinks decreased by almost 25 percent," reports Marian Burros in The New York Times (7/4/07). That's according to a study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, which wants to save family farms and is part of an unlikely alliance of interests aiming at changing America's agricultural policies. Of course, lots of people have long railed against payments made to farmers for growing—or not growing—certain crops. At issue is the so-called "farm bill," which comes up for renewal this year, as it does every half-decade.

Such subsidies date back to the Great Depression, when the intent was to support family farms. But today "the program costs billions and benefits about one-third of the nation's farmers." And critics include not only the usual run of fiscal conservatives, but also healthcare advocates who say that the subsidies bloat both the budget and the American people themselves. These critics "say the subsidies lead to cheap snack foods and soft drinks, made from ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Meanwhile, the lack of subsidies for fruits and vegetables makes them expensive by comparison."

The subsidies, critics say, "are partly responsible for the epidemic of childhood obesity and the increased incidence of diabetes." And so various bills are now before Congress that are "aimed at helping growers of fruits and vegetables." Other bills, backed by environmentalists, are aimed at setting up "more farmer's markets and helping farmers sell to nearby schools, hospitals, and institutions."

Why am I so upset every time I read a nonlocal entity provide a roundup of local eateries? Well, has anyone seen the latest miscreant screed on the topic, MSN’s City Guides list of the ten best local restaurants? My Lord, what are those people smoking? Their top ten are Alma, A Rebours, Solera, Ike’s, 112 Eatery, Town Talk, Cue, La Belle Vie, St. Paul Grill, and Brit’s Pub.

What about Masa, Cucina, Spoonriver, Cosmos, Oceanaire, three or four steakhouses, about fifteen family-run ethnic eateries, Heartland, Sapor, Barbette, W. A. Frost, Lucia’s, Corner Table, Vincent, and about a dozen other places that should be in anyone’s top ten before Cue, Brit’s, the SPG, or Ike’s even enters the conversation . . . ? And that’s not a knock against those four restaurants (though none are even in my top twenty-five) as much as it is a shot over the bows of the boat of ignorance that those vile misinformation mongers keep afloat because they are too lazy or cheap to hire anyone of about 500 local foodaholics qualified enough to put together a cogent list for their readers.

Has anyone read Bracketology? It’s the book that says any contest over what is best-in-show in any oeuvre can be deduced by setting up an NCAA men’s basketball–style bracket. We should try that with restaurants. On Thursday, let’s talk about my recent last-minute trip to L.A..

So I am drinking gazpacho the other day out of the fridge, daydreaming about the perfect garlic bread for dunking in my soup or eating with leftover grilled chicken, and I then drift into thoughts about 112 Eatery’s pressed chicken. Then I say, "Let’s press garlic bread!" and it works. It's faster and easier, and it results in a dense-chewy-crisp version that I love. Then I figure out a fun way to use the rest of the garlic oil, and voila!

Flattened Garlic Bread
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 T. parsley, minced
2 pinches red chile flakes
1 shallot, minced
1 t. sea salt
3 pinches ground white pepper
1 baguette, cut in half lengthwise and then in half again so you have 4
     pieces

Place the garlic, oil, shallot, salt, pepper, and chile flakes in a blender and pulse to puree. Add the parsley and pulse again for a few seconds. Rub and spoon some of the mixture on the cut sides of the bread, then refrigerate.

Take remaining oil and whisk in 2 T. lemon juice and 2 T. Dijon mustard, then marinate a cut-up chicken or some veal chops in the mixture for 8 hours. Grill the chicken or veal over hardwood charcoal.

When it is done and resting, cook up some asparagus, make a fresh tomato salad, preheat a 12-inch iron skillet, and add the bread, cut-side down, into the pan. Place a heavy plate or bacon press or a brick on the bread and, pressing gently, brown the bread on both sides, roughly 3 minutes or so a side.

Hell’s Kitchen made the top ten in TV ratings the last few weeks. WOW! See ya later, Melissa—take your fake lashes and that weird thing on your chin and hit the road . . . . I’m feeling very Ramsay-ish today. And those ratings represent a TV miracle.

Ratatouille is a movie miracle, capturing the tone and tenor of a real kitchen in more ways than any food movie in recent memory. At the premiere of No Reservations, the new Cat Zeta-Jones remake of the German classic Mostly Martha, I was reminded just how tough it is to make a great food scene or food movie that rings true to culinistas. And this makes Pixar’s achievement all the more remarkable. Michael Ruhlman on his blog called it the “first movie ever to get the culture of the kitchen meaningfully and accurately into its story." And our mutual pal Anthony Bourdain, who worked on the film in its infancy as a consultant, called it “quite simply, the best food movie ever made.” The New York Times's A. O. Scott raved about it in glowing terms, declaring it a flawless "portrait of the artist."

A lot of high praise, and all true. No Reservations (the movie) is a mediocre film, with a great performance by Abigail Breslin, a wooden one from CZ-J, a foolish one from Aaron Eckhart, and a typical one from Bob Balaban, typecast as the shrink. The food scenes in the restaurant kitchen in No Reservations were as dismal as Ratatouille’s was inspired. All the details of the chef’s pursuit of perfecting a craft were spot-on, and the movie is a must-see for anyone working in the field or considering a career in food.

Speaking of inspired, Chow ranked the top ten root beers. And a top Chinese FDA official was executed yesterday for taking bribes and other tawdry behavior.

Someone should have offed Aaron Eckhart for the Jeremiah Tower–opera homage in No Reservations. But I digress. If we can do a Top Ten for root beer, how about a Top Ten Food Movies? But not just movies with food scenes . . . those don’t count.

Big Night
Tampopo
Eat Drink Man Woman
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Babette’s Feast
Le Grande Bouffe
The Scent of Green Papaya
Like Water for Chocolate

What am I missing here—why can I only find eight? And actually, based on this quick list, several movies here rival Ratatouille for capturing the food zeitgeist, but that little rat is a top three, for sure.

And speaking of numbers . . . the Body Count from last night, all taken at 7:30 p.m. at four local eateries:

Tejas – 57

Edina Grill – 128

112 Eatery – 69

Saffron – 38

How’s everyone doing today? Can we talk?

Time to catch up with some touchy issues that have been dragging for a while, and then I swear, as God is my witness, I will post sooner rather than later on the deification of Pixar’s Ratatouille . . . . Meanwhile, I am all for deifying Amanda, who wrote me the following at the end of a lengthy email about her fave Mexican food spot (Baja Sol) in Inver Grove Heights:

I know you're on a Thai hunt at the moment, but you really should check this little place out. I counted 73 bodies when we were there (about 8 p.m. last Thursday).

Bravo, Amanda. Thanks for the body count. You are the first one to offer your own numbers up, and I love you for it. See how much fun this is!?

Another reader commented:

Speaking of the delay of the Town Talk crew's pasta bar, here's an even bigger question: What's going on with Tom Pham's two new Lake Street locations? [Mix and Manhattan Martini Bar]

I keep reading about them, notably in this month's Mpls.St.Paul profile of Pham and in the Pioneer Press article from a few weeks ago about how East Lake is the "hip" street in town.

I was on that section of Lake last week and both locations have "For Sale" banners in them. Has Mpls.St.Paul and the Pioneer Press been overzealous in reporting on these establishments? Is Pham too busy with getting Temple to profitable status? Any insider info would be appreciated. It seems silly that local food media are reporting on these places as “coming soon” when there’ve been no leases signed.

True and not at the same time, but a great point. I can only speak from the standpoint of someone who writes for a monthly. Yes, we are all guilty of overzealous reporting from time to time, and short of demanding to see a lease or deed, the way to handle it is to quote your source and let their claims speak for themselves. I have been hoodwinked more times that I can tell you on the old “I’m opening a restaurant” ploy, where would-be restaurateurs get the free pub and use it to create buzz and raise dough for their projects. Re: Pham or Niver/Johnson, I think the truth is that at the time the impending deals were reported, they were valid projects and valid stories. And the next valid stories will be the ones detailing the delay or cancelling of the projects and why.

The USDA is deciding this month (their deadline was 6/10/07) on what non-organic ingredients can be used in organically certified and labeled foods. Sound crazy? Yup. For example, the folks at Annie’s argue that they need non-organic annatto coloring to make their popular kids' meals orange, and there is no organic annatto commercially available. So why not just skip the designation or let your fans know you are 99.9% organic? Because the money is in organic ‘purity,’ that’s why.

The national organic alliances are just as guilty of manipulating the rules as giant petro-ag or the creepy food-producing multinationals. They created a system where organic standards have been diluted to the point that they are essentially meaningless, and they've frozen out the small family farmer who cannot pay for the spendy certification programs, etc. Organic isn’t a standard or a grand idea anymore, it’s a brand, a trademark, co-opted by anyone with the dough or a large enough megaphone.

An organic label should mean 100% organic, and if my kid's mac and cheese is only 95% organic, then as a consumer, I can make my own decision on whether or not to buy it (and I still would). Labeling foods as organic and implying they are 100% organic, when everyone knows (wink wink) that they are not, is to demean and pervert the products, our common sense, our morals, and our values. In an age where truth and transparency are so rare as to make sandbox rules the stuff of Arthurian legend, we need more honesty, not more snake-oil sales tactics and politics, especially in our food chain.

Oh, and the pix are of my son’s first fish! Last weekend he caught six sunfish on eight casts using cut-up leeches and a Scooby Doo fishing pole on his first time out.

Once you catch the Southern-cooking grill bug, it’s hard to stop grilling. These recipes—along with some good cornbread, a few other tasty treats, and a pitcher of sweet tea—will make your week. The best news is that the prep and the ingredient list on these recipes is minimal, making them great choices for weekday entertaining.

Summer Tomato and Onion Salad with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing
6 ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced thin
1 red onion, sliced paper-thin
2 T. minced chives
12 shallots, sliced
1 c. flour, seasoned with paprika, salt, pepper, etc.
1 c. milk

Arrange tomato and red onion on a platter. Pop the rings out of the shallots, then soak in milk for 20 minutes.

Drain shallots and toss with the flour, kicking off excess by dumping the rings in a mesh strainer. Fry in a quart of 350-degree oil (heated in a 4-quart pot) until crisp, then drain on paper towels.

Arrange shallots on platter, garnish with the chives, and serve with the dressing on the side. Serves 6.

BBC Dressing
6 oz. Maytag blue cheese
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. ground black pepper
1 T. Worcestshire sauce
1/4 c. cream
1/4 c. sour cream
1 T. minced dill
2 scallions, whites only
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. buttermilk

Combine all the ingredients in the blender, pulsing to prevent overmixing. Garnish the salad with the dressing or pass at the table.

Grilled Quail with Hot Pepper, Apricot, and Mustard Glaze
12 boneless quail
1/2 c. brown mustard
3/4 c. apricot jam, jelly, or conserve
3 T. cider vinegar
1 T. ground coriander seed
1 t. sea salt
1 t. freshly ground white pepper
2 seranno chiles, minced fine, seeds and all

Combine all ingredients except quail. Add quail, toss, and place in a Ziploc bag. Let marinate overnight.

Discard marinade. Grill quail on medium, direct heat for 5 minutes per side, turning frequently. Serve at a pinkish medium. Combine a few tablespoons of apricot conserve and vinegar as a mop for the quail.

This dish is great with cole slaw and cornbread. Serves 4.

All right, three things.

First: You need to click here to sign up for a premiere party that Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, FM107, and I are hosting for the Warner Brothers film No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. All you need to do is ask for the tix and they are yours. Seriously. It’s free, and it’s a food movie! We are going to have a donation bucket passed for the Retreat in Wayzata, with proceeds from our collection benefiting the scholarship fund that my wife and I set up to benefit those looking to access affordable recovery services—but the whole shebang is gratis.

Second: July 9 is the premiere of season 1B of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. Lock and load, baby.

Third: Next week, Harry's Food and Cocktails opens in the Washington Avenue space that Nochee vacated several months ago. Nochee was a colossal disappointment. Harry’s has a shot. It seems like the right type of concept for the space and for the neighborhood. Harry's has got poutine on the menu, a Quebecois taste treat that I blogged about on Monday, and according to the restaurant’s reps, the menu is “traditional American in style," drawing “inspiration from old supper club standards like meatloaf and prime rib.” Harry’s features a heavily hyped burger, tons of local food resources on the menu, an open kitchen, moderate prices, and a casual environment. The press release boasts of an award-winning wine list—odd, considering that Harry’s isn’t open yet, but I admire the moxie. But I digress. The menu also promises some fun goodies like hearty duck meatballs and a soft shell crab po' boy, as well as tender pot roast . . . . Sound more interesting? So why am I so excited about a restaurant that seems in many respects like the type of joint that needs to open first before cynical food freaks like me develop a blood lust for the place? Because Steven Brown is behind the stove. Thank you God, my fave food guy is cooking for the paying public again, and frankly, I don’t care where or what or how.

Now, the million-dollar question is this . . . Tim McKee and Alex Roberts (for example) own their own restaurants, and with ownership comes freedom to cook what you want, how you want, and with complete creative control. Ultimately, it lets the diner see the artist in his atelier, at his peak. Conversely, though, it also allows the chef/owner and his or her partners to work within the constraints of the business world, making them artist-CEOs, for want of a better phrase. So given all that, when are chefs like Brown and Doug Flicker going to open their own places? When the investor pool comes together, count me in. And what is the over/under on Brown and Flicker staying in their current positions? A year? Less? More? Interesting thought, don’t you think . . . ?

And finally, hats off to American food-fanatic and current world champ Joey Chestnut, who beat an ailing six-time defending champ Kobayashi at the Nathan’s Famous contest on Coney Island by eating sixty-six hot dogs (with buns) in twelve minutes. The best thing about the contest was watching Kobayashi suffer the ignominy of a reversal at the end of the contest, throwing up as the final seconds ticked off . . . and into his hands no less. Congrats Joey . . .

What hot new pasta-ria slated to open yesterday and owned by proprietors of Town Talk Diner is now rumored to be on the back-burner? Answer: Tim Niver’s and Aaron Johnson’s East Lake Pasta Shop. That’s what my real-estate mavens told me a few weeks ago. True? Anyone speak to Tim or Aaron lately?

And what can’t-miss concept is currently missing from the Twin Cities restaurant scene? We just got back from a killer weekend in Montreal, celebrating Jazz Fest and Canada Day with a big Zimmern-Laporte-Jessup-Coburn family reunion. The camera battery wasn’t recharged, but I have these cell pix of my newest favorite cousins, James and Christoper, who stole us away from the all-night party on Saturday to grab a bowl of poutine (French fries, gravy, and cheese curds) at Pataterie La Belle Province, a joint that makes theirs from scratch. Heaven. A poutine stand in the skyway and at the Fair would mint money, would it not?

And speaking of great ideas, the night before, we had four-star Chinese at L’Orchidee Chine (2017 Rue Peel), around the corner from the Ritz-Carlton, a delicious high-end Chinese experience that was practically flawless when it came to the food experience—begging the question once again, why no high-end Chinese eateries in this town? And no, 20.21 does not count. It’s Cal-Chinese . . . awesome food, but I am talking about a restaurant like Shun Lee Palace or Mr. Chow in NYC. I think it would rock here.

The other pic is of the family strolling down the quai in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, just outside the city. Walking the wharf on Canada Day was a real treat. The restaurants were packed, and the boats were out in force. Lovely.

RIP: Krua Thailand. Many people thought this was the Twin Cities best Thai restaurant, and by the time you read this, it might already be closed, as Dave commented last week:

“A convoluted death spiral . . . . Krua Thai is for sale and has been for some time. The owners have built a new home in Los Angeles (where they are originally from, post-Thailand) and are waiting anxiously to move there. This Saturday we went there for dinner at 8 p.m. and the place was hopping (the first element of the convolution), and the owner's mother told my wife (who is also Thai) in Thai to 'go some place else for dinner tonight. I don't want to work this hard' (the second part of the convolution). Nothing like trying to kill your own business. We spend a $100 a week there. Jeez . . . ”

Several people have chimed in to my e-mail box that they are closed; others say it is still open. Call first before heading over there. I got no answer there last night, but that doesn't mean anything . . . and if you have eaten there before, you know what I mean. So now the big question, with Ruam Mit and Krua closed or closing, where is the best Thai in town to be found? True Thai?? What am I missing? And do not suggest Chiang Mai to me, or the hybrid Viet-Thai joints—I am looking for pure Thai bliss.

Tomorrow is the fourth, so no Body Counting until next week. Sad, isn’t it? Go on, admit it . . .

OK, here’s a bonus recipe-set for the Great American Grill-Out. You can serve this as a meal, then add some slaw and sweet corn, perhaps some potato salad, and you’re done. Easy. This is a great meal for 6–8 people—just convince someone else to bring the other sides and let your crazy aunt clean up the mess.

I am a nut for grizzled onions, and this salad is a killer. The pork is my fave version of the classic BBQ dish, the granita is without peer, and the peach cobbler (though you may have to make it without Colorado peaches now) you’ll soon be making twice a week.

Happy Fourth!

Grilled Sweet Onion and Arugula Salad with Shaved Grana Padano
4 large Vidalia or 10–15 sweet onions
3 T. olive oil
12 oz. farm-stand, fresh, small-leaf, young arugula or other peppery
     cress or green
1 pt. cherry tomatoes
4 oz. block of Grana Padano or Reggiano parmesan cheese, shaved into
      elegant curls

Cut the onions in half at the waist and peel off the skins. Brush with the olive oil, season with sea salt and ground white pepper, and grill over medium direct heat, cut-side down until the onions are almost blackened. Finish cooking the onions for 10 minutes on the cooler edges of the grill to remove any offensive raw flavors.

Pop the ‘rings’ of the onion out and arrange over the washed and dried arugula on 8 plates. Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them around the greens. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve. Serves 6–8.

Shallot and Red Wine Vinaigrette
4 T. minced shallots
1 T. minced parsley
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. sugar
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. brown mustard

Place a small sauté pan over high heat and add 2 T. of the oil. Add the shallots, garlic, and sugar. Swirl pan briefly—you are only cooking for 30 seconds after you hear any sizzle at all. Promptly scrape the pan’s ingredients into a work bowl and whisk in the mustard followed by the vinegar, parsley and remaining oil. Season with sea salt, ground white pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Serve with the salad.

Barbecued Pulled Pork
1 bone-in pork shoulder, about 5 lb. in weight

The Rub
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. paprika
3 T. ground black pepper
3 T. kosher salt
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 T. celery seeds
1 t. cayenne pepper

The Basting Sauce
1 c. cider vinegar
1 small onion minced
1 t. hot chile flakes
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. ground black pepper

The BBQ Sauce
2 c. cider vinegar
2 T. molasses
2 T. dark corn syrup
1/4 c. Heinz ketchup
1/3 c. Heinz chile sauce
3 T. brown sugar
4 t. kosher salt
2 T. Crystal hot sauce
2 t. red chile flakes, or more to taste
2 t. ground black pepper

Combine the rub ingredients, or use your favorite store-bought rub.

Combine the basting sauce ingredients, whisking until sugar and salt are dissolved, then set aside.

Combine BBQ sauce ingredients over medium heat in a small pot. When simmering, pull from heat and let cool. Refrigerate for later use. The longer you simmer the thicker your sauce will be.

Massage pork shoulder with the rub and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

‘Grill’ the shoulder over indirect medium-low heat, using smoking chips, if desired, to establish a smoke flavor. Remember, a little goes a long way. You will want to keep adding wood or charcoal every 40 minutes or so to maintain a medium-low heat of roughly 300 degrees. For gas grills you want to maintain a temperature of roughly 275–300 degrees. Baste every hour with the basting sauce.

Pork is done when the meat is fork tender, usually by this time the meat has an internal temperature of 175. Let pork cool for 30 minutes, shred meat, and discard the bones.

Toss meat with the some of the BBQ sauce, mound on toasted rolls and serve with cole slaw.

Strawberry Granita with Balsamic Vinegar
3 pt. quartered, cleaned strawberries
1-1/2 c. sugar
3 c. of the best rose champagne you can get your hands on . . . don’t
     use pink champagne, but do drink what remains while granita sets up
1 T. lemon juice or more to taste

Combine half the berries, the sugar, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, add the reserved berries, and process until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, stir in the champagne and lemon juice. Scrape mixture into a shallow metal baking pan (8 or 9 inches is fine) and freeze.

Every 20 minutes, stir and scrape the granite. After 3–4 hours the granite will be ready to serve, "shaley" and roughly frozen.

You can also freeze completely and pulse the frozen granite in a food processor. Or you can scrape the granite with a spoon instead of processing it. Serve granita with fresh berries and pass drops of 50-year-old balsamic vinegar . . . .

Peach Cobbler
10 ripe, free-stone Colorado peaches, peeled, stoned, and quartered
5 t. corn starch
2 t. fresh grated ginger
1/2 c. sugar

Toss, place in a buttered baking dish, cover with cobbler topping, and bake for 45–50 minutes at 350 until hot and bubbly with a browned top. Serve warm. Serves 6–8.

Cobbler Topping
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
Pinch salt
3-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. sliced toasted almonds
1/4 c. sweet almond paste

Mix the dry ingredients and reserve. Beat the butter, almond paste, and sugar until well-blended. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. While stirring, add the nuts until just combined. Crumble/dollop over the cobbler.