The nominations for the 2010 James Beard Awards are in! Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate, my favorite place to consume said beverage and probably better called an addiction rather than a drink, has been nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef for the fourth year in a row. And for geeks, note that there’s a nomination for [...]

Following in the footsteps of American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, and Alaska Airlines, United Airlines is now getting on the mobile boarding pass bandwagon. (Yes, they’re a little late in the game on this one.) The move will theoretically cut down on ID fraud and time spent waiting in security lines, but anecdotally, electronic boarding [...]

French-Italian restaurant Socca is offering free burgers on Monday, March 29th. I had dinner there last night, and if their regular menu is anything to go by, you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t make use of this deal (on a normal night, I recommend the Braised Beef Shortrib). Bring a few friends – select [...]

You’ve heard of cheese made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and even sheep’s milk. But how about human breast milk? It doesn’t exactly sound tempting, but Chef Daniel Angerer of Klee Brasserie in New York will serve cheese made from his wife’s breast milk to customers who are curious enough – or brave enough – [...]

bacon, noun: The back and sides of the hog, salted and dried or smoked, usually sliced thin and fried for food. Michi’s favorite food. The celebrated culinary delight at a new festival in Chicago. What is clogging your arteries. rocket, noun: Any of various simple or complex tubelike devices containing combustibles that on being ignited [...]

In a new initiative, British Airways has decided to start using biofuel. Don’t hold your breath though – the first phase of the project won’t be implemented until 2014. At that point, they hope to use fuel made from garbage to replace 2% of the fuel that it uses at London Heathrow airport. By 2050, [...]

“You take chicken, for example: maybe they couldn’t figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything.” In a move that no doubt portends our doom, scientists from the University of Missouri have come up with a substitute for chicken that apparently mimics the appearance and texture of poultry [...]

Some things just don’t translate. Some names are just mystifying. All of these restaurants sound delicious. Colon Restaurant (Barcelona, Spain) My Dung Restaurant (Rosemead, Calif.) Mee Heng Low’s Chop Suey (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) Hung Far Low Restaurant (Portland, Ore.) Golden Shower Restaurant (Moshi, Tanzania) Fu King Chinese Restaurant (Lake City, Fla.) Crapitto’s Cucina Italiana [...]

Wow, Chicago. Way to be wasteful and hurt local businesses all at the same time. Last week, health inspectors destroyed thousands of dollars of cheese and gourmet granola bars owned by Sunday Dinner Club caterers and fruit purees owned by pastry chef Flora Lazar, who had purchased the peaches, pears, raspberries, and plums from a [...]

Christmas is over. So is New Year’s Eve. But it’s not too late to enjoy chocolate paired with Champagne. Liquor-filled chocolates can be tasty – but I’d never thought about creating life-sized versions of them. Apparently one chocolatier did. Et voilà! A Champagne bottle made of rich milk chocolate. It’s hollow, but you can fill [...]