• Chuck’s Place in Thiensville, Wisconsin has landed in hot water after their all-you-can-eat fish fry supply ran out. A customer named Bill Wisth helped himself to twelve pieces of the special before staff informed him of the fish shortage, prompting “cries of false advertising” and a phone call to the police. Even after sending him eight more pieces of fish fry, Wisth returned two days later to picket the restaurant’s policies. He reportedly plans on continuing his protest every Sunday until Chuck’s Place “reconsider[s] their policy.” Do you think the restaurant should be punished for failing to deliver on their “all-you-can-eat” deal, or did the customer overreact?

• In similar news, Kylin Buffet, a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet in northeast England has sparked an outrage among their customers over an unorthodox “wastage” policy. Customers who leave food on their plates are faced with a £20 (~$31) charge, which has generated a slew of complaints from angry customers who have been hit with the hefty fine. One group of diners who faced the extra charge after leaving “two onion rings, a piece of prawn toast, and a spring roll on their plates” evaded the fine by wrapping up their extras and hiding it in a bag. What are your thoughts on this policy?

• Today, special facial detection software will be launched in 25 San Francisco bars in an effort to closely monitor the demographics of bar patrons. Austin-based startup SceneTap created the software to provide “a snapshot of the San Francisco bar scene, including male-to-female ratio, average age, and crowd size.” The demographic information is made public to iPhone or Android users who download the app, but personal information is kept private. For venue owners, this provides them with the opportunity to find out what kind of people their promotions attract, to better understand their customers. Does this software overstep the line?

• In other news, two filmmakers from West Chester, Pennsylvania, promise to eat a shoe in order to raise money for their film Parallax. The filmmakers, Graham Nolte and Tommy Stackhouse, have organized a fundraising event called “Eating a Shoe to Support Our Crew” which will take place on June 3rd. The shoe itself has not yet been picked, but Stackhouse is considering deep-frying the shoe and employing the help of local chefs. If the inevitable stomachache pays off, Parallax will be Stackhouse and Nolte’s first feature-length film. Shoe-eating has been a symbol of struggling filmmakers since 1979, when director Werner Herzog promised his friend Errol Morris that if Morris finished a film he would eat his shoe.

Herzog did.

Photo by anna.li

When you think about Italian food, the first foods that spring to mind might be pizza, pasta, Parmesan, or gelato, coffee, and maybe even bread and olive oil. You certainly wouldn’t be wrong. However, the long list of Italian food stretches far beyond these particular boundaries to include risotto, polenta, fish and meats, along with copious varieties of salami, cured meats and cheeses, with vegetables certainly not forgotten. When you step off the plane with phrase book clutched tightly in hand, Italian cuisine and culture may reveal a few startling surprises. What we Americans know and love in the US as classic Italian food is not necessarily what you find being served in Italy. I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as “wrong”; it’s just that these “classic” dishes have evolved and transformed themselves to local ingredients and tastes, some not even originating in Italy.

Take Caesar salad. This dish’s origins are in dispute, although it seems to have been created by an immigrant Italian restaurateur with restaurants in Mexico and the US. Although Caesar salad uses classic Italian ingredients, you won’t be finding it on any menu in Italy.

Keep in mind that Italy has, just this past year, celebrated 150 years of united togetherness. Italians tend to identify themselves first from their region before identifying themselves as Italians. Americans, used to eating the wide range of Italy’s national cuisine, will be surprised at how very regional Italian cuisine can be. Finding particular dishes and ingredients that one thinks of as being quintessentially Italian, may be extremely challenging because they may actually be quintessentially Sicilian, Roman, Tuscan, Sardinian, Piemontese and so on, and thus not offered where you happen to be dining.

What unites Italians, north and south, is a passion for genuine food, simply prepared, allowing the natural flavor to shine through. Emphasis is on quality, not quantity, with the focus on balancing flavors to harmonize or contrast as desired.

Here are some differences that might surprise you:

1. Food and drinks are normally served close to ambient temperatures. It is a common Italian belief that consuming extremely hot or cold food does not aid digestion, and Italians are all about digestion. Ice is not common, and water is seldom served from the tap, even though 95% of Italy’s tap water is quite safe to drink. Italians like their bottled water with and without gas.

2. You won’t be served warm soft bread with olive oil for dunking or butter for slathering. It just doesn’t happen anywhere in Italy that I am aware of, with the exception of olive oil tasting. Buttery garlic bread is not something I have ever seen in all my years of living in Italy. The closest I have come across garlic bread is in the Tuscan tradition of making bruschetta or crostoni, where the bread is toasted and rubbed with a raw clove of garlic and either topped with diced tomatoes and drizzled with oil, or placed at the bottom of a bowl of bean soup. To Italians, olive oil is a sacred liquid that makes food sing. Their love of crusty, hard bread is more for its use as a utensil, pushing food onto one’s fork and as la scarpetta, sopping up all those delectable juices left lingering on your plate.

3. When ordering pizza for the first time in Italy, you may be caught off-guard. Firstly, the best pizza comes from an establishment that cooks them in a wood-fired oven, not always found at lunchtime. Secondly, pizza comes in one size, usually around 10” and is considered a one-person serving. You can split it and even share it as an antipasto for a group, although it usually is so good, you’ll quickly adapt to having one all to yourself. Red sauce with mozzarella is not always the standard base from which you add the toppings. White pizza without tomato sauce comes in many varieties. Toppings are endless, although more sparsely added, and thin crust is the rule. Crusts will vary from chewy to as crispy as a cracker, depending on the chef’s specialty. Thicker crusts fall under the focaccia heading and are often sold by the rectangle, cut from large sheet pans and slightly warmed in the oven of a focacceria.

4. When ordering Americans’ number one favorite pizza topping, pepperoni, it will come as a huge shock when it arrives adorned with mild red and yellow peppers, even though that is exactly what you ordered. There won’t be any familiar spicy salami in sight. You needed to order the salsiccia piccante to get what we know as a pepperoni pizza. Peperoni is the Italian word for peppers of any type. Peperoncini are the spicy hot peppers that give the salami on American pepperoni pizza that fiery flavor we love and crave. Translation or miscommunication is probably the culprit for our pepperoni confusion.

5. Italians prefer their meals in a succession of dishes. They enjoy lingering and savoring each individual course, as well as chatting through them. Even if lunch is a more hurried affair, people sit down and eat a couple of courses with maybe a dessert and usually coffee to finish. Italians seldom eat just one course with a drink. Portions are not generally geared to that type of eating, and the food server might be more than perplexed if you order just a pasta dish and stop. Dishes will come out as they are cooked to perfection, which means that everything will not necessarily come out at the same time. If a group orders quite diverse dishes, there can be real gaps in serving times.

6. You will find far less garlic in most dishes than what most of us would have thought. Often, if you use onions in a dish, you don’t use garlic, and vice versa. While there are some very creamy, garlicky heavily-spiced dishes, they are more the exception than the rule.

7. Overall, dishes tend to be less creamy or cheesy and far less adorned than what most Americans are accustomed to. Meats, thinly sliced, are the norm. Pasta and risotto will be decidedly al dente and lightly sauced or studded with ingredients, when cooked to perfection. Meatballs, or polpette as they are called, will be a separate meat dish served after the pasta. Uncomplicated fresh food calling forth the subtlety of clean, clear flavor is what most Italians adore.

8. Lastly, if you order a coffee, it will be what Americans call an espresso. This is coffee for Italians. The tiny cup will not be full, with only a sip or two. They will look at you with surprise if you don’t add sugar. If you want to order something resembling more of an American-sized cup of coffee you need to order a caffé Americano. You will receive a larger cup with a shot of espresso and a small pot of hot water on the side to add at will. Sometimes they will mix it for you. Half-and-half is never served, and they won’t know what you are talking about. Cappuccino is usually ordered before noon, but they will serve them in the afternoon, usually without sidelong glances. Coffee with lunch or dinner is always served after dessert as a separate course. It is considered the finish to your meal and an aid to digestion. There are no free refills in the Italian culture, zip, zero, nada, period.

On that note, I will leave you to digest my initial musings on Italian food culture and encourage you to join me again in the weeks to come, as we explore the richly varied mosaic that is the cuisine of Italy.

What brought you to Italy?

I lived in Colorado and had been working for a British tour company during the winter ski season. I spent summers in the Alps of Slovenia and Austria as a holiday representative and walking guide. I was so drawn to Italy for its cuisine and in such close proximity, yet was unable to be placed in Italy due to visa constraints. Fortunately, along the way, I met someone that seemed to have my dream job as a chef for an English art school in Tuscany. When she left the job, she recommended me for the position. I happily worked for them for two summer seasons and met my future husband, Fabrizio, that first summer. We decided to move up to his family home in the Alps of Piedmont, where we have been since 2003.

What were your first impressions?

I was in complete awe of just about everything, the light, the food, people shuffling up and down the main street of our small walled village. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to weep for the sheer beauty of it all or sing my head off, if nobody was listening. I just wanted to greedily drink it all in, the fields of scarlet poppies next to dark silhouetted cypress trees lining the hilltops or dusty dirt roads. Everywhere I turned, there were landscapes begging to be painted, cafés to linger over cappuccino in, and food, simply presented, to be discovered. The food and wine was a revelation for its graceful simplicity whose flavor made me sit up and pay attention. The culture, the cuisine, and the sheer beauty of the Tuscan hills spoke to me daily, gently, quietly, and I leaned in and listened. I needed to savor every last possible drop.

How did your bed and breakfast get started?

My husband’s family ran a very successful mountain restaurant, “La Baita” for many years before retiring. There were rooms attached that had never been used for their original purpose and the 2006 Winter Olympics were going to be in our neighborhood, as we are part of Turin Province. We thought since the rooms were empty it might be a good time to see what we could do, and here we are, all these years later running our “Bella Baita B&B.”

Tell us about your culinary background.

I grew up with my mother making delicious American farm food that everyone made sure they got a sampling of when it was on the church’s potluck table. Pies were her specialty and I followed in hot pursuit, to be able to produce tender flaky pastry as soon as I was on my own. I grew up in a rural area, in a time when culinary school was not on the radar till after I had already gotten a horticulture degree. While getting that degree, I worked with a natural foods catering group and made pastries for a local coffee shop. When I lived in Colorado, I embarked on the “earn as you learn” program of cooking and waiting tables in a small café, where I learned that a high-altitude baker was in great demand. Next, I worked in a small European-style inn with a classically trained chef who handed me Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking, and I worked my way through a good portion of the pastry part. I quickly worked my way up to pastry chef during my 12 years with Copper Mt ski resort, turning out pastries and breads for the hungry masses. The company sent me on short culinary courses over the years to Johnson and Wales and the CIA Schools. I also had the benefit of working with many talented chefs over the years before becoming a chalet host for a British tour company.

How would you describe food as a part of the Italian culture and way of life, especially in contrast with American culture?

Italians are passionate and knowledgeable about food. They are very discerning shoppers and diners. I am always amazed at the critical eye of shoppers at the market and the sometimes rigorous questioning of the food vendors or wait staff in pursuit of knowing what particular brand or technique the dish is undergoing before making an educated decision on their food choices. Lots of lively discussions will then ensue at the table or in the marketplace about which type of this, that, or the other is the best and all the reasons why. Food is also eaten throughout the day in mostly small portions. People like to linger and discuss food and wine at every possible chance, and there are many opportunities to share this passion with others. Food and drink unites Italians in a way that not much else can, even if each region fiercely holds to their belief that their regions specialties are the best and the defining cuisine of Italy.

Tell us about your interest in slow food.

“Slow Food” is an organization that was born in Piedmont Italy as a reaction to fast food and the industrialization of food. I was aware of this organization for many years in the States without realizing where it had started exactly. This group of people believed, and I think rightly so, that the traditional dishes, food, and biodiversity were being rapidly lost in the stampede to the convenience food style for our busy lives. They organized, put out a food manifesto and have been evolving ever since in promoting local foods, traditional methods of growing or producing that tries to not damage the planet and its ecosystem and supporting biodiversity. I support that 100% and have been trying to live by these principles my whole life with varying degrees of success. I think it’s important to question where your food comes from, how it was produced, and who it actually benefits. I love shopping at the market here, because when I hand my money over, I know that the money goes directly to the people who worked so hard to produce it and it didn’t travel very far to come to the market. I have always been a cook-from-scratch person, and I think it a blessing to enjoy the whole process from start to finish. It is so vital to participate in this daily act and find pleasure in the eating, preparing and ultimately sharing of food. It’s always a treat to eat someone else’s cooking that celebrates these same principles, whether it is in someone else’s home or in restaurants that cherish these principles as well. You can taste the difference.

Photo by Melissa Gruntkosky

This week’s food news paints a grim picture of America’s unhealthy food habits. Find out what researchers forecast will be the future of Americans’ health, and what is being done to try to rectify the problem.

• In a recent study, researchers have projected America’s future obesity rate at staggering heights. By the year 2030, the study predicts, “42% of American adults will be obese.” That roughly equates to 110 million obese Americans — an astronomically high number of people — who will be faced with serious health problems. In case that wasn’t enough incentive to eat healthier: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that obesity costs individuals $1,400 more in medical expenses per year.

• In related news, researchers at Washington University are working on a fast food study in an effort to understand obesity, and why certain people develop “diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors” while others don’t. The study is still in the recruiting stage, offering $3,500 to participants willing to eat fast food exclusively for the duration of three months. Participants must gain five percent of their body weight during the period of the study, and will be enrolled in a weight loss program afterwards. Do you think the health risks are worth the pay?

• Food scientists have invented inhalable food products that they claim will satisfy your sweet tooth and caffeine cravings. If this sounds too bizarre to be true, brace yourselves — there are already breathable food companies that have developed products like “sniffable vanilla cupcakes” and “lipstick-sized caffeine inhaler[s]”. While inhalable food products may help curb unhealthy cravings, there is little hope that this new food fad will be the cure to the obesity epidemic. As many of us foodies know, the act of eating and the sensation of taste is not something that can easily be replaced, but scientists remain optimistic that the sniffable invention may potentially lend itself to the medical field in other useful ways.

Editor’s Note: What foods would you like to “inhale”? -KK

Photo by Ryan Sapper

Gabi Moskowitz is a chef, writer and the editor-in-chief of the nationally acclaimed BrokeAssGourmet.com. Gabi launched The BrokeAss Gourmet in February 2009, a website featuring daily gourmet, restaurant-inspired recipes that always cost less than $20. The site also features a pantry item list, affordable beer, wine and cocktail recommendations and grocery shopping tips. Gabi and the site have been featured by MSN Money, UrbanOutfitters.com, TIME, and a plethora national food and lifestyle blogs. Gabi is also one of the main contributors to the Appetites app, one of Apple’s top apps for 2011. She lives, cooks and writes in the Mission District of San Francisco, California.

With my first cookbook, The BrokeAss Gourmet Cookbook, just coming out, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen at home creating high-quality, low-cost recipes. But every BrokeAss girl (or boy!) needs a break sometimes, and that means eating out at a good restaurant or two. Here are a few of my favorite tips for people who want to eat out, but still maintain a healthy budget.

BrokeAss Gourmet Tips for Saving Money When Eating Out

• Don’t be afraid to order two appetizers instead of an entrée. They’re frequently more interesting and less expensive than the listed entrées (even if you order two).

• Look for dishes that are grain- or vegetable-based with accents of meat, such as risotto, gnocchi, or filling grain salads, such as quinoa or couscous. There is a happy trend going on in food these days — the use of meat as an accent, rather than the focus of a dish. Typically, this means dishes are less expensive on the whole, since grains and vegetables make up their bulk. It’s a great way to eat well without spending a ton.

• Seek out happy hours with good food deals. Some of the nicest restaurants in my town (San Francisco) —ones with dinner menus that are totally out of my budget — offer fantastic happy hours with affordable drinks and even more deliciously affordable food! A few small plates and a half-priced cocktail can make a mighty fine supper for the high-quality/low-budget-focused diner.

• Go for brunch or lunch. Many fancy restaurants have the same or similar offerings as their dinner menus at brunch or lunch for half the price.

• Look for bumper crops. Corn, beans and zucchini (depending on the season) grow like wildfire during the peak of their season and restaurants, eager to use them up, will sometimes offer dishes with them at a discount.

• Ask for the special! Like the above tip, a restaurant’s special is sometimes a means to get rid of a particular ingredient. As such, it is sometimes discounted.

• When it comes to wine, always ask if the restaurant has a flight option. This is a great and affordable way to try several types of wine, often for the cost of one mid-price glass.

Got questions for Gabi? Leave them in the comments!

Photo by Connie Lu

1. Juicy Lucy – Matt’s Bar and the 5-8 Club – Minneapolis, Minnesota

How does one burger cause so much controversy? Located on the same street in Minneapolis, both Matt’s Bar and the 5-8 Club have laid claim to the creation of the burger known as the Juicy Lucy, with a generous helping of cheese between two patties. Brace yourself as you take your first bite, a steaming hot flow of cheese is bound to catch you.

Photo by Kacy Jahanbini

2. Steamed Burger – Ted’s Restaurant – Meriden, Connecticut

None of us would picture our burgers coming out of a small drawer. Well, at Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden, trays were created to hold small mounds of hamburger meat and cheese. Those trays are then placed into those drawers, where they’re steamed to perfection. Gracing hungry diners’ plates for well over 100 years, the steamed burger has gotten the attention of many popular food authorities like Hamburger America and Man v. Food.

Photo by Susan Harper

3. Green Chili Cheeseburger – Horseman’s Haven Cafe – Santa Fe, New Mexico

In the southwest, all you have to do is combine New Mexico’s staple chili to pretty much any dish. One of those dishes is the cheeseburger. Horseman’s Haven Cafe, on the outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, does that burger justice. Just be careful that the chili itself is hot enough to make you see the Four Horsemen.

Photo by Ryan Evans

4. Guberburger – Wheel Inn – Sedalia, Missouri

The Guberburger, created at The Wheel Inn in Sedalia, Missouri, places putting peanut butter, lettuce, tomatoes, and Miracle Whip between two buns. Though The Wheel Inn closed in 2007, it has been resurrected under the ownership of a former employee.

Photo by Kacy Jahanbini

5. Butter Burger – Solly’s Grille – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Butter Burger is so named because the meat patty, when being cooked, is drenched in butter. Once done, it is once again slathered in butter. Since 1936, Solly’s Grille in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been using nothing but the finest ingredients to churn out its signature butter burgers, winning Best of Milwaukee awards from the Milwaukee Journal. The butter burger was put on the national map in a television ad for Miller Lite.

Photo by Michael Chandler

6. Pastrami Burger – Crown Burgers – Salt Lake City, Utah

For three decades, a really popular New York deli meat has been rooming with an unlikely partner. Take a trip out west to Salt Lake City, Utah, you’ll find that your traditional pastrami has found its way into a burger. The pastrami burger was popularized by a Greek family, the Katsanevas, at their restaurant, Crown Burgers.

Photo by Katerina Tassiopoulos

7. Hukilau Burger – Hukilau Cafe – Laie, Hawaii

If the sunshine and beautiful beaches of Hawaii aren’t enough of a reason to get up and book a flight, the Hukilau Cafe has been putting their spin on burgers for years. Their take on the Teriyaki burger coats the patty in teriyaki sauce, topped with pineapples, and includes a fried egg.

Photo by Ben Shields

8. Garbage Burger – Wimpy’s Grill – Durham, North Carolina

The Carolinas are known for their burgers with everything. At Wimpy’s Grill in Durham, North Carolina, they take that quite literally. The burger is jam-packed with everything on the menu. It’s so messy that I recommend eating it outdoors.

Photo by frankensmith

9. Slugburger – Weeks’ Diner – Booneville, Mississippi

Created during the Great Depression, a slugburger extends its beef with soybean grits. The burger is then topped with mustard, dill pickles, and onions. They are tiny but tasty, especially at Week’s Diner in Boonesville, Mississippi.

Photo by Bill Binns

10. Québec Style Burger – Montreal Pool Room – Montreal, Québec

The province of Québec is known for its unique style of hot dogs. The “steamie” is loaded with relish, mustard, and coleslaw. For a similar style of casse-croute burger, go to the Montreal Pool Room. Load your burger with tomatoes, relish, mustard, and coleslaw. However, there is no actual working pool table at the Montreal Pool Room.

Editor’s Note: Did we miss any? Sound off in the comments! – KK

Noma in Copenhagen. Photo by Ditte Isager

This week’s food news was chock-full of restaurant controversy. Fast food giants McDonald’s and KFC were both dealt giant blows to their reputations, while a smaller, family-owned Houston restaurant made waves in the media over a gratuity dispute. Read below for the scoop:

• KFC is being ordered to pay $8 million AUD ($8.3 million USD) to an Australian family after a young girl, Monika Samaan, was diagnosed with permanent brain damage. Seven years ago, a batch of tainted chicken from KFC sent Monika and her whole family to the hospital with salmonella poisoning. While the rest of her family members were able to fully recover, Monika was diagnosed with salmonella encephalopathy. The disease, characterized by “severe cognitive, motor and speech impairment and spastic quadriplegia” left her with permanent brain damage. Shockingly, KFC has offered no apologies to the family whatsoever — they’re fighting the judge’s decision in court.

• In London, the world’s largest fast food corporation is receiving a great deal of backlash. British doctors have denounced the decision to bring McDonald’s onboard as a London Olympics sponsor, arguing that the sponsorship sends the wrong message. With obesity on the rise, objectors fear that the sponsorship will encourage unhealthy eating habits. However, London Olympic organizers remain steadfast in their decision, citing McDonald’s funding as a necessary measure.

• A lesser-known restaurant, La Fisherman in Houston, sparked media controversy after reportedly locking a group of diners inside over a gratuity dispute. The restaurant lockdown was spurred by an automatic 17% gratuity charge that a group of diners felt was undeserved by the poor service. When the diners refused to pay the tip, the restaurant locked its doors and called the police. The resulting story created a furor of buzz on the internet, eliciting arguments over who should take the blame. What are your thoughts?

• In happier news, the 10th annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants list has been announced, rewarding the top spot to chef René Redzepi’s Copenhagen restaurant, Noma. This marks the third consecutive year that Noma has received the honor. US restaurants also received plenty of notice, appearing eight times on the top 50 list. Renowned chef Thomas Keller’s New York restaurant, Per Se, was named the Best Restaurant in North America. Hats off to the chefs!

Photo by Sarah Johnson

May 5th marks the 138th Kentucky Derby run — an event steeped in glamour and tradition. The highly anticipated horseracing event takes place in Kentucky’s Churchill Downs racetrack and is preceded by a week-long itinerary of derby-themed festivities. The longstanding tradition of donning fancy sun hats to Derby Day has secured the event’s reputation as a chic, high-class event, attracting both fashionistas and wealthy bidders from around the world. Beyond the frills and bowties, a well-established menu of Southern classics adds to the time-honored Derby customs. The refreshing mint julep and the hearty burgoo stew are among the most popular items on any Kentucky Derby menu, adored by many derby fans alike. Come revel in the spirit of the South and read about the traditional derby favorites that have stood the test of time.

The mint julep, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, has been closely associated with the horseracing event since 1938. Year after year, an approximate 120,000 mint juleps are reportedly made in a two-day span for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks event. The famous cocktail recipe consists of bourbon, mint leaves, water and sugar — a deceptively simple list of ingredients. However, using the right balance of ingredients is crucial, and many recipes call for slight alterations to achieve that ever-elusive perfect combination of flavor. Many bartenders around the country claim to have perfected the mint julep recipe, but to each his/her own palate.

For those of us who aren’t among the lucky group of people with tickets to watch the Kentucky Derby in person, head over to your local bar and get in the derby spirit with Churchill Downs’ drink of choice! A few different spots around the country where you can find a great mint julep are Bar UnCommon in New Orleans, Seven Grand in Los Angeles, CA, and Employees Only in New York, NY. Looking for the best mint julep in Louisville has to offer? Proof on Main’s version of the cocktail ranks highly among native Kentuckians.

As far as food traditions go, burgoo, a hearty meat and vegetable stew, has been a Kentucky staple for over a century. The stew’s exact origins and unusual name remain a mystery, but over time, burgoo has become an inextricable part of the local culture. Comprised of three or more different meats, the stew features a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, lima beans, and corn. Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce are commonly used toward the end of cooking to punch up the taste and add a spicy kick. The stew typically simmers for hours in a large pot to serve a crowd of hungry guests, and it frequently makes appearances at both the Kentucky Derby event as well as derby-watching parties at home.

Many of Kentucky’s eateries feature burgoo on their menu, each with their own unique twist on the classic. Mark’s Feed Store in Louisville and Shack in the Back BBQ in Fairdale are both known to serve up a mean bowl of Kentucky burgoo. Burgoo has even popped up on the west coast, appearing on Smoking Pig BBQ’s menu in San Jose, California. We hope to see more of it in the future!

Editor’s Note: Where do you plan to spend the Derby? – KK

Photo by Constança Cabral

It may seem like a small task, but bringing a hostess gift is often easier said than done. The token bottle of wine or bouquet of flowers can only be done so many times before it seems like a lazy excuse. In the midst of our busy lives, it is difficult to brainstorm creative and meaningful gifts for the gracious hosts of parties, brunch, overnight stays, etc. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you bring a gift that your hostess will appreciate.

Encourage pampering. Attending a gathering that is sure to leave your hostess exhausted the next morning? A hostess gift that allows for a little rest and relaxation the next day is a perfect idea. This DIY Spa Basket, for example, gives your hostess the pampering needed after slaving away preparing for the event. Or a simple breakfast basket with a bag of strong coffee, fresh baked croissants from the nearest bakery and a jar of jam help make the morning after a relaxing treat.

A small token. If you have been invited to view a sporting event or have a casual dinner with friends, you may feel silly showing up with a gift basket. Instead, keep it small and simple. In these cases it is appropriate to bring something like a bottle of wine, a small potted plant, or a small bottle of nice hand lotion. These small tokens of your appreciation help your hostess feel special.

Keep it interesting. Hostess gifts are more meaningful when they are thoughtful. Find out what your hostess is interested in. Foodie? Movie buff? Gardener? Music lover? There are endless possibilities for simple gifts and gift baskets that any hostess would love to receive. These gift baskets offer some great inspiration. Gift certificates to restaurants, movie theaters, stores, etc, are a fantastic way to show your appreciation.

Have a stash. For last-minute dinner parties or other unexpected gatherings, have a stash of gifts that are ready to go in a pinch. Make large batches of homemade vanilla extract, lemon curd, or jam and store them in sealed jars or bottles. If you would rather not DIY, purchase a few nice candles, bath salts, teas or coffee that can be dressed up with a ribbon or placed in a gift bag as you walk out the door.

Better late than never. If you forget to bring your hostess gift with you, don’t be afraid to send it in the mail later. We all get busy thinking about other things and find ourselves needing a little extra time, even in the gift-giving department. Just because you forget to bring something with you to the event itself doesn’t mean you can’t make up for it later. Simply send the gift and a thank-you card the old-fashioned way. Your post office — and your host — will thank you.

The age-old advice of never arriving empty-handed is worth following. Hosts put so much time and effort into entertaining and deserve a kind thank you. Without their hard work, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to create wonderful memories and sustain meaningful friendships while enjoying good food, drinks, and conversation.

If you are still searching for ideas, Pinterest is a great place to look for inspiration. Check out my Pinterest board, Gift Ideas, for more.

Photo by Amante Darmanin

It’s true: tequila has a bad, bad reputation. And it’s well-earned; tequila’s history is dubious, complicated, full of scandal and poor behavior. But, all of that is in the past. The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (C.R.T.) was formed in 1994 to control, improve and promote the quality of tequila production and has constantly maintained its efforts, even rewriting its standards in 2006. The C.R.T. boldly assures us that tequila has cleaned up its act. Even better, many artistic creations, single-barrel bottlings and unique blends of tequila, all from premium stock, have recently emerged. Jake Lustig of Las Joyas del Agave recently introduced his Seleccion Arte N.O.M. series of tequila. Acting closely as a negociant of agave and of specific barrels, Lustig works only with the best of the best of the Tequileros in Jalisco and bottles only his favorites, with each batch bearing the signature of the distiller on the label. Chiara Shannon of K & L Wine Merchants described the 1079 Blanco Tequila as “one of the coolest tequilas I’ve ever tasted. Absolutely unreal.”

Tequila, the “Spirit of Mexico,” is a wildly growing category of distilled spirits in North America thanks to its chief cocktail the Margarita and the lively culture of celebration and lack of inhibition that Mexico has exported so well.

Care to throw off the worries of the day and get the party started? Tequila!

As the proprietor of the ubiquitously named Latin spirits mecca Cantina in San Francisco, I can attest to tequila being more than a means to get the party started; it too is ubiquitous, more than whiskey, vodka, or pisco, tequila has become the shot du jour. Is this because tequila possesses some unique stimulant that enhances our imbibing? Perhaps. Or is it more likely due to the fact that tequila is just a hell of a lot better than it was just a decade ago?

“There was no better time for premium tequila than when we launched Clase Azul in 2005,” mused John Hanson, partner and founder of Tequilas Premium. “Bored of Cognac and Whiskey, the American consumer was thirsty for adventure but they still craved that same smooth, full taste of a well-crafted spirit. Clase Azul delivered that in a unique way right after brands like Herradura and Patrón took the fear out of drinking tequila again.”

I’m certain that the efforts of the Mexican government and the abiding producers changed the face of tequila and thereby the faith of the American consumer in tequila. Long gone are the days of chugging from a mixto package of brown liquid in clear plastic with a bandit on its label, and nearly dying the following morn from headache and hangover. The C.R.T. has had its way and the global consumer now calls for premium 100% agave tequila; rather than shooting the drink, tequila is sipped, slowly.

Tequila is produced from the heart of the agave plant, the underground fibrous part known as the pina, which is harvested, crushed, fermented and then distilled into the spirit that gets its name from a town where, in centuries past, it was chiefly produced. (NOTE: Nowhere is cactus mentioned as a source…)

An agave field is an unnerving sight. Accustomed to vineyards and orchards, when I first viewed hectacres of Agave Tequilana stretching out over the undulating pastures of western Jalisco, the feeling was similar to visiting a natural history museum, as the blue agave is a seemingly Paleolithic plant, tall and strong and resistant, an agricultural beast that takes an average of eight years to mature. Bumping along those roads outside of Arandas, Jalisco in the back of a pickup truck, eyes fixed on tens of thousands of agave, was an amazing experience — authentic and altogether aided by the bottle of El Tesoro Reposado passed amongst the group. That delicious spike of intoxicant clutched in my right hand, slightly burning my palate, was culled from the same fiercely primitive agave the pickup truck blazed past.

The taste of tequila should be reminiscent of a glass of Sauvignon Blanc: grassy, it should hold varied citrus notes with pepper and hints of minerality. Pure tequila will have a long, semi-sweet finish with a medium burn. Excellent examples of this are the brands Siete Leguas, Corralejo, and Partida.

Across the United States, there are dozens of excellent bars and restaurants with superb tequila selections. Some of my favorites are La Perla in Los Angeles, La Biblioteca in New York City, Big Star in Chicago, and Barrio in Seattle. The bartenders behind-the-stick at these gems know their tequila as every sommelier knows his Burgundy.

This Saturday brings to us the annual fiesta of Cinco de Mayo. Sure, it may be a hack holiday, its origins in American marketing rather than in authentic Mexico; but, beyond it being an occasion for Americans to lose their inhibitions, it provides the opportunity to celebrate a unique glass of something premium, a distilled liquid from 100% agave, partly primitive and wholly delicious.