|
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. To Kelly Senyei, you are what you Tweet. Senyei is the Content Producer for "Gourmet Live," the digital resurrection of the closed Gourmet magazine, and resident blogger at "Just a Taste." Now if you'll excuse us, we just had some crazy good Valentine's Day chocolate with sea salt to describe in 140 characters or less. 5 Reasons to Tweet What You Eat: Kelly Senyei Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Eatocracy is in New Orleans this week getting ready for the second edition of our Secret Supper. We'll be celebrating the people, purveyors and places that make this such a significant food town, and hope you'll join in with your questions, memories, restaurant suggestions and general bonhomie. My old colleague Bob Johnson used to complain of his debilitating case of F.O.M.S., or Fear Of Missing Something. It caused him to stay too late at the party, hang around for a beer or two past his bedtime and generally run himself ragged, convinced that an unmissable occurrence was right around the corner. It was rarely worth it. True love may be priceless, but does that mean we should pay through the nose for fine chocolate on Valentine's Day - or any day? The answer is unequivocally yes in the opinion of Rick and Mike Mast, whose organic hand-crafted chocolate bars garnering rave reviews retail for $9. "You get what you pay for," insisted Rick Mast, 34. "For me, chocolate shouldn't be something you can pick up at the gas station for a buck or two." The Mast Brothers are not gourmet chocolatiers - the artisans who melt down large blocks of chocolate and refashion the mix into delectable treats of all shapes and flavors. Rather, Rick and his brother Mike, 31, are true chocolate makers in the tradition of Willy Wonka's Oompa-Loompas, though the towering, red-bearded Masts - Rick is 6'4", Mike 6'3" - could hardly be confused with author Roald Dahl's fictional Lilliputian chocolate workers. Laissez les bons temps rouler! Eatocracy is in New Orleans this week getting ready for the second edition of our Secret Supper. We'll be delving into the people, purveyors and places that make this such a significant food town, and hope you'll join in with your questions, memories, restaurant suggestions and general bonhomie. Who better to kick off a conversation about New Orleans food than CNN's very own ragin' Cajun James Carville? The Democratic strategist and Louisiana native shares a home in New Orleans with his wife, Republican strategist and CNN political contributor Mary Matalin and has one heck of an eating life. We spoke with him last autumn (when his favorite seasonal sno-ball stand was open) about roux, restaurants, the importance of oyster provenance and the very best bite he's ever put in his mouth. Eatocracy: As soon as people within CNN found out that we were launching a food blog, everyone came to me asking, “Have you spoken with James Carville yet?” You have a reputation for knowing what’s good. James Carville: As a matter of fact I just left one of three Zagat 29-rated restaurants in the country – or so I’m told. [Editor's note - it has lowered from this rating in the 2007-2008 guide.] It’s the Hansen’s Sno-Bliz stand. I think that the French Laundry and some place in Chicago are the only other ones that have a 29. It was a satsuma sno-ball – my favorite flavor. It’s a Louisiana citrus that’s like a clementine. E:: I hear a lot about the sno-ball stands in New Orleans. Why is that? J.C.: The snow – that’s part of our culture. It gets a mite toasty down here sometimes in the summertime and we like to get a sno-ball. While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday and the most delicious finds on TV. Grab a heart-shaped box of those Valentine’s Day essentials and chow down: February 14 is National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day. Amaretto, lemon, orange or coconut? It’s a mystery to us too, and the only way to solve it is to take a bite. Don’t worry – if you don’t like it, there are about 29 other flavors you could stumble upon. Take a hint from Lucy of Peanuts fame: “All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! “ Especially not on Valentine’s Day. What's on TV? Pssst! Got a sec to chat? We are utterly thrilled when readers want to hang out and talk – whether it's amongst themselves or in response to pieces we've posted. We want Eatocracy to be a cozy, spirited online home for those who find their way here. Consider the daily Coffee klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic. |
Recent Posts
|