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.

September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, and since it'll be here before you can say "corn mash," Trey Zoeller has kindly offered to deliver an introductory course.

Zoeller is the founder and master distiller of Jefferson's Bourbon, and he's got a barrel of information to make your (brown) spirits bright next month - from whether "neat" is the suitable technique to why Kentucky is for bourbon lovers.

Bourbon for Beginners: Trey Zoeller
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Our commenters are on a bit of a roll.

Last week, our colleague Jo Parker extolled the virtues of her childhood sandwich favorite the peanut butter and Vidalia onions sandwich. She wrote in part, "The cool, crunchy sweetness of Vidalias pairs terrifically with the peanuttiness. Smooth or crunchy – up to you. I remember eating these as a girl in Illinois, but I really don’t know the sandwich’s pedigree."

In response, more than 200 readers served up love letters to their favorite non-traditional ‘wiches. They ranged from strawberry preserves paired with mayonnaise to peanut butter and…well, everything under the sun, stackable between two buns.
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Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• We get by with a little help from basil and its friends. - Wall Street Journal

• A palate for placenta.  (We think we'll take your word for it...) - New York Magazine

• This year's ten best additions to your culinary library. - Details

• Is banning cell phones from restaurants the right call? - USA Today

• The crazy demand for canola. - BusinessWeek

• Food from a modern Libyan kitchen. - Libyan Food

Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to get our grub on, we listen up.

These days, it seems like it’s illegal to open up a restaurant and not put fried chicken on the menu. (Perhaps it’s a new stipulation in leases for dining establishments.) Some chefs take that mandate and serve straight-ahead, crispy fried chicken. But it’s the other cooks - the ones who decide they want to get a little bit wacky with their chicken - that we’ll focus on now.

Pine State Biscuits: Portland, OR
For some people, a piece of fried chicken is indulgent enough. Those people should not go to Pine State Biscuits and order the Wedgie: a biscuit filled with buttermilk fried chicken, a fried green tomato, iceberg lettuce and blue cheese dressing. And they definitely shouldn’t order the Reggie Deluxe, because that’s a biscuit topped with fried chicken, bacon, cheddar, gravy and an over-easy fried egg.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

It's just another nutty Monday - August 22 is National Pecan Torte Day!

A torte can be richly flavored with whatever you decide to make it with (pick your poison!), but it usually consists of cake-like layers sandwiching buttercream, mousse, jam or fruit. Once it cools from a nice bake in the oven, it's drizzled with a heavenly glaze.
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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.
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