Editor's note: All summer long, the Southern Foodways Alliance will be delving deep in the history, tradition, heroes and plain old deliciousness of barbecue across the United States. Dig in.

There's been some big food and drink news on the campaign trail of late, from Paul Ryan's catfish-noodling hobby to President Obama's home-brewed "White House Honey Ale." They got me wondering if barbecue had ever taken center stage in a presidential campaign. (Well, since this one.)
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(Travel + Leisure) - Convenient as they are for a quick bite, hotel restaurants can get a bad rap for uninspired menus and bland atmosphere — sometimes, deservedly so.

But there's been a countervailing trend gathering strength since the mid-'90s, and some of the hottest restaurants are now opening in hotels, proving to be destinations for locals and tourists alike. As Spanish chef José Andrés says, with "so many great dining and drinking experiences in hotels, it is bringing back a golden age when hotels were the only places to meet out for a dinner."

Savvy hoteliers like Ian Schrager, Andre Balazs, and Steve Wynn were among the pioneers, seeing the possibility of luring guests with high-concept design and high-caliber culinary talent.

Read the full story: 7 of America's hottest hotel restaurants

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Cherry up, Sleepy Jean! August 28 is National Cherry Turnover Day.

Before you rush off to make your own fruit-filled pastry, consider these five cherry facts:

- There are two dominant species of the cherry. The first is the Prunus avium, or sweet cherry. The second is the Prunus cerasus, or sour cherry.
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