Two cookbooks that tantalize beyond their recipes
Someone occasionally approaches me about writing an endorsement for a new book, and it’s an invitation that I don’t take lightly. I politely decline unless […]
Food/Drink
Meat this: Most stops rural on Iowa Pork Tenderloin Trail
It’s not yet noon when we pull into Wellsburg, Iowa, curious and hungry for lunch. We wonder why the village, population 700, needs a one-way […]
Bay City Chef Shack: fine dining in down-home location
Follow the Mississippi along the Great River Road (Highway 35, in Wisconsin) for no shortage of woods, bluffs, curvy waterfronts and pastoral landscapes. Common are […]
Mackinac Island: land of fudge, lots of it
Mackinac isn’t the birthplace of fudge, but the 3.8-square-mile Michigan island in Lake Huron may well be the nation’s epicenter for it. The island kinda […]
Food trends: more ethnic flavors, less artificial ingredients
The largest buffet that I try to sample every spring is at the National Restaurant Association’s trade show, which shows off what’s new in every […]
Door Artisan Cheese: from milk vat to restaurant plate
Fans of fine dining know that an amuse-bouche is a chef’s little gift to diners – a nibble or slurp that usually is an elegant […]
Grilled cheese: worthy of complex treatment, sandwich contests
If dressing up a grilled cheese means sneaking in a slice of tomato or bacon, or switching from wheat to sourdough, please take a moment […]
Two chefs who excel in urban, small-town settings
Order a cocktail at Spiaggia on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and the drink may well arrive with a napkin that contains an oh-so-obscure band portrait […]
Take Ten: Fox Valley breweries
Midwest Features Syndicate is partnering with the Department of Journalism at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh to help students gain work experience and build a […]
Great chili debates: sauce to seasoning, mac to meat
If you seriously doubt our nation’s ability to seriously but pleasantly debate anything, I have one word for you: Chili. After asking Facebook friends what […]
Old Fashioned products, recipes, nostalgia, roots
To you, an Old Fashioned is the unofficial cocktail of Wisconsin and a popular prelude to special meals, especially during end-of-year entertaining. To Bob Meyer, […]
Bayless, Frontera Foundation grants help family farms
Rick Bayless knew what he wanted after doing book research in Mexico around 30 years ago: Start a restaurant that served authentic Mexican food. So […]