When it comes to liquor I have my moments. I am not a big beer drinker unless you count Corona Extra, which isn’t so bad. So, when it comes to having something light I stick with the malt liquors on the store shelves these days. One of my favorite options is Smirnoff Ice.

I love the Raspberry Ice Tea along with the red and black labels, though I occasionally try some of the others. When it comes to categorizing them as liquor or beer I have never really thought about it, but apparently some people, at least in Maryland, have been.

The Governor, Martin O’Malley has to make a decision whether to classify Smirnoff Ice as beer or liquor. Those lobbying for liquor think that it should be marketed and sold as beer. However, this means that it is allowed to sit freely on convenience store shelves and groups like MADD do not like this idea one bit. There is also the question of taxes. Beer tax is a lot cheaper than liquor tax. Currently, the Governor has not made a definitive decision, so people are left to lobby.

I’m somewhere on the fence. I don’t feel its beer. Other than the fact that it’s cheaper in cost there really is no similarity to any beer on the market. I can see where it is more marketable on the shelves of nearly any store. I certainly don’t feel it needs to be behind a counter. Even if it were, if someone wanted to buy it, they would, so the deterrent does not really lessen any by calling a spade a spade. Liquor companies have more to lose here, because if the price of the tax is raised on their end, then the consumer price, at least in Maryland where this is all occurring, will likely go up, as well. (more…)

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People living in the LA area or those interested in the organic food craze just might be thrilled to know that celebrity, movie star Jake Gyllenhaal (Zodiac) is set to open an organic restaurant with childhood friend and chef, Chris Fischer. Apparently, Gyllenhaal is quite the foodie and has always wanted to own his own restaurant.

Sources have spoken to Life & Style Magazine saying, “Cooking is Jake’s big hobby and his passion.”

In addition to cooking on his own, Gyllenhaal has even been on the former Food Network show, Molto Mario, which was hosted by celebrity chef Mario Batali. From what is being said, the young actor has vowed to open up a restaurant of his own before he hits 30. At 27 years old, there is no better time to get going than now.

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What is the most that you would pay for a burger at a fast food joint? I don’t know about you, but I definitely have a limit. In fact, I was in a restaurant drive thru last night ordering a chicken sandwich and some fries. I misheard the girl giving me my total and I thought she said $10 and change. As I drove around to the window, I thought, there was no way I would be paying for that if the sandwich cost that much. They could keep it and I would just make something when I got home. Luckily, I just heard her wrong, but it just goes to show that I have a limit.

Later this month, the Burger King restaurants in the UK will be testing people’s limits to the absolute extreme. They plan to do this by creating a burger that is far more expensive than anything you’ve ever seen in a fast food restaurant in your life.

According to The Sun:

FAST food chain Burger King are to serve up the world’s most expensive takeaway – costing a whopping £85.

There’s no common old meat in this burger. It will contain top-quality Kobe beef from Japan. And instead of ketchup and cheddar, it will be garnished with foie gras – a goose delicacy – and rare bleu cheese.

But BK customers will still be able to buy regular fries and a fizzy drink to help it go down.

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I am not one to rush out and have to have the newest fad, but there is something about this company that I simply love. Under The Hood takes Kelloggs products (Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Tony the Tiger, Rice Krispies, and so on) and melds them into clothing icons for hip hop apparel. The results are pretty awesome, if you ask me.

The store, which offers service at online and offline retailers, has a line that includes hoodies, tees, jackets, and jeans. The prices may seem a little steep for some, but they are pretty close to what you will pay for any other brand name in the fashion industry, and in some cases they are actually less.

If you’re looking for something new and trendy or just different to wear with a food angle, you will want to check them out.

Under the Hood, if you’re reading this…I love your Rice Krispies Hoodies and my birthday is at the end of this month (hint, hint).

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I have heard of plenty of interesting market research ideas, but figuring out how people vote based on their food choices is nothing that I had expected in the way of research. However, here it is. The New York Times has offered up some lists that were compiled by Market Research.com. Sure the lists aren’t surefire proof of who you will vote for, but they are interesting nonetheless.

Stats for Some Clinton Supporters:

Your favorite supermarket cookie is a Fig Newton.
Your fast food restaurant of choice is Church’s Fried Chicken.
You shop at Whole Foods.

Your shopping cart includes the following products:

Butter
Odwalla Super Protein drinks
Amy’s Whole Wheat frozen pizza
Newman’s Own Pretzels

Stats for some Obama Fiends:

Your favorite supermarket cookie is a soft chocolate chip.
Your fast food restaurant of choice is Panera Bread.
You shop at your local farmers’ market.

Your shopping cart includes the following products:

Olive Oil
IZZE Sparkling Juice drinks
Wolfgang Puck All Natural frozen pizza
Kettle Chips

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There are a whole slew of restaurants (typically the best in town) that are all the way on the other side of the city. For one reason or another we don’t get over there too much, but when we do we will usually stop somewhere and pick up dinner since there are some options we either haven’t tried or don’t get to normally enjoy. Just a couple of days ago we had a chance to get over there and after much deliberation (and I mean much, since my mother isn’t easy to please) we finally ended up at our area’s local Red Robin.

It was a visit to their website that really clenched the decision. I knew my mom would like a lot of their food options, including things like fish and chips, onion rings, and gourmet burgers. I didn’t know if I would be able to sell her on a burger (she’s picky about when she wants one), but I knew the fish and chips with onion rings instead of fries, would be a super simple selling point. So, off to Red Robin we went.

I have to say the inside is quite swanky. I really liked the basic motif with the celebrity pictures on the wall and the past moments of pop culture (Campbell’s Soup can, anyone?). It was a cute restaurant and a nice environment all around. They didn’t have smoking, which was a negative for my mom, but she was willing to forgive them because they had Coke and if the food was good, there would be no problem. If I could have gotten her out of there without seeing the bill I think she would have been in love. Of course, my mom can’t imagine spending anything over McDonald’s prices for a meal out to eat, so that was to be expected.

I didn’t find the prices to be too bad, but it’s not somewhere that we will be going a lot just for the fact that it is a bit more than your average burger joint. For a family of four with meals and one appetizer it came to just over $66, not including tip. The service was excellent, by the way.

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I recently heard about a restaurant in Philadelphia that is known for withholding tips from the wait staff. Apparently, a review on citypaper.net about Philly’s Arbol Café prompted this comment:

February 24th 2008 1:55 AM | Posted by: John Smith
The owners of the Arbol cafe do not allow their workers to keep their tips. While getting paid 7 dollars an hour to bus, clean, set, take orders, run food, do dishes, and bleach bathroom/floors, the tips from customers are kept by the owners. Tipping the owner is considered rude and telling servers that they can’t is poor practice.

After a four hour shift (28 bucks) with no tips, which one time a server made 30 dollars in tips I was unable to keep it. The place has all the potential, but has bad policies. NEVER TIP! Your server doesn’t see it.

The Café soon responded with the following comment:

March 8th 2008 9:18 PM | Posted by: Arbol Cafe
“response to “John Smith” aka: Diva” by thearbolcafe (1 review)
February 26, 2008 - We regret and apologize at having to respond to such a base, unfair and inaccurate comment made by the waitress, “John Smith”. The cafe has been open all of three months and is undergoing drastic rennovations. Prior to our hiring any person, we make it quite clear that they will be paid above minimum wage to start. It is also our clear intent to not have waiters or waitresses but rather, persons who are interested in working and growing as a team and excelling in the project’s full potential. Many of our customers have offered their time and skills, free of charge, because they too share in the same spirit of what we have to offer to the community.

Note: Above comment was trimmed to only add what was necessary here.

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Funnily enough, while I didn’t realize that yesterday was National Grilled Cheese Day I had a hankering for a grilled cheese. This is by no means surprising because I am a cheese fanatic. Chances are, if cheese can go on it, I will put it on there. Yesterday’s sandwich included sharp cheddar and Swiss on plain old white bread.

However, every now and then I will add other things like grilled ham, turkey, roast beef, tomatoes, and other items. Not all at once, of course, but you get the general idea. I also switch things up with different breads. I think my favorite for a grilled cheese is pumpernickel. Although, when I’m feeling like a five year old, nothing beats that basic white bread and American cheese to take me back to my childhood.

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CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS TEAM UP TO STAMP OUT HUNGER!

Nation’s Largest Food Drive Helps Millions of Americans

CAMDEN, NJ (April 7, 2008) ― On Saturday, May 10, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger! across America. Now in its 16th year, the Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 836 million pounds of food since its inception in 1993.

To help Stamp Out Hunger! this year, simply leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to your mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on May 10. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans. The nation’s 230,000 letter carriers will then collect donations from homes across the country and deliver them to food bank members of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network and other hunger relief organizations in more than 10,000 local communities.

“Hunger continues to be a vital issue in this country,” said William H. Young, NALC president. “Many Americans may miss the faces of hunger, but we see it daily out on our routes. The problem is hunger can strike anyone – the elderly, the working class and even innocent children. That’s why we need your help to make a real difference.”

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BOBBY FLAY “GRILLS” A NEW SEASON OF FOOD NETWORK HOPEFULS

Network Announces Season Four Finalists On “The Next Food Network Star” Iron Chef Flay Joins Selection Committee As Permanent Celebrity Judge Series Premiere Set For Sunday, June 1st at 10pm ET/PT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Television’s most challenging food fight, The Next Food Network Star, returns this June for a fourth season filled with star-studded appearances and culinary challenges sure to test the boundaries of any palette. Premiering Sunday, June 1st at 10pm ET/PT, the series offers viewers a cast like never before – filled with 10 contestants eagerly vying to be the next face of Food Network. From a stand-up comedian, to a cookbook author and a self proclaimed “Mini Martha Stewart” – the contestants are sure to introduce a new flavor to the line-up. The names of the finalists were announced today by Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production for Food Network.

“Last season’s show was our network’s highest-rated, most-watched series ever and we look forward to keeping that bar raised and the level of competition high,” said Tuschman. “This season’s finalists are our most skilled ever, and we put them through the toughest challenges we could devise. We guarantee viewers an incredibly compelling and entertaining series.”

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