Speaking of Cheese – ALEX’s Cart is So Good We Camembert It

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In kase you haven’t noticed, the American cheese revolution is in full swing, an established fact, and now as much a part of our culinary landscape as heirloom tomatoes and California cabernets. In less than three decades — roughly the time since ELV grad-jee-ATED from learnin’ legal stuff gooder in law school, the selections of cheeses in the hinterlands of America has gone from Kraft Parmesan dust in a cardboard can and rubbery mozzarella to all sorts of mass-produced-but-still-very-good varieties to scores of artisanal products from maniac cheese makers that turn out products approaching the best Europe has to offer. (And when ELV says “maniac” he means it. God bless cheese makers, especially the perfectionists that make the ethereal stuff, but most of them are weirder than a curling match.)

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The Food Dude Diary – by John Mariani

ELV note: The following was published this past Saturday in John Mariani’s The Virtual Gourmet online ‘zine. In satirical form, it pretty much captures the illiterate idiocy that permeates the way most guys under 40 think (or think they should think) about food and restaurants — which has created a deadly dull cycle of negative reinforcement between food television and its brain dead audience.

All of it makes ELV long for a time when fops like this guy ruled the restaurant writing roost. At least they were original, witty, incisive and smart…and you never heard the words “yo” or “dude.”

Here is the link to the original article, which will also link you to a certain review of a certain Arthur Avenue Italian restaurant written by a certain critic whom you know and love.

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