According to The Associated Press, Kellogg Co. reports a nationwide shortage of Eggo frozen waffles until at least next summer after interruptions at two of the four plants that produce them.

The report says that Kellogg’s Atlanta plant was temporarily shuttered after a September rainstorm. Also, its bakery in Rossville, Tenn., has had portions shut down for repairs.

Kellogg will distribute available Eggos to stores based on their past history of sales.

Food! Eating is one of the original social conventions. Here’s a list of fun food events going on around Boston.

Tandoor cooking classes at Mantra

Hit The Naan Bar on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 and just $20 will get you a hands-on cooking class, one cocktail and a sampling of naans and kebabs. Learn from Chef Brar as he describes the fascinating history of hot clay cooking and go home with recipes for yogurt-based meat marinades. Who says the holidays have to be all about turkeys?

Chef-led tours of Shalimar Indian Foods & Spices

$20 goes a long way again. Head to Central Square on the first Saturday of every month for a one hour tour explaining various exotic ingredients used in Indian foods. You’ll get tips on how to use Indian spices holistically, plus a lunch at The Dosa Factory, a little month-old spot in the back of the shop.

Four great Monday Night Wine Clubs at Ashmont Grill next month

December 7 Holiday Punch Bowls, December 14 Super Tuscans, Dec. 21 Cabernet Four Ways, Dec. 28 Sparklers. $30 buys several generous pours of wine, an on site expert to introduce patrons to new tastes, plus three small plates of matching seasonal food from chef Sam Putnam.

Tailgate Menu at Tavolo every time the Patriots play

$20 again! Try special like White Bean Chile, Max’s Meatballs and Pork Belly Sliders. Each comes with two free draft beers! Tavolo opens at noon on Sundays for football fans. Free parking across the street.

Truro Vineyards Wine Club

An excellent holiday gift that keeps on giving all year; three annual shipments of four wines each (Truro makes about ten of them) plus chef-developed recipes for dishes that pair well with them. This Cape Cod winery is now the largest in Massachusetts, and can ship to 26 states ! Full club details on the web.

Sunday Suppers at CLIO

Just a few weeks old, but gaining momentum. Chef Ken Oringer gets chick-y with a different fried chicken recipe (from southern to Korean) every Sunday from 5:30 PM. Prix fixe $35 comes with accompaniments. Regular ala carte menu also served.

It’s a final fling for Chef Chris Chung of UNI

Chung exits in a few short weeks to open his own spot in Lincoln, but meanwhile, he’s pulling out all the stops at this intimate sashimi salon in the Eliot Hotel. Yes, sashimi is seasonal, so fall flavors and vegetables are likely to appear in tandem with cold water fish, and the results are spectacular. This place also has one of the most creative cocktail lists in town.

Troquet has Boston’s Best Wine List; but the food is also divine.

It’s suckling pig season again, and Chef Scott Hebert makes it succulent with chipotle, asiago grits and honey-glazed carrots. For dessert, try Sugared Pumpkin Souffle or Milk Chocolate-Hazelnut Millefeuille. Pastry Chef Sarah Woodfine loves to make ice cream, and it shows in her fresh nutmeg, mascarpone, roasted banana and cinnamon versions. A sampler platter is $9.75

French fare for Thanksgiving or Christmas Day? Why Not?

Petit Robert Bistro’s three locations will be open from 11-9 on both holidays serving their regular menu, plus celebratory blackboard specials created by Chef Jacky Robert. A pocketbook-friendly wine list makes PRB an informed choice.

So, get out this month and enjoy all the foodie fun Boston has to offer!

We in Generation Y had it good. We saw the emergence of the sourest candies ever made, while the good old candies you could choke on were still there.

From our sugary amazingnesses to favorite fast food, here’s a list of 10 things that taste like our childhood.

1. Airheads

The originals are still available. (Media credit/Travis Hornung/Flickr)

After taffy, there were Airheads. These babies are flattened sugar with artificial flavoring. Mmmm.

Manufactured by Perfetti Van Melle of Erlanger, Kentucky for the past two decades, the mini ones are a tease, but the big, full size, foil-packaged Airheads really do bring back memories. You could get more than one for a dollar at the concession stand at the little league field. Watermelon is particularly good, but we also remember the sour varieties and the odd “white” Airhead.

Kids today know of Airheads because they’ve done a Spongebob variety and in 2007 and 2008, a new “BerryHot” flavor gets warm in your mouth, and “Chillin” flavors are supposed to have a “cold” feeling. They aren’t the same. The originals are still available, and that’s all that matters.

2. Play-Doh

You know you went for it at least once. (Media credit/WikiMedia)

You don’t have to admit that you might have nibbled on the product of your Fun Factory. It’s OK. You ate the Doh. We know it.

We didn’t have clay growing up. We had Play-Doh. Originally created in the 1940s as a wallpaper cleaner, the makers soon realized kids were playing with it. Play-Doh was born. The product may have had its golden age slightly before our generation, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single kid our age (and by kid, we mean mid 20s) that didn’t play with Play-Doh growing up.

And don’t worry; it’s non-toxic.

3. Atomic Fireballs

15 million Fireballs are consumed weekly (Media credit/pgh_shutter/Flickr)

Round, red, hot. Nello Ferrara’s 1954 contribution to the candy world was extremely popular in the 80s and 90s when we were sucking them down, and we might still be found trying to talk to our boss with an Atomic Fireball that leaves our mouth red.

The company claims that 15 million atomic fireballs are consumed by Americans every week.

This is one of those things that, when we’re 50, we can tell our kids that “back in our day, Atomic Fireballs were a nickel. A NICKEL!”

Atomic Fireballs are part of the Jawbreaker family. There are also four flavors of Atomic Sourball.

4. Plastic

Everything we touched was made of plastic. (Media credit/Kat Gloor/Flickr)

Sippy cups. Action figures. Furniture. Buttons. Pens. Soda bottles. Baby dolls.

Almost every freakin thing we touched — and subsequently put in our months — as kids was made of plastic.

We were born in the plastic revolution. Do you know what they used to use before plastic? GLASS!

We didn’t use glass. The only things made of glass back in our day were Gatorade bottles.

One Blast editor said she can’t smell plastic without thinking of her Glo Worm, which she’d always have in her mouth as a child.

Plastic has since been vilified. You don’t even see plastic bags at the supermarket anymore.

5. Fundip and Pixy Stix

Pure, tooth-rotting sugar (Media credit/WikiMedia)

This is candy. Pure, tooth-rotting sugar that will make you bounce off the walls 20 minutes before you pass out from the crash.

Fun Dip has been on the market since 1942, when it was called Lik-M-Aid. We remember the stick is called Lik-A-Stix. It was white and flavorless, and that’s how we liked it. Willy Wonka Candy Company ruined Fun Dip by making the stick flavored in the modern era.

Fun Dip is the same sugar as Pixy Stix. Three flavors come in a package, separated, of course. The stick becomes a yucky mess.

Good times.

6. Candy Cigarettes

I never got the urge to smoke. (Media credit/WikiMedia)

In 1991 the government tried to ban candy cigarettes.

They failed, but the fun chalky pretend cigarettes with a red tip are all but gone now. The bubblegum ones were not very good because the paper tasted, well, like paper. The chalky candy ones were fun to suck on and pretend we were having a good ol’ smoke.

I never had the urge to actually smoke because of candy cigarettes.

According to Wikipedia, candy cigarettes are banned Finland, Norway, Ireland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia .

Still, it was fun to buy a pack whenever the ice cream truck came up the hill when I was a kid.

7. McDonald’s French Fries

Hey Jimmy, what did you win in the Monopoly game? OBESITY! (Media credit/Scorpions and Centaurs/Flickr)

McDonald’s used to cook with trans fats. I think it even used animal fat before our time.

French fries are God-awful for you. Dietitians will tell you that they’re one of the worst things you could possibly consume.

Fuck that.

OK, so I have gone a whole year without eating a single French fry, but McDonald’s French fries are the best French fries in the world, perhaps second only to the Glenwood Drive-In in Hamden, Connecticut.

They’ve tasted the same since we were kids. They’re delicious, and we’re all fat today because of them.

But…memories…

8. Big League Chew

It comes in a pouch! Cool! You mean they make tobacco in a pouch too? Gross! (Media credit/thinkjose/Flickr)

Here’s another attempt by big tobacco to get kids hooked, right?

Horseshit.

The only bad thing about Big League Chew was that the taste didn’t last very long, and you always had to go “dipping” for more.

The original was good, but I always bit down on a big wad of watermelon when I was on the pitcher’s mound in my little league glory days. My teeth ache at the memory of chewing down on a golf ball-sized wad of gum.

9. Sunny Delight

I don’t know what’s in Sunny D. I don’t wanna know what’s in Sunny D. All I know is that it was better than soda, OJ and that purple stuff, and it’s got healthy junk in it.

10. Old-School Doritos

75 cents! Back in my day!

Jesus Christ, is it any wonder we’re all out of shape?

But do you remember old-school Doritos? Before “Nacho Cheesier” and “Collisions” came to be? Back when it was just a cheesy corn chip?

Really, all you needed were Doritos, Fritos, some pretzels and maybe some Smartfood Popcorn, and you’ve got yourself a party!

There were some failed experiments. Remember Doritos 3D?

Plus, Doritos always has great Superbowl commercials.

What did I miss? Share your favorite reminiscent tastes in the comments section!

Blast columnist Lindsay Milgroom and writers Sam Peters and Brooklynne Peters contributed to this report

Whatever the reasons, there are plenty of fine alternatives to the old brandy-in-egg-nog mixture that I can never seem to think about without throwing up a little in my mouth.

I found some cocktails that not only whet the whistle, but they just give you that warm, fuzzy, holiday feeling. You know, the kind that makes you forget you troubles like that speeding ticket from the Statey who didn’t want to hear your lame ass excuses on the Pike, or the hot blonde with the rack that never called you back last week, even though she seemed totally excited when you bought her a drink down at one of the Faneuil Hall bars and gave you her number before her giggling gaggle of girlfriends dragged her to the next bar.

Drink up, my friends.

If you happen to find yourself down in Dot, don’t miss the Ashmont Grill. Not only is the food great and the service fantastic, but the drinks shouldn’t be missed. The Berkshires Manhattan is a vanilla-infused bourbon mixed with apple cider reduction, Markers Mark, and orange bitters. This one is really different because is mixes the flavors and really hits the pallet. And one for you rummies: The Ashmont Apple Toddy is steamed apple cider, brown sugar, and Captain Morgan.

If you really want to try something wacky, and a little scary at first glance, UNI Sashimi Bar in The Eliot Hotel on Comm. Ave. has a $17 346 Below. Its Hammer & Sickle Vodka straight up with liquid nitrogen. By the way, if you drank liquid nitrogen straight, youd die, so dont try to copy this one at your next party.

For a hint of high class, UNI also has the Monarda: St. Remy Cognac, bergamot syrup, whiskey bitters and a splash of Louis Bouillot Cremant be Bourgogne (a pink sparkler).

If you’re a fan of pumpkin pies and all those great holiday desserts and need a cocktail to pair with them, head north to Za Za in Saugus. The Pumpkin Patch Martini combines vanilla vodka, pumpkin spice liquor, cream de cacao, and pumpkin pie filling and finishes it with a dollop of whipped cream and a candy corn to create a great spiced after dinner drink that’s good with dessert. But lets be real, youre really going to Saugus to scoff down some Sonic burgers. If you class it up at Za Za afterward, we wont tell anyone.

Back on the subject of rum for a minute, I always lumped rum in with tequila as a summer booze. Its in those hilarious buckets of booze you can buy at the supermarket, and you put it in daiquiris. And I do enjoy the occasional Captain and Diet. But I never really thought of rum as something to reach for during the cold weather months. Burtons Grill in Fenway found a way to change my mind. The Burtons Hot Buttered Cider combines Captain Morgan, Stoli Gala Apple, Navan Cognac, apple cider, cinnamon, sugar, and butter and makes something that will warm your stomach. Its $9 and available through December 31. Heres how you can make it yourself:

For one drink, you need:

75 oz Captain Morgan
.25 oz Navan Cognac
.5 oz Stoli Gala Apple
1 oz Monin Cinnamon Simple Syrup
6 oz Hot Apple cider
1 100 scoop of whipped butter (yes, actual butter)
Cinnamon sugar rimmer

In an Irish coffee mug, rim with cinnamon sugar. Combine all ingredients except butter in mug. Stir to mix. Garnish with a scoop of butter.

John M. Guilfoil runs BlastMagazine.com and is a freelance news reporter in Boston. He can be reached at guilfoil.j@blastmagazine.com.

There are some problems with this process, however. Obviously, deep frying a turkey in oil isn’t very healthy. There are some size issues. You need a huge pot to cook for an entire family. Most of all is the risk of fire. If you throw a frozen turkey into hot oil, it will explode. If you drunkenly tip over the boiling oil, you can run into a host of problems with grease fires and personal injury.

I’ve had firefighters all over New England tell me that they practically expect turkey fires every year. One fire captain in a city in southeastern Massachusetts said he has two hot spots where some idiots light up a bird every year.

That’s where The Big Easy comes in. Char-Broil’s propane-powered infrared cylinder allows you to “fry” a turkey, and a variety of other meats, without the health and hazard risks of cooking in oil.

It operates very much on the same principals as a gas grill, specifically those more modern infrared gas grills. Instead of boiling oil, the cylinder has holes that allow for the conduction of heat even throughout the device. This results in a thoroughly cooked turkey that’s not burned on the outside.

Now, Char-Broil did not overcome the size issue. You can’t toss a 30-pound Thanksgiving turkey in it, but it’s a great solution for a few turkey breasts. So on Thanksgiving, when you’re still making the big, huge roasted turkey and other fixings, you can throw some extra meat in the Big Easy. It’s also a great barbecue tool for making turkey, chicken, ribs, brisket, and more. There is another version of The Big Easy that can accommodate a turkey up to 25-pounds.

Another advantage — albeit one I didn’t realize right away — is that The Big Easy has a side-out tray that collects drippings you can use for gravy. You can’t do this when you’re frying a turkey in oil, of course. The problem is, I didn’t notice the tray right away. If you don’t clean and empty it out every time you cook, you’ll be left with a gross, rancid, insect-infested mess.

That’s a basic maintenance thing, but one complaint I did have with The Big Easy was that the legs aren’t very sturdy. They are more like sheet metal, and I would have liked something a little thicker and weighty. The rotary ignition system wasn’t very impressive either. I actually had to resort to match-lighting the cooker.

The idea when cooking is to leave the fryer open, but there’s a mesh lid that you can throw on for 10-20 minutes at the end of the cooking cycle to crisp it up a bit. See, the way The Big Easy cooks meat is that it generates heat all around and all through the device.The wall of the cooker radiates infrared heat that penetrates the food as it rises out the top before the stale air has a chance to dry out the food. It’s like cooking in a really hot wind tunnel.

Shortcomings aside, at $149 for the standard version and $169 for the 25-pound variant, (available at Costco) The Big Easy is a great toy. It’s sort of the opposite of a smoker. Instead of low and slow, it’s hot and fast, but it doesn’t dry out your food the way a hot oven would.

You know you’re not going to be saving money on the weekends. New city, new bars, new beers (reader, meet Sam Adams. Sam Adams, meet the reader. I trust you will have a long and lasting relationship). No way can you cut corners in that area. And there is no point in going out to those bars and clubs if you aren’t wearing something fabulous, so don’t expect to save money by not shopping for some new shirts and weekend jeans. Plus, you have to make a great impression on your new classmates, which means some weekday jeans and some serious but stylish shirts to match. And of course the new haircut to go with the new wardrobe. Clearly, this is starting to add up to some serious cash. So, where do we save money? One word: groceries. That’s right. Every week you can save money on your food bill if you just follow some simple ideas.

Buy one good box and one store box. (Media credit/nemoorange/Flickr)

First things first: cereal. It’s not just for breakfast, you know. When buying cereal, buy one box of the good brand and one bag of the store brand. The store brand is terrible and dirt cheap — your perfect drunk food. You’re going to want to save the better, expensive cereal for breakfast, when you are actually aware of what you are eating. So before you start drinking, make sure you hide the real brand somewhere safe. Back of the closet, under the bed, or — and I think this may be the best way to go — inside your school bag. There’s always the chance someone might fall into the closet or stumble under the bed. But mess around with a school bag? Umm I doubt it. And your deadened taste buds will never know the difference.

If you wanted to try my “Pro” plan, you could simply mix the good brand and the store brand together. This way, you have twice the cereal for way less money. You could always soak them in milk but well, milk is expensive and you can only siphon off so much of your roommate’s carton before he/she starts to notice the watered-down taste.

Let’s talk liquids. And by liquids, I mean water, because that’s what you’re going to be imbibing during the week from henceforth. Water is your best friend. Why? Because it is free, right from your faucet. Don’t listen to all that talk about dirty water. If it’s clear, it’s clean. Brown water? Well, then you might have a problem. But until then, go ahead and drink up. Doctors say you need 64 ounces a day, right? I mean, at one point or another, every legit health magazine on the newsstands has published that little disclaimer. Plus, water fills you up, so you’ll want to eat less solid food, which means fewer trips to restock your refrigerator. So the more water you consume, the more cash that stays in that fancy wallet you splurged on at the mall.

Limes have more than one use. (Media credit/flm's/Flickr)

Tired of plain water? Understandable problem. The stuff is as plain as it gets, after all. So here is my solution: buy a lime. A tiny piece of the tart citrus fruit is enough to add flavor to even the most metallic tasting water. And you’re a grad student, so you’re going to need the limes for the Coronas you’re buying this weekend anyway, so it’s not as if the rest of the lime is going to waste. Plus, the peel of the lime can be used as a festive decoration. Limes: the fruit that keeps on giving.

Live near a Whole Foods or Joe’s? That’s great. They have some of the freshest produce you can find in a grocery store. Now, walk away, sit down in front of your computer, and find the nearest “Market Basket.” Sure, you’re giving up a lot of your organic options, but this is about budgeting, not living a healthy lifestyle.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “But everyone needs some fruit and veggies in their life.” And you’d be right. But the operative word here is some. So go buy that bright, juicy apple. Next, cut it in half. Now you have two apples. Sometimes, it’s all about how you look at things.

Some fruit is okay, other fruit is not. How to know what types of fruit is acceptable is really quite simple. Apples: fine. Bananas: sure thing. Watermelon: heck no. For goodness sake, the fruit has the word “water” in it! We already talked about this: if you want water, find the nearest faucet. Do not pay for a five pound oval ball of liquid and seeds.

When it comes to “real” food, I have two words for you: rotisserie chickens. Seriously, those fully cooked little guys are the best invention ever. I get nearly a whole week’s work of meals out of one. Grab the chicken and a package of tortilla wraps and you’re good to go. Sure, it’s not the most varied menu. But I’m just a graduate student, not Martha “every meal is four courses” Stewart.

Just in case you are someone that likes a little variety, here’s a little recipe for your perusal. Salsa chicken is reasonably healthy, fairly easy to make, and, most importantly, only has three ingredients besides chicken breast. Just hit up that Market Basket you found and grab some salsa, taco seasoning and shredded cheese. Bake the chicken with the taco seasoning and the salsa and thrown on the cheese before you eat it.

You'd be surprised what you can find for free in a food court, like the one in the Prudential Center in Boston. (Media credit/seahills1/Flickr)

Got a mall near your apartment? If yes, then you have a nice light meal anytime of the day. Two words for you: Food Court. You know you love those samples. Just grab a couple samples from each “restaurant,” and you’ll be full in no time. BJ’s Wholesale or Costo will work in a pinch, but those are for members only and memberships cost money. If samples are your only option and you haven’t eaten in say, 24 hours, it will taste delightful. That’s a promise.

Now girls, you may or may not like my next idea. But if you are serious about saving money on food, get out there and date. Mostly first dates, since there’s pretty much no worry about having to split the bill or anything like that. Dating: fun, flirty and free food.

Other food to give up:

100 calorie packs of anything. They should rename these little suckers “rip-offs in a bag.” Way more expensive than a big box or bag of the same thing, plus you get less.

Any smaller size food item. Always go for the economy size. With everything you are giving up, whatever you can afford in economy size, you will need.

Ice cream. That is, give up buying ice cream. Feel free to go to every ice cream shop in a ten-mile radius to get your fix of free samples. Personally, I think it’s even better than buying a big thing of ice cream because then you get the variety. And those mini sample spoons are really cute.

Things to give up in favor of food:

Heavy duty trash bags. You live in an apartment now, so your trash is behind the building, not in your garage. As long as you can get the overstuffed, dripping bag of yuckiness out to the Dumpster without it ripping completely, you’re good to go. With so much smelly trash all mucking up together, no one’s going to know the rotten egg smell is coming from your bag of messy goo. The cheap trash bags are definitely good enough.

Real Solo cups. Store brand ones are just as good. I have done extensive interviews and surveys on the subject. Please take my word for it and spend the saved money on something worthwhile. Like oatmeal. I know, who eats oatmeal besides babies and Gramps? Well, you should. Relatively cheap, fairly healthy, and — keyword here — filling. You won’t need to eat for hours. That’s clutch because as we all know, snacks are essentially expensive, unsatisfying, and unnecessary. Note: tell yourself this 100 times a day until you believe it

So, do you feel ready to tackle the world of budget grocery shopping yet? Don’t stress out, you’ll be fine! Seriously, calm down, you’re looking a little peckish. Just grab a beer and chill out. That’s where all your money will be going anyway.

Unless you’re a vegetarian, of course.

The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker is not your typical smoker. It’s upright, and looks more like a space ship or a time capsule than something that slowly cooks meat. But cook meat it does.

The dual level, 22.5-inch cooking surfaces give you plenty of room for several racks of ribs or just “a lot” of whatever animal you intend to smoke. The lid-mounted thermometer also lets you make sure you stay in the 200-300 degree smoke zone.

We liked the space saving design. When you already have a grill on the patio, you might not have room for a smoker, which is often the same width or wider. The upright design is also functional. Ribs are especially good. Rib meat comes right off the bones and remains flavorful despite what you might think happens when meat cooks for several hours above a fire.

What exactly is smoking? For nearly as long as people have been cooking meat and fish, they have been smoking it. Early on, before refrigeration, smoking meat provided a way to preserve it from spoilage, as absorbing smoke removes water and kills bacteria on the food. In modern culture, the smoky flavor provides a tasty BBQ delicacy. Smoking meat slowly, at low temperature also renders out the fat and breaks down tough connective tissue, making “rougher” cuts of meat easier to eat.

The Smoker Mountain Cooker is easy to use. Dump in your charcoal and choice of wood chips, and light a fire at the bottom. Don’t use lighter fluid. An egg carton or crumbled newspaper will do the job, but chemical fluid will hurt the pure taste of your food. Make sure the water pan is full — try it with apple juice!

Allow the smoker to warm up to about 250 before you add your meat, or you’ll have a difficult time keeping the smoker in the right temperature range. You’re going to leave it going for several hours, so wake up early if you’re having an afternoon cookout.

This is a vocation. For all you gas grill users, you just turn it off and maybe give it a brush-down when you’re done. Not with a smoker. Cleanup is a process. You have to let it cool down, remove the racks and brush them off. It’s actually better to soak them in dish soap in a large cast iron basin if you have one. The water pan will be a caked mess, especially with us throwing juices and beers into it for more flavor. You have to clean that each time you use the smoker. You also have to make sure the fire is out and the ashes are properly disposed of. But as long as you’re willing to put the man hours in, smoking will give you and you guests a delicious meal.

The Smokey Mountain is well-built and will last you as long as you take care of it properly. It’s $499 and is available at a variety of stores where grills and smokers are sold. It’s a great product, and the perfect BBQ companion. The smoked meats and fish are a great compliment to the super-hotness we often achieve with a traditional grill.

1. Taste what you like

�The biggest thing I learned in my early days was that no one tastes anything alike. There are no standards, so to speak, of taste,� Zraly said. He stressed that following the tastes you like will lead to a better appreciation and understanding of wine. Drink the type of wine you think simply tastes the best. Go with whatever region you like.

�Whatever you like, you like. If you like white wine, stick with it. If you like red wine, stick with it.�

Zraly also noted that 95 percent of taste is smell. Your sense of smell peaks at around age 32, so consider these your rookie wine-tasting days. You will get better. Even Zraly, who just finished touring the world and visited over 100 wine regions, tasting 5,000 wines, admits he still can�t discern all the flavors in a sip of wine.

2. Know your terms

But don�t get bogged down in useless lingo. There are four major components in a bottle of wine that you should be familiar with: fruit, acidity, sweetness and tannins. Obviously, you�re looking for that fruit flavor. You can taste acidity off to the side of your mouth and sweetness on the tip of your tongue (though most wines don�t have much sweetness at all).

Tannins are important. They come from the skins, pits and stems of the grape, as well as the oak barrels the wine is aged in. Certain kinds of oak give off more tannin, such as French versus American oak. Newer and smaller oak barrels create more tannin, which are often more prevalent in expensive wines.

If you�re looking to be super savvy, know that the best �new value� wines are coming from Chile and Argentina these days. Zraly also counts South Africa as a current hot spot.

3. There�s a lot of good and not much bad

Just don�t call them cheap. Value wines combine quality and a good price — and a connoisseur can appreciate them just as much as we can. According to Zraly, the best value wines are within the ten to 20 dollar range. There are $20 bottles out there that taste like a good $50. �There are some masterpieces in that 10 to 20 dollar range,� Zraly said.

So what makes a wine bad? It�s obvious. �Poor wine making, start with that. If you want to go further, bad grapes.� In addition, if a wine smells oxidized or like vinegar, it�s �corked,� which means the cork is no good. It doesn�t have anything to do with bits of broken cork in the wine. �I very rarely come upon what I would call �bad wine� anymore. I think that the modern technology of stainless steel fermentation tanks have saved the day,� Zraly said.

If you�re looking for good, yet basic or cheap wines, Zraly has one tip: �The best suggestion is to find the best retail store. I would say that�s like you�re finding the best grocery store. You�re going to the best place they cut your hair. Put your faith in the retailer. Now, 20 years ago I wouldn�t have said that. Twenty years ago they didn�t know what they were doing. But today�s wine retailer is much savvier than they�ve ever been.�

4. Wine is food. Eat!

�I grew up starting with wine as a food,� said Zraly. �It is a food. Wine is a food and it deserves to go with food. Wine will make food taste better and food will make wine taste better.� We�ve heard this before, but is it true? We�ll test all the wine-with-food �rules� in an upcoming column, but for now, take Zraly�s word for it. �If I went to a bar, I�d probably have a beer, but when I have food, I�m always having a glass of wine or two,� he said.

Don�t put so much pressure on it. Wine isn�t as complicated as you think. You don�t need to buy expensive bottles and put them away for years. In fact, only about ten percent of all wines should be kept for more than year. You should drink 90 percent of what you buy right away! Sure, it�s fun to savor those few special bottles, but don�t worry about that now, says Zraly. �Most people in their 20s, they�ll drink the wine. In their 30s, they�ll start thinking about putting it away because now they�re getting more disposal income.�

5. Relax, it�s just wine

Wine is wine. Even Zraly isn�t a wine snob, so we certainly don�t need to be. �Have a good time. Don�t get caught up in all the lingo. It�s just a bottle of wine. 86 percent of a bottle of wine is water to begin with, so now you�re left with 14 percent of other good things,� said Zraly.

�Good things.� We like that. More good things? Taking wine classes� something that Zraly highly recommends. Check out The Cambridge Center for Adult Education or Boston Wine school. Visiting wineries will also help � and Mass has around fifty. The Coastal Wine Trail of Southeastern New England offers a variety to visit. Check out coastalwinetrail.com for more.

�The more that they do, the more fun it will be, the more educated they will be, the less money, in essence, it will cost them to get a good quality wine. And of course tell them to buy my book,� Zraly said. So, yes, buy it. And be sure to flip to the back for an extensive list of cheapies that taste better than you�d expect. Zraly�s wine journal is a great way to keep track of your tastings. Save your labels and paste them in the book, along with your rating.

So, there you have it fellow winos. Thanks to Zraly�s expertise, we can enjoy our next bottle with a little more knowledge of what, exactly, we are pouring down our throat (not that it really matters).

Avril Maxwell of New Zealand won the competition, now in its 13th year, and will now embark on a journey to more than 20 different countries as a Stella Artois ambassador, guaranteeing that every chalice of Stella Artois is poured properly and served just right.

The competition included a jury panel to select individuals who could display true dedication and perfection in the �Passion Test�, and saw contestants from 26 countries, converging in New York to compete for the nine step pouring ritual.

Global Marketing Manager of Stella Artois, Alexander Lambrecht, said: �The World Draught Master competition is integral to our ongoing quest to deliver superior beer experiences the world over, ensuring that Stella Artois is served with the same care, consideration and craftsmanship as has gone into more than 600 years of brewing…we (also) wanted to create a global conversation about the Stella Artois World Draught Master competition by inviting people into the event via live streaming and providing an opportunity for them to decide on what competitor embodied perfection.�

Maxwell’s trophy was designed by New York fashion designer Tim Hamilton as part of a unique collaboration with Stella Artois. Hamilton also created a limited edition chalice glass in honor of the World Draught Master 2009 competition.

Runners up included Joe Oppedisano of Canada (2nd), who also won Online Fans’ Choice award, and Alexey Shtukarev of Russia (3rd).

The menu has five offerings, slightly smaller versions of many of their menu appetizers, for only $2 a piece. I was promised a good portion, and I held my breath as I sipped on my decadent, if not slightly too-tart, Caramel Apple Martini. Side note: I caught myself licking the caramel swirl inside the glass more than once as I was wishing for a caramel-dipped rim to balance out the apple cider and Stoli Apple.

I placed my order for the “mini arancini” and “mini grilled flatbread.” The description of the arancini which were anything but mini, were described as Crispy risotto balls, with short rib, Parmesan, fontina, herbs with tomato and aioli sauces. The combination: divine. The arancini rice balls were denser than I was used to with my Brooklyn, New York upbringing, but it worked. The outside was crispy and delicious and the marinara sauce had a touch of cream giving it a lighter color and deep flavor. The flatbread was a hearty, light, fluffy bread reminiscent of thicker Syrian bread and took up the entire large plate. (I’d say the pizza was approximately 10 inches long and 7 inches wide) and it was just delicious. The ingredients, roasted garlic, goat cheese, over dried cherry tomatoes, arugula, and aged fig vinegar, were perfect and this dish was filling enough as a light dinner. Arugula and goat cheese is the perfect marriage of peppery greens and creamy goodness and the aged fig vinegar was sweet and I feel a strong need to go out and purchase some to dip all my bread in, all the time. It was … I was … needless to say, I was enjoying this meal and I was getting full off of only two bar menu dishes, cashing in at a total of only $4.

Last dish up for me to try was the “mini fried squid.” I can’t stop myself from using the quotes because honestly, mini has to be some sort of sarcastic inside joke between Executive Chef Jay Silva and his warm staff, which were attentive and informative. Served with spicy, tangy aioli, fried lemon slices and chili paste the fried squid was very good. I, however, wasn’t doing as good because I was getting ridiculously full. I only managed three (okay maybe five) bits of squid including tentacles (yum!) and just couldn’t finish. It was kind of perplexing to me how they, the little squid guys, managed to have the full, robust flavor of deep fried squid, but with not the traditionally thick breaded coating you find at many chain American eateries, and even small mom-and-pop run Italian restaurants. It was damn good, and overflowing oval bowl loaded with the seafood was mind-boggling. So for $6 dollars I’m sure a friend and I could have polished off every last arugula leaf and fried squid-breading for a filling, gourmet dinner that was extremely wallet-friendly.

In the spirit of not being wasteful, I couldn’t just leave my sad little squids alone in their bowl, and overheard a quabble with my neighbors at the bar. “Is this one bowl for both of us, why didn’t you get me my own serving,” the late-arriving man said to his friend while he eyed the plate of mini fried squid. I instantly offered up my own fried squid seeing as it would only go to waste since I was about to explode, and had a back-and-forth while he decided to take me up on my generous offer.

It turns out Frank and Frank are New Yorkers in town for business staying at the gorgeous Hotel Marlowe, where Bambara is housed in. (Apparently Hotel Marlowe is one of the only pet-friendly hotels in Boston, who knew?!) We had some good laughs and toasted the large portions that we just feasted on, and I made some new friends from my hometown of New York City.

So if you’re looking for a mellow atmosphere with light jazz music in the background and fragrant food smells wafting from the partially open kitchen, head to Bambara between 4-6 p.m. (I suggested they extend it until 7 so we’ll just have to wait and see if they take my advice) for their Happiest Hour menu and bring a few friends, or just meet some new ones. I’m planning to head back to try the herb french fries with spicy mayo (I kind of have a serious thing with spicy mayo, we’re involved AND exclusive) and the mini fish cakes. Their menu, and in turn Happiest Hour menu, is always changed seasonally to reflect the best ingredients.

Rosenbaum’s winning stout is being brewed by The Boston Beer Company and served at Gillette Stadium for Patriots season this year. The next contest is going on now, and the deadline is December 18. The winner also gets a little chunk of change: $2,000.

“The first two pre-season games were hot summer nights, and they sold out the first night. And the first home game, which was also a warm day, it sold out as well. So that’s very gratifying,” said Rosenbaum, who holds Patriots season tickets. His stout is lighter than other stouts, but still holds all the depth of flavor that’s looked for. Sometimes when you drink a a beer, you’re tasting it for the next hour or so. Not the case with Rosenbaum’s, which adds to its popularity at the stadium.

Rosenbaum first became interested not so much in brewing, but in beers, when he studied in the UK during his time in college. He found he liked beers quite unlike the ones he could find in the United States, which were usually light and thin. He enjoyed a beer with a lot of flavor — multiple components coming together to form a more harmonious brew. “This was some time ago, but when I came back to the States, there weren’t a lot of imports so I just drank what I could find and was always looking for other interesting beers,” he said.

A few years ago Rosenbaum received a homebrewing kit as a gift, and brewed his first batch. “My first batch wasn’t horrible,” he says, “but it certainly wasn’t great either.”

Looking for guidance, he joined Brew Free or Die, New Hampshire’s oldest homebrew club, and slowly learned what he had been doing wrong with his first attempts at brewing. A few parts of the process had been left out in the brewing kit directions he’d received. There’s a whole list of things of what to do, or not do, so that off-flavors aren’t introduced to a batch of beer. “For example, you have to boil a batch and then cool it. And if you stir your beer really vigorously to cool it down and break the surface tension then you introduce cardboard flavors into your beer,” Rosenbaum explained. There are many rules like this in homebrewing, and each recipe has its own quirks.

It took him a few years of practice and four tries to get the batch right. Rosenbaum entered the third batch of his Oatmeal Stout into last year’s Patriot Homebrew Contest (which didn’t place), though he knew going into it that it wasn’t the beer he wanted it to be. “It tasted good but it was a little thin in the mouth,” he said. “I had decided to add a kind of bourbon flavor to it by adding whiskey that had been soaked in oak chips. So the flavor was good but it was a little… ” he makes a hand gesture to show ‘lacking,’ his palms turned upward to the ceiling.

It was his fourth batch that won. Rosenbaum’s winning brew is full-flavored and full-bodied. It’s rich without being indulgent, flavorful without being bitter. It’s malty and sugary at the same time, the deep black color of the brew paired nicely with a creamy head.

Currently, Rosenbaum is back in his kitchen, settling back into his brewing. His kitchen is more of a mad scientist’s laboratory. Cabinets open to expose large metal bins with grates in the bottom for percolation. Tubes are hooked up to faucets to let fermented brews flow out. He has two refrigerators, one for food, and one that holds three kegs of whatever brew he’s working on at the current moment. To challenge himself, he’s taking award-winning recipes as a base and tweaking them a bit here and there to create something totally new. “Even the smallest change can make quite a bit of difference,” he says.

A few weeks ago, Rosenbaum had an English Best Bitter in a plastic bin cooling on his front steps, the keg sitting in a vat of ice water. Since it’s still the fall season and temperatures still vary daily, a mechanized thermometer maintains the temperature by activating a fan if the vat gets too warm. The Bitter is intended to be a beer to drink several glasses of over the course of an evening, while not having to worry about getting drunk.

Winning the Patriot Homebrew Contest added quite a lot of excitement to his life, but Rosenbaum’s ready to try out new recipes. “I think it’s a great thing (Samuel Adams) does for others. They show a lot of support for the homebrewing community,” he said. “Their president, Jim Koch, started off as a homebrewer and created a whole company out of it. I don’t think he’s forgotten his roots, and it’s a great thing to see.”

The collection includes three oak-aged beers that were brewed and aged here in Boston. These join the Samuel Adams Triple Bock and very limited Utopia collection of aged beers. The collection is available at the brewery on Germania Street in Boston as well as select retail locations in Massachusetts, Hew Hampshire, Maine and Denver at $9.99 for a 750ml bottle.

The new beers are called New World Tripel, a cherry flavored American Kriek and Stony Brook Red,

“(The beers) are a result of years of experimentation by the brewers at the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery,” the company said in a statement. “The trio of brews have been aged in Eastern European oak barrels, originally used to age brandy in Italy, imparting a subtle sweet, toasty note to each beer. The barrels also allow a small amount of oxygen to slowly seep in to the brew, smoothing out the flavors in the beer.”

“For years, we’ve been playing with barrels at the brewery, aging small batches of beer in our Barrel Room. Before now, these beers have only been available at beer festivals or to a few lucky visitors to our Boston Brewery,” said Jim Koch, Brewer and Founder. “Our Boston Brewery is where every Samuel Adams style of beer is dreamed up and nurtured. It has been our hub of innovation since I started brewing here in 1988; I like to think of it as the ultimate brewer’s workshop.”

For an optimum drinking experience, the brewers at Samuel Adams recommend serving each brew in a traditional Tulip-style beer glass.

Samuel Adams New World Tripel: Pale gold in color, this ale is big, flavorful and complex. A special Belgian yeast strain adds tropical fruit and spice notes to the crisp dry ale, while Saaz hops add a subtle herbal note. (~10% ABV)

Samuel Adams American Kriek: The intense black cherry character in this beer comes from Balaton cherries, which were discovered in Hungary and are now grown in Michigan. These special cherries are prized for their depth of flavor. The tartness from the cherries is balanced by a rich, malty character with toasted oak notes added from the barrel aging. (~7% ABV)

Samuel Adams Stony Brook Red: This unique brew defies traditional beer style definition. The rich, malty brew combines notes of tart fruit from the yeast with a toasty oak character from the barrel aging. The long dry finish is almost wine-like. This is a beer that is satisfying on its own and also pairs well with many foods such as braised or roasted meats, beef stews and strong salty cheeses. (~9% ABV)

The move comes as single-serve beer sales reached $3.2 billion in the industry.

“Our consumer research indicates these consumers see Corona as a reward. Our 24-ounce cans offer a new trade-up option for drinkers looking for a premium beer experience,” said Jim Sabia, executive vice president of marketing for Crown.

The company is already rolling out the Corona Extra 24-oz can in 26 markets, including Massachusetts. Corona Light will follow in a few weeks.

Because nothing says classy like primate sex, porn parodies and cocaine.

So maybe we are lacking a little bit in the area of sophistication, but that’s about to change. This new column is about one of my favorite things. It’s classy, sophisticated and delicious. I’ll drink it by the bottle, by the box — hell, I’d drink it by the can if I had to (again, class all the way). But, I’m actually pretty clueless about it, and I’m guessing many our age are as well.

We’re talking about WINE.

Now, I’m not looking to become a wine snob. I just want to fully appreciate my favorite alcoholic beverage. What should I drink with my favorite dish? How do I properly taste wine? Where is Bordeaux?

So, here is what most of us probably already know (or think we know):

• Red wine goes with meat. White wine goes with fish.
• We know which wines we generally like. For me, it’s Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Chardonnay
• We know whether we like our wine sweet, dry, fruity, etc.
• We know much we can afford to spend on a bottle (Trader Joe’s two buck chuck, anyone?)
• We know which countries produce our favorites (though some of us may still be hazy on this)

I’m right there with you, but that’s all about to change. Just for you, I’ll spend as many months as it takes sipping (okay chugging) wine and learning all there is to know (you can thank me later, it’s a tough job). We will be novices no more!

Coming in November, Blast has an exclusive interview with international wine expert and best-selling author Kevin Zraly. There is no one better to teach us about delicious vino.

So buy a few bottles, invite a few friends over (or don’t, we won’t judge) and get a taste for your favorites!

Cheers!

Do you have a burning question about wine? Comment below, and I’ll ask Kevin Zraly your question.

…Did we forget a certain type of locally made beverage here? Massachusetts boasts wonderful products from many local wineries, yet this is a product you can’t go ahead and grab along with those yummy fruits and vegetables at the market stand.

However, that may all change soon if the current push to change state law goes through. This would allow wine to be sold at hundreds of farmer’s markets, and it’s being supported by local winemakers and agricultural officials from within Massachusetts. Because current liquor laws in Massachusetts are more restrictive than some other states, this would mean that farmer’s markets would have to obtain liquor licenses from the town or state they are selling in, and enforce underage drinking laws.

But not all winery owners feel that this would be an easy feat.

“The bill as written now would require that wineries receive approval…for a liquor license and wouldn’t be workable for small wineries. (The bill) as written would not be beneficial to small wineries. We don’t have to go to the local towns to get liquor licenses we are licensed by the state to sell direct to consumers at the winery. It does not require approval as long as we are in a wet town. If it were to pass, the ability to sell at the farmer’s market would be moot,” says Linda Shumway, owner of the Plymouth Winery.

As an example she states, “To sell in Newton, and to get a Newton license, the licensing process would be cumbersome just to sell at a farmer’s market. The ability to sell at farmer’s market would be terrific because we are local producers…It’s a great idea, (but there) needs to be a way for us to circumvent local control/approval” she adds, due to time, and legal fees that would stall the process.

Yet this opinion is not agreed upon by all.

Kip Kumler, owner of Turtle Creek Winery in Lincoln and chairman of the Massachusetts Farm Winery and Growers Association doesn’t agree. “Our members drafted this legislation…I don’t think there is any way to avoid allowing local jurisdiction of selling.” He explains.

Liquor store owners have been strongly opposed to the proposed bill, stating that wineries are not trained to pick out minors from purchasing alcohol. Many liquor stores were also opposed to the 2006 ballot question which offered the expansion of selling wine in Massachusetts supermarkets.

Kumler calls the opposition by liquor stores a ‘total red herring’.

“I think there’s two issues. One is, it’s not as if there are teenagers cruising farmers markets. People go there to (get quality)…its not the local package store, where someone is getting cheap alcohol for a friend.”

He adds, “you’ll find that package stores have almost all of the citations, wineries have almost zero to none. The real issue there is also…that the package stores are (feeling that) any additional opportunity to purchase wine will come at their own expense. I think they’re just burying their head in the sand.”

He explains that farmer’s markets operate less than a full year, one day a week, and that new markets for local wines should be of an interest to package stores. “They’re in place more often, if people want more of the wine, they will go to the package store. It’s a misrepresentation of reality.

Joseph Sullivan, one of the owners of the Chester Hill Winery in Chester, Massachusetts feels that the ability to sell at farmer’s markets would have helped his winery, which had been open for ten years and is now closed. Their website states that the Chester Hill Winery is closing not due to the economy, but “because it is time to slow down and “smell the roses.” However, Sullivan says that “it is very difficult for a small winery to exist, with shipping laws and other requirements.” He explains that other states allow the ability to sell under different venues under one license, and that the farmer’s market would have been a real help to the small winery, stating that “the ability to do that…would have been a real asset to the business”.

The lead sponsor of the bill in Massachusetts is Senator Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, and the current legislation is mainly focused on wine, though the possibility of beer has been mentioned. Massachusetts has just about doubled in the amount of licensed wineries over the last decade.

Richard Auffrey, writer of the Passionate Foodie (http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com ), and food/wine columnist for the Stoneham Sun newspaper, in support of the option to change state law to support wineries said, “We should support this small, local industry and allow them an additional chance to let the public see their products…(they) don’t have enough visibility in most local wine stores. Many local wineries also cannot afford to sell their products through wine stores because of the discount they must give to those stores. The primary opposition comes from wine stores, alleging it will make it easier for underage teenagers to obtain alcohol. But there is no evidence supporting that allegation,”

All in all, Kumler doesn’t find the opportunity unreasonable.

“I think that farmers markets represent an important opportunity for wineries to increase their sales. There are 34 farm wineries in the commonwealth. There is already a lot of growth and interest in local wine…I think it’s very important.”

Bud Light Golden Wheat hits store shelves nationwide today. We’ve tried it, we like it, and there will be more on that later.

“Bud Light has the unique ability to introduce wheat beers to a broader audience of beer drinkers,” said Mike Sundet, senior director of Bud Light brands. “With the personality of Bud Light, Bud Light Golden Wheat appeals to light beer drinkers who seek a variety of flavor options from their beer.”

Busch recommends garnishing it with an orange or straight from the bottle.

“Bud Light Golden Wheat is not a craft beer, but captures the refreshment of the wheat beer style while remaining consistent with Bud Light’s product attributes that beer drinkers enjoy,” Sundet said. “Our Innovations and brewing teams have worked for almost two years developing Bud Light Golden Wheat from consumer insight and perfecting it to Bud Light standards.”

So let us know. Have you tried it? Seen the commercials? What do you think of Bud Light Golden What?

According to the Beverage Information Group, light and low-carbohydrate beer helped boost sales, particularly the launch of Bud Light Lime last year.

“The growth of the distilled spirits and wine industries continues to take market share away from beer industry, albeit at a slower rate in 2008 than previously,” the group said Monday in a statement.

Bud Light Lime, first thought of as a seasonal beer, helped the light beer segment grow more than 2 percent

“Ice” beer also saw an increase, gaining 4 percent.

Imported beer sales have been down since the recession began, the group said.

Winchester’s Pizza in Piazza is offering a savings card where customers earn 10 percent with every purchase. Each time you hit the $250 mark, a $25 rewards card is automatically sent to you in the mail. Plus, Pizza in Piazza will pick up the Massachusetts Meal Tax on Sundays for the rest of the year. That’s 6.25 percent off, and although we may not be mathematicians we know that’s significant.

Stop in and fill out the application form, give it to the server and receive a card in the mail within two weeks. Every time the card is used the balance of savings is printed on the receipt so tracking is also manageable. The place is owned by Donato Frattaroli and operated in the back of Ristorante Lucia, 11 Mount Vernon St. in Winchester. It’s in the family family as Lucia on Hanover Street in the North End.

The offerings at this casual place include, of course, pizza but also traditional Italian trattoria. Chef Nando Gentile says the, “goal is to be a good neighbor and not only provide a fabulous meal at a fair price. We hope to be a once-a-week, cost-effective destination.”

The place opened at the end of this summer, and amidst the current economic situation the prices and this savings program are innovative ways to become well known in the community indeed. Serving lunch and dinner seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the place also has a full take-out menu and party platters. So go ahead, rent your Zipcar and venture into the ‘burbs. Boston has even more to offer at its outskirts.

Arriving for an early Sunday dinner during Restaurant Week, the dimly lit, ornately decorated restaurant exudes sensuality and exotic feelings. It is truly a picture postcard right out of Morocco. Beautifully draped fabrics hang in canopy-style over secluded booth areas, as a water fountain relaxingly flows and the dark ambers, burgundys and browns completely envelop your senses. Needless to say, I couldn’t get over encountering this type of extravagance, this over-the-top romance, here in Boston. I just couldn’t, because honestly I hadn’t seen it anywhere, until now.

Our waiter took our drink orders and brought over rose water to wash our hands as he explained it was a Moroccan tradition. Rose water, “mahward” in Arabic, translates literally to rose water and is heady and light. The scent of sweet, fresh roses lingers on your hands, near the table and in your nose well into the first course.

My first course was a refreshing and simple mixed greens salad with blood oranges, candied walnuts, mixed greens, cucumbers and an almost too-tart olive oil vinaigrette. The salad was a nice way to start an early dinner on a muggy, almost unbearable summer day.

For my entree, I ordered the Couscous Royale, served in a traditional tagine. A tagine resembles a casserole dish and is used in North African cooking, most commonly in Morocco of course. It consists of two pieces, a plate-like bottom and a cone-shaped lid which fits precisely over the bottom part to preserve hot food. The bottom plate is used as the serving dish as well. This tagine consisted of the best braised lamb shank I’ve had in quite some time, seasoned to Moroccan perfection and cooked so perfectly I didn’t need to use my knife once. It was served over a hearty seven vegetable couscous with tomatoes, chickpeas, cumin and other spices that added to the authentic taste, not to mention the atmosphere. It also came with Merguez, Moroccan spiced ground lamb wrapped in phyllo dough, smoked eggplant, and Kalamata olives, which was nothing short of delicious.

My dining partner ordered the Almond Crusted Trout served over Moroccan risotto with summer squash, baby green peas and caramelized onions. She was hesitant having never had a dish “almond-crusted” but I encouraged her to be courageous and try something new because anything nut-crusted is usually wonderful. she enjoyed the fresh fish and the risotto was just the right consistency and texture.

For dessert, we ordered tiramisu and a lemon meringue tart. The portion of tiramisu was tremendous and amazingly delicious, something you would expect to find in the North End. The lemon meringue tart’s meringue wasn’t all that stiff and was a bit too sweet for my liking. However, it complemented the cheek-sucking tartness of the lemon filling, a recurring theme here at Tangierino.

Overall the meal, the service and the incomparable decor left me in another world. I felt that I had taken a quick, inexpensive journey to Casablanca and was rewarded with quality Moroccan food. It was one of the most romantic restaurants I’ve ever been to.

(I wonder if this might be illegal soon.)

Anyway, we haven’t tried the vodka yet, but we’re getting some to taste and will let you know.

Absolut launched its cities campaign in the 80s and has previously launched New Orleans and Los Angeles vodkas, with Boston being the third city to have a vodka named after it. So suck it, New York.

Absolut is donating $50,000 from sales of the Boston vodka to the local Charles River Conservancy and has erected a wall in Copley where famous Bostonians like Carleton Fisk and Amy Poehler wrote down their favorite Boston moments. The plaques will be auctioned off, and all proceeds will benefit the Conservancy also.

Absolut Boston Homerun

1 part Absolut Boston
2 parts White grape juice
Top with Ginger Ale

Serve over ice in a highball glass.

Absolut Boston Mojito

1 1/2 parts Absolut Boston
3/4 part Fresh lime juice
1/2 part simple syrup
4 Mint leaves
Top with soda water

In a shaker, muddle mint leaves with simple syrup and lime juice, add Absolut Boston. Shake and pour into highball glass, top with soda

See also: The Absolut Finn

Walsh, (D-Boston) who covers a district that includes Boston College, is sponsoring legislation that would ban any alcohol-related advertising on state-owned property. The crazies in the anti-alcohol (and even the anti-advertising) lobby have joined, and they are calling on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (The T) to join in and ban alcohol ads on buses, trains and stations.

No other state in the US has such an advertising ban, which would eliminate things like billboards and limit advertisements for locally-owned wine and spirits shops, which is simply a bad idea in this economy.

“It is unfathomable that in the midst of an epidemic of underage drinking in Massachusetts, a government agency would allow alcohol advertising on public property,” said Amy Helburn of the collaborative, “Supporting an Alcohol Advertisement Free Environment,” in a statement supporting Walsh’s legislation.

The bill also has the support of a group called “Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.”

Because that’s possible.

Ok. You’ve heard the facts and seen what’s proposed.

This is never going to happen.

It’s a perennial bad idea like many that come up each year from a relatively new and a creepy alliance of teetotalers and helicopter parents.

Blast is the only media outlet that’s entirely run by Generation Y, so let me be as frank with you as possible: The ads aren’t screwing up your kids. Teens don’t start drinking because a whimsical frog says so.

Young people don’t start drinking because of commercials or billboards. Young people start drinking for two reasons. First, they start drinking because it’s (perhaps only in the US) considered a rebellious taboo. And second, the vast and overwhelming majority of American adults drink.

But that alone is a pretty poor argument against liquor legislation. The fact is alcohol is dangerous. It kills people and can lead people to do things that can hurt them or others. Like all vices, it’s users, especially young people, are not taught moderation. In fact, the only people telling us to “drink responsibly” are the liquor companies in their commercials!

I’ve seen lives ruined by alcohol, but I’ve also seen lives ruined by overbearing colleges that take away scholarships, throw students out of residence halls, charge fines and publicly embarrass students for a first time alcohol offense. I’ve seen college newspapers report the names of students that got caught with a beer in their hands. I’ve seen them come into my office when I was in the Northeastern University student government in tears when they got turned away from internships and jobs because of it. I’d need a drink, too, if my school just ruined my life.

HEY, OLD PEOPLE: Listen up.

Your precious little honor student is going to drink when he or she gets to college. (They’re also going to have sex, a lot, and they might even try pot!) More than 90 percent of college students drink. You wanna help them? Teach them responsibility. Teach them to know their own limits. Give them cash for a cab. Teach them the warning signs of alcohol poisoning so they don’t leave some kid in a bathroom to die.

Commercials aren’t the problem. There is a much deeper issue here. Alcohol, sex, smoking, marijuana, etc. etc. etc. The more you tell someone “no” without an explanation, the more curious they become. If Massachusetts is such a liberal bastion, they should do something really radical: teach kids safe sex and drinking in moderation.

Let’s start small: Colleges could give students the phone number of a cab service instead of a pamphlet of vague threats.

Just don’t waste my time trying to convince me that it’s all the commercials’ fault.

Arriving about 20 minutes early for our 7pm reservation at this Harrison Avenue hot spot in the South End during the outset of Restaurant Week, we headed to the downstairs bar and lounge area, a very chic open room in a semi-circle shape with extremely high ceilings, comfy chairs and sofas and sleek bartenders. We decided to indulge in a pitcher of Pink Lemonade, a very “booze-y” drink special the bartender explained, is refreshing and packs a serious alcohol punch.

After two more friends arrived, we were led upstairs and seated at a long table facing the outside windows in a dimly-lit and very modern dining room. I immediately informed my waiter that I needed to order all three courses for myself right away, be served as soon as the food was ready and have a separate check as I needed to leave by 8pm. He seemed lackluster about all of my extremely needy requests, but did exactly as I asked with a good deal of attentiveness and urgency. I greatly appreciated their flexibility in accommodating my time constraint.

The handmade vegetable gnocchi was my appetizer of choice. The gnocchi were delicious with summer squash, corn, zucchini, peas, caciocavallo cheese and fresh herbs. It was surprisingly light for gnocchi, balanced by the delicate and refreshing vegetables that were cooked perfectly. It was a nice way to start the meal without feeling too weighed down from a heavy cream sauce. Another appetizer offering was the farinata, a chickpea flatbread with caramelized onions, mushrooms and sage. It was crispy, warm and heart-warmingly satisfying. It reminded me of a cross between a tortilla espanola and a frittata. Farinata literally translates to “floured” and the one Rocca served up during my visit was delicious, if not served slightly too hot. Other appetizer choices include sauteed scampi, arugula and mint salad, tomato and fennel salad, and handmade whole wheat cavatelli with clams. The portions for all of the first course dishes were appropriately small yet satisfying.

I’d been feeling low on iron and couldn’t remember the last time I indulged in red meat, so I decided to order the grilled sirloin served with marinated tomatoes, arugula arancini and gorgonzola butter. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfectly cooked steak exactly to my specifications (rare thank you very much). It was perfect, delicious, pink and wonderfully seasoned. The minimal gorgonzola butter enhanced the dish rather than overpowering it. This may have been the best steak I’ve ever had, which is a huge thing to admit as a New Yorker. The arancini also were delicious, crispy on the outside and warm and smooth on the inside. Being a huge fan of arugula (as apparently the chefs at Rocca are since so many dishes included this greenery), I was extremely happy with my meal.

Another entree offering was the burrida, a Ligurian fish stew with fresh herbs, clams, shrimp, squid and white fish, served with pesto crostini. This type of Meditarreanean fare is a great way to try something new and and a little bit different. Roasted chicken with a zucchini, tomato, basil and crescenza cheese torta and sauteed wild mushrooms had a mild yet tantalizing flavor. The chicken was well-cooked and the dish was a great ode to summer eating, as was my prosecco float with raspberry sorbetto. It was the perfect end to a summer meal that was sweet and addictive. And while many aren’t a huge fan of the sweet sparkling champagne prosecco, combined with smooth and authentic raspberry sorbetto (yes I’m a poser and used the Italian word) it was perfect.

With an intricate and extensive cocktail menu, beautiful and interesting decor and atmosphere along with delicious, seasonal foods, Rocca is a great choice for Restaurant Week and beyond.

Skip down to the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue and cool off with some of the best and most refreshing cocktails and sashimi plates in the city.

Uni Sashimi Bar and Lounge may be extremely cozy (read: tiny) but it is definitely the hippest sushi spot in Beantown. Executive chef and co-owner Ken Oringer, also of the innovative South End tapas restaurant Toro, has let go of all inhibition and explored new territory when it comes to sashimi, seafood and ambiance. In addition, the service was impeccable from the hostess, to both our waitresses, to the owners themselves. The staff was not only knowledgeable regarding every single dish they placed on the sushi bar, but they were friendly and extremely attentive.

Uni is located right inside Clio, the restaurant at the Hotel Eliot on Commonwealth Avenue. Clio serves up inventive French-American cuisine, and Uni, directly off the hotel’s lobby, compliments it nicely. Sashimi chef and co-owner Chris Chung was on fire the night a friend and I stopped by for some pleasantly refreshing drinks and fusion sashimi that made my mouth water at the very first glance of the menu descriptions.

Our first course, Hirame (fluke for any sushi-neophytes out there) with toasted garlic was delicious. The fish was fresh and light, and the citrus flavors played nicely against the wonderfully strong and aromatic garlic which is a staple in many of the dishes (as it should be because it added so many levels of flavor to the different fish).

The seaweed salad here is inventive, if not directly up my alley. Unlike the standard bright electric green, uniformly sized strands of seaweed that appear in every single salad I have ordered in this fair city, the seaweed salad at Uni has a variety of different sizes, colors and textures of the ocean delicacy. It has a slightly bitter flavor and is perfect for anyone seeking to try a new take on this Japanese restaurant staple. It features four seaweeds with soy sauce, brown rice vinegar and tuna flakes adding a strong salty oceanic flavor.

Something that was truly another standout was the Rock Shrimp Tempura seasoned with spicy red pepper aioli and Korean pepper threads. It was delicious and perfectly fried. It was popcorn shrimp on steroids (the good kind, whatever they might be). These bite-sized morsels were definitely not for the faint of heart, packing a very spicy kick. They’re also not for anyone on a diet.

Another great standout in my mind was the octopus, a sashimi fish rarely eaten by the unadventurous sushi enthusiast. The way  Chung prepared the delicacy, it was mild and delicious. The octopus, sliced quarter-thin, had great texture and was drizzled with wonderful chili oil (and of course that toasted garlic we can’t get enough of).

One of my absolute favorite dishes was surprisingly simple, decadent and completely and utterly refreshing on that exceptionally hot and humid July day: the spicy lobster salad. It was phenomenal. It boasted papaya, perfect lobster meat and that wondrous toasted garlic again. It was heavenly and the perfect thing to cool off on a hot summer’s night.

And not only is it my favorite dish, it happens to be sashimi Chung’s favorite dish as well.

“The idea for this salad original is derived from the traditional Thai salad Som Tum,” Chung said. He believes that the freshness of the fish is the most important thing.

“My cooking method is to use traditional flavors and techniques and add in a touch of French cooking technique,” he said.

Some ingredients Chris often utilizes behind the sashimi bar at Uni include soy sauce, yuzu, and fleur de sel. He also feels that using seasonal vegetables and fish will result in the best meal possible.

Fellow dancer and sushi-lover Vanessa and I were seated on the edge of the sushi bar and couldn’t help but shimmy and tap our feet to the restaurant’s soundtrack. The music was a fun variety including some hip hop, pop and Latin hits, including a personal favorite, Juanes’ “A Dios Le Pido.” When Oringer stopped by to say hello to us, he let us know his wife had created the playlist and I had to commend her taste, in both music and men (Ken is the epitome of surfer-cute with medium-length brown hair, a five o’clock shadow and a sweet demeanor).

Of course, I can’t forget about the fun summer cocktails – the perfect pick me up, or relax me down drinks – on this exceptionally humid day. The Ginko-Bai artfully showcased plum-infused and Asian pear sake with a mountain peach and sugared rim. It was delicious, light and not too strong which is a must for any summer alcoholic beverage.

We ended the meal with two desserts, the standout being the Strawberry Fields dessert (can anyone say Strawberry Fields forever, and hopefully ever and ever?!). This dish of fresh sliced strawberries and wonderfully light and delicious cocoa “soil” and coconut sorbet with rose dew was divine. The rose dew used is perfection because I have never been so excited about a dessert, ever. Usually, I’m disappointed and left too full with an unsatisfied sweet-tooth.

The Frozen Capsule of Bing Cherry and Amaretto Toffee packed a fun surprise with the toffee spilling luxuriously out of the center. It was pretty good, but not even a close second to the Strawberry Fields dream-dessert status.

This is a great date spot; it’s intimate and fun with inventive dishes that are thought-provoking as well as palate-enticing. Creativity is often overlooked in Japanese cuisine so it’s great to see a Boston restaurant embrace innovation and create new dishes using the freshest products and ingredients we may not typically expect to pop up in our sashimi.

And, Uni is partaking in Restaurant Week for those on a budget, happening now. Their first course offerings include a spicy shrimp salad with cucumber, mango, lime and chili or yellowfin tuna with sweet onions, sesame, seaweed and pickled mung bean (so much yummier than it sounds!). Their entree choices feature a slow poached Scottish salmon prepared with yuzu salsa and served with an organic rice ball, kobe short rib with a side of spicy cabbage salad and chirashi with the chef’s choice of exotic sashimi fish and various vegetables.

So if your feeling a little too hot under the collar, skip down to the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue and cool off with some of the best and most refreshing cocktails and sashimi plates in the city.

With that in mind I set out Thursday to learn a bit more about the Dark ‘n’ Stormy’s two ingredients: namely Gosling’s Black Seal rum and Barritt’s ginger beer.  Both are about as Bermudan as pink sand; Gosling’s has been around for seven generations, while five generations of  Barritt’s have been brewing ginger beer.

For decades, the only place in the world one could get a real Dark ‘n’ Stormy was on Bermuda. That’s because for decades the Gosling family stubbornly refused to export their distinctive rum. The drink developed a cult following — chiefly among the sailors who raced in the many annual regattas to the island. Once in port, they’d drown themselves in rum and ginger beer before returning home with a hangover and several bottles of Gosling’s stashed in the bilge (to elude custom’s officials who would otherwise enforce quantity limits). Over the last decade Black Seal has started trickling into the U.S., but can still be tricky to obtain. So much so that the company took out a billboard on the Mass Pike a few years back that read “Harder to find than Whitey Bulger.”

People who have never had a Dark ‘n’ Stormy either love them or hate them upon first taste, both because Gosling’s and ginger beer are somewhat acquired tastes. Ginger beer can best be described as ginger ale on steroids. While it is somewhat sweet, Barritt’s in particular has an intense spiciness that cuts the sugar and plays on the tongue like the sun on Bermuda’s  waters. Gosling’s meanwhile is the obnoxious uncle of rums, the one who stomps into your mouth and makes his presence known immediately. The trouble is that most Yankees are accustomed to a light rum that mixes well with coke and absorbs the fruity flavors of a pina colada. Gosling’s is no such drinking partner. It is dark in color and complex in flavor with swirls of fruit, vanilla and smoke. It is a rum that’s impossible not to notice.

Like most things on this island, there is very little about the Dark (rum) or the Stormy (ginger beer) that is actually native. As Barritt’s General Manager Bruce Barritt said, “We’re an island of 22-square miles, it’s hard to grown anything for production.” Instead, Barritt’s uses imported cane sugar (Brazilian) and Gosling’s imports rums from all over the West Indies and blends them in giant tanks on-island before shipping it to Kentucky where the product is aged in smoked, recycled bourbon casks for three to six years. It’s the smoked barrels, and a little molasses, that gives the rum its motor oil color and burnt sugar undertones.

As with many things involving booze and boats, the history of the Dark ‘n’ Stormy is somewhat cloudy. Gosling’s Brand Manager Andrew Holmes told me that ginger beer was long a popular mixer for Gosling’s, but it wasn’t named until the early 1960s when a bartender at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club accidentally put the ginger beer into a highball glass before the rum. As a result, the dark rum floated on top of the drink like a storm cloud. Barritt on the other hand said the drink had been dubbed such because it’s orange-ish color was reminiscent of the sky in the old mariner’s rhyme: “Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morn, sailors be warned.”

By law (in the U.S. anyway), a drink can be labelled a Dark ‘n’ Stormy only if it actually contains Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. As The New York Times documented last month, Gosling’s has two trademark certificates on file, a rare move in the cocktail world, but a vital one in the eyes of the Gosling family given their flagship spirit’s distinctive flavor. “There isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t have to protect that trademark,” Holmes told me. Unfortunately for the Barritt’s folks, the brand of ginger beer isn’t specified.

Though Barritt’s and Gosling’s livelihood’s appear to be inextricably linked the two companies have no formal business relationship. Interestingly, while the Barritt’s web site suggests mixing it with Gosling’s to make a Dark ‘n’ Stormy, the rum maker makes no mention of Barritt’s on their web site. This may be because Gosling’s started producing their own ginger beer line in May (Made by Massachusetts’ own Polar Beverages), putting themselves in competition with their former unofficial partner (though Gosling’s Holmes stressed that the ginger beer is intended mainly for the U.S. market to sell in liquor stores alongside the Black Seal Rum). Meanwhile, Barritt’s recently ceased production of the pre-mixed Dark ‘n’ Stormy in a can (available on-island only) and supplies are expected to run out before the end of the year.

Lest you prefer the dark minus the stormy or vice-versa, there are plenty of other things you can use Gosling’s and Barritt’s for. Bermudans christen new homes by pouring a bottle of Gosling’s over the roof. Nelson’s Blood (Gosling’s and milk) was once quite popular on-island, while Canadian fisherman tend to prefer the “Seal Caesar”- a combination of Clamato and Gosling’s (yeah, I just threw up a little in my mouth too). On the stormy side, Barritt talked up the Moscow Mule, which mixes ginger beer and vodka. Golfers in Bermuda have also been known to enjoy a “Shandy”- that is, a pitcher of beer with a can of ginger beer poured into it.

The folks at Radius and Via Matta restaurants — co-owned by Boston’s successful restaurant business trio: Chef Michael Schlow, Christopher Myers and Esti Parsons — created special dishes that include the little green and round veggie. However, the chefs knew exactly how to serve it so that nobody would throw fits over eating this legume.

The Swordfish with fresh beans, cippolini agro dolce and pea greens, served at lunch only at Via Matta, 79 Park Plaza, is unique and delicious. The fish is grilled with fresh rosemary, thyme and chili flakes, while the fresh, green beans and yellow wax beans, with cippolini are roasted with sherry vinegar and honey. The mixture of bitter and sweet plays very well with the fish without overwhelming the palette. As if the dish were not good enough already, visitors take pleasure in knowing that the pea greens are a locally grown product from Eva’s Garden in Dartmouth, Mass.

If you’re looking for dinner, Radius’ Spring Dug Parsnip Soup is the dish to try. The parsnips for the soup are peeled and cooked down in milk with just a touch of butter and a sachet of thyme and black peppercorns. Afterwards this is pureed and seasoned with salt and a little sherry vinegar.

There is a warm salad in the bowl consisting of blanched English peas and a dice of roasted parsnip dressed with champagne vinegar and chives. Under the salad is a nest of Eva’s Garden pea greens and on top of these are crispy parsnips that are julienned and fried. In the bowl there is also s quenelle of English pea ice cream. The parsnip soup is poured over ingredients in bowl tableside. The presentation, and the taste, will impress you equally.

The ideas for such dishes come from Matthew Audette, Radius’ chef de cuisine, who provides delicious, high-spirited and inventive cuisine. Audette has appreciated food since childhood, growing up in Douglas, where butchering Thanksgiving turkeys was a family tradition. Raised on a farm, with produce grown and eaten fresh everyday, the chef never entered a grocery store until he was into his teens. His degree from Johnson and Wales, together with an appreciation for organic, fresh, ingredients made Audette into a skilled chef.

All-together a local chef, using local ingredients, makes for a great local restaurant menu. Make sure you get a reservation and also remember to try both restaurants for cocktail hour. Both places have a high-end atmosphere and affordable drink lists. Visit www.radiusrestaurant.com or www.viamattarestaurant.com for more details and contact information.

Blast author John M. Guilfoil (left) enjoys Fish Tuesday.

The Boston-based food blog is a newcomer, and it mixes restaurant experiences with New England home cooking.

Blast got to enjoy exactly what Tania and Nicole deLuzuriaga means by home cooking by attending a special Musing Bouche event called “Fish Tuesday,” where an unbelievably assortment of fresh codfish, (filleted from the WHOLE fish) corn pudding, tomato and avocado bread salad and more. They fed 11 people to the brim.

The blog is great, the food was amazing and you need to see what all the buzz is about.

But is Red Bull really competing with Coke by using, well, coke? Did summer Jager Bombs suddenly get a little more edgy? Can drinking colas lead to a failed drug test?

Here’s a quick guide to separating the facts from the Red Bullshit.

Do colas really contain cocaine?

Coca-Cola was refined by pharmacist Dr. John Stith Pemberton, and originally sold as an elixir to cure hangovers, headaches and nervousness. The name comes from the drink’s two main ingredients — cocaine from the coca leaf and kola nut to add caffeine. It was estimated the cola once contained up to nine milligrams of cocaine per glass — enough to feel slight side effects from the drug including increased energy, blood pressure and heart rate. By the early 1900’s, people began to fear the side effects of cocaine and a social outcry began over use of the ingredient. Cocaine was removed from the cola by 1905. The current Coca-Cola recipe contains non-narcotic coca flavoring in place of the real thing. According to a Time Magazine report, Red Bull has said the traces of cocaine found in their new cola are also de-cocainized cocaine extracts.

What is de-cocainized cocaine?

De-cocainized cocaine is what is left over from the coca leaf after the narcotic cocaine has been removed. Also called “spent” coca leaves, the ingredient is used as a natural flavoring in foods and can also be found in some cosmetics. In Bolivia, it is an ingredient in some toothpastes, shampoos, and candies.

Why is it added to colas?

According to Red Bull, the ingredient is needed to add natural flavoring to the drink. Its tea-like flavor is said to balance out the flavor of the kola nut, making for a tastier beverage. Removing the coca flavoring would change the taste of the drink.

How significant is the amount of de-cocainized cocaine in these drinks?

According to Time Magazine’s report, a person would need to drink approximately 12,000 liters of Red Bull Cola to feel any cocaine-related side effects. That equals about 48,000 cans of Red Bull. At which point, cocaine effects may be the least of the health concerns.

Why the ban?

According to the food safety department at Germany’s federal ministry for consumer protection, any traces of cocaine are enough to cause concern. German officials initially banned the sale of Red Bull Cola in six states. Five states followed suit, fearing they would violate narcotics laws if they continued to sell the drink. The ban might seem ridiculous in countries like Bolivia, however, where even President Evo Morales is a coca-grower. According to Time Magazine’s report, coca-growers in Bolivia, Peru, and surrounding countries have seen the controversy as a chance to prove the coca plant is not naturally harmful.

Is there reason to worry?

The Food and Drug Administration has listed de-cocainized coca leaf as safe and natural, so companies like Coca-Cola and Red Bull have found no reason to remove it from their products. After further study, Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment also said the traces of cocaine found in Red Bull Cola were not enough to pose a health risk. It’s also not enough to cause side effects or fail a drug test. So, drink up. Just keep the energy jolts to a 47,999 can maximum.

Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to eat raw cookie dough? It’s got egg and stuff in it.

This is a voluntary recall, and grocery stores around the country have pulled the cookie dough from shelves.

No complains have arisen about eating cooked cookies.

Recalled items include a variety of chocolate chip cookies in tube, tub and bar form and Christmas, Halloween, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, and Easter themed cookies. Though, if you’re seeing Christmas or Halloween cookie dough at your local Stop & Shop, that’s a whole different problem.

The Centers for Disease Control and several state health departments are investigating an outbreak of E. coli infections that might be linked to these products. Throw them away if you have them. If you get E. coli sickness, it will result in cramps, diarrhea, bloody stool, and could cause kidney failure, which is more common in the young and elderly.

I was truly blown away with my dining experience. As an avid sushi lover for the majority of my life (I’m a New Yorker and we eat sushi as five-year-olds), I have been on the hunt for quality sushi that can cause instant happiness. After five years of my quest in Boston and surrounding areas, I’ve finally found the Holy Grail of Boston sushi.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love Kayuga and their late night hours (hello, 2 a.m. maki run) and Zen 320’s supremely affordable, everyday half-price menu, but Fish Market has the entire package, and so much more.

When my fellow foodie and Brooklyn-native friend Jennifer and I entered the small locale, we were instantly enthralled by the decor. Clean lines, definitely feng shui bamboo plant placements, and extremely comfortable and well-cushioned lime green IKEA chairs greeted us upon entering. Our server, the only one in the approximately 20-seat restaurant, was enthusiastic and incredibly attentive.

After we ordered on our dry erase menu (brilliant and environmentally friendly!), he greeted us with a Japanese version of an amuse bouche: a baby shrimp tempura salad with the creamiest and perfect amount of dressing. Off to a great start. We anxiously awaited our steamed shrimp shumai and vegetable and shrimp tempura appetizers.

The shumai was amazing with the delicate flavor of fresh sweet shrimp dominant over the light dumpling dough. The tempura was unlike any I have had. The shrimp were long and thin, and one bite superbly informed me I was dining on fresh fish. The vegetables were perfect, with the eggplant and enormous round of sweet potato shining. The appetizers were the perfect size for two, with two shrimp and two each of broccoli, zucchini and eggplant. The giant sweet potato being so large was easily sliced in half using simply our chopsticks (how MacGyver).

Next was the sushi, which came at just the right time. In fact, all the courses were presented directly as we were finishing the previous one. There was no extra waiting and no overlapping of courses which would make for food temperature issues. The sushi was to die for. Phenomenal. I can’t get over it. I digress here.

The breakout star was the rainbow roll, a sushi roll I nearly never order for belief that it is simple and a bit bland. This was no ordinary rainbow roll. The secret was the sweet egg which truly melted in my mouth with each piece of sushi. Topped with fresh salmon, tuna, shrimp, whitefish, and filled with crab, avocado, and cucumber and of course the wondrous sweet egg, this roll is the reason I could eat here every single day. I was so pleasantly surprised to be a convert to the ways of the rainbow roll that I was a bit upset I was sharing it.

The baked spicy scallop roll was delicious. It was served hot, after I saw the sushi chef/owner remove it from what appeared to be a toaster oven behind the sushi bar. It was extremely spicy, and extremely delicious. But beware; it’s not for everyone. I happen to adore scallop in sushi — meaning it’s raw — but others find the texture and flavor hard to stomach. If you’re adventurous I would definitely recommend trying it, and if you love scallop, you better try it. Also delicious was the spicy salmon, with the fish buttery and fresh and very flavorful.

As for dessert, we went whole hog and ordered the sesame ice cream, which I had never tried, and mango mochi. The sesame ice cream is definitely an acquired flavor. Most likely, savory food lovers will enjoy it the most as a good way to sneak dessert in. It had a rich roasted and deep flavor, reminiscent of coffee beans. The mango mochi was delicious and refreshing.

Overall, I highly recommend this little find and hope that it makes it through these tough economic times. But with their decent prices, good portions, flavorful sushi and other Japanese offerings, there is no reason they shouldn’t thrive.

Next up, finding quality Chinese food in Boston. Good cold sesame noodles anyone?

Dish #10 — Cold hot sweet peppers

About 5 minutes — About $5 — Serves 1-2 per pepper

Red bell peppers are sweet. Green ones are a bit dry. Yellow and orange ones are good, too, for mixing up flavors, but you really just need to start with one or two of any color bell pepper. Slice it up into chunks — bite sized pieces.

Throw all your pieces into a plastic bowl and shake cajun spice mix and cayenne pepper over the top. Shake the bowl to mix everything together.

The result is a 100 percent fat free snack with a heck of a kick. The cajun spice adds a great flavor, but it’s not overwhelming. If you really want to get out of hand you can use a lot more cayenne pepper or even some hot sauce.

Anyone who loves the delectable flavor of hot-off-the-grill foods has probably heard that cancer-causing substances — such as heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs or HCAs) — form when the proteins in red meat, pork, poultry and fish react to the high heat of grilling and when fat drips off the meat and produces smoke.

But the researchers aren’t just pouring water on our coals; they’re coming up with solutions, too. Chemists at Kansas State University found that marinating meat for an hour in spice blends can reduce the formation of HCAs by 80 percent or more. They credit the antioxidant properties of spices with this change. Other researchers suggest that marinades may buffer the heat that causes the problematic chemical reaction, or that a combination of sugar, oil, and acidic ingredients decreases the carcinogenic compounds.

Not that you need a scientific reason to marinate. Savvy grillers know marinating improves flavor and the process isn’t labor-intensive. You can make your own signature marinades, or rely on the guaranteed results of quality mixes.

For safe and delicious grilling with marinades:

• Choose lean cuts of meat, which will drip less and produce less smoke. Trim excess fat.
• Prick the surfaces of meats with a fork before marinating to allow flavors to penetrate.
• Marinate foods in the refrigerator — not on the counter — in a glass, plastic, or stainless steel pan.
• Keep in mind that marinades that have been used for raw meat, poultry or seafood need to be cooked thoroughly before eating. So don’t baste with them during the last few minutes, don’t dip your finger in the pan to taste and don’t use the leftover marinade for sauce without cooking it first.
• Consider cooking meats in the microwave for a minute or so before placing them on the grill. Discard any juice that’s produced during microwaving. Use tongs or a spatula, rather than forks, to reduce drips when turning foods on the grill.
• Cook over medium (rather than high) heat to avoid charring foods. Let flames settle down before cooking over coals or wood, and turn the temperature down to medium on a gas grill. If you do char a portion of the food, cut off that section before serving.
• Flip those burgers. Again. They’ll cook faster (and produce fewer HCAs) if you turn them often.
• Consider other options, too, like soy burgers and soy hot dogs, portobello mushrooms and other vegetables. These foods don’t have the same potential to produce harmful substances that can result from unsafe cooking procedures — but they’re delicious when marinated nonetheless!

Here’s a simple, tasty recipe from Chef Kendall McFarland, research and development manager at Simply Organic:

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked pasta
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 package of Simply Organic Steak Marinade Mix

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the olive oil and the Steak Marinade Mix. Serve as a warm or cold side dish.

Add olives, cheese or other vegetables if desired.

Staying with the same marinade for the complete meal, Chef Kendall also has this tasty recipe:

Tarragon Encrusted Salmon

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package Simply Organic Steak Marinade Mix
1 to 1 1/2 pounds salmon steak — minimum of 1-inch thick

Preheat grill. In a small bowl blend butter, lemon juice and Steak Marinade. Lay salmon on grill using a fish grill plate, skin side down. Spread a thin layer of butter mixture on steaks. Grill eight to 10 minutes or until salmon is just flaky.

Serve with sliced fresh tomatoes as a garnish.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Biuso,  a native from New Zealand, got ”Sizzle” published in the U.S.  in April 2008 and  it was named the “best barbecue book in the history of the awards,” by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. From the very first paragraphs of the Introduction it is easy to see why.  Readers are thrown into reminiscences of childhood Auckland picnics and the bold grilling flavors of New Zealand. This cookbook is filled with simple, yet creative, recipes to fit any grilling desires; from seafood and poultry to delicious fruit combinations for a well-rounded meal.

The book is broken down into various sections beginning with, what else, Beginnings. The appetizers and other small plates listed are the perfect way to start any meal. From Zucchini & corn fritters (p.15) to Bruschetta with chick pea pate & sugared tomatoes (p.26) each dish has a thorough and simple instruction guide and ingredient list. Additionally, beneath each recipe name there is a great tip regarding the dish, offering different options to the home cook based on flavor preference or giving a helpful hint on a cooking method.

One great example is the Seared scallops with chili pepper dressing (p.31). “Cutting a criss-cross patter on the scallops makes them open much like blooming flowers, letting them absorb more dressing as they cook, but this step is optional.” These little cheat sheet-type blurbs are a great teaching tool for home cooks to implement while grilling recipes from Sizzle, not to mention in all of their future cooking endeavors.

On to the Main Events dishes. Seared lamb with cumin rub (p.39) is a wonderful homage to Middle Eastern flavors and cooking techniques. Additionally, on the same page there is a recipe for a simple beet salad made refreshing thanks to lemon juice and finely grated lemon zest. There are numerous dishes utilizing the flavors from the Middle East, along with Italy and Southeast Asia. Sticky chicken satay (p.54) is a play on a Thai favorite and seasoned with fresh ginger, lemon juice, runny honey, coriander and black pepper. With a comprehensive ingredient list for each recipe there isn’t one meal a home cook could find intimidating. Burgers, steaks, various sandwiches, such as the Eggplant toasties (p.52), round out the Main Events section with enough variety in flavor and proteins to suit any palette.

There is a separate Seafood section with flavorful offerings including Coconut fish cakes (p.80) and Whole fish with cilantro (p.82). But what really caught my attention was the Sides section beginning on p.90. I have to say, sides definitely can make or break any great barbecue adventure, and the choices here are endless. Colin’s breakfast tomatoes (p.92) are a wonderful way to utilize your grill in a manner you would never have thought of. Simply grilling vine-ripened large tomato halves seasoned with superfine granulated sugar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper along with fresh basil, thyme and some butter, makes for a tasty and unique side serving.

Sizzle boasts many more sections including Salads, Sauces & Salsas, and Sweet Endings. Making this cookbook the perfect go-to manual for simple but flavorful and exotic grilling options for this summer. Along with a Barbecue Know-How section in the back of the books and step-by-step instructions, Biuso’s latest is a delicious foray into New Zealand grilling.

I have never been a good cook, in-fact just short of pouring cereal in a bowl and being able to put it in the dishwasher when I am done is about the only business I have in my kitchen. But I can say I love to eat, watch people cook and envy crazy concoctions cooks can come up with in the kitchen that I would never even dream of attempting to do myself.

So in my interview, as much as I would like to say Bobby Flay offered to give me first hand training in what I’m sure he would call my kindergarten kitchen (it has the basics: sink, stove, counters and cupboards- but mostly bare if you open them), he did however marinate my brain with all the juicy details of this season’s show, and it sound “Flay-vorful!”

If you have been an avid follower of Next Food Network Star or even if you are a novice foody looking to chew on a new show, this season is no joke!  A panel of judges, including Bobby Flay, weighs the chef’s abilities to cook, marinate, describe and even conjure up new dishes through insane food challenges. But in the end, it’s really a six week interview of sorts to see who could become the host of another Food Network show!

Flay, who has been professionally cooking for 26 years, says this seasons chefs “have pretty good food chops, but I am looking for someone who is gonna have a really good repertory of things…even if they win it, I am looking way past that. I want them to be an important roster to the Food Network.”

One of Flay’s favorite episodes is set in Miami and includes a tantalizing twist on a fish dish. The winner gets to be put on a menu at a restaurant, and if you have ever tried to cook any kind of fish, you know that’s a challenge in itself!

So just because you’re queen in your kitchen at home, once you’re in “Flay-ville” you better be able to baste your way to his taste-buds! The recipe for success on this show is easy, you must be entertaining (you can’t be monotone in speech), know what you are doing in the kitchen (don’t ask what a colander is) , and teach your audience something (meaning us “viewers” drooling through the television). If you can’t do that, be ready to pack-up your oven mitts and head home!

Luckily for us the Food Network has found ten of the best and brightest from all walks of life to show off their skills, and in some cases lack thereof!

Tune to the Food Network channel to see all the tasty, delectable, seared and savory season of “Next Food Network Star”. You can even vote on your favorite contestants by going to FoodNetwork.com.

Madonna: Pomegranate Martini

1 1/2 oz. Three-O Pomegranate Vodka
1 oz. Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice
1 1/2 oz. fresh blackberry puree
1 oz. cranberry juice

Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Paris Hilton: Cherry Bomb

1 1/2 oz. Three-O Cherry Vodka
4 oz. Red Bull

Mix in a highball glass filled with ice and garnish with a cherry.

Lauren Conrad: Blackberry Vodka Collins

2 oz. Three-O Berry Vodka
2 slices lime
3 fresh blackberries
1 oz. simple syrup
Splash of soda water

Muddle the lime, blackberries and simple syrup, add the vodka and shake with ice; serve on the rocks.

Megan Fox: First Class Punch

1 1/4 oz Three-O Vodka
1 oz Domaine Canton Liquor
1/2 oz agave nectar
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 strawberry
4 basil leaves

In a mixing tin, muddle the strawberry, basil, and Agave nectar. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake very well with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a strawberry.

Now don your cutest bikini and soak up the sun like your fav celebs!

Authorities say Joseph Jimenez, 24, killed Scott Riley, 25, after they argued over the beer pong game Friday at a party in a suburb 15 miles outside Philadelphia.

The men took the argument outside, where authorities say Riley mocked Jimenez and taunted him into shooting him. Jimenez allegedly responded by pulling a .40-caliber and shooting Riley in the neck.

Let’s take a minute to discuss the ground rules of beer pong folks:

Number 1: A bounce counts as two cups. If you are an idiot and knock over your own cups defending the bounce, those cups are lost.

Second: Bitches blow. Nuff said.

3: No overthrow rule. That’s dumb.

Four: Re-rack at six, four, three, and two.

Fifth: If you and your partner sink the same cup at the same time, game over.

Now play nice, kids.

Instead of turning you all loose on lime-in-the-beer and quickie margaritas, we went to Mixologist Victoria D’Amato Moran for something just a bit different.

How do coconut and lime or jalapeno and cucumber sound?

Served on the rocks or frozen, the recipes below share the flavor of Yubari, a rare and expensive melon used to make Midori, the Melon flavored Liqueur.

Spicy Yubari Margarita
1 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
1 ½ oz Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila
5 slices fresh organic Cucumber peeled and seeded
2-3 slices fresh Jalapeño (to taste)
1 oz freshly squeezed organic Lime Juice

Midori Mambo
1 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
1 ½ oz Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila
1 ½ oz Coconut Cream
½ oz fresh-squeezed organic Lime Juice

Classic Midori Margarita
1 oz Midori Melon Liqueur
1 ½ oz Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila
1 oz freshly squeezed organic Lime Juice

“Many misconceptions relating to pigs have surfaced,” said Dennis Wolff, the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture. “Pork products are safe to consume and living near or working on a hog farm is not a threat to human health.”

Here in Massachusetts, officials have released a fact sheet that says, among other things, that swine flu is nothing new. We’re just seeing an increased number of infections this year.

Your pork is still safe to eat. Don’t throw it away or boycott it.

Swine flu is like any other flu — stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands religiously, drink fluids, get rest, and see the doctor if you start developing symptoms.

But pork is still the other white meat.

Seafood Spinach Quesadilla’s

1 bag frozen shrimp (51-60 count)

3 oz. Cod

Fresh spinach

Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Wheat tortillas

Olive Oil

Ripe Avocado

Salsa

Directions:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees
• Spray skillet with cooking spray and add cod
• When cod is just about cooked put cod shrimp and spinach into one pan and cook until spinach is wilted and seafood is cooked.
• Spray round baking pan with cooking spray.
• Brush olive oil onto one side of tortilla and place into round baking pan
• Spread shredded Monterey Jack cheese on tortilla.
• Add spinach and seafood mixture to tortilla.
• Place second tortilla on top and spread olive oil over top half of tortilla.
• Place in oven until tortillas are crisp.
• After removing sprinkling cheese on top of finished product and cover until cheese melts (1 minute at most).
• Slice with large knife or pizza cutter.
• In a bowl mash half ripe avocado.
• Mix in salsa of choice and enjoy guacamole and salsa on the side of your quesadillas!

I use a George Foreman Grill. Every college student has one. It’s cheap. It works.

You need good bread, firm tomatoes and fresh mozzarella to make it work. You also need fresh basil, but dried basil will work in a pinch. The result, which is perfect for those meat-free days.

Dish #9 — Tomato and mozzarella panini

About 20 minutes — About $10 — Serves 1

You start with the right bread. Here in Boston, we have Iggy’s. It’s the best. High-end restaurants use it instead of baking their own loaves.

Iggy's of Cambridge is the best bread in New England

Cut the bread at an angle using a serrated knife. Cutting it at an angle gives you more surface area for your other ingredients.

Using a brush or the reverse side of a teaspoon, spread some extra virgin (dark colored!) olive oil over the surface of the bread. Don’t overdo it. Just a little.

Shake some coarse salt, black pepper, oregano, basil and — if you want — some crushed red pepper over each side.

Cut some tomato slices. Half to 3/4-inch wide are fine. Lay them on the bread. Do the same with the fresh mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella is available in any grocery store cheese section. If you’re at a nice store or specialty cheese shop, buy the store made or “loose” stuff. Whole Foods sells good fresh mozzarella in containers. If you’re at a “regular” grocery store, I’d stick with a brand name like Bel Gioioso, which makes a very good cheese.

Fresh basil leaves are recommended for this dish. It can be an added expense, especially if you’re just cooking for one, but it’s a flavor that you won’t regret having.

Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil between the tomatoes and the cheese. Close the sandwich and brush on more olive oil on each side of the sandwich. This helps it cook in the grill. More salt, pepper and herbs on each side.

Don't overdo it with the olive oil, and make sure you use the good stuff!

What I like to do here is plan ahead. Nine times out of 10, I just want to eat the panini right away, but the panini cooks better if you wrap it in foil and put it in the fridge for a day. Seriously. Maybe you should prepare two sandwiches, make one now and save one. I like it.

Either way, when you’re ready to cook, preheat the Foreman Grill for a few minutes. Plop the sandwich on there, and make sure nothing slides off as you firmly close the top over the panini. I find that a wooden spoon (just don’t leave it still for too long) will help balance the sandwich without burning your hand.

Let it cook and sizzle and toast for about 10 minutes, applying some firm pressure every now and then. If you did it right, the sandwich comes out browned, slightly flattened, and everything is still inside, hot and ready to eat.

This is a delicious sandwich that’s healthier than most things you’ll find at a restaurant, and it certainly beats cold cuts in that department.

Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention that a friend reminded me of — the sandwich also tastes great cold! You don’t even need to grill it.

One of my friends had done a little research on the Masa website which paid off for us. They were having a special promotion where pitchers of Sangria were only $5. The pitchers were served in beautiful, if not small, glass carafes that contained approximately 1.5-2 servings of beautifully rich and flavorful red wine sangria flavored with a hint of cinnamon.

The restaurant was definitely in full force and completely crowded from the moment we stepped in at 6:45 p.m. until we left, full and completely satiated to the extreme at about 9.

As good as the restaurant week menu choices appeared in print, the taste was even better. The first course offering of duck empanadas was amazing. The duck was moist and plentiful and delicious, and the mole sauce was sweet, thick and completely authentic. It was served with a refreshing watercress salad that complemented the empanada in its flaky and sturdy crust and spicy sauce perfectly.

The chipotle spiked clam chowder had a very earthy taste and was served with brioche crackers. The tender romaine salad with crispy red corn tortillas was served beautifully with roasted green chile dressing and smoked cotija cheese. When I first looked over the menu it seemed to be the least impressive choice, but the flavor was incredible. It was delicious and the perfect way to start the meal. I definitely asked for more than one bite from one of my fellow diners, and friends, (as we whined over who hated their boyfriend more that day).

I had been eying each plate as it passed and was excitedly anticipating our entrees. Lucky for us, there were four offerings and four diners with my party, and we each ordered a different item.

My Southwestern style steak frites with chile dusted fries was incredible. I asked for the steak medium rare, with an emphasis on rare, and that is how it arrived. Perfectly pink, deliciously and liberally spiced and overflowing with juice and flavor. The chile lime arugula salad was the perfect recipe to calm the heat. Paired with a Guajillo bourbon sauce, I was in pure heaven. It was one of the best entrees I’ve had of this March 2009 Restaurant Week in Boston, or any other of my past Restaurant Week adventures.

The blackened rare ahi tuna steak with yellow mole was equally pleasing. It was served with Yukon gold potatoes and wild mushrooms. I would’ve preferred the tuna to be less cooked, but that is a personal preference (caused by a bad experience with blackened tuna that was half cooked all the way through and completely unappetizing which resulted in a trip to the emergency room and a Benadryl shot in my behind).

The vegetarian offering, a spicy tres chiles polenta served with marinated mushrooms, arugula and cotija cheese was on the very hot side, which my friend was not warned about. It was hearty and filling, a treat for vegetarians who often find themselves out of luck and out of choices at many restaurants during restaurant week. The chicken was well seasoned and overall spiced well with Adobo and had a refreshing corn avocado salsa.

We forged on toward dessert; the third course offering. We had a sampling of them all, and the molten chocolate cake, despite being delicious, had nothing molten to offer up, at all. Expecting a liquid, creamy and rich center we were slightly disappointed to find the cake solid, through and through. The selection of sorbets: pineapple, strawberry and lemon were divine, refreshing with real fruit taste served in the perfect size, not too much and most definitely not too little.

The flan, however, fell flat. It was a bit too solid, and not being a fan of flan, that did nothing to change my mind about the quivering dessert.

Overall, this was an excellent Restaurant Week choice and a great experience with friends. The lively atmosphere and inventive and delicious food paired perfectly for a great South End dining experience.

This is most definitely not your Chili’s Southwestern experience!