The Feed: April 3, 2013

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.

Been There, Eaten That: “Food Is Love…The Inn at Little Washington,” by Lori Gardner.
D.C. restaurant blogger Lori Gardner celebrates her and her husband’s 30th anniversary at the D.C. area’s most renowned establishment: the famed Inn at Little Washington. She recaps the meal with mouth-watering detail (and great photos too). I’m particularly intrigued by the Caesar Salad Ice Cream as part of a Baby Lamb Loin Carpaccio starter.

Slate: “Consider the Oyster,” by Christopher Cox
Self-professed vegan makes an argument that vegans should consider it OK to eat oysters, which he argues are not harmed by farming (and their farming is not harmful to the environment), cannot move and feel nothing. Although not a vegan myself, it seems to me that an oyster is an animal, which is what vegans do not eat. Period. However, it’s interesting to read the comments the story has received, particular those that discuss the worth of living under a label like “vegan” vs. not labeling oneself by making conscious, informed decisions about food.

Washington Post: “Tom Sietsema shares the secrets of Washington’s top bartenders,” by Tom Sietsema.
Taking a break from dining, Sietsema profiles five of the Washington area’s hottest mixologists: Adam Bernbach (Estadio), Derek Brown (Columbia Room), Gina Chersevani (Eddy Bar at Hank’s Oyster Bar), Jeff Faile (Fiola) and Todd Thrasher (PX and Restaurant Eve).

New York Times: “A Childhood Favorite, Now Sophisticated,” A Good Appetite by Melissa Clark.
Clark makes humble tomato soup more sophisticated with fennel and pernod, a recipe adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Ross and Sheila Lukins, the sequel to one of my favorite cookbooks, The Silver Palate Cookbook.

Bon Appétit: “Indian Takout, Taken In,” by Alison Roman. 
Roman shares all the recipes for a delicious homemade Indian dinner of Chicken Tikka Masala, Spicy Sautéed Spinach, Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce and even Onion Naan. Most of the dishes include ghee, an Indian butter preparation that’s very similar to clarified butter.

Scientific American: “Fact or Fiction? You Must Drink 8 Glasses of Water Daily,” by Karen Bellenir.
In what will surely be a liability to companies like Nalgene and Deer Park, Bellenir reports on evidence finding that drinking eight 8 oz. glasses (i.e. 8 x 8) of water a day is actually unnecessary for most healthy people. Instead, let thirst be your guide, which seems pretty sensible really.

Food & Wine: “Asparagus: 1 Ingredient, 5 Ways,” by Kay Chun. 
Chef Chun takes one of spring’s favorite vegetables and offers it five ways: roasted, pickled, vinaigrette, pesto and tabbouleh.