The Feed: March 26, 2014

Roman-style pizza at Posto Thin Crust Pizza, New York City

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

Eater New York: “A Complete Guide to New York City Pizza Styles,” by Nick Solares.
I’ve long wanted to read an article like this, a thoughtful pieces comparing the various common styles of pizza. Although written as a guide to pizza in New York, these styles are available elsewhere too. Solares also covers types of pizza outlets: chains, food trucks, etc. I learned that the pizza served at my favorite New York pizza restaurants, Posto and Vezzo, is Roman.

Eater New York: “As Expected, Eataly Wine Store to Close for Six Months,” by Greg Morabito.
It was reported last week that New York restaurant partners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich were faced with possible 6-month suspensions of the liquor licenses in their New York restaurants, including the four-star Del Posto and Lupa, my favorite place to get good pasta. Thankfully a settlement was reached that will result in Eataly’s wine shop closing for 6 months, while the restaurants retain their liquor licenses (a bummer, but not nearly as bad a blow as a set of major Italian restaurants not being able to serve wine).

New York Times: “The Casserole Catches Up,” by Melissa Clark.
It’s true that “casserole” doesn’t exactly conjure images of haute cuisine, the dish tainted by too many bland versions dominated by salty (but yet tasteless) canned soups and crumbled junk food toppings. Like Clark, I think the casserole doesn’t have to be a joke (see my attempt at a better version of Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole). I’d really like to try the Beet Crumble, which she describes as “a béchamel-bound dish with clothbound Cheddar and a nubby, peppery oatmeal topping — each bite is different from the last, with sweet beet, soft beet greens and crunchy hazelnuts vying for dominance on your fork. It’s both familiar (picture mac and cheese with vegetables instead of pasta) and utterly unexpected.” Mmm….

Slate: “The Woman Who Invented the Chocolate Chip Cookie,” by Carolyn Wyman.
Ruth Wakefield. That’s who invented America’s favorite cookie. No, not the Oreo, the chocolate chip cookie! Wyman chronicles how Wyman, owner of the Toll House restaurant (ring a bell? Nestle’s chocolate chips carry the “Toll House” moniker), jazzed up a batch of butterscotch cookies by adding chopped chocolate.

Quartz: “The Slow Death of the Microwave,” by Roberto A. Ferdman.
Is the microwave the elephant in the room? We all have one, well, at least 90 percent of us, according to Ferdman’s article, which chronicles the historical rise and recent decline of the device many consider the most mysterious of common kitchen appliances (it cooks with radiation! News flash: so does your oven!).

Washington Post: “Bakery Apprentices Learn the Ins and Outs of Opening a Food Business the Hard Way,” by David Hagedorn.

This story about the forthcoming Bread Furst bakery has ben really excited for personal reasons: the bakery is just a few blocks from where I live. And I’ve never lived near an honest-to-goodness bakery. Something that isn’t a convenience chain or a grocery store window.  Hagedorn writes about baker Mark Furstenberg, his forthcoming Bread Furst bakery and his bakery apprenticeship program.

Food & Wine: “Spring Produce”
In the mood for some spring cooking? Food & Wine has put together this delicious slideshow with links to the recipes for making the best of seasonal fare such as haricots verts, mushrooms, asparagus, peas and mint.

The Guardian: “Crisis in Korea as Younger Generation Abandons Kimchi,” by Justin McCurry.
Just as Americans seem to be really getting into kimchi (and apparently the Brits as well), enthusiasm for the spicy cabbage dish in its mother country appears to be waning thanks to lesser-quality imports. Given that Kimchi is South Korea’s national dish, McCurry examines the cultural crisis.

Bon Appetit: “20% Is the New 15%: Tipping in the Age of Digital Payment,” by Michael Y. Park.
When it comes to tipping, it’s pretty established that 20 percent is the new 15 percent, but the advent of digital payment options are making larger tips even more the norm.