THE GURGLING COD

Midge Pingleton's Bar treat throwdown

Not sure where Midge Pingleton came from, but all of a sudden, she seems to be doing some interesting food events. First a mac and chees throwdown, (ok), but now a challenge to reinvent the frozen foods of childhood:
This time there is a twist.   Do you think you can make a BETTER version of your favorite childhood frozen treat?  I know damn well I am on a mission to make a pizza roll that would give Totino a run for his money for the Superbowl this Sunday.
Jalepeno Poppers, White Castle Burgers, Potato Skins, Bagel Bites, Pigs in a Blanket, the possibilities are endless.  Because this is a very serious competition there will be actual judges for first prize in addition to a popular vote for the sake of democracy.

Sounds like fun. If I were in town, I'd try to split the difference between the Ducasse latke, and Tater Tots.

Cochon Salami

Got a chance to try the Cochon fennel salami pictured below. It is good. Two things worth noting:
1) Interesting that Donald Link and the gang are moving beyond standard Louisiana charcuterie (boudin, tasso, etc), and into tpyically Italian cured meats. To be sure there are other US places doing salumi-type things, but not alsod the kind of stuff that Cochon does.
2) I picked up this package from the newly opened Cochon Butcher not on site, but at Martin Wine Cellar, Uptown. If they can get it from the CBD to  Uptown, is it possible that a wider distribution could be possible? Hope so.

The Gurgling Cod is not here to cause any trouble

But is instead doing the Super Bowl Shuffle over to Bravo. Click for one of the most wistful Super Bowl features you are likely to encounter in the next 36 hours.

A modest poposal -- from Zojirushi

Sorry for the thin posts. In NOLA on a fact-finding mission. But the trend previously mentioned is getting chronic.

Beaba Babycook

Evidently, infantophagy is joining Merriweather Post Pavillion as the big gainers in early 2k9. First the aforementioned sliced tomatoes and mozzarella with baby from JetBlue, and now the Beaba Babycook from Williams-Sonoma.

Hot links

Not boudin, but Cajunboy's got links to Bourdain's visit to New Orleans. Heat up some red beans and rice in a box, and cook up some of whatever the fuck your local market calls "andouille," and curse the Fates that prevent you from eating like Tony eats in New Orleans.

An appeal

As President Obama pointed out, this is a challenging time, and we all will have to do our part to rise to the challenge. I am asking you for your help. As you may know, one of The Gurgling Cod's duties is advising the readers of the Bravo.com website about what to eat while they watch football.* The Super Bowl looms, and it features two teams from two culinarily uninspiring necks of the woods. I would welcome your thoughts on any angle that might generate a cromulent dish.

*What you are thinking about Bravo and football fans is homophobic. Shame on you. 

Carbonara footprint

So chefs flew in from all over the country to help Alice Waters promote herself, er,  local and sustainable food. Which, it turns out, means flying that  local food to DC. Stephanie Shih over at the Feedbag offers a handy tip:
Here’s a heads up for the future, Dan Barber—it’s not “local” or “seasonal” if you have to put it on a plane.

Stay tuned for the next episode, when Alice hijacks the Maddencruiser, and barnstorms back to Cali, raising awareness  along the way about the impact buses have on the environment.

 

Thanks, as always, to Penny Pascal, for the Peerless Photoshopping.

A modest proposal -- from Jet Blue

Currently enjoying my first trip through the highly touted new Jet Blue terminal at JFK. As an improvement over the old terminal, and against the standard of most such places, it's New Trier High School, as a nominally public facility that carries the ineffable whiff of money that gives it an exclusionary feel. And apparently, Jet Blue flyers are rather refined in their tastes. Not only is there a cromulent looking bistro with frisee and lardons etc etc, but sushi that looks like it might not kill you. The coup de grace, however, are touch screen kiosks, where one can order meals that are then whisked to your seat. In the case of the featured item  below, the lack of human interaction might be just as well:

(And no, there is not an indication if the babies are sustainably raised.)

Pat Bruno is full of shit

Following the kerfuffle about the Chicago restaurant critic who went on TV using his real name, the critic fired back with a response:
Helen: thanks so much for the publicity re my appearance on the Flay Throwdown. And, of course, bringing it to the attention of one and all at the Sun-Times. Keep that blog mill churning.
Of course, practically everyone in the restaurant business knows what Phil Vettel and Penny Pollack and Dennis Wheaton look like. And, too, a few restaurant owners know what I look like--after all, at one time I had a cooking school here in Chicago, and also owned a chain of cookware stores and some of my best customers were chefs and restaurant owners.
Actually, the person you see on the video is me, but not really me. I was wearing a very clever disguise to, of course, protect my anonymity. Study the video carefully. Then should it happen that Pat and Helen are dining at same restaurant, try and pick me out of the crowd. If you can, dinner is on me. But what difference does it make should I be recognized? Will the restaurant in question suddenly, like magic, put out better quality food? Will inept service suddenly become "ept?" Nah. On the other hand, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been "made" while reviewing a restaurant. Methinks you have brought up a tempest in a crockpot. But then it takes a lot of gossip to fill up a blog.* Keep up the good work. [all emphasis added]

To summarize: 
    1) Everyone already knows what I look like.
    2) I was wearing a disguise.
    3) It does not matter if people know what I look like.
You simply cannot make all of these arguments. Any one of them on its own is bullshit, and easily refuted on its own terms, but to advance them simultaneously is to demonstrate a contempt for readers, the press, and the language, so contradictory are they.
*Bonus bloggers off my lawn swipe from someone working in an industry only slightly more viable than the US whaling industry gets the early nod for the January Bissinger Prize.