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The internet can be a such a delicious place. For your edification, here are a few links to what's cooking in the world of restaurants and food today. 

The Ken Burns 3-Part Documentary, "Prohibition," is set to air Sunday on PBS. I'd say his timing is just about right on this, given the recent nostalgia for the 20's of late. Or maybe I've just had too many $13 cocktails with 3 unpronounceable ingredients served by a guy in a vest with mutton chops.

LIFE presents an illustrated guide on how to eat sushi, complete with slightly embarrassing photos of Eva Mendes and Russell Simmon - they're just like us: they eat too much wasabi at once too!  Spoiler alert: California rolls are not from Japan.

Hide your wife. Hide your kids. Killer cantaloupes may not have done their worst yet, from Grub Street.

Anthony Bourdain breaks his own rules of travel on a family vacation and previews the upcoming New Orleans episode of "No Reservations." My kingdom for an oyster po' boy. 

 

 

The Edible Web: Mad Men Edition

Stock the bar with Old Fashioned fixins' and dust off your chip'n'dip, the new season of Mad Men premieres on AMC this Sunday. And though brown liquor should be listed among the partners of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, food and restaurants also play an integral role in the show , what with 3 martini lunches with Roger Sterling, exotic, globe-trotting dinners by Betty Draper and lavish pre-theater meals. Heck, Don Draper's new marriage to Megan seems entirely predicated on her non-hysterical handling of a spilled milkshake. Sigh ... who else longs for the salad days of uncomplicated, quiet family dinners at the Draper household?

Many of the New York dining locales featured on Mad Men have since closed (The Stork Club, Toots Shor's), but some are still going strong (it's filmed in Hollywood so they are re-creations of the NYC restaurants). Restaurants that have made an appearance on the show include the likes of P.J. Clarke's, Keens Steakhouse, Barbetta, and La Grenouille. The Grand Central Oyster Bar, though not specifically mentioned, is believed to be the spot of the booze-soaked oyster lunch shared by Don Draper and Roger Sterling.  

Grand Central

Here's a handful of tasty Mad Men links to whet your appetite for Sunday. 

Elizabeth Gunnison of Esquire attempts the Roger Sterling Diet, complete with a post-lunch hike up 21 flights of stairs.

Eater NY provides an excellent city map of Mad Men's restaurants and bars, past and present.

Gridskipper's Mad Men Guide to New York takes it a step further, listing restaurants but also hotels, department stores and the residences of characters. 

Eat Me Daily shares a recipe for Betty Draper's Rumaki, which comes from the Betty Crocker's Hostess Cookbook, 1967

For "everything you need to throw the swankiest Mad Men bash on your block," consult AMC's Mad Men Premier House Party Guide, complete with cocktail recipes, dinner ideas and horrifying (but realistic) cut-out masks of your favorite characters (sorry, creepy Glenn did not make the cut). 

Written by Charlie Harris at 16:08

Thursday Web Edibles

The future has arrived, and it's coated in sprinkles. An LA ice cream shop introduces the 24-hour cupcake ATM, via Eater. 

Thin Mints: available soon in candy bar form. Huffington Post Food confirms the existence of the Nestle Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bar. I can get behind the concept of Girl Scout cookies sans the paperwork or the high pressure sales situation - can you really say no when a co-worker's cute kid pops up unexpectedly with that lengthy form? I can. (But I won't speak for you).

CNN/Budget Travel runs down 15 rules of international food etiquette that might surprise you. Although you should already know better than to eat tacos with a fork and knife (ANYWHERE) or to turn down vodka in Russia (ANYTIME). 

A list of the nation's 50 fattiest foods by state from The Orlando Sentinel. The country's most artery-cloggin', obesity-inducin' items include bacon-wrapped meatloaf (Alabama), Turducken (South Carolina), the garbage plate (New York) and the Luther Burger (Georgia).

Dwell.com displays a series of aestheticized Seinfeld-inspired food posters. The black and white cookie, Monk's Diner, and ketchup and mustard in a single bottle (from Kramerica Industries) are among the subjects. These pretzels are making me thirsty!

Written by Charlie Harris at 13:00

TV Dinner: 7 Great Television Restaurants

Apparently fictional characters get hungry, too. More importantly, television shows often need a central, non-domestic location where the cast gathers to hatch zany schemes, discuss relationships and even perform ill-advised musical numbers. And seeing as multiple sets for multiple restaurants could get expensive, shows tend to have their characters frequent one particular coffee shop or restaurant. Though not a comprehensive list, here's a few of the most memorable restaurants on TV. 

The Peach Pit, Beverly Hills 90210: Perhaps the most malleable restaurant in TV history, The Peach Pit serves many purposes for the students of West Beverly High (and the writers of the show). It's an employer for those saving up for a '65 Mustang, an after school hangout for gossiping over a milkshake, and even a suddenly quiet spot for a late-night study session -- don't stay too late Brenda: it's a sketchy neighborhood. And as the cast matures, they suddenly uncover an abandoned warehouse behind the Peach Pit, which becomes The Peach Pit After Dark, a club-like venue where the characters participate in more adult-themed dramatics. Unfortunately there's a stage for the showcasing of Brian Austin Green's musical "talents." We'll opt for the sweet harmony of Color Me Badd instead. 

Arnold's, Happy Days: For all of the time Richie Cunningham and the gang spent at Arnold's, the diner's burger and shakes deserve Smithsonian status as much as Fonzie's jacket. Before Fonzie and Happy Days made history by Jumping the Shark, Arnold's provides the parking lot where he jumps 14 garbage cans before wiping out a short-lived Arnold's Fried Chicken stand. 

Monk's Diner, Seinfeld: Second to Jerry's apartment, Monk's (referred to simply as "the coffee shop") is the most frequented locale for the show about nothing's cast members to "pore over the excruciating minutia of every single daily event." Menu staples include some of the city's best pie (some refuse to even try it) and an unparalleled "big salad," the likes of which cannot be found at the coffee shop's bizarre-o counterpart, Reggie's. Various schemes, breakups and life-changing decisions occur in these booths, one in particular predicated on a switch from tuna on toast to chicken salad on rye. 

The Olympia Restaurant, Saturday Night Live: SNL has given us a lots of restaurant and food-related fodder to chew on over the years, from Samurai Delicatessen to Hub's Gyro's (you like-a the jus??) and even the "awesome" Taco Town 15-flavor, deep-fried, tortilla-crepe-pizza-pancake-wrapped taco. Taking the cake is the famed "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger" sketch. Patrons of the Olympia Restaurant will not be receiving breakfast foods, fries, tuna and certainly not Coke (No Coke. Pepsi!)

Central Perk, Friends: An inevitability on lists such as these, Central Perk is an integral part of one of the most watched shows of all time. You'd think such a diverse group of friends would want to experience all the restaurants and nightlife the Big Apple has to offer, but rather these 6 people opt to spend their lives mostly between two apartments and one coffee shop. Are we to believe they are really this vapid, or should we just acknowledge that the show was shot in Los Angeles, rendering outside excursions expensive and inconvenient? Central Perk manager Gunther -- a fan favorite -- supposedly landed this role when he was the only extra on set that could operate the real espresso machine. You never know when those barista skills will come in handy. 

Bob's Burgers, Bob's Burgers: A relative newcomer, Bob's Burgers offers a hilarious look into the world of an independent, family-owned-and-operated burger joint. Bob's wife and three deranged kids serve as employees. Keep an eye out for the oft-changing chalkboard burger specials, bearing titles such as The Roquefort Files Burger, Last of the Mo-Jicama, and the Poblano Picasso Burger. 

Elzar's Fine Cuisine, Futurama: Pretty much a dead-ringer for Emeril Lagasse -- except purple and four-armed -- Elzar is a triple threat as a TV chef, restaurateur, and author of Cooking Slugs for Dinner and Cooking Dinner for Slugs. His go-to move? Knocking it up a notch with his trusty spice-weasel. BAM! 

Written by Charlie Harris at 11:28

The Edible Web: Late-night Talk Show Edition

Conan O'Brien makes pizza while singing Irish lullabies at Joe's Pizza in NYC. He also horrifies the proprietors with a few Los Angeles pizzas: a squash blossom, hazelnut, egg and crab pizza confounds poor Joe.

From Eater: David Letterman interviews Anthony Bourdain and expresses concern for his health. They discuss his new show (The Layover), the perils of working brunch and Malaysian street food. Letterman also gets on his old man soapbox about food television shows and gluttony. 

An oldie but goodie, John Stewart rips Donald Trump for taking Sarah Palin to Famiglia's for "real New York Pizza." He then waxes poetic about superior pies at Totonno's, Lombardi'sJoe's Pizza and a handful of others. Trump is also seen stacking his slices and eating with a fork. Disgraceful. 

Finally, Jimmy Kimmel makes little children cry -- by encouraging parents to tell their kids they've eaten all their Halloween candy. Oh, the devastation. 

Written by Charlie Harris at 12:30

A Very Foodie Simpsons Episode + 5 Memorable Springfield Restaurants

This Sunday (the 13th), The Simpsons goes full on foodie in an episode entitled, " The Food Wife." And though Homer has had his share of hilarious food moments over the years, whether eating like a duck, consuming "sacrilicious" ceiling waffles, or moonlighting as a food critic, this time it's Marge's turn to share some thoughts on dining as she explores the world of food blogging. Celebrities getting Simpsonized include Gordon Ramsay, Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain. According to this Grub Street interview with Simpsons producer Matt Selman, the episode will also feature original foodcentric rapping from Adult Swim's Tim and Eric. Just a quick sampling of that awesomeness:

I'll be "Frank" like Bruni, "Ruthless" like Reichl
"Wiley" like Dufresne, and when I take the mike, I'll 
Rhyme about radicchio, criticize Colicchio
Every pub is gastro, and all my beef carpaccio

In honor of this week's episode, I present to you five memorable Springfield restaurants from The Simpsons

The Frying Dutchman: Featured in the episode, "The New Kid on the Block," Homer is dragged kicking and screaming from this all-you-can-eat seafood buffet after eating all the shrimp and two plastic lobsters -- but failing to consume "all he could eat." The Sea Captain gets some quality face time here, as does mall attorney Lionel Hutz, who takes legal action (on Homer's behalf), claiming, "This is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film The Neverending Story."

Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag: Not content with the same old regular barflies, Moe Szyslak decides that the real money is in family restaurants. He attempts his own concept with plenty of crazy crap on the walls (an alligator with sunglasses!), deep fried everything and "awesomely outrageous" southwestern pizza fingers. 

The Gilded Truffle: The swankiest spot in Springfield, The Gilded Truffle tends to make appearances when characters are rolling in the dough, out for a romantic evening or standing up their 4th grade teacher after answering her personal ad with a picture of Gordie Howe. Moe steals the show again as he demands that the waiter give him "your finest food stuffed with your second finest."

The Happy Sumo: In "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," Homer insists on ordering the entire menu at The Happy Sumo, including the potentially deadly Fugu fish. The fill-in sushi chef slices (or deflates, if you will) the fish improperly, of course, and Homer is given 22 hours to live. I'd be willing to bet that most of the American public's knowledge of the fugu fish come from this episode. 

Madame Chao's: While technically not in Springfield, Madame Chao's is billed as "the sexiest Chinese restaurant in Capital City." Homer faces temptation from a co-worker and even desserts seem to conspire to ruin his attempt at fidelity. However, the only two fortune cookie messages in the restaurant read,  "You will find happiness with a new love" and "Stick with your wife."

Written by Charlie Harris at 10:00

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