In 1985 the first blooming onion hit the fryolator at Russell’s Marina Grill in New Orleans, a creation of chef Jeff Glowski. Glowski’s friend and colleague, Tim Gannon, brought the fried onion to a neighboring restaurant in NOLA. And then, in 1988, take a wild guess what popular restaurant chain Tim Gannon cofounded. The blooming … Read more
The best thing about popcorn is that it’s the perfect canvas for just about any flavor—be it the simple seasoning of butter and salt, a sprinkling of masala, seaweed snacks, or tangy hot sauce. But the combo that reigns over the city of Chicago is caramel and cheddar, first popularized by Garrett Popcorn. To outsiders … Read more
We get the Army & Navy cocktail from David Embury’s 1948 cocktail book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. Though it includes orgeat, a rich almond-flavored syrup that you might recognize from the mai tai, this fragrant gin sour is not a tiki drink. The citrus and botanical dimensions play nicely with the luscious toasted … Read more
Scores of cocktail drinkers got their first taste of orgeat in a mai tai. Orgeat is an almond-flavored syrup predating the dawn of mixed drinks—the cognac-based, orgeat-sweetened Japanese cocktail notably appears in Jerry Thomas’s historic 1862 bartender’s guide—but it’s been largely through tiki drinks like the mai tai, scorpion, and fog cutter that orgeat has … Read more
Classic chicken parm is hardly weeknight-friendly. Between breading the chicken, making a slow-simmered sauce, and assembling it all, it requires many steps yet still doesn’t feel like a complete meal on its own. A near-obligatory side of pasta requires a separate pot of water. This version ditches the breading in favor of a generous dusting … Read more
When I was growing up, I eagerly awaited the cold March morning each year when my Hebrew school class huddled in the synagogue’s kitchen to make hamantaschen. We baked the triangular cookies each year for Purim, a holiday celebrating the salvation of the Jewish people from the Haman, the royal vizier to ancient Persian emperor … Read more