SlashFood has compiled a few of the best Super Bowl links on the Web this week. We focus on the appetizer of choice for any self-respecting foodball fan - chips and salsa! Slashfood takes it from here: "When testing salsas, we set some rules. First of all, these are all store-bought, jarred salsas. While almost every supermarket has assorted fresh salsa choices, we felt this would be unfair, as there's just no comparing a freshly made salsa with one jarred months prior. Plus, there just aren't enough fresh salsas available that are also national brands. The best fresh salsas are made locally, and in some instances, on the spot. We didn't include any canned salsas, for similar reasons.

We tested each salsa for its "chunkiness," which is self-explanatory. Some people enjoy a salsa with big chunks, some don't. The next criterion was "freshness," though this is not literal. There are salsas that just taste fresher than others. "Dipability" refers to how the salsa covers a chip, and how hard or easy it is to heave up a mouthful of the salsa. Plus, none of the salsas reviewed were "hot." Most were "medium," so the spice factor is more about boldness of flavor than intensity of heat.

And finally, we picked three brands of chips: Garden of Eatin' Blue Chips, Brad's Blues All-Natural White Tortilla Chips and Tostitos Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips. Each of these chips are great for their own reasons, and we pair them with the salsas reviewed.

The salsa results:

6th runner up: Paul Newman's All Natural Chunky Salsa
5th runner up: Amy's Salsa
4th runner up: Rosa Mexicano Kitchen Pomegranate Salsa (Medium)
3rd runner up: Mrs. Renfro's "Smoky" Roasted Salsa
2nd runner up: Desert Pepper Trading Company Corn, Black Bean, Roasted Red Pepper Salsa
1st runner up: Salpica Texas Picante Salsa
Winner: Green Mountain Gringo Salsa

Go to Slashfood read all the descriptions and Chip winners.

 

From The Nations Restaurant News: Restaurants that steal our hearts and stand the test of time

This year’s NRN 50 offers readers a glimpse into restaurants around the country that have survived and thrived in good times and bad, and have captured, and held, the attention of diners everywhere.

The annual special report, undertaken by the editors of Nation’s Restaurant News, is a testament to an industry that has taken its hard knocks of late in the midst of the Great Recession, but remains stronger than ever — partly because of the industry history that NRN 50 restaurants, the youngest of which is about 50 years old, helped to build nationwide and in the smallest of neighborhoods.

Finding just 50 U.S. restaurants that have stood the test of time and still remain relevant today was a near impossible feat. While the NRN 50 is expansive, geographically diverse and filled with concepts from quick-service burger brands to the finest of dining establishments, there are countless more restaurants that have indeed stolen the hearts of consumers everywhere. Still, this special report showcases enduring restaurants that reflect the industry’s entrepreneurialism and the personalities behind the brands, from the Snyder family at In-N-Out Burger in Irvine, Calif., to Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans.

Online Exclusive: Take a peek into the stories of 11 restaurants
      •  Big Texan Steak Ranch – Amarillo, Texas
      •  Café Du Monde - New Orleans
      •  Canlis – Seattle
      •  Cold Spring Tavern – Santa Barbara, Calif.
      •  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana - New Haven, Conn.
      •  Kewpee Hamburgers - Lima, Ohio
      •  Lasyone's Meat Pie Restaurant - Natchitoches, La.
      •  Nathan’s Famous - Brooklyn, N.Y.
      •  Philippe the Original - Los Angeles
      •  Schmidt’s Sausage Haus und Restaurant - Columbus, Ohio
      •  The Greenbrier - The Main Dining Room - White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

From Howard Seftel of AZCentral: Fans of Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix have been able to count on two things: a wait of up to three hours and the sight of James Beard Award-winner Chris Bianco himself sliding the pizzas in and out of the wood-fired oven.

The wait hasn't changed.

But for the past month, illness has kept Bianco, 47, away from the oven and often entirely out of the restaurant.

On Wednesday, Bianco got the food world buzzing after he told the The Republic that he is, for the moment, stepping away from his pizza post on doctor's orders.

The smoke from the fire and exposure to wheat in the dough aggravate his asthma, Bianco said.

He has had the condition since childhood, and it had been under control. But recently, after a "couple of scary bouts," it has gotten more serious, Bianco said. The stress of the situation isn't helping his health, either.

"My doctor says I have to keep my head out of the oven if I want to see 50," Bianco said.

Bianco has built a national reputation for his wood-fired pizzas, each of which he has insisted on cooking himself since the restaurant opened 14 years ago. He also has been hands-on at Pane Bianco in central Phoenix, which features sandwiches made from wood-fired bread.

Despite the health challenges, Bianco said, "this is not a swan song."

He'll continue to oversee operations during the afternoons, before opening time, and make appearances greeting customers, as his health permits.

"All I know how to do is work," he said. "It's like Steve Nash hurting his knee and having to sit out for a while. I may come back."

In 2005, Pizzeria Bianco was named the best pizza in America in the book "Slice of Heaven," causing consternation among pizza-loving traditionalists in New York City and deep-dish fans in Chicago. It has been lauded by the Food Network, the New York Times and Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living and Vogue magazines.

News that he would no longer be a hands-on pizza maker sent ripples through the local and national foodie community.

"That is sad that people might not be able to see that for a while," said Ed Levine, author of "Slice of Heaven" and founder of SeriousEats.com.

"For me, one of the most profound experiences I had eating anything was to see him, in the moment, living and dying with every pie."

Levine, a longtime friend, said he and Bianco talked about the situation a few days ago. He said Bianco's hands-on absence will not affect quality.

"He always talks about the connection he feels between him and his pizza, and him and his customers, and that won't change," Levine said.

For 12 years, Bianco has farmed out the pizza-dough making to his brother Marco. And as for now, oven duties are in the hands of Horacio Hernandez, who has assisted him for 15 years.

"It's still his pizza, and it's always going to be his pizza as long as he's around Phoenix, and his brother is making the dough, and all his guys are still there," Levine said.

Like Bianco, Valley James Beard Award-winning chefs Christopher Gross and Vincent Guerithault have stamped their restaurants with their own names.

They're both hopeful that Bianco can maintain his standards. Noting the restaurant's limited menu - pizzas, salads and desserts - Gross said, "If they stick to what they have, I'd say it would be just as consistent."

Guerithault said a trained staff can produce the same quality pizza under Bianco's supervision. What he wonders about, however, is how the notorious workaholic Bianco will have the discipline to stay away.

Bronx-born Bianco got his Phoenix pizza start in 1988, when he operated a stand inside of Euromarket, one of the Valley's first gourmet supermarkets.

In 1994, after much acclaim for his fabulous bread at Rancho Pinot Grill, he opened a small artisanal pizza parlor in the Town & Country shopping center at 20th Street and Camelback Road.

Two years later, he moved to his current location, in Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix.

Midweek or weekend, it makes no difference: Curious newcomers and repeat customers alike make the pilgrimage, lining up outside the century-old brick building before the 5 p.m. opening and crowding into the pizzeria's wine bar next door.

"I'm just happy that Chris is dealing with this in a healthy way," Levine said. "Hopefully, it means we're going to have Chris to learn from for a long time to come."- AZCentral

Here's a clip of Bianco making pizza on the Jimmy Kimmel show:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Nashville, TN – LocalEats, leading smartphone dining application and creator of popular website WhereTheLocalsEat.com, presents its picks for the top 100 restaurants in Vancouver, host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The popular app is most widely recognized for its discerning policy of  “no chains” and “no yellow page listings,” preferring instead to guide users only to the very best restaurants in a city — the real local favorites and privately owned establishments. And LocalEats’ Vancouver restaurant selections are no exception.

LocalEats’ GPS and mapping capabilities allow users to find great Vancouver-area restaurants near them at any given time, whether near the Olympic venues, popular Vancouver hotels, anywhere else in the city, or even Whistler. The app also provides detailed reviews for each restaurant, a “call” button that can be tapped to quickly call a restaurant, menu information, hours of operation, and photos.

On Feb. 12, if you’re lucky enough to be at the Opening Ceremonies in BC Place Stadium, LocalEats can recommend more than 30 great restaurants within one mile:

Alibi Room Argo Cafe Bin 941 Blue Water Cafe & Raw Bar Boneta Café Medina Campagnolo Chambar Cibo Trattoria CinCin Cioppino’s Cobre

Congee Noodle House Diamond Diva at the Met Elixir Five Sails Foundation Gotham Steakhouse Guu/Guu with Otokomae Hy’s Encore Il Giardino Irish Heather Kirin

La Brasserie La Terrazza Le Crocodile Lupo Market Miku Phnom Penh Provence Marinaside Rodney’s Oyster House Salathai Salt Tasting Room Wild Rice

And if, say, on Feb. 21, you’ve worked up an appetite watching the figure skaters at the Pacific Coliseum, LocalEats will point you to these great eateries, all within two miles:

Au Petite Chavignol
Lime
Memphis Blues Barbecue
Sake Maki
Uncle Fatih’s Pizza

For details on these and dozens of other Vancouver and Whistler restaurants, download LocalEats on the iPhone (99 cents), BlackBerry Storm ($2.99) or Android (99 cents) or visit
http://www.wherethelocalseat.com/vancouver.html.
iPhone and BlackBerry users as well as critics have cited the popular location-aware dining app, called “far superior to other dining apps” by Business Week and considered a much-needed alternative to Yelp and Zagat, as the preferred dining guide for foodies with smartphones.

Until March 1, LocalEats is donating 100% of its mobile app revenues to the American Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. 

Travel in style. Eat like a local.

About Magellan Press, Inc.
Magellan Press, Inc., is a Brentwood, Tennessee, independent book publishing company founded in 1991.  The company’s Where the Locals Eat book series and LocalEats™ iPhone, BlackBerry Storm and now Android applications are leading sources for regional dining information nationwide. Where the Locals Eat and LocalEats™ feature the best 100 restaurants (plus many more local favorites) in the following top 50 U.S. cities: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Worth, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, Rochester, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C.

In Canada: Toronto and Vancouver.

For more information visit www.WhereTheLocalsEat.com.

Contact: Rachel Lawson
     Magellan Press, Inc.
     615-263-7712
     rachel.lawson@magellanpress.com

 

• Atlanta:
  
  • Lunacy Black Market (231 Mitchell St.)
• Austin:
  
  • Moonie's Burger House (13450 U.S. 183 N.)
  • Your Mom's (720 Red River St)
  • Good Bike Cafe (2401 San Gabriel St)
  • Hot Mama's Espresso Bar (2401 E. Sixth)
• Baltimore:
  
  • Miguel's Cocina y Cantina (1200 Steuart St)
• Boston:
  
  • CnDs Barbeque Grille (Water Street)
  • Six Burner (130 Dartmouth Street)
• Charlotte:
  
  • Cuban Pete's Café (Feb. 10, 1308-E The Plaza)
• Chicago:
  
  • Izakaya Hapa (58 E. Ontario St.)
  • Paris in Chicago (3310 N. Halsted St.)
  • The Southern (Feb. 5, 1840 W. North Ave.)
  • Ceres‚ Table (4882 N. Clark St.)
  • Longman & Eagle (2657 N. Kedzie Ave)
• Columbus:
  
  • Olde Hickory (240 N. Liberty in Powell)
  • Bruegger's Bakery Cafe (1621 W. Lane Ave. in Upper Arlington)
• Denver:
  
  • Rise & Shine Biscuit Kitchen and Cafe (330 Holly St.)
  • Walnut Room Pizzeria (2 Broadway)
  • Anthony's Pizza & Pasta (3420 West 32nd Avenue)
• Fort Lauderdale:
  
  • Sweeter Days Bake shop (Plaza Del Mar, 1497 N. Federal Highway)
  • Borgo Antico Pizzeria (Palm Beach Island)
  • McCormick & Schmick's (CityPlace)
• Houston:
  
  • Thai Bistro (11660 Westheimer)
• Jacksonville:
  
  • Conrads Steakhouse (4010 U.S. 1 S.)
• Las Vegas:
  
  • Twist (Mandarin Oriental, CityCenter, 3752 Las Vegas Blvd. S.)
  • Silk Road (Vdara hotel and spa, 2600 W. Harmon Ave.)
• Los Angeles:
  
  • Lunch (3829 Main St, Culver City)
  • Chili Addiction (408 N La Cienega Blvd)
  • La Descarga (1159 Western Ave, Hollywood)
  • Hatfield's (Hollywood)
    
  • Delphine (W Hollywood)
  • Loteria Grill (12050 Ventura Blvd, Studio City)
  • Borracho Cantina (87 W Sunset Blvd, Hollywood)
• Miami:
  
  • STK at The Gansevoort (2377 Collins Ave., Miami Beach)
  • Scorpian Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar (433 Washington Ave, Miami Beach)
• Milwaukee:
  
  • Vino Cappuccino (2848 N. Brookfield Road, Brookfield)
  • Trailroad Station Bar & Grill & More (Thiensville)
  • Tomaso's of Mequon (12020 N. River Road)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul:
  
  • Lunch Cube (Loring Park, Mpls)
  • St. Paul Classic Cookie Co (2386 Territorial Rd., St. Paul)
• Nashville:
  
  • La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant (Belmont Boulevard)
• New York:
  
  • Faustina (Feb. 5, 25 Cooper Square)
  • Five Napkin Burger (2315 Broadway)
  • Panda (139 Chrystie St)
  • Mile End (97A Hoyt St., Boerum Hill)
  • Atlas Cafe (37 Clinton St.)
  • Sagaponack (4 West 22nd St)
  • Financier (Grand Central Terminal)
  • BonChon Chicken (104 John St)
  • Aged (2398 Broadway)
  • Village Tart (86 Kenmore St)
• Philadelphia:
  
  • Carluccio's (932 S. 10th St.)
  • Maru Global Takoyaki (255 S. 10th St.)
  • Yards Tasting Room (901 N Delaware Ave)
• Phoenix:
  
  • America's Taco Shop (Melrose District)
  • Culinary Dropout (Scottsdale Waterfront)
• Raleigh/Durham:
  
  • Bravo's Mexican Grill (208 Grande Heights Drive, Cary)
  • Los Portales (6905-104 Fayetteville Road, Durham)
• Rochester:
  
  • Union Station Diner (309 University Ave.)
  • Salvatore's/Donuts Delite (1700 Culver Rd.)
• Salt Lake City:
  
  • Masala Indian Grill (at 2223 S. Highland Drive, Sugar House)
• San Diego:
  
  • Petrushka (2312 El Cajon Blvd.)
  • The Big Easy (127 University Ave.)
• San Francisco:
  
  • Passion Cafe (Sixth and Market)
  • Heart (1270 Valencia Street)
  • Maria Maria (710 Camino Ramon Road, Danville)
• Seattle:
  
  • Emmer & Rye (1825 Queen Anne Ave. N)
  • Saigon Boat Cafe (2632 Alki S.W.)
  • Unicorn (Capitol Hill)
• Tampa:
  
  • Bollywood Cafe (9648 W. Linebaugh Ave.)

• Atlanta:
  
  • Aquaknox (Terminus building in Buckhead)
  • Old Spaghetti Factory (Midtown)
• Boston:
  
  • Chef Chang's House (1006 Beacon St.)
  • Firefly an American Bistro (130 Dartmouth Street)
• Chicago:
  
  • Fianco (3440 N Southport Ave)
  • Chaise Lounge (1840 W. North Ave.)
  • Blu 47 (Bronzeville)
• Columbus:
  
  • Max & Erma's (4550 Kenny Road)
• Dallas:
  
  • Sala (1326 S. Lamar)
  • Popolos Cafe (Preston and Royal)
  • Two Rows Classic Grill (Garland)
• Houston:
  
  • Ziggy's Bar & Grill (River Oaks)
• Los Angeles:
  
  • Citrus at Social Hollywood
  • Housenka (Hollywood)
  • Sisley Italian Kitchen (Westside Pavilion)
  • Canetti's (San Pedro)
  • Papadakis Taverna (San Pedro)
  • Patio Seaside Cafe (Venice)
  • Del's (West L.A.)
• Milwaukee:
  
  • Agave Southwestern Grille (18380 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield)
  • Byron's Beer Garden and Bistro (106 W. Wells St.)
• Minneapolis:
  
  • JJ's Dry Dock
  • Laredo's Tex-West & Cantina (St. Louis Park)
• Memphis:
  
  • Dish
• Nashville:
  
  • Xavier's Home Cooking (Nolensville Road)
• New York:
  
  • Café de Bruxelles (Greenwich Village)
  • Pancho Gringo (12th Avenue)
  • The Wall (85 Orchard St)
  • Ashkara (Greenwich Village)
  • Rhong Tiam (541 LaGuardia Place)
• Philadelphia:
  
  • Fellini Cafe (Paoli)
• Phoenix:
  
  • Asia de Cuba (Mondrian Scottsdale)
  • Mill's End (Mills Avenue)
  • Better Than Sex Cake Cafe (Historic Downtown Chandler)
• Raleigh/Durham:
  
  • Bentley's (Cary)
• Rochester:
  
  • Merchant Street Smoke House (48 Merchant St, Brockport)
• San Francisco:
  
  • LuLu Petite (Ferry Building)
  • Casablanca Cafe (1609 Polk St)
  • Mi Lindo Yucatan (The Mission)
• Seattle:
  
  • Lampreia, Crimson C (209 1st. Ave.)
  • Luau Polynesian Lounge
• St. Louis:
  
  • Mai Lee (Delmar Boulevard)
  • Park West Grille (2917 South Jefferson Avenue)

Charlie Palmer’s fifth Annual Pigs & Pinot weekend will be held at the award-winning Hotel Healdsburg. You may have seen a preview of Pigs & Pinot in this season’s Top Chef. Now’s your chance to take part in the real action. Charlie is joined by an all-star cast for this spectacular event:

• Tyler Florence (Cookbook Author, Food Network)
• Kevin Gillespie (Woodfire Grill & Top Chef finalist)
• Bryan Voltaggio (Volt restaurant & Top Chef finalist)
• Roland Passot (La Folie restaurant)
• Dustin Valette (Dry Creek Kitchen Chef de Cuisine)

Taste of Pigs & Pinot
Friday evening’s event kickoff is the lively Taste of Pigs & Pinot where guests sample over 50 highly-acclaimed Pinot Noir wines competing in the Pinot Cup competition, both from Sonoma County and around the world. Tastings are served alongside a variety of pork dishes, including homemade sausages, charcuterie, grilled pork, pates and other special creations from Chef Palmer and Dry Creek Kitchen Chef de Cuisine Dustin Valette, guest chefs, and local Healdsburg restaurants including: Cyrus, Zin, Manzanita and many others. The winner and runner up of the Pinot Cup will be revealed during Taste.

Pigs & Pinot is a charity weekend that benefits Share Our Strength and local Healdsburg education, including: The Healdsburg Education Foundation, St. John School, and The Healdsburg School.

The leading national organization working to end childhood hunger in America. Share Our Strength® weaves together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch every at-risk child and make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. Visit Strength.org and learn more about their goal of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

From NPR in partnership with National Geographic: Pictures like these are downright cruel and unusual if you're already experiencing the winter doldrums. National Geographic Traveler magazine presents, "Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe", a foodie/traveler's coffee table dream. (Or nightmare, again, if you're stuck in a cold, cloudy city.). The book is now on sale: http://www.amazon.com

For one week only, each Dine Originals restaurant will feature a special fixed price menu for either $10.10, $20.10 or $30.10

Look for the menus to be posted soon. This is a great opportunity to enjoy a new restaurant or revisit a favorite!

http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com

From Grub Street New York: Microsoft's newish search engine Bing now helps users find recipes. Type in an ingredient and get recipes culled from food sites like Epicurious and Delish. We like that there are so many photos of actual dishes and that you can filter by cuisine, occasion, and convenience. The layout is similar to New York‚s database, except we spotlight dishes created by our favorite chefs. Good luck finding Tom Colicchio's bruschetta on Bing. 

http://www.bing.com/community/blogs/search/archive/2010/01/21/cooking-up-a-storm-with-bing-recipes.aspx

A brewski at the new Whopper Bar — served in special aluminum bottles to keep them extra cold — fetches $4.25. Or, order beer as part of a Whopper combo and your bill will be $7.99 — roughly $2 more than the same combo meal with a fountain drink.

The unusual move comes as the restaurant industry is reeling. Restaurant operators reported lower same-store sales in November, compared with a year earlier, for the 18th-consecutive month, the National Restaurant Association reports. Nearly 65% of operators reported a same-store sales decline in November. December results were unavailable.

Burger King's Whopper Bar isn't the first fast-food chain to test alcoholic beverages domestically. Last year in Seattle, Starbucks opened "15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, inspired by Starbucks." Beyond coffee and tea, it sells regional beers and wines.

By trying to wedge into the fast-casual dining arena with Whopper Bar, Burger King is chasing the 30-and-under crowd, which is the industry's future growth, says Bradford Hudson, marketing professor at Boston University. But the move is very tricky, he says, because "Burger King means fast food."

But Linda Lipsky, a restaurant consultant, says the move makes sense. "The Burger King customer is aging, so they're just trying to grow up with the customer."

The restaurant will initially sell Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors beers. "You can have America's favorite beers with America's favorite burger," Fallon says. More will eventually be added, he says.

But Lipsky says the chain will be challenged to train staff to legally sell and serve alcohol. "You can be an easy mark if you're not used to selling alcohol," she says.

Burger Kings in Germany and Whopper Bars in Singapore and Venezuela sell beer. But this will be the first BK brand in the USA to sell beer. (A Whopper Bar in Universal City does not sell beer.) "We're in the midst of understanding how much beer will be a part of the (sales pitch)," Fallon says.

The restaurant also will offer delivery of all items — except beer.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-01-21-burger-king-beer_N.htm