5/29/09

My Two Loves

If there is anything I love as much as bacon, it’s shoes. Keds has put the two best things in the world together. The idea of a bacon shoe is intriguing... but not quite my style. How about some 3 inch strappy bacon heels?

Thanks to DirtyBlonde for the link!

5/28/09

If Only They Came in Bacon...



A comment from their website:
“You guys are soooo close... Make it on bacon and youll be rich!!”

Agreed. Thanks to Rosa for the link!

Bacon Sweets & Treats

If you’ve been following the baconista (or just eating out... or even just reading the newspaper) you know that bacon-centric desserts is nothing new. This article discusses the oh-so-crazy trend that’s sweeping the nation. Like me, I’m sure you don’t need to be convinced of how fantastic savory bacon goes with anything sweet. Just scroll past the story, straight to the bottom. There you will find several recipes by William Mueller known for the bacon delights he serves at Babblin’ Babs Bistro in Tacoma, WA. First on my list to try—Love Me Tender peanut butter, bacon and banana cookies. Maple bourbon with bacon praline ice cream is also high on the list. Yum!!

5/27/09

Review: Salt

Appetizer at Salt on MacDougal & King in Soho.
Honey-glazed dates wrapped in bacon.

5/26/09

Pork Chop

Pork chops come from pigs... but does cajun jambalaya include leopard?? Mobile pic via MercTV

The General Greene




The General Greene is a pork lover’s paradise—evident in the wait staff’s “Swinevore” t-shirts (I want one!). Pig is very prominent on this menu of mostly small plates made for sharing. I had an entirely bacon-filled 3 course meal starting with the bacon dates followed by the iceberg wedge with buttermilk blue cheese dressing and bacon. Candied bacon served as my main course as it was certainly substantial enough. Everything was tasty and satisfying. This meal could have been absolutely perfect if only they had their “Elvis" flavor ice cream—peanut butter and banana ice cream with bacon. Alas, it was not on the menu that day (I will continue to call and harass them until ?I find out when it is)... instead I tried the salted caramel ice cream which was divine. 

For a taste of Elvis, try the fantastic peanut butter banana ice cream at Blue Marble on Atlantic. Sadly there is no bacon in their version but it's still really amazing. 

5/24/09

Review: Stone Park Cafe

Brunch at Stone Park on 5th Ave & 3rd in Park Slope.
Side of house smoked bacon:











(but the short rib hash... wow!)

5/21/09

Wear It With Pride

I wear my heart on my sleeve... and I ♥ pig! Now you too can show your pig pride.

These lovely baconista 1" pins are FREE—but only if you are a baconista blog follower. So sign up today! Then send a mailing address to thebaconista@gmail.com and start waiting eagerly by the mail box. 

If you’re not a follower (what’s wrong with you?), then the pins are a mere dollar which you can pay through paypal. Email for more info.

I Would Admit To This...

5/20/09

Making Bacon

How to make bacon at home (not in the bedroom, you perv!)—starting with a good cut of pork belly from your local butcher—is described here

5/19/09

Review: S’mac

Dinner at S’mac on 12 between 1st & 2nd Aves in the East Village.
Four cheese mac with slab bacon:

5/14/09

Just Add Bacon

I love a free lunch—especially a delicious, home-made one! Yesterday, my foodie friend (& fabulous cook) Patty brought a sizable container of bacon fried rice into work for me. The addition of bacon takes this simple dish to a whole new level of tastiness. Unfortunately, I was too busy chained to my desk to enjoy it with her... but it sure made working through lunch much more pleasant. Thanks Patty, you made my day!

Unexplainable Bacon

“Master storyteller” Mike Daisey will be at Joe’s Pub on June 8th discussing our favorite subject: bacon! Not only that but he will be cooking and serving bacon during the show! If there was ever a time to start supporting the performing arts it’s now...

Mike Daisey Presents Mysteries of the Unexplained: BACON! 
Mike Daisey returns to Joe’s Pub with a one-night orgy of all things bacon: from sizzling fat to swine flu, from baco-bits to Hasids to Charlotte’s Web. In one delicious hour we’ll explore bacon in all its filthy, gorgeous deliciousness.

“Giant BLT”

By Claes Oldenburg. This super-sized sandwich along with other examples of his early sculpture are on view at the Whitney now through September 6th.

Photo courtesy of PLC.

5/13/09

Baconmobile

Now you too can drive a baconmobile—or at least smell like you do (and only if you live in the Manitowoc, Wisconsin area). Dan and Tracy Kaderabek opened their first Bio-Blend Fuel station proving an alternative to conventional diesel fuel. They are putting pig fat into pick up trucks! Dan Kaderabek says:

“The pork gets run through microwaves to make precooked bacon, the grease falls off and that's what we use. Americans’ bad eating habits ensure our supply."

Even better:
“There's no soot, no smoke, it gives you better efficiency and it smells like bacon.”

Sweet!

Pork Off Update

View a slideshow from the Park Slope Pork Off earlier this month here. The winner was Jesse Foster with his smoky barbecued pork belly. Other entrants included dark chocolate bon bons filled with a pancetta ganache and brown sugar bacon ice cream! There was even the Filipino dish pinakbet. Proceeds of the Pork Off benefitted Filipino toxic waste victims.

5/12/09

Super Bacon!

Easting healthy is all about balance... Wait, why am I talking about healthy eating on a bacon blog? Well, it turns out that bacon is really good for you (in moderation of course)! According to Bon Appetite, bacon is #1 on the list of “10 surprising Superfoods.” Jennifer McLagan, author of Fat (which no one has bought for me yet!!!), tells us that nearly half of the fat in bacon is monounsaturated—this fat is oleic acid. I don’t really know what any of that means but it is basically the same kind of fat found in olive oil—the good for you kind of fat!

Also on the list is duck breast, fresh strawberries, and milk—WHOLE milk to be exact (good, because I hate the 1% crap). Eating healthy sounds a lot more delicious...

Illustration by Travis King.

5/11/09

Bad Bacon Behavior

Above is the typical “999 breakfast” for the Metropolitan Police at London’s Scotland Yards. Chef Hasanali Khoja refused to cook bacon and sausage as it is against his Muslim beliefs. At his hiring, he was assured that no pork handling would be involved in his supervisory position. However, after his refusal to cook the meat, he was told his job was at risk and was also subjected to racist behavior from HR management. 

It’s sad when bacon causes discrimination, violence, and disorderly conduct.

Review: Get Fresh Table and Market

Brunch at Get Fresh on 5th between 5th & 6th in Park Slope.
Side of pork bacon:

5/8/09

If I Learned to Drive...

I would have to steal this plate. Mmm, indeed. Via Grub Street.

Bacon Exploration

Earlier this year, I asked “Why, NY?” because I could not find and haven’t heard of anywhere in the city that makes bacon doughnuts. NY is filled with prized doughnut shops... the last place I expected to find them is at a fancy midtown restaurant. Atria’s butterscotch doughnuts aren’t your traditional breakfast donuts—which is kind of what I’m looking for—but this dessert looks just fantastic! Described by the Post: “Fresh thyme lends a savory touch to warm butterscotch-filled doughnuts as does smoky bacon ‘powder’ made from bacon drippings, salt and modified tapioca starch.” Yum, that’s what Bacon Salt should be made of!

The Post also has a list of places around the city to indulge in various and delicious forms of bacon. Many of the bacon treats I’ve already tried (PDT, Roni-Sue...) but some I have yet to visit. After Atria, at the top of my list is The Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens for maple & bacon roasted almonds. Then The General Greene in Fort Greene for candied bacon!

Time to plan another night/weekend of research... Who’s coming?! (Obviously not Khary or Eric who couldn’t handle the last bacon exploration.)

5/7/09

Illustration Bacon (part 3)

Bacon Sandwich by Riki Takaoka. Check out his Phood Blog and even order some take out. I guess Riki doesn’t eat bacon that often—or pork really. But I especially like his desserts and amazing black and white drawings.

Turkish Coffee

Sushi: Fatty Tuna and Salmon Roe


Thanks to foodie friend Michelle for sending me the link!

5/6/09

Support Pork Week

With the fear of Swine Flu spreading about, one NY TImes blogger has declared this week their own personal Support Pork Week. I urge you to do the same as American pork is being banned in other countries leaving many hog farmers worried about sales. I’m doing my part—I ordered pulled pork for lunch today over my usual favorite meatball dish. Some other fun ways to support pork:  

Show your pig love without getting pig flu. Via inlovewiththerisk.

Sip a Bakon Vodka cocktail from this snout cup. Via what-ever-the-weather.

Or stop by Joe Doe in the East Village for a “Conflicted Jew.”

Bacone

Like an ice cream cone but meatier: a bacon cone filled with scrambled eggs and country gravy topped with a biscuit. Thanks DirtyBlonde for the photo!

5/4/09

Canadian Bacon Flu

On a very last minute business trip to Montreal I felt rather ill. I must have looked pretty awful because everyone was asking me if I had the Swine Flu. The flight attendant said I looked like I was “really hating life right now.” Well, yeah—since we were stuck on a freezing plane for 2 hours before taking off. She was kind enough to move me to some empty seats where I could lay down. Then the woman across the aisle requested to be moved away from me. I guess I don’t blame her... A herd of pigs in Canada caught the virus from a Canadian who recently visited Mexico. But I wasn’t near those pigs! Hell, I don’t even like Canadian bacon.

The hysteria is a bit out of control. Restaurants aren’t serving pork... I had to wear a mask in the doctor’s office waiting room... By the way, my doctor assures me I DO NOT have Swine Flu! (No one believes you just have a teeny cold when you’re a known pig lover during a pig flu epidemic.)

BACN vs. SPAM

I think we all know who wins (as proven in previous fights to the death). This is obvious in the world of meats, but in the world of email this also holds true. “Bacn” (minus the “o”) is better than spam. The very recently coined term refers to all of your middle-class email—the newsletters and updates you signed up for but never actually read. 

For example, I get bacn from my favorite online shoe store, my local wine shop and for events posted on facebook. It’s self-inflicted spam—they flood my inbox and I usually just delete them immediately. But you never know when you'll want to use that 20% off promo code, find out when the next wine tasting is, or attend your FB friend’s next show. So in that way bacn is far superior to spam.

According to NPR, many “dismiss bacn as yet another trendy—and annoying—cyber-term and predict it won't sizzle for long.” I don’t know... people do love bacon. I’m sure email users everywhere will gladly take any opportunity to insert it into their daily dialogue. 

Thanks to Pete LaCock (the only person that could possibly be more tech-challenged than myself) for introducing me to the term.