Radar's Overated 100
I laughed out loud at some of the October issue of the pop culture mag Radar. The cover story is "The Overrated 100," and I could relate to the food part particularly.
Cupcakes are No. 2, right after Posh and Becks. But maybe you have to see people standing in line for an hour in LA or New York for an overpriced version of this overfrosted confection.
BTW, Rating alert: Some of Radar doesn't belong on a family blog.
My favorite part was Anthony Bourdain's Overrated Menu, where he dissects some of the current overhyped ingredients, techniques and phrases. For instance...
* Pea soup garnished with truffle oil
"Truffle oil is the lazy chef's way to add 'value,' by which I mean, charge more."
*Mesquite grilled Amish organic free-range chicken served with Fijian mango chutney and accompanied by foraged mushrooms
"It should never take a waiter more time to describe your dish than it takes you to eat it. Mango chutney was innovative when Bobby Flay did it in 1978. 'Foraged' mushrooms? 'Amish' chicken? Who gives a **** who picked the mushrooms? And does it really matter if the people who raised your poultry wear aprons and bonnets?
*Cruelty-free Berkshire pork with shallot reduction and Yukon potato gnocchi
"You killed the thing -- what's cruelty free about that?"
*Cayenne pepper-infused freeze-dried chocolate nuggets bathed in marshmallow-star anise foam
"There are maybe two or three decent practitioners of molecular gastronomy in the world, so unless you're culinary legend Ferran Adria, it's probably best to save the foam for your latte."
And so on from there. You get the idea.
You will be glad to know that not everything is negative. In a side list of things that aren't overhyped (Meryl Streep, iPods) are cheese and In-N-Out Burger.
Comments
I'm so relieved to know that cheese isn't overrated! That would be a sad, sad day.
Posted by: Mary | October 4, 2007 12:34 PM
OK ... haven't done this in a really long time, too long: laughed out loud at the cruelty-free pork line.
Thanks.
Posted by: jl | October 4, 2007 12:40 PM
Oh yes, I see red flags when the menu description is excessive. Thanks for the laughs. Cruelty-free: that's a good one.
Posted by: BK | October 4, 2007 1:10 PM
Thanks, Elizabeth! I needed a good laugh and Anthony Bourdain almost always does the trick.
Posted by: Janet | October 4, 2007 1:55 PM
Sounds like some of these restaurants could stand to run their menus through the copy desk.
Posted by: steve | October 5, 2007 6:54 AM