Etcetera | Friday Fanfare, 2012.08.17

Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Friday with this week's Friday Fanfare round-up!

Celebrating Four Tines and a Napkin's second blogiversary on my apartment's balcony overlooking the East River!

Some noteworthy eats from this week:

• mille crêpes cake (seen above) from Lady M
• birthday cocktails and gastrogrub ("Sloppy Duck" Joes and Asian summer rolls) at Pegu Club with Ariana -- definitely becoming my new favorite go-to cocktail place
• more mixed drinks along with Crif Dogs and Torres tots from Please Don't Tell with Erin
• some intense yet refreshing bitter-focused drinks (the Di Pompelmo) at Amor y Amargo

This week's list of ruminating reads:

• With Julia Childs' 100th birthday falling on Wednesday this week, Julia Moskin and Jacques Pépin each wrote some wonderful pieces (here and here) on remembering the culinary icon and her recipes.
• This week, Cracked surmises five simple things that every bad cook does wrong -- definitely dead-on here, especially the point about cooking everything on high heat.
• Back in March, Bon Appetit gathered six "new" oils to add to your "kitchen arsenal" as alternatives to extra virgin olive oil.
• On my kick on exploring new oils, Whole Living breaks it all down concisely (purpose, taste, cooking temperatures, etc.).
• From a couple weeks ago, Chef José Andrés explores his gorgeous cookbook collection with The New York Times.
• Melissa Clark on what to do with extra egg yolks when a recipe calls for more egg whites.
• NPR "Planet Money" tracks and analyzes the price of steak (inflation and all) at Delmonico's from 1918 to present day.
• Alan Richman of GQ shares thirty-one things he knows to be true about getting the most out of frozen treats (i.e., ice cream, gelato, soft-serve, custard, etc.). Also, check out his round-up of ten must-go-to ice cream shops and his top five store-bought ice creams.
• Now, finally an article I can get behind regarding mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial campaign of banning large-sized beverages. James Surowiecki of The New Yorker weighs in some interesting points behind it with behavorial psychology.
• Eco Salon sums up twenty unusual uses for everyday herbs

In case you missed it:

• Another installment of "Table Convivale" appearing this week on the blog: how to cook soft-shell crab!
• The bi-weekly "Fresh Find" on the blog features Fusionbrands' PoachPods for quick and easy poached eggs.
• Four Tines and a Napkin celebrated its second blogiversary on August 13 -- cheers!

• For cooks of the obsessive compulsive nature, here's a cutting board for you!
• Prepared to be blown away by Francesco Tonelli’s "Culinary Equations" featured on Acquired Taste magazine this week. They were done for Joia Foods "to show just how simple it can be to put together a whole, healthy, delicious meal with just a few foods."
• Also, in commemoration of the Summer Olympics ending this week, here are some rad flags made of food on Acquired Taste by stylist Trish Heagerty and photographer Natalie Boog for the Sydney International Food Festival.
• Big Gay Ice Cream and Robicelli's Cupcakes collaborate to make the "Salty Pimp" cupcake, whose "flavor inspiration" came from BGIC and culinarily interpreted by Robicelli's -- check out the enclosed, drool-worthy diagram. Plus, BGIC has an ice cream cookbook in the works, too!
• Bon Appetit presents "The Foodist's Weekender Guide" for Washington, D.C. by Andrew Knowlton.
• Yup, they went there -- bacon s'mores now exist in our culinary universe.
• Papernstich put together a very helpful visual round-up of photography tips.
• Forbes discovers wine iPhone app for "normal people" -- the Vivino Wine Scanner.
• Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen will be signing copies of her upcoming eponymous cookbook this fall on October 30 at the Williams-Sonoma store over at Columbus Circle -- cannot wait to meet her and get my copy!

A round-up of drool-worthy recipes:

• Wanna savor the last remnants of summer fruit? Try this watermelon soda with sparkling water from The Delicious Life or this raspberry sorbet and ginger beer float from Desserts for Breakfast or this rainier cherry and almond milkshake from Oh Joy! or the best lemonade you'll ever have from Not Without Salt via A Cup of Jo!
• The folks at Turntable Kitchen whipped up these awesome chanterelle tacos.
• Stumbled upon this chaider recipe at From Me to You's Tumblog -- definitely need to try this at home sometime as I've been getting my weekly fixes at Jack's Stir Brew (which is so awesome) by my bean counting office.
• Alexis' Napa shares Jane on Fillmore's recipe for Cap'n Crunch cookies.
• Also salivating over these dark chocolate, pistashio, and smoked sea salt cookies by Joy the Baker.

On the blotter for upcoming noms:

• Lulu and Po now have bone marrow tacos on its menu -- need to get my butt there ASAP!
• These great shots by The Wandering Eater makes me wanna check out Ken & Cook.
• Yet another speakeasy-style bar on the horizon (don't mind if I do, though!) -- Atera plans to open its downstairs bar space in October, which at the moment will be called The Office.
• Also, going out on Sunday evening to enjoy some oysters al fresco at Mermaid Oyster Bar with Amanda!

I apologize for the lack of restaurant review posts the last couple weeks -- it's been a little quiet over here on my end, but this upcoming weekend will be filled with lots of dining out, so be sure to watch out for an inundation of reviews coming your way in the coming weeks!