In case you missed it, satire website The Onion recently delivered a fictitious Green Week Q&A with Taco Bell. The tongue-in-cheek clip features a fabricated report, from a fabricated Taco Bell executive, who states that the company will go ‘100% eco-friendly’ by offering food that’s completely lab-created. My favorite line from the television host - “The lettuce looks so real!” Love the ‘Grande Crunchador’, too!
Check it out below for a good laugh.

~Jennifer Heigl

Late last week, Red Robin restaurants announced plans to go cage-free. The gourmet burger chain, which operates over 300 company-owned locations and 130 franchised locations, plans to utilize only cage-free eggs by the end of 2010, with at least 1/3 of its egg use exclusively cage-free by the end of July 2009.
“Red Robin’s high standards for quality and unsurpassed Guest service remain our top priorities,” said Susan Lintonsmith, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “We recognize that the elimination of battery cages in egg production has become an increasingly …

No no, contrary to popular belief, I don’t spend all my time going to wine and food festivals - but I could! The lineup at this year’s American Wine & Food Festival might just convince me to become a professional festival guest!
From the backdrop of the Universal Studios backlot, the American Wine & Food Festival will take place this October 2-4, 2009. The two-day event, hosted by master chef Wolfgang Puck and the Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, includes a 10-course Grand Tasting at Spago Beverly Hills featuring Chef Thomas Keller (Bouchon, …

Sadly, Zagat Buzz is reporting that Payard Patisserie and Bistro in New York City, François Payard’s flagship spot on the Upper East Side, will be closing soon due to ‘untenable rent increases’. According to the press release, as noted on Zagat, Alexandra Payard of Tastings will continue her catering operations, employing a number of the bistro staff. Crain’s New York mentioned Payard’s intention on closing in late May.
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What? Were there not enough stars? The infamous restaurant reviewing guide, Michelin, announced recently that there would not be any 2010 guides developed …

How much do I love Chef Ming Tsai? Just a little. The good looks? The great sense of humor? The love of all things in an Asian kitchen? I like it all. With his Simply Ming nominated for two Daytime Emmys this year (Outstanding Culinary Program and Outstanding Culinary Host) I’m obviously not the only one.
Thanks to his fabulous publicist, and the alignment of the stars, I had a chance to chat with Chef Tsai while we were both at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic this past weekend. After …

Last night, I had the chance to dine with a few Portland media folks at Urban Farmer, located in the newly minted Nines hotel, to kick off this week’s Best of Oregon Food & Wine Festival. The restaurant decor was certainly top notch and we began with drinks in the Library room prior to our five course dinner. The dinner, presented by Urban Farmer’s Executive Chef Matt Christianson and Pastry Chef Dan Swinmurn, included Lobster Sausage with a White Grape Must, Foie Gras Pate, and Braised Highland Oak Beef with …

Here it is - our official wrap up from our Aspen Food & Wine Classic weekend extravaganza! I made sure to throw in a few of my favorite photos from the event as well!
Our five favorite Aspen Food & Wine Classic moments:
1) Cooking Demonstrations with Jose Andres. Oh Jose! Such a funny man. The sassy Spaniard brought along his daughter, Carlotta, to assist in the demos, and harassed her about throwing in too much salt. But my favorite moment was an impromptu visit from Chef Ming Tsai, where Jose commented, …

At the conclusion of my long weekend at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, where alcohol plus altitude equated to a grumpy writer, I arrived at the Aspen Airport on Sunday evening to board my flight home. As I entered the airport, I noticed the Frontier desk was the only place with a line twenty people deep. When the cheerful little check-in computer screen told me I had to ‘talk to a gate representative’, I knew I might be in trouble. Standing in line, I watched as a fellow traveler …

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the Aspen Food & Wine Classic was the Best New Chefs dinner (which, was really more hors d’oeuvres, and less dinner, but who’s counting, right?). What a fabulous night at the Aspen Meadows Resort - and what fabulous food and drink all around! The night started off with a few cocktails from festival sponsors Grey Goose and Beringer as guests mingled from floor to floor, tasting the offerings from the ten Food & Wine Best New Chefs of 2009. Special Guest Chef for the night? …

Later in the afternoon, after I attended Ming Tsai’s demonstration, I had a chance to sit in on a cooking demonstration from Food & Wine’s Gail Simmons and Chef Tom Colicchio - also well known for their appearances on Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ and ‘Top Chef Masters’.
Side by side, Gail mixed up an ‘East Meets West’ adaptation, which included citrus vodka, Grand Marnier, strawberries, and lychees, while Tom worked on a fabulous Spiced Lobster with Pea Ravioli. As Gail muddled her strawberries, Tom joked that you should “crush them to a …

Let me tell you - Day 2 was long! But fabulous! After my morning session with Chef Michael Chiarello and organic farmer Peter Jacobsen, I ventured to the Grand Tasting tent. After running into a few of my Vegas Uncork’d friends - Tony Abou-Ganim and Steve Olsen - I made my way to the Asian Tapas demo with Chef Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger. Not surprisingly, he’s just as entertaining in person as he is on television.
Ming opened with a fabulous Ginger Margarita demo, noting that you should always use …