Posts Tagged ‘Warren Rojas’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, February 8th, 2010
(Image: Rodney R. Brown)
In this era of tight credit, “too-big-to-fail” bank bailouts and general fiscal uncertainty, it only makes sense to put your money where your mouth is.
At least, that’s the plan at Quirky and Kickstarter–Internet-age matchmakers looking to mold culinary innovators, pragmatic consultants and contribute-what-you-can capitalists into demand side-savvy producers using food as a building block for their community-based business models.
Kickstarter employs a crowd-funded approach that allows cash-poor-but-idea-rich entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch specific projects (the fund raising window can range from a single day to three months) to the whole world.
Interested parties can then kick-in as much as they like–Blacksburg native and Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler has opened his wallet nearly 130 times to date–provide suggestions or just watch the entire creative process unfold via the solicitors’ blog/video/Facebook updates.
There are currently around two dozen “food” projects actively seeking donors, including:
* StreetEats: a food-truck tracking app/service that currently monitors mobile dining options in eight major U.S. cities (they’re D.C. coverage includes Fojol Brothers, On the Fly and sweetflow mobile), and;
* A Century of Restaurants: Barbecue America host Rick Browne’s attempt to visit 100+ year-old dining venues in all 50 states (regional contenders include: Old Ebbitt Grill, Willard’s Round Robin Bar and Occidental Grill, Michie Tavern, Wayside Inn and The Tavern).
Kickstarter success stories include initiatives like My Friend’s Mustard and a pedal-powered butter churn/toaster, while The Bacon Diet appears to have been a major dud.
Meanwhile, Quirky invites would-be inventors to submit their ideas for cyber-vetting.
Those who choose to participate must pay a one-time $99 registration fee which covers everything from conception to production (via multilayered deliberations between in-house designers and web-based community “influencers”).
People are, of course, welcome to pitch any type of product they like. But a Quirky spokesperson confirmed that roughly 15 percent of the submissions are food-related proposals.
There are currently four active projects being bandied about by the Quirky cognoscenti, including:
* MugStir: a cup-grabbing coffee stirrer;
* Cone of Silence/Ice Pop Koozie: both of these are still in development; the CoS is basically a noise cancelling gadget for those who enjoy dining out but not the accompanying crowds, while the IPK is a “green” popsicle holder; and,
* IPad Case: this one has nothing to do with food. But it is the baby of Virginia inventor Michael McCoy.
Quirky concepts still hoping to make it to market include: Luge Cubes (custom drink molds), Pressto (tofu press) and Travelstacks (collapsible snack containers).
I don’t know about you. But the next time I find a spare $1 burning a hole in my pocket, I might just have to skip the lottery ticket and jump into the foodvention fray…
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, February 5th, 2010
(Image: Etiole)
As you can imagine, the latter part of this week has been dominated by feverish #snowpocalypse/#snOMG/#Snogasm coverage:
* @delrayser and Postie Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) for taking stocking up with a grain of salt;
* Food scribe Addie Broyles (@broylesa) for turning winter warnings into a call for culinary action;
* The Globe and Mail (via @FoodNewsJournal) for reminding us that culinary genius is often a group effort;
* Robyn Eckhardt (@EatingAsia) for using her noodle and focusing on the hands that feed us;
* Cheflebrity stalker @rdpeyton for keeping his head on a swivel;
* Asylum (@Asylumdotcom) for showcasing a heart-pumping grocery run; and,
* Tongue-in-cheek troubadour John Mayer (@johncmayer) for unabashedly embracing his cereal killer-dom.
The Interweb is like a snark buffet.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Apart from cleverly lampooning celeb cooking segments, I just really dig the designer trash can in this clip:
(Video: YouTube)
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, February 1st, 2010
(Image: Etiole)
Another damn fine week of intellectual gorging (if I do say so my damn self):
* The Culinary Institute of America (@CIACulinary) for enriching our lives one delicious recipe at a time;
* Pastry man par excellence David Lebovitz (@davidlebovitz) for wisely picking his battles with the food pyramid;
* Jimi Yui (@jimiyui) for calling out the local critics;
* The fearless folks behind Bizarre (@bizarremagazine) for taking one for the taste-testing team;
* Swirl Sip Snark (@swirlsipsnark) for cheering on the home team;
* Nycci Nellis (@nycnell) for making our taste buds supremely jealous in < 140 characters;and,
* Jamie Liu (@jamie_bear) for reminding us about eternal truths.
As my sweet fat momma is want to say: barriga llena, corazon contento.
–@WARojas
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, January 28th, 2010
(Image: 106.7 The Fan)
Calling all closet competitive eaters: 106.7 The Fan and Hard Times Cafe are seeking “The King of the Wing“–a saucy moniker to be conferred on he/she who can mow through the most chicken wings in 10 minutes.
“The response has been great,” a 106.7 spokesperson said of the cheeky, wing stripping-displays hosted to date.
The contest calls for putting through to the “Wing Bowl 2010″ the top four finishers from each “wing off”–tentatively capped at 28 competitors–while shaking things up by selecting a pair of wild cards from the pool of online-only applicants.
There have been five qualifying rounds so far, with Ryan “Iron Ryan” Smith leading the pack by disposing of an impressive 68 wings during the Germantown chowfest.
The next preliminary round takes place tonight (6-8 p.m.) at the College Park shop, and the final qualifier is set for next Tuesday (Feb 2; 6-8 p.m.) at their Fairfax location. If you do decide to give the title a go, make sure to bring a hearty appetite and show up early, because only the first 20 registrants are allowed to compete.
Meanwhile, the finals will take place from 6-10 p.m. on Feb 5 at the Springfield store. Whoever claims the Wing King crown will also receive $2,500, while second place gets a refurbished Golden Tee machine (why?) and third gets to dry their tears with $500.
Gentlemen, start your heartburn!
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, January 25th, 2010
Wasabi’s latest kaiten sushi stand, a snag-your-meal-as-it-races-past-you operation, requires zen-like patience.
Not so much because staff don’t crank out signature nigiri rolls, specialty sashimi or mound of glistening seaweed fast enough.
It’s just that the most coveted snacks invariably vanish as they attempt to navigate the sea of outstretched hands that stand between you and gustatory satisfaction.
One manager said the constantly circulating belt can support up to 280 color-coded plates at a time, adding that they average around 2,000 servings per day. The manager said that in order to ensure freshness, no dish is allowed to remain on the belt beyond two hours–a non-issue given the rapid-fire pace at which customers snatch their preferred meals off the line and with which the dedicated kitchen crew (looks to be about eight folks who remain focused on prepping, plating and passing out the assembly-line seafood) replenishes the rolling buffet.
Some of the sashimi were too dry for my taste, while the majority of the specialty rolls (puffed rice-topped tuna, spicy mayo-swabbed salmon) had their charms. The chicken anticucho–no relation, however, to the savory beef heart skewers found all over Peru–was the biggest surprise, revealing grilled chicken doused in a spicetacular citrus-pepper sauce.
Wasabi: 1961 Chain Bridge Road, McLean; 703-388-0646; www.wasabitogo.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, January 22nd, 2010
As part of her meditation on sampling the supposedly forbidden fruit that is barkeep Grayson, Cougar Town‘s resident ditz, Laurie, undergoes some tattoo therapy:
(Video: Hulu)
Way to roll with the punches, Laurie.
Lord knows things could have ended up much, much worse.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, January 22nd, 2010
(Image: Etiole)
LOTS of curiosity-stoking tidbits floating around on the Twitter this week:
* Cutting edge chef Grant Achatz (@Gachatz) for providing a peek into the evolution of culinary genius
* Kat Kinsman (@kittenwithawhip) and Catherine Andrews (@candrews) for sharing the yin and yang of fridge evacuation
* Paula Crossfield (@civileater) for shining a light on Ed Bruske’s expose on the dysfunction surrounding D.C.’s school lunch program
* Cheflebrity Richard Blais (@RichardBlais) for keeping his marriage spicy
* Elissa Altman (@PoorMansFeast) for shamelessly celebrating corporate misery
* @NOVAFoodandWine for putting crappy jobs in perspective
* @huffingtonpost for teaching city folks how to sweeten their existence
* @TheOnion for paving the way for “Prime Rib-and-My-God-You’ve-Let-Yourself-Go” night, and,
* Erin Hartigan (@emerock) for tattling on two-faced teetotalers
Thanks for the invaluable insights and much needed chuckles.
Pizzeria Orso Picks Up the Pace
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Construction FINALLY began this past Monday at Falls Church’s long-dormant Pizzeria Orso project–the artisan-pizza-in-the-burbs concept 2941′s management leaked to the online faithful nearly two years ago.
2941 owner Rick Adams is financing the neighborhood eatery while Neapolitan pie maker Edan MacQuaid–he’s twirled dough everywhere from perennial award-winner 2 Amys to RedRocks (coming to Old Town Alexandria this spring) to the now-defunct Bebo (for about a minute, anyway)–will man the imported brick oven.
And although MacQuaid glibly describes his raison d’etre (on Facebook) as “I make pizza twice per week,” a 2941 spokesperson suggested the Denominazione di Origine Controllata-obsessed chef has been much more focused on business issues lately.
“He hasn’t really been flinging pizzas anywhere,” the spokesperson said. “He’s been working to get this place open.”
The spokesperson declined to elaborate on any grand opening dates or final menus for Orso (“They know they’re doing pizza!”), but building tenants have been told they could be enjoying gourmet slices by as early as May.
Pizzeria Orso: 400 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, January 15th, 2010
(Image: Etiole)
I know the Twitterverse has since switched into full #Haiti relief mode, but a few clever food missives did manage to trickle through:
* Food Matters chef/co-owner Christy Przystawik (@christysays) for keeping it in the family
* Vanessa Stolarski (@TheEditor) for taking Bring It On metaphors to the next level
* Atlanta food sleuth Bill Addison (@BillAddison) for being unafraid to reveal the unsexy side of food writing
* Michele Humes (@michelehumes) for celebrating diversity at the grocery checkout, and,
* Marilyn Naron (@simmertilldone) for shamelessly pitching pastry as health food
Keep tweeting.
I’ll keep reading.