Fried Chicken Corsage? Fried Chicken Pizza? Make it Stop!

Deep-fried bacon-wrapped lard balls with a caramel center. Nasty thought, right? Hit pause and read on.

What’s the deal with these gluttonous junk food trends lately? I know very few people who don’t love them some culinary creativity, but at some point someone really should draw a line. Grilled mac & cheese, doughnut burgers … And now: Fried chicken is getting a reboot and taking center stage as 2014’s junk food super star. 

(*** Warning: The following contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised. ***)

Dominos’ Fried Chicken-crusted Pizza

Step aside, Chicken Parm – you’ve been out-matched! This boneless chicken product features a “delicious” combo of various toppings, fatty sauces and cheeses layered over 12 nugget-sized bites of fried chicken. They say “lightly breaded, white chicken meat”, but does that matter after the meat is enveloped in cheese and blubbery sauces? The four unique flavors offered include Crispy Bacon & Tomato, Spicy Jalapeno-Pineapple, Classic Hot Buffalo and Sweet BBQ Bacon. Let’s just call this grub what it is: Hangover food “super charged”.

Ramen-Crusted-Chicken-Wings

Apparently Ramen hasn’t just situated itself into burgers of the modern age. Once a notoriously respected Japanese dish, that required at least 3 days and a lot of love to cultivate, Ramen has not just taken to infusing itself into mainstream junk food; Ramen has taken a hold of it and evolved gluttony into an entirely new art form. Introducing “Ramen-Fried Chicken”.  ‘Nuff said.

Meet the KFC Fried Chicken Corsage

Because, on the most important night of her youth, what every teen girl dreams of is an oily piece of food tied to her wrist, that gently brushes against her high-priced gown throughout the evening, and leaves greased-stained memories to last her a fortnight. Yeah… A fortnight. Because that’s how long it’s going to take her to realize that the joke is over and that dress that she was so proud to wear is now sporting that fast food stank no dry cleaner can get out. 

Last, but most definitely not least, introducing the…

Fried Chicken Slider

From Kobe burger to pork belly to, well, fried chicken. It seems as though slider trends are taking a turn of the carotid variety. It wasn’t enough to replace the sumptuously magical meat of Kobe with the ultra-saturated palatable pig product we call “pork belly”. No, instead some gluttonous kamikaze, out to make their mark, decided to come up with a deep-fried chicken sammy, slathered in cheese and sauce. After a long, wild night of partying, this cardiac-attack-on-a-plate-that-could-kill-a-marathon-man-in-a-single-bite may seem like a rationally wise choice of chow. However, we recommend chewing down 2 aspirin before sinking your teeth into a meal of Fried Chicken Sliders.

How would you categorize these fried-chicken-junk-food wonders? What’s next?

Deep-fried bacon-wrapped lard balls with a caramel center. That doesn’t sound so ridiculous now, does it?

Not the otter box you were expecting?

An otter in Norway struck fear in the hearts of diners when it broke into a local fast-food restaurant & promptly went on the attack last week.

Thought to have been injured by a boat propeller moments before, the distraught animal made its way into Skippy's Fast Food in Alesund where he then attacked the owner attempting a rescue.

Sadly, the little guy didn't survive his injuries & was put to rest later at a nearby animal hospital. RIP Mr Otter. You certainly made your mark on the world.

Pinkberry Founder Gets 7 Years Without Sprinkles

Back in 2011, Young Lee was one of the co-founders of the fastest-growing chain of fro-yo in America. But then he decided to beat a homeless man with a tire iron...yeah, you read that right.

According to reports the victim apparently flashed a less-than-tasteful tattoo at the car Lee was driving, which happened to also be carrying his fiance' and other friends. After initially driving off, Lee returned with a tire iron which he used to break the man's arm, among other injuries. To make sure he didn't get a reprieve for good behavior while serving his sentence, during the trial Lee threatened a witness with, "I'm going to cut the throat of your mother, your wife, your daughter and you."  Lock him up Judge.

Heading to prison with the nickname "Pinkberry" might be the greatest justice of all....

Bravo’s Top Chef Winners: Where Are They Now??

Already suffering a little Bravo TV Top Chef withdrawal?  While you anxiously await the premier of Top Chef Season 12, read up on where these Top Chef Winners are now.

Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle is now the owner of three NYC restaurants, Perilla, Kin Shop, and The Marrow. He spent part of his prize money to attend the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, where he met his fellow-foodie wife Meredith.

Season 2 saw the talented Ilan D. Hal take home the prize. Since then he has opened his first restaurant, The Gorbals, in downtown LA.  And his proudest achievement since winning Top Chef?  Becoming a father!  You can catch him on Esquire Network’s Knife Fight, Tuesdays at 9p & 9:30p EST.

In Top Chef Season 3, Hung Huynh set a whole new culinary standard for future winners. His gastronomic creativity and flawless execution made it pretty much impossible for anyone to compete against him. What we loved the most: he managed to stay “somewhat” humble throughout the competition (hint hint, Marcel). He’s known for his Vietnamese-American cookery and is now the executive chef of Catch, The General, and Catch Miami restaurants.

In Season 4, Stephanie Izard became the first woman to win Top Chef. She has since opened her second restaurant based out of Chicago called Little Goat. She also published her first cookbook, “Girl in the Kitchen”. She currently lives in Chicago with her dog Burt.

Hosea Rosenberg took home the Top Chef title in Season 5.  He lives in Boulder, CO and is the owner of Blackbelly Catering. Little known fact: He actually has a degree in Engineering Physics! Brains, beauty and creativity? Damn.

In season 6, the tattoo-clad Michael Voltaggio, Chef at Ink in LA, came out the Top Chef winner against his own brother, Brian Voltaggio! When asked about his dining pet peeves he responded by saying: “When servers ask the guest, ‘How are we enjoying things tonight?’” when they're not sitting at the table. Really, Michael? That’s your BIGGEST pet peeve? Smile, Mikey. You’re the big winner.

Kevin Sbraga was the winner of Top Chef Season 7. Kevin was the dark horse in the running, but had the audience cheering when he was announced as a Top Chef Winner. Originally from New Jersey , Kevin is now the proud owner of Sbraga, a modern American restaurant in Philadelphia. Looks like Sbraga thrives on competition, having won “Best Meat Presentation” in the Bocuse d’Or USA Culinary Competition before winning Top Chef.

Richard Blais has had a busy couple of years after winning the title of ‘Top Chef’ on Season 8 of The Bravo TV hit series.  Blais currently hosts the TASTED YouTube show BurgerLab. He also just came out with a cookbook titled "Try this at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate”. He runs two Atlanta-based restaurants: FLIP Burger Boutique and The Spence. But what we miss most? His bromance with the fabulous Fabio Viviani.

Season 9 saw Paul Qui the title of ‘Top Chef’. At the time, he was in the kitchen of his flagship restaurant, Uchi, and was recently named James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef, Southwest”.  Since his time in front of the Top Chef Judges’ Table he has opened 2 additional restaurants, Uchi Houston & Uchiko, which was named one of the “Best New  Restaurants in America” by GQ Magazine.

Kristen Kish is the Season 10 winner and only the second woman to win the title of ‘Top Chef’. She was recently promoted to Chef de Cuisine at Menton in the Fort Point neighborhood of Boston, MA. During her tenure at Menton, the restaurant was named “Best New Restaurant” by both Bon Appétit & Esquire Magazines, and was nominated for “Best New Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation.

Unlike many TV-based culinary competitions, winning the title of “Top Chef” is one of the most prestigious accomplishments in the culinary industry and has proven to lead to gastronomic stardom. With the wrap up of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Season 11, we can’t wait to see what follows Top Chef: New Orleans winner, Nicholas Elmi. But we know it will be great.

Top Chefs Cruise to Ports Near You!

Celebrity Cruises has announced four upcoming Top Chef-themed cruises for the die-hard foodie in you!  With sailings around the Caribbean, Alaska, and Europe with some of your favorite cheftestants, you're sure to enjoy the destination as much as the fabulous food-filled trip.

Think you have what it takes to be a cheftestant?  Test your chops when you face-off against fellow cruisers in a Quickfire challenge.  And eat at the Judge's Table with dishes pulled straight from your favorite episodes!

With the first sailing as early as July 2014 you'll want to book now!  Visit Celebrity Cruises website for all the details!

Fake Chef Wins Big Against Morning TV

Nick Prueher isn't a chef, but he sure did convince several local news anchors that he was!  Posing as "Chef Keith", author of the soon-to-be-released "cookbook", Leftovers Right: Making a Winner of Last Night's Dinner, Nick was able to pull off this hilarious prank on several different networks in the Midwest.

See highlights of him in action in this video from his website Found Footage Fest:

 

If the confusing recipes and cooking methods didn't reek of a jokster, somebody should have known something was up when he canceled his book signing later that day on live television.  Luckily for us, no one did and the internet has one more awesome video to help us waste some time....

Pizza Delivery at the Oscars

Sunday night's Academy Awards saw lots of big Hollywood winners, but the real star of the show turned out to be the pizza party that happened in the middle of it!

Host & funny gal Ellen DeGeneres joked early on that maybe she should have pizza delivered to her A-list audience....and then she actually did!

Brad Pitt assisted in doling out plates & napkins to the high-fashion diners before noshing on a slice himself (pepperoni).

Kudos to the pizza delivery guy from LA local spot Big Mama's & Papa's pizza for gamely marching on stage during the live broadcast to deliver the order of several pies. (And yes, he did get a very nice tip!)

Lesson here?  Pizza always wins.

Giant Wave Crashes Santa Barbara's Moby Dick Restaurant

Diners at Santa Barbara's Moby Dick Restaurant might think twice the next time they ask for a table with a view.... 

A recent winter storm along California's southern coast brought the sea to the table - literally.  Check out this video shot by a patron in the restaurant:

 

Luckily no one was hurt, and the restaurant didn't even suffer much damage - but the diners at this seaside spot certainly won't forget their dining experience any time soon!  We wonder how much longer the owners will hang on to the "million dollar view at every table" tagline?

A Week in the Life of Paula Deen's Comeback

Just when you thought Paula Deen was gone for good, she takes over the internet once again with meme-inspiring nuggets of gold!  In case you missed any of it, here's a recap of her busy week:

Kicking her busy week off at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival in Miami, she hopped on Food Network's Robert Irvine for a quick ride, inspiring the hilarious website Paula Deen Rides Things.

Then she follows that hilarity with a major media faux pas during an exclusive interview with People Magazine, by drawing comparisons of herself and last year's debacle to "that black gay football player" earlier this week, almost certainly sending whatever is left of her PR team into a frenzy.

Ms. Deen, we love you, but maybe you only speak in food for the next few years.

And now she's just announced her latest venture, Paula Deen's Family Kitchen, in Pigeon Forge TN.  This could be worth the trip just to be a part of the "crazy"...

Needless to say, this sassy little Southerner definitely knows how to keep things interesting.

New York City Brewer's Guild Beer Week is On!

The 6th Annual New York City Brewer's Guild Beer Week kicks off this week with an opening night blowout in (where else?) Grand Central Terminal!


NYC Beer Week brings together 15 NYC craft breweries, over 150 NYC beer "destinations", celebrity chefs & acclaimed restaurants for 10 days of beer-loving pandemonium in the Big Apple.  The event began as a way to promote local craft beers around the NYC area, but has grown to a beloved beer-fest showcasing breweries from across the nation.

Make sure to check out at least one of the beer-tastic events if you're in the city this week!  For all the details & the complete lineup of events, visit the New York City Brewer's Guild website.

The 2014 James Beard Foundation Restaurant & Chef Award Semifinalists list is out!

Did your favorite chef or restaurant make the cut??

 The 2014 James Beard Awards will be held in New York City on May 2 and 5.

5 Celebrity Chef Vegetarian Recipes You Have To Try

Eating right doesn't have to mean sacrificing flavor.  These 5 celebrity chefs have created vegetarian dishes that any carnivore would love!

1. Chef Dan Barber’s Cauliflower Steaks with Cauliflower Puree

Dan Barber is THE chef when it comes to sustainable, local, and fresh food. He created Blue Hill Farm — which is more than just a restaurant, it’s a local food movement. We love his Cauliflower Steaks with Cauliflower Puree Recipe. 

2. Chef Bobby Flay’s Kimchee Salad

Bobby might be the grilling guy, but he’s also great with veggies too. He has a recipe with some of the best tangy, sweet, and spicy flavors, The Kimchee Salad. We could eat this plain or as a side dish. 

3. Chef Tom Colicchio’s Walnut Pesto and Goat Cheese Dip

Tom’s mastered the art of cooking with veggies at his restaurant Craft in New York City. If you want a quick appetizer sans meat, go for Tom Colicchio’s Walnut Pesto and Goat Cheese Dip. It’s topped with avocado and has a decadence that a crowd can’t resist. 

4. Chef Jose Garces’ Veggie Burger

Veggie Burgers get a bad rap. In this case, the master of Latin cooking, Jose Garces, has the flavorful non-meat burger down at his Philly restaurant, Village Whiskey. He uses green lentils and black beans for a hearty burger, and lots of spice. Plus, it’s topped with picked cabbage. 

5. Chef Jamie Oliver’s Pea, Mint & Basil Arancini Cakes

Jamie Oliver is a healthy food pro, so we were excited to see his Pea, Mint & Basil Arancini Cakes recipe, which spotlights spring herbs. It’s filling enough to eat for dinner too, and we like it over a bed of greens.

Top Chef Competitor Stefan Richter Seeking Million Dollar Lover??

Is Top Chef contestant, Stefan Richter, looking for love in all the wrong places? 

Former Top Chef "cheftestant", Stefan Richter, apparently needs some assistance in the romance department and has recruited Millionaire Matchmaker, Patti Stanger, to help him find true love.

Tune in this Thursday night, at 9pm, for Bravo's The Millionaire Matchmaker and see if Ms. Stanger can find this relentless Top Chef his ultimate match!

Top 10 Food Trends for 2014

What's in store for foodies in 2014? We break down our best Top 10 Food Trend guesses below:

Non-Wheat Noodles

With the gluten-free trend in full swing in 2013, 2014 will be the year that restaurants start adding more non-wheat pastas to their menus, from quinoa to buckwheat noodles. Ruggles Green in Texas is already on this trend, with a menu filled with quinoa pasta.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Say RIP to cupcakes, donuts and Cronuts, Ice Cream Sandwiches are the way to go in 2014. They’re portable treats that are popping up in food trucks and on dessert menus in a customizable way. Pick your favorite ice cream and cookie and make the ultimate combo, like at Baked Bear in San Diego.

Foraged Foods

Foraged foods and wild edibles like seaweed, truffles, rose hips and blackberries are becoming more and more hip in forward-thinking kitchens, lately. There are lots of 'edible' nature walks popping up too, just be careful if you do it on your own, sometimes nature can be sneaky. 

Fermentation

Although fermentation has been around centuries, chefs are now starting to play around with good bacteria and “rotting” food the correct way to add a modern twist. They’re making their own soy and miso, and many are incorporating kimchi into their dishes. The Good Fork in Brooklyn is adding a new spin to kimchi, serving up pork belly & kimchi egg rolls, as well as steak and eggs with a kimchi twist.

Sustainable Seafood 

Sure, sustainable seafood has been talked about before, but in 2014, we expect it to really come to the forefront. Consumers are getting more and more conscious about where their food comes from, and seafood is no different. The Atlanta Journal Constitution has some insight on the start of this trend in the Atlanta area. 

Tea as an ingredient

Tea isn’t just for your morning mug, it’s now an ingredient in many dishes and cocktails too. And we expect it to grow even more in 2014. Take Samovar tea lounge in San Francisco, for example. Their entire menu is infused with tea!

Heirloom Vegetables

Heirloom vegetables, which many gardeners agree are seeds originating before 1951, are plants which have not been hybridized or become so mass-gardened that they've lost their character. Certain parsnips, butter beans, and artichokes are making a comeback: easy to grow, beautiful, and true to their origins!

Nose-to-Tail Cooking 

Instead of just using a portion of an animal or a vegetable, in 2014, chefs will strive to include as many parts of the animal or vegetable as possible. That means you’re likely to see beef hearts, oxtails, and innards appearing on more menus, as well as entire plants from roots to seeds.

Housemade Hot Sauces

It's about time someone puts up their own hot sauce in restaurants instead or relying on Tabasco to season everything (though I do love Tabasco)! After Sriracha took over the food airwaves this past year, it's no wonder people are starting to create their own and get in on the latest fad.  Chili heads unite!

Egg, It's What's for Dinner

Eggs are going to be EVERYWHERE in 2014, especially for dinner. Scotch eggs, eggs and pork belly hash (yes, please), baked, and taken to the next level. No longer a topper of burgers or a side with your waffles, eggs will rule the roost in 2014.

[by Caitlin Heikkila & Sophia Proler]

Celebrity Chef Nigella Lawson Admits to Cocaine Use

More scandal follows Nigella Lawson

Celebrity Chef Nigella Lawson has had an “exciting” year to say the least. First it was the image of her now ex-husband holding her throat in a London restaurant and now: The culinary darling has been outted for using illegal narcotics. 

In a court trial, earlier today, she admitted to occasionally using cocaine and marijuana. Known for her sensuous TV manner, she is a “Domestic Goddess” for millions of viewers world-wide and role model for many.

Marijuanna is one thing, but is it acceptable for celebrity chefs to partake in drugs, like cocaine? Should The Cooking Channel kick this snow-loving cook to the curb?

While visions of her famous courgette (Zucchini) cake once ran through our heads, all we can think of now is a scandal-prone Nigella Lawson sporting snow on her nose!

'Tis the season.. :-S

Chef Joe Gannascoli Cookin’ Up Seafood

You might know Joe Gannascoli as “Vito Spatafore Sr.” on HBO’s “The Sopranos”, butwhat you might not know is that he’s also an excellent chef, food enthusiast and has owned several restaurants that always serve up one of his favorite foods: Seafood.

After a stint of chef’ing in Manhattan, LA, and New Orleans, Joe opened a restaurant in Bay Ridge (Brooklyn, NY) called ‘101 Seafood’. It was there that he combined his Italian roots with seafood to create one of his signature dishes, Linguine with Crab Sauce.

“Crab sauce is like the Cadillac of sauces,” he said. “And I’m a big sauce guy. I love having four to five sauces for dipping.”

Joe strives to create unique flavors in his sauces, creating spins on classics. And even whipping up non-traditional dishes on occasion, like the mussels he made this past Christmas Eve — drenched in a lime, coconut milk, and cilantro sauce,

When Joe’s not cooking up his own seafood creations, he likes to go to Vincent’s Clam Bar in Long Island, NY. They serve a salmon “just kissed by the grill” in a mild marinade.

But don’t expect to see Joe out catching his salmon anytime soon. “I’m not a big fisherman. I’ve gone once or twice, but fly fishing is what I really love to do,” he said.

If you’re in the mood to do your crab up just right, check out Joe’s favorite recipe for Linguine with Crab Sauce »

7 Year Old Boy Tosses Pizza Like a Champion

If this kid can toss pizza like a champion at only 7 years of age, we can only imagine what he'll be capable of 10 years from now... Yes, I'm a little afraid...

Joanne Weir’s Cod Braised with Leeks, Potatoes, and Thyme

Joanne Weir is a culinary traveler with a fresh Cali cooking style, so it’s not surprising that seafood is a big part of her repertoire. In her most recent book Joanne Weir’s Cooking Confidence, she offers a variety of fishy recipes, including Sizzling Shrimp & Pimentón with Sherry, Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut, and (her favorite) Cod Braised with Leeks, Potatoes, and Thyme.

Joanne shares with us: “This is one of my absolute favorite kinds of meals. It was born of necessity on one of those nights where all of a sudden its dinnertime and I realize I haven’t given dinner a single thought all day.

On this occasion, I scoured the contents of my refrigerator and married some leeks, potatoes and thyme in a pot with chicken stock and white wine. The cod fillets I added turned out perfectly flaky. And just like that a simple and scrumptious new dish was created. On another day this dinner could have turned out quite differently, which really is the beauty of this one-pot wonder,”

This sounds like the perfect seafood dish for a cool night on the coast! But don’t take our word for it. Try out Joanne’s recipe for yourself…

Continue to the COD BRAISED WITH LEEKS, POTATOES AND THYME recipe >>

Top Chef Masters Winners: Where are they now?

Season 5 of Top Chef Masters started last week and the competition looks just delicious. But ever wonder where the last 4 Top Chef Masters Winners ended up? Have their wins boosted their already-established careers? Take a look at the winners from the past 4 seasons. Recap time!

The season 1 winner of Top Chef Masters was Rick Bayless. Being an expert on Mexican cuisine and visiting several Mexican restaurants, in 2010, Rick became head chef at Red O in L.A.  He continues to contribute towards his own restaurant Frontera Grill in Chicago.  Rick has a busy couple of years with being a contender for the White House Executive Chef for President Obama to giving Google talks on Mexican food, his cookbooks and his experiences on Top Chef Masters. In 2012, Rick also ventured into the world of theatre with a Play titled “Rick Bayless in Cascabel”. He was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on Mexico: One plate at a time.

Season 2 saw the very talented and unique Marcus Samuelsson win $115,000 for the UNICEF TAP project. In 2010 he opened his new restaurant Red Rooster in Harlem. The Red Rooster in 2011 also hosted a Democratic National Committee fund raiser. The $30,800 per plate event was a huge success.  Asked if he was aiming to be the next Martha Stewart, he said he was just busy being Marcus!

Season 3 of Top Chef Masters had even more variety with Floyd Cardoz winning. Known for his contemporary Indian cuisine his restaurant Tabla was considered one of the best in Manhattan. After 12 years it finally closed in 2010. Floyd is now the head chef and partner of a new American style bar and grill called North End Grill. Seafood and single malt whiskey is the focus of this new restaurant.

Season 4’s winner, Chris Cosentino, has been quoted saying “no more television” but we saw him again on the pilot of Time Machine Chefs; which he won again! A huge supporter of Farmers Markets Chris can often be seen as the San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza farmers market. He is the Executive Chef of Icanto.

How do you think Season 5's competition measures up to these Top Chef Masters?