St. Patrick’s Day Libations

green beer
photo by Allison

As a kid, my annual family trip to Daytona Beach, Florida always coincided with St. Patrick’s Day.  Even though we don’t have a lick of Irish in us, we all made sure to pack a green outfit in our suitcases.  Green socks, green shorts, green bobbly shamrock headbands–there was an unvoiced competition to be the greenest of them all.

I haven’t been to Daytona Beach since I was 15 years old, but this weekend the whole family is headed south, and we’ll be spending St. Patrick’s Day on the shores, just like the good ole days.  I can tell you one thing, I will NOT be drinking any green beer.

If you’re like me and beer isn’t your preferred libation, you’re in luck—there’s arguably no better beverage to celebrate the Emerald Isle than Irish whiskey.

Head on over to the Urbanspoon blog to check out my festive beverage selections! 

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16 Gifts for Foodies

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Judging by the creative parking I saw at the mall today, not to mention the mile-long lines in the stores, I’m not alone in my shopping procrastination this year. As the days tick by, people everywhere are frantically searching for last-minute gifts.  Just the thought is making me sweat!

Chances are you’ve got a few foodies on your list. So, before you surrender to buying everyone a gas card, take a deep breath and a big sip of eggnog and check out this list of gift ideas for every type of foodie.

16 last-minute gift ideas for foodies

 Fervent Foodie is a contributing writer for the official Urbanspoon blog.

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Most buzzed about bakeries in North America

Bread, COOKIES, muffins, scones…  I want it all.  It’s my inner Veruca Salt–she cannot be appeased.  Well, not without a hearty handful of carbohydrates, anyway.  For fun, I pulled together a list of the most talked about bakeries on Urbanspoon, based on votes and buzz, and did a little digging into their tastiest wares.  I’ve got quite the continental bakery wishlist now!

 

 Fervent Foodie is a contributing writer for the official Urbanspoon blog.

We’ve all heard the term “sweet tooth,” which makes us crave crazy things like Snickers bars slathered with Nutella and marshmallow fluff, but the less familiar “carb tooth” creates some equally intense cravings for yeasty, buttery breads and crumbly three cheese scones. To satisfy both a sweet tooth and a carb tooth, a trip to the bakery is in order.  There are over 10,000 bakeries listed on Urbanspoon, and their specialties span the gamut from meat-filled ciabatta to double-stuffed whoopie pies.

Continue reading about the best bakeries in the world.

Duchess Bake Shop Meringue — photo by Nikki Stoyko

Looking for more  of the world’s best bakeries?  Check out this list of Urbanspoon’s most talked about bakeries.

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So, what is gluten-free, anyway?

There’s lots of buzz about “gluten-free” eating these days, and separate gluten-free restaurant menus are practically commonplace.  Though I do not follow a gluten-free diet (bread is my soul mate in food form, after all), I do have several close friends who have adopted, at a doctor’s recommendation, GF diets in recent years.  Through them, I have learned the woes of gluten-free restaurant dining.

So, what exactly is gluten-free, anyway?

Well, until recent years, “gluten” was a word few diners cared much about, let alone restaurant chefs and servers.  At its core, gluten is a protein composite generally found in foods containing wheat, rye, barley, malt, and other grains.  It’s gluten we have to thank for making dough rise and for providing airy structure to baked goods.

 Keste Pizza, NYC – photo by PHUDE-nyc

But it’s not all chewy bread and fluffy cakes–for a growing number of people, gluten consumption is the cause of intense intestinal discomfort.  While the degree of gluten intolerance varies drastically, the most severe form is celiac disease.

(continue reading on the Urbanspoon blog)

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How to order wine like a boss.

Fervent Foodie is a contributing writer for the official Urbanspoon blog.

Whether on a hot first date or trying to impress the bigwigs at a business meeting, ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant can be quite intimidating for a wine neophyte. A successful attempt requires balance: ordering with confidence, not looking like a cheapskate, and above all else selecting a wine that actually tastes good.  With all the stuffy jargon and wine lists that include dozens, if not hundreds, of varieties, wine is often seen as a complex beverage only enjoyed by snooty oenophiles. If you don’t even know what an oenophile is, this article is for you, my friend.

(continue reading about how to order wine on the Urbanspoon blog)

 

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