All About Food

​Loafing around

March 16th, 2016

Loafing around

Empire Tavern’s third annual meatloaf cook-off

By Brittney Goodman

When I told my friends I was writing an article about a meatloaf cook-off, almost everyone had an opinion. One friend: “It’s all about the seasoning. Bland meatloaf sucks. Kick it up a notch.” Another: “I love meatloaf, cold, the next day, in a sandwich with some hot sauce.” Another: “I hope someone sings ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light.’” Oops, wrong meatloaf. For the third year,…

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​Beer and Bacon Dinner at Luna

February 27th, 2016

Five courses of bacon paired with five craft beers. When I was asked to cover this dinner I asked myself as a chef, “What would I make if I was cooking it?” It’s a normal reaction for chefs. When we watch shows like “Top Chef” and “Chopped” we wonder what we would do. Knowing that chef Ryan Nitschke of Luna was putting this together made complete sense.

Nitschke is the consummate modern American chef right down to the tats, love for everything pig and hand-crafted local…

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​Ding, dong, dinner is here

February 18th, 2016

A few weeks ago as the northeast braced for what would be a historic winter storm, news outlets positioned teams around the area at various locations to capture every possible public nuance and one provided me a great laugh. The team covering New York City located themselves outside of a Whole Foods Market in Manhattan. Now anyone who has shopped at Whole Foods knows it is not only a great store and a great company but consequently not cheap. But you do get what you pay for without a…

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​Valentine’s Day: Make it special

February 11th, 2016

With the special day for romance just a few days away, are you stressing about what to do for that special person in your life? Can’t afford a diamond? Flowers always work but are so predictable. An expensive dinner at a restaurant? Well that’s just a waste of money and frankly not romantic at all. Anybody can make a reservation.

So do something really special for your lover, something intimate, make dinner yourself.

That probably struck a bolt of fear in your romantic heart. But…

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​Food Insecurity

January 29th, 2016

A few years ago I came across the term “food desert.” I was intrigued and then struck by the seriousness of the matter and wrote about it in this paper. Recently, I discovered that a national organization in conjunction with others is spearheading a plan to get healthier foods into the mouths of people who really need them, mainly the underprivileged segment of our population who tend to survive on foods that lend themselves to obesity, diabetes, and which lead to pitiable health.

I…

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​So You Think You Make Great Chili?

January 28th, 2016

No two chilies are exactly alike – Is yours spicy? Smokey? Sweet? Chunky? Brothy? Beans or no beans – all are welcome to compete. This popular regional phenomena, the Coors Light Chili Cook-off, sponsored by Bergseth Brothers, is in its twenty-seventh year. Bars throughout the region are currently hosting contests, each selecting a first, second, and third place winner.

The 2016 cook-off kicked off with three establishments on Saturday, January 16. Each weekend there are cook-offs…

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​For the love of wine and miniature pigs

January 21st, 2016

What really helps me sort through the good, bad and ugly sides of the wine business is my love of an entertaining and informative wine story. I would venture to say that as a person who gravitates toward the unique and esoteric wines for both my restaurant and retail needs, it has become one of the most important tools in my constant search for really good wine. Not unlike food, you can tell a lot about a wine when you know the story behind it. A detailed narrative provides knowledge of…

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Savor this

January 14th, 2016

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Who was the genius that came up with the idea that come January 1st we should make resolutions that basically remove all the fun and good things from our lives? Seriously, losing weight is a great idea, especially if you are fat as a house, yes we all put on a few extra pounds during the holidays, but it is January, we are in the Dakotas not Palm Beach. Is this really the best time to be crunching on carrots sticks as the mercury drops to ungodly temperatures? Of course not. This is…

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The Kringle

December 28th, 2015


The French are our friends and we are playing nice with them right now. But oh those French and their upper-crust attitude about how superior their pastries are to others, and in the close quarters of the EU, that is pretty arrogant. Just look around you, France. You have the Swiss and their fine chocolate work, the Germans -- ok, well, forget the Germans -- the Italians who do some nice work, and then there is Belgium, that little jewel of a country that makes exquisite pastries and…

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Noodles (Oodles)

December 28th, 2015

Enjoyable food does not have to be about spending a lot of money or going to five-star restaurants, just saying. I know there are a number of us that have had a comfort meal that we don't let people know we eat. Here is the story of one of my faves: noodles.

When I was in college I ate as well as I could with the little amount of money I could spend on food. I ate a lot of, honest to God, eggs, and I found I was in that world of being vegetarian, so I actually ate vegetables a lot more…

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