Sampler Platter: Agura sushi soft-opens, absinthe in Rome, Halloween cupcakes

A cupcake so cute it's scary, a Roman milk bar and a new sushi restaurant on La Cienega lead our food news roundup.

-- Teetotalers may be more depressed than drinkers. Time
-- Absinthe in a chocolate shake? Welcome to Latte Piu, a milk bar in Rome that’s patterned after "Clockwork Orange's" Korova. Los Angeles Times
-- Agura sushi on La Cienega soft-opens. Blackburn + Sweetzer
-- Figs, cupcakes, Guy Fieri and seven more things David Chang and Anthony Bourdain hate. Grub Street LA
-- San Diego Meat Co. recalls 925 pounds of beef products due to E. coli threat. Los Angeles Times
-- Red Mango has a new seasonal flavor: pumpkin spice.
-- Most adorable Halloween cupcake ever? We Love You So

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: It looks innocuous, but the Diavaolo, a chocolate milkshake with 80-proof absinthe, packs a big punch. It's served at Latte Piu, a milk bar in Rome. Credit: Baxter Holmes / For The Times

Sampler Platter: Lard is the new olive oil, food writing cliches, speakeasies return and the house that Pinkberry built

A small town beats government bureaucracy, Anthony Bourdain's bucket list, the worst cliches of food writing, lard's moment in the sun (will it melt?) and more in this jam-packed midweek food news roundup.

• Anthony Bourdain lists "13 Places to Eat Before You Die" in the June issue of Men's Health: Salumi (Seattle), Hot Doug’s (Chicago), Oklahoma Joe’s Barbecue (Kansas City, Kans.), elBulli (Girona, Spain), the French Laundry (Napa Valley), Russ & Daughters (New York City) and more.
• A remote New Hampshire town fights to save its French bakery -- and wins! New York Times
• Epicurious' list of the top 5 most annoying food-writing clichés -- "decadent dessert," "cozy interior," "yummy," "wash it down with" and "save room for" -- sparks a flurry of comments.
  
• Today, Slate celebrates food with a special issue featuring six food-themed stories. Everything from lard ("its moment is finally here") to the Federal Writers Project funding foodies.
• From the Top 10 Creepiest Fast Food Mascots to the Top 10 Most Disgusting Candies to the Top 10 Anthony Bourdain Insults on Food TV, Endless Simmer compiles the Top 10 food-themed Top 10 lists.
• Baristas lose as court reverses ruling on Starbucks tip lawsuit. Seattle Post Intelligencer
• Speakeasies are still popular, according to the New York Times. Wait... When a speakeasy is mentioned in a major newspaper, doesn't that defeat the underground nature of the bar? Not if  a speakeasy is just a decorating theme and not a survival strategy.
• The house that Pinkberry built is a glossy Malibu manse filled with Philippe Starck ghost chairs, Le Klint lamps, Alessi kitchen gadgets and $4,000 Hermès suits. Wall Street Journal

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: The scene at Varnish, a bar-speakeasy inside Cole's restaurant in downtown L.A. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times.

Sampler Platter: "Chopping Block," cupcakes & wine in a tube

End of the day, end of the week food bites...

• I guess there's only room for one sadistic British TV chef on TV and Marco Pierre White is no Gordon Ramsay. NBC pulls "Chopping Block." L.A. Times
• Eater SF tracks Anthony Bourdain's recent visit to the Bay Area.
• Is "wine in a tube" the new "wine in a box"? Slashfood
• White House chef Sam Kass named White House Food Initiative Coordinator and will supposedly have a big role in shaping Mrs. O's food-forward policies. Obama Foodorama
• Just in time for this weekend's cupcake challenge, eggless carrot cupcakes with mascarpone frosting. Culinary Bazaar
• Rum Dood reviews Appleton Estate Extra rum.
• KFC will fill potholes in Louisville, Ky., in exchange for stamping the fresh pavement with a "Re-freshed by KFC" chalk stencil. Ad Age

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: First Lady Michelle Obama and White House chef Sam Kass speak to children after taking part in the groundbreaking for the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn.

Credit: Win McNamee /Getty Images