Food FYI: Democrats fail to block food stamp cuts in farm bill

FARM BILL WATCH

House Democrats fell short in their efforts to block cutbacks to food assistance to poor families as the Agriculture Committee approved the half-trillion-dollar bill to fund farm and nutrition programs over the next five years. Republicans' attempts to make deeper cuts to the program also were defeated. [The Guardian]

ART OF PLATING

Michael Laiskonis, former Le Bernardin pastry chef, breaks down the art of plating. His example: a cylinder of yogurt, strawberry film, tiny cubes of pain de gênes, sliced strawberries, basil seeds, candied celery and celery leaves. (Think asymmetry and odd numbers; but don't overthink.) [Gilt Taste]

RAMADAN RECIPES 

Chef Marcus Samuelsson has African recipes for the Islamic religious holiday Ramadan, such as chicken-peanut stew and honey bread. [Epicurious]

RANDY'S TURNS 60

Souther California icon Randy's Donuts celebrates its 60th birthday. [KPCC]

ALSO:

Marion Cunningham's baking powder biscuits

New in WeHo: Laurel Hardware

Food FYI: Farmed fish will bump wild fish from your plate

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Robert Willett/MTC

Food FYI: Cows that drink wine make for better beef?

BOVINE DIET

In the village of Lunel-Viel in southern France, some farmers are feeding wine to their beef cattle. They say the resulting beef is "lean, marbled and tasty." [The Independent]

POST-VERMEER

A Dutch photographer takes portraits of cooks in the kitchens of Amsterdam. [Epicurious]

CLAMS LIKE SALT

A video of a clam licking salt off a table hits the Internets. [YouTube]

ALSO:

Lunchtime With Mr. Gold 

Marcus Samuelsson on art and race

Hepp's Salt Barrel

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Josie Lepe/MCT

Food FYI: Farmed fish will bump wild fish from your plate

FISH FARMS

By 2018, the fish on your plate will more likely have come from a farm rather than from the wild, according to the U.N.'s food agency. Output from aquaculture is expected to soar 33% in the next decade. [L.A. Times]

WILL WORK FOR FOOD

25 things to know before you become a restaurant critic. [The Washingtonian]

BAD MEATBALLS

New Jersey-based meatball-maker Buona Vita Inc. recalls about 325,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products because of possible Listeria contamination. [LA Weekly/CBS News]

PEPSI YOGURT

PepsiCo rolls out its first yogurt in the U.S. in its foray into "good-for-you" foods. Flavors include "Choco Balls" and "Chocolate Flakes." [USA Today]

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New in West Hollywood: Laurel Hardware

50 Shades of Food: A boozy berry shortcake

MAD2 food symposium in Copenhagen: some highlights

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times

Food FYI: Something smells in Rosemead; but is it the chicken?

FOR THE BIRDS

Chinese American Live Poultry in Rosemead has sold freshly killed birds for two decades. But city officials have voted to shut it down, citing odors, traffic and escaped chickens. Now owners Quan and Dana Phu have filed a discrimination suit in federal court. [Los Angeles Times]

FOOD FACTORIES

The top food factory tours in America, inlcuding Cabot cheese and Utz potato chips. [Fox News] 

A BETTER PINA COLADA

Up the ratio of rum to coconut milk and add lime juice. [RumDood]

ALSO: 

For making quesadillas: a black clay comal

Market Fresh: Breba figs

MAD2 food symposium in Copenhagen: some highlights

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Nick Ut/Associated Press

Food FYI: Beer from yeast found in beards

BEARD'S BEER

The beard is apparently home to useful microbes. Rogue Ales is starting production of a beer brewed with yeast found in its brewmaster's beard. The field of beardology is about to take off. [Beer Pulse/Scientific American]

THE RISE OF LUNCH

It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that lunch became a regular meal between breakfast and dinner. [Edible Geography]

MAKE IT LOOK McYUM

McDonald's food styling. [Los Angeles Times]

LAST SUPPERS

As a protest against the death penalty Julie Green has painted, on blue and white porcelain plates, 519 last meals of prisoners on death row. One example: "three fried chicken thighs, 10 or 15 shrimp, tater tots with ketchup, two slices of pecan pie, strawberry ice cream, honey and biscuits and a Coke." [NPR]

ROSY GRANOLA

How to make rose petal granola, with roses, currants walnuts and black pepper. [101 Cookbooks]

ALSO:

Paso Robles wine country trip planner

Food illustrations from Elizabeth Graeber

Why I love Italy

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Contestants from a beard competition. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times.

Food FYI: Canned beer makes a comeback

CRACK ONE OPEN

Beer in cans. It's not just for hipsters anymore. [Bloomberg]

YOUNG TURKS, ER, ASIANS

Asian-American chefs on the rise get lumped together as the "A-Funk Collective." [Time]

FARM BILL WATCH

The Senate votes to keep protections for sugar growers, plus handy key components of the farm bill. [Saint Louis Today via AP]

IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERRE

"In summer, food trucks are like prison sweat boxes." [Washington Post]

@ZOOEYSIRI

Siri, make a note: "Marshmallow chopsticks." [Twitter]

ALSO:

Duff Goldman opens Cakemix on Melrose 

Animal at Le Grand Fooding Milan

Architectural cake-off at M&A in Silver Lake

Food FYI: How do you like your iced coffee?

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Daniel Karmann/EPA

Food FYI: How do you like your iced coffee?

ICE ICE COFFEE

It's iced coffee season: Aero-Press it, cold-brew it, add some condensed milk, shake it or make it boozy? [Food Republic]

FARM BILL WATCH

In the middle of plowing through the 73 amendments of the nearly $1-trillion farm bill, the Senate rejects a proposal to cut back on food stamp spending. [Mercury News]

BUTTERCREAM DREAMS

More and more couples opt for the supermarket wedding cake. [Wall Street Journal]

TACO MEETS CHIP 

A review of the Doritos Locos taco. But "sour cream is just wrong..."? Really? [New York Times]

ALSO:

5 Questions for Bernhard Mairinger

Rare tasting of Frank Cornelissen's wines

The aperitif hour: Chopped chicken liver on toast

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Iced coffee at LA Mill in Silver Lake. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times.

Food FYI: The Dutch love Orange County's Bruery

KRIEKY!

The Dutch are really into American craft beers, including those from Orange County's The Bruery, even the sours. [OC Weekly] 

CHRONICLES OF FOOD JOURNALISM

The New Orleans Times-Picayune's layoffs hit its restaurant critic, but the paper says its food coverage will continue, including reviews. [New York Times]

ART FROM THE VINE

Wine stain portraits. [This Is Colossal] 

JENNIFER IN PARIS

Jennifer Aniston goes to Paris and eats arugula salad. Let's hope she shoveled in a few macarons too. [Los Angeles Times]

ALSO:

4 events: Your week in beer, wine and booze

Un Petit Porc returns

Craft beer crawl is back

-- Betty Hallock 

Photo: A beer enthusiast in Echo Park (not the Netherlands). Credit: Josh Reiss/For The Times.

Food FYI: L.A. filmmaker tackles water crisis

A DROP TO DRINK

A documentary filmmaker delves into our slew of water problems. One scientist points out that the aquifer under the Central Valley, which helps irrigate crops that provide a fourth of the food in the U.S., could be depleted in as little as 60 years. [Los Angeles Times]

COFFEE CREATIVES

A crew of Berkeley baristas has formed the Alchemy Collective, a start-up cafe that began as a coffee cart. No running water? That's ok. [Oakland Local]

BURRITOB0T

The Internet loves a robot that can make a burrito. A grad student's plans to build a BurritoB0t, a machine that prints a 3D edible extrusion of a burrito, is making the rounds. [Tech Crunch]

TOP 40 TAIWANESE 

"40 Taiwanese foods we can't live without.... From mountains of shaved ice to chicken cutlets as big as your face." [CNN] 

ALSO:

Un Petit Porc is back at Gram & Papa's 

Dinner tonight! Braised chicken with capers

5 Questions for Bernhard Mairinger

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Joe Pugliese/Los Angeles Times

Food FYI: It could be the biggest case of wine fraud in history

THE BURGUNDY FILES

 The wine fraud case against collector Rudy "Dr. Conti" Kurniawan of Arcadia goes deep and "may have left the market for rare and old wines irredeemably corrupted." (The part with Jackie Chan standing on a chair at Melisse wielding a jeroboam of Petrus is great.) [Vanity Fair]

WHAT NOMA EATS

A video of staff meal at Noma in Copenhagen. "The only thing I'm interested in is that we have a delicious meal," says Noma chef Rene Redzepi. "I don't care what it is. It has to be well flavored and cooked with patience and commitment. And, you know, I want something warm, I want a dessert, and I want a salad." [Nowness]

'A BITE OF CHINA'

China's state television broadcaster produces a series of sentimental food documentaries; its subjects include ham curers in Yunnan, ice fishermen in Jilin and producers of fermented prawn sauce in Hong Kong. [Wall Street Journal]

BETTER BEEF

Why eat grass-fed beef? [Psychology Today]

ALSO:

'Lunchtime With Mr. Gold' 

Taco Tuesday: Tacos al vapor

Dinner tonight! Croque-madame

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Rudy Kurniawan in 2005. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times.