Sampler Platter: Noodle water slides, canned whole chicken, Ruth Reichl undercover

Noodle water slides, apocalyptic chicken and groceries at Toys R Us in today's roundup of food news.

• Ruth Reichl goes undercover again -- and this time her disguises are way better. Gourmet
• This chicken lays twice as many eggs as the others. Why? It has two rears ... if you can believe The Sun.
• Canned whole chicken. Even worse than it sounds. Food Network
• Noodle water slide: because food should have fun too. CNET
• You will now be able to buy groceries from Toys R Us, but would you want to? Los Angeles Times
• Sunset magazine profiles 99 Cent Chef Billy Robinson. Flickr
• Corner Bakery opens in the Beverly Connection, draws a heavy lunchtime crowd. Blackburn & Sweetzer

-- Elina Shatkin

Sample Platter: exploding couscous, El Coyote protests, Hawaiian carbs

• Jonathan Gold's 99 essential LA restaurants. New additions: Akasha, Animal, Anisette, Comme Ça, 8 Oz. Burger Bar, Father’s Office II, Jitlada, LA Mill, the Nickel, Osteria Mozza, Palate Food + Wine, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse. LA Weekly
• 5 lbs. heavier and presumably many $$$ richer, backburnered bartender settles discrimination suit against Foxtail. CBS2
• Brian Wilson loves El Coyote. Prop 8 protesters don't. They're boycotting the joint but not because of its food. WeHo News
• Exploding couscous! Daily Telegraph
• Locanda Veneta getting new owners. New name too? Eater LA
• "Rock 'n' roll chef" Kerry Simon (you may know him from Simon L.A.'s diabetes-inducing junk food sampler) looks for late-night dining deals in Las Vegas. NY Post
• Gross science: Mouth bacteria make some food, wine taste better. Reuters
• Tantra in Silver Lake closed for good? Eating L.A.
• "Bacon is the new black." In other news, "X is the new Y" cliché shows no signs of dying. Chicago Sun-Times
• Any excuse to drink before noon: Happy 56th birthday, Irish coffee! SF Gate
• Michigan library lets readers pay late fees with food. MLive.com
• Salt Lake City cafe lets customers pay what they want. They can’t turn a profit, but they could get all the library books they want ... from Michigan. Salt Lake Tribune
• Supplies dwindle at Ventura County food bank. Sadly, it's part of a larger national trend. Ventura County Star
• Another winner in the 2008 presidential election: carbo-loading, Hawaiian-style. NY Times
• Europe welcomes bent fruit, double entendres. news.com.au

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Sampler Platter: Jell-O, poutine, fugu & more

• Details about Muse, its casual counterpart Parq and the rooftop Conservatory Grill, the three eateries in Montage Beverly Hills, which is scheduled to open Nov. 17. Eater LA
• Lindsay Lohan's potential brother-in-law helps make Jell-O molds cool again?! DJ Mark Ronson quivers with delight. Times Online
• Blu LA cafe opens tomorrow in downtown in the Pacific Electric Lofts. Angelenic
• Canadians debate who invented poutine the way Angelenos debate who invented the French dip. The poutine issue may finally have an answer. Toronto Star
• Subtle changes in packaging means you spend the same amount of money for less food. LA Times
• Want water at McDonald's? You'll have to pay for a bottle. Consumerist
• A look at documentary "Food Fight," which screened this past weekend. Eating LA
• Jonathan Gold eats a Korean version of Japan's deadly blowfish (fugu) and thankfully doesn’t die. LA Weekly
• Even the Grim Reaper deserves a birthday cake. Cake Wrecks
• Blogging about Great Chefs of LA, a fund-raiser for the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California. Gourmet Pigs
• Enough cheese will make anything palatable, even Turnip Gratin. The Pioneer Woman Cooks
• Forget Comme des Garçons designing for H&M. This crocheted hamburger tube dress is all the rage. Joy Kampia via A Hamburger Today
• From the "path to hell is paved with good intentions" department: new regulations eliminate bake sales at many California schools. NY Times

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Peach sorbet in a bed of peach Jell-O. Credit: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times