Beer Belt: The timesaver you've been looking for?

Ah, Memorial Day: a long weekend perfect for hanging out in the backyard and catching up with old friends.

And who wants to miss a minute of the action by going back and forth to that pesky cooler? Urban Outfitters literally puts the hip in hipster with this balancing act of a solution: the Beer Belt. The plastic holders mean you can strap in and sling back a six-pack while slinging burgers at the grill.

Aside from the serious repercussions of too much alcohol intake, we also have to point out that there's no cooler. In this climate, you'd have to drink fast in order to keep your PBR nice and chilled.

Want to belly up to this belt? It's yours for $18 at UrbanOutfitters.com. Don't want to get on the belt-wagon? The Image section has a list of much tamer barbecue attire essentials.

-- Whitney Friedlander

The Food section's Beer of the Month: Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager

Weekly obsessions: Memorial Day clothing essentials

Join us on Twitter @LATimesFood

Photo credit: Urban Outfitters

Submit your #filmfoodeating titles to Twitter

Who doesn't like a snack or two while watching a flick? Well, the Twittersphere has taken it one step further. Folks are reworking movie titles to mention some yummy treats. (Like porn, but chances are they're more PG). Here are some of our favorites. Tweet back yours or leave your answers in the comments section.

@ChieferMadness The Empire Strikes Baklava

@lesault The Frying Game

@mmechevrolet The Unbearable Lightness Of Beaten Egg White

@Hedonia Oyster's Eleven; There Will Be Blood Sausage; The Unbearable Rightness of Eating

@mzlizzle Transfatamerica

@mrs_recipe You, Me and Slurpee

Click here for Twitter's list of food-movie titles.

-- Whitney Friedlander

Photo: "The Empire Strikes Back." Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Sorry makeover artists, Mario Batali's not parting with those orange Crocs

Chefs spend hours in the kitchen, sweating over a hot stove for your feast. Do they really care what they look like back there? Mario Batali sure doesn't. He'll even tout his famous jailhouse orange Crocs around town.

On Tuesday night at the Can-Do Awards, which benefit the Food Bank for New York City, the Iron Chef told Fashion Week Daily to step off. Fashionable or not, he's gonna rock those trademark Crocs:

"Crocs are my signature, and I take a beating on your blogs about it! All fashion blogs think these shoes are the ultimate problem. I wear them because they’re the most comfortable thing and I don’t give a .... about fashion. I like fashion on other people.”

Turns out whether he cares about it or not, Mario's a fashion trendsetter. Orange was all the rage at the fall 2009 New York Fashion Week men's shows.

-- Whitney Friedlander

Join us on Twitter @LATimesFood

Photo: Chef Mario Batali attends the sixth-annual Can-Do Awards dinner and auction hosted by the Food Bank for New York City. Credit: Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images

Veggie Tales: Cloris Leachman's PETA ad

Mom and Dad always said to eat your vegetables. But what about wearing them?

Cloris Leachman is one of the latest celebrities to pose for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' advertisements. PETA has made a name for itself with stars that go au naturel, and Leachman's promo could use some dressing as well -- salad dressing. The vegetarian actress' gown is made almost entirely of red cabbage.

According to Adam Tschorn at The Times' All the Rage blog, "the gown was the creation of L.A.-based costume designer Mia Gyzander --  who had tossed the salad worn by [actress Alyssa] Milano a few years back -- and required several dozen heads of red cabbage and green leaf lettuce. The bodice was assembled over the course of a week."

-- Whitney Friedlander

RELATED:

Photo Gallery of PETA's past celebrity ad campaigns

Photo Gallery: Some celebs will even wear their birthday suits for a good cause

Follow us on Twitter @LATimesFood

Photo: Cloris Leachman's PETA ad. Credit: PETA

What does one wear to royal tea?

While jeans and T's might fly at Royal/T -- the cafe and art space in Culver City influenced by Tokyo's cosplay where waitresses are known for their French maid attire -- royal tea with the Queen of England might require a nicer dress code -- but not too nice. You don't want to outshine Her Magesty.

As L.A. Times fashion critic Booth Moore pointed out, Michelle and Barack Obama visited Queen Elizabeth II today during their visit for the G-20 environmental summit. She adds:

"First Lady Michelle Obama arrived for tea at Buckingham Palace ... dressed conservatively in a black cardigan, [and a white and black Isabel Toledo dress] that appeared to have a tulle overlay. She was also wearing her trademark pearls, with her hair half-up, half-down. Because this was not an official state visit, the meeting with the queen was considered informal."

For more on Michelle Obama's fashions, check out the L.A. Times Image section's All the Rage blog.

-- Whitney Friedlander

Photo: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Credit: John Stillwell / Associated Press

How sinful is that breadstick? Olive Garden, Red Lobster put nutritional info online

Is it better to eat through life knowing how (or how not) fattening your dinner is? Now's the chance to find out. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster, among others, now lists its restaurant menus'  nutritional information online.

While Kim Hays at the Sentinel seems to be happy that Darden has outed itself, I can't help feeling like the Muppet Grover in the children's tale "The Monster at the End of This Book" -- I know this stuff is bad for me, but do I want to know how bad? And I know I'm going to have to look eventually.

Hays did spoil a bit of the surprise, stating "an Olive Garden breadstick and a Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit are 150 calories each."

What about you? If you've got the nerve to look, are these calories more or less what you expected? Do you wish more restaurants would post nutritional information on their websites or on their menus in the restaurants?

-- Whitney Friedlander

Photo: Olive Garden's Tuscan garlic chicken, which has 1,020 calories. PR News Foto / Olive Garden

A taste of Susan Feniger's Street

Chef Susan Feniger, half of the Too Hot Tamales duo responsible for restaurants Border Grill and Ciudad and countless Food Network appearances, will step into her own spotlight Monday when her long-awaited Street restaurant debuts in the former Highland Grounds spot.

Located on Highland, a bit north of Nancy Silverton's Mozzas on the Melrose intersection, Street concentrates on the formula that worked for Feniger's other restaurants -- an upscale take on cultural cuisine. Sticking mostly to Asian-inspired street food dishes, the dinner menu is broken down into small plates meant for sharing, then noodles, stews and curry dishes. There are also entrees made in the wood-burning oven. After Monday's dinner opening, the restaurant will serve lunch and Sunday brunch (the former probably being a welcome treat to the workers at the nearby row of production houses as well as nearby residents).

This past Saturday, Feniger and her Street staff hosted a sampling party. Those in attendance included comedian Will Ferrell. (Diners in the interior courtyard had an only-in-L.A. experience as an LAPD helicopter hovered nearby as it searched the adjacent neighborhood for someone or something.)

Keep reading below as we share a taste of what's on the menu at Street.

Cracking a smile over Cadbury Creme Egg video

Easter is nearing. And it's time Peep Jousting wasn't the only food/time killer associated with the holiday. Joseph Herscher has stepped up to the plate with this elaborate maze akin to the board game Mouse Trap, set to take down the unlucky Cadbury Creme Egg that got caught in his clutches. (And to show that we have no bias, we include a YouTube video of Peep Jousting after the jump.)