Clean Out the Refrigerator Stew

Organics, Slow Food, and Local Eating: The March 12 edition of TIME magazine covers eating local, what they call better than organic. (Thanks to Scott Hutcheson for the pointer.)

Fighting the Good Fight in Indiana Wine: Jeff, over at the The Good Grape, talks about the battle a state-wide group -- Vinsense -- faces in promoting open out-of-state wine shipping for all consumers. But they have a good start. Helping consumers get wine directly, with or without the help of distributors, is a topic we know he's passionate about. More at The Good Grape.

Food of the Week: OK, Trader Joe's, it's official. You are evil! You are evil for putting those dark chocolate covered pretzels out there for me to buy. They should be illegal. At least my hips think they should be illegal. Maybe my hips should be illegal.

The Issue with Steakhouses: Frank Bruni at the NY Times has the same issue with steakhouses that many of us do here. While they may be popular, very few do everything well. Considering that two of the three worst dining experiences I've had in the past week involve steakhouses, I can't say I disagree. Service, drinks, steak, seafood? What are the trade-offs? Bruni from Diner's Journal.

Austin City Limits: Christine over at My Plate or Yours is just back from Austin where I'd argue she ate even better than her recent trip to Paris! Chilequiles (red and green), refried beans, and ... wait for it ... Shiner Bock ice cream?!!!! (My eyes just rolled back in my head for a minute.)

Hey, Dad, Can I Borrow the Car? Ruhlman's done it now! He's given Tony Bourdain his own password to the blog ensuring all of us can benefit from Bourdain's crazy, wonderful, and always spot on rants. If you weren't reading Michael Ruhlman's blog before (what, are you crazy?), then make sure you add it to your list now. And while your at it, read Ruhlman's interview and commentary on Grant Achatz and his take on molecular gastronomy.

Give 'em an Inch and They Take a Mile: And last but not least, PETA is upset with Al Gore. They've taken a break from setting up their Upper West Side office in NYC for the upcoming NY foie gras fight to criticize the country's best known environmentalist. Their issue? If Gore *really* cared about the environment, he'd stop eating meat. Hey, PETA, bite me. I'll be the one wearing a mink coat with a fork-full of foie gras in my mouth.