Today at the Television Critics Association's convention in Los Angeles, the people behind Top Chef revealed a new TC branded product, wine. The collection, which was created in partnership with Rutherford Hill winery, is expected to be released soon, but won't make its debut on the show this season. Molly and BuzzSugar were lucky enough to taste the wine last night. According to Molly, the Cabernet Sauvignon is smooth, very easy to drink, and slightly spicy. Padma Lakshmi hosted the Vegas season launch luncheon and the quickfire that followed the meal earlier today.

The challenge pitted three of the upcoming Top Chef Las Vegas cheftestants against accomplished competitors Fabio Viviani, Antonia Lofaso, and Ryan Scott. With so many Top Chef products — from knives to t-shirts to a cookbook — the introduction of a wine is not surprising. After all, if the Food Network's Iron Chef can have its own wine label, why not market one for TC? Are you interested in tasting this wine?

When Frank Bruni announced he'd be stepping down as the New York Times's restaurant critic, readers were left with a pressing question: Who will step up to the dinner plate? The food world waited collectively with bated breath until the answer was announced today: Sam Sifton, the paper's current Culture editor, will begin reviewing in October.

The blogosphere wasted no time compiling critical stats on Sifton, and Gawker has already come up with a slew of potential dining guises for him. One thing's for sure: The role of restaurant critic is evolving. Even execs at the Times admit critics don't wield the power that they used to, and with photos of him already abundant on the web, dining incognito will be virtually impossible.

Sifton may be new to the position, but he's no novice — in fact, he was rumored to have turned down the job once before. In addition to being the culture editor at the Times, he's contributed to the $25 and Under column, reviewed restaurants before Bruni's arrival, and even served as Dining editor. In last month's New York Times Magazine, he detailed making meatloaf for Nora Ephron. What do you think of the news? At a time when media is evolving so rapidly, does the role of restaurant critic still have a place in the food world?

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I love both tuna and chicken salad, but I don't like any sweet stuff encroaching on tuna. Chicken salad, on the other hand, is well-served by fruit and nuts. One of my favorite recipes is this curry-flavored version made with red grapes, green onions, and walnuts, which combine to make an exciting and exotic filling for Middle Eastern-style flatbreads or pita.Better yet, this chicken salad is actually healthy: it's made with nonfat yogurt and lowfat mayonnaise. With so many intense flavors, you won't miss the full-fat mayo. Though I forgot the lettuce the first go-round, I added it the second time I made these, and it provides a nice bit of texture. Check out more photos and get the recipe.

• American farmers are struggling to transfer the success of the Chinese goji berry to the West. — Los Angeles Times
• Mark Bittman on the trials and tribulations of frying squid. — New York Times
• The US government may impose regulations on caffeinated alcoholic drinks. — Wall Street Journal
• One West Coast startup's developed a new tracing system in response to food safety scares. — San Francisco Chronicle
• While wine's been aiming for a plebian angle, beer's gone decidedly upscale. — Washington Post
• A sneak peek at Julie Powell's upcoming book, Cleaving. — The Observer
• The Globe's test kitchen takes a stab at Julia's masterpieces, and finds out they're not so easy to master. — Boston Globe

There's something so satisfying about the combination of briny, salty seafood and hearty, juicy meat. While this marriage — surf and turf — is nothing new, it gets cleverly updated in this simple recipe. The shrimp is tossed in a mixture of garlic, chile powder, and caraway seeds. Although caraway seeds aren't the first ingredient that comes to mind when making a quick marinade for shrimp, they enhance the flavor of the shrimp to better complement the chorizo. When grocery shopping for this dish, look for large shrimp, otherwise they won't fit around the chorizo slices. If you can't find chorizo, substitute linguiça or another spicy, robust sausage. To throw these babies on the barbie, get the recipe and read more