Frank Bruni

• Adventurous eater Andrew Zimmern discusses his past as a drug addict. — Eater
• Must make: In-N-Out's animal-style burger. — Serious Eats
• 10 reasons why genetically engineered foods should be labeled. — Huffington Post Food
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• The story behind Chocomize, the customizable chocolate company created by a couple of 23-year-olds . — Eatocracy
• What to do when your waiter hates you. — Chow
• Kitchen yoga: food for body and soul. — The Epi-Log
• Five fun quotes from Frank Bruni. — Inside Scoop SF
• Barbara Fairchild, the editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit, talks about the magazine, the future of print, and more. — Feast NY

• Why it's important to stock your pantry with pasta. — The Epi-Log
• Watch a preview of Guy Fieri's upcoming NBC game show. — Eater
• Here are 10 ways to photograph food. — Chow
• Frank Bruni reminds us that the famed El Bulli is hardly a restaurant where anyone can dine. — Diner's Journal
• Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert are getting their own radio show. — Grub Street NY
• What is the future of food journalism? — The Faster Times
• Learn how to make clarified butter. — Serious Eats

• Five German beers worth trying. — The Atlantic
• Do you live in Miami or Portland? Get excited because Eater has expanded to those cities. — Eater
• Frank Bruni's memoir Born Round may be turned into a television show. — Grub Street NY
• Learn what Josh Ozersky will be up to now that he has bid the Feedbag adieu. — The Feedbag
• Scripps Networks has acquired the Travel Channel, meaning that the Food Network is back in bed with Anthony Bourdain. — Eat Me Daily
• Must make: creamy corn soup with roasted poblano chili. — Serious Eats
• Everything you need to know about stuffing. — The Epi-Log
• How to stay healthy during the holidays. — Chow

Source: Flickr User Maggie Hoffman

• If you love burgers, you'll enjoy this guide to hamburger and cheeseburger styles. — A Hamburger Today
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• Would you give your daughter Duff Goldman's Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery set? — Eat Me Daily
• Use late harvest tomatoes to make a stunning herbed tart. — Saveur
• David Chang's famed eatery, Momofuku Ko, has raised its prices, again. — Eater
• What does a food critic do after retiring? He eats roast chicken. — The Atlantic
• Is lamb the new pork? — Grub Street
• An ode to American cheese.— Gourmet

Source: Flickr User fj40troutbum

• Tom Colicchio is now starring in an American Express commercial. — Eat Me Daily
• One writer's search for the perfect wok. — Serious Eats
• Must make: grilled chocolate sandwich — Chow
• Love Frank Bruni? Now you can make his mother's pesto recipe. — Mouthing Off
• Would you eat this pizza in a cone? — Grub Street
• Get excited for football season by stocking up on the latest tailgating gear. — The Epi-Log
• David Chang's Momofuki Milk Bar is now selling flavored milk to go. — Eater

People say you really get to know someone when traveling with them or living with them. To that I would add — and when you go out to eat with them.

New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni would agree. He recently wrote about the odd quirks and desires people bring to the dinner table. Whether your quirks are about sharing food, hoarding food, being picky, or pretending to make a big show of eating when you've left most of the food you started with on your plate — it seems that your relationship to eating, especially when you eat out, can be a key to your personality. "People are as strange about eating as they are about love," he says. "They want what they want."

I have to say — I’m definitely a hoarder type. I hope this doesn’t mean I’m a selfish person in other ways, but I’m not big on family-style eating. One of my biggest pleasures is going to a restaurant, poring over the menu, and after an anguished process of elimination I take dead seriously (salad or soup? steak or risotto?), I settle in and hope I chose well. (But yes — you can have a bite!) I'm a sharer when it comes to bills, however. Folks who pull out the calculator (mentally or literally) drive me bananas. And don't get me started on people who are rude to wait staff or cheap tippers!

What are your quirks when eating out?

• Learn how to make the perfect lamb burger. — Saveur
• A conversation between Adam Platt and Frank Bruni. — Grub Street
• The future of fish farming has arrived. — Eat Me Daily
• Make French food in a flash with this easy lamb chop recipe. — Serious Eats
• What to do if you bust your friend’s china. — Chow
• At your next party serve finger food in homemade paper cones. — Hostess With the Mostess
• Jen Zevala talks about being the first contestant kicked off of Top Chef.— The Feedbag
• Celebrate National Lemonade Day with 10 spiked lemonade cocktails. — The Epi-Log

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?

Source

• Twilight cake! What vampires and ice cream have in common. — Videogum
• Frank Bruni's visage is revealed, and here are his lookalikes. — Eat Me Daily
• Could Pepto-Bismol ice cream be the cure for your hangover? — blogjam
• Saveur unveils a lovely site redesign. — Saveur
• Expert-in-residence Mark Bittman answers readers' cooking inquiries. — Chowhound
• Getting to know Anita Lo of Top Chef Masters. — Grub Street
• In praise of the most unappreciated kitchen tool. — Epicurious
• Live coverage of the Julie & Julia premiere afterparty. — The Feedbag
• Is that really a burger filled with Cool Whip? — Serious Eats

• Before she was the hostess of Top Chef, Padma starred as an alien princess on Star Trek. — Eat Me Daily
• Is Thomas Keller opening another restaurant in New York City? — The Feedbag
• Learn how to make kimbap. — Serious Eats
• The nation's top restaurant critics reveal their favorite burger joints. — Epicurious
• A menu of no-cook recipes for the hottest days. — Chow
• Wondering who will replace Frank Bruni. — Eater