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Do You Care About a Restaurant's Health Inspection Rating?

YumSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:00:45 -0700

Like New York, Los Angeles, and most other major cities, San Francisco imposes a cleanliness grade on all dining establishments, and requires that these inspection scores are placed prominently where customers can view them (often in the front window). These ratings are meant to reflect how clean a restaurant's kitchen is and create incentives for a higher level of food safety. Are these marks important to you?

Yummy Links: From Canned Cool Whip to Homemade Cakes

partysugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:00:56 -0700

If you're too lazy to use a spoon to scoop cool whip from the tub, you're in luck! Kraft has just released their new canned cool whip. - Serious Eats
Food and Wine celebrates their 30th anniversary with a then and now look at the magazine. - Mouthing Off
Chicago chef and cancer survivor Grant Achatz discuss how he lost and found his ability to taste. - The New Yorker
A surprising look at the health inspections of certain celebrity chefs' kitchens. Violators include Gordon Ramsay and Emeril Lagasse.- Health Inspections via Barf Blog
Can you really make Nikki's whole roasted chicken and vegetables with ingredients from Whole Foods for under $10?- Karmic Kitchen
Learn how to properly take care of wooden cooking utensils. - The Kitchn
The best way to sample a chef's food is by ordering a bunch of appetizers - it cuts calories and cost! -The Wall Street Journal
Do you remember every cake you've ever made? - New York Times

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Yucky Link: Serendipity 3 Closes Down Due to Rodents

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:27:33 -0800

If you were planning on saving up for the $25,000 Frrrozen Haute Chocolate, you may want to reconsider. The popular New York eatery Serendipity 3 has closed down due to rodents, fruit flies, and cockroaches. - Yahoo News

Federal Government Outlines Tighter Food Safety Guidelines

YumSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:00:33 -0700

Enough is enough, the White House has declared: Yesterday, a food safety working group established by Barack Obama announced new standards in the production of foods such as eggs, poultry, beef, leafy greens, melons, and tomatoes.

In the last year, members of virtually every food group - from spinach, jalapeños, milk, and peanut butter to cookie dough, beef, and now dry milk - have been recalled due to possible salmonella or E. coli contamination. With a series of new rules, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are hoping to prevent as many further food safety issues as possible. Find out what the guidelines are when you read more

Obama: "We Are Strengthening Our Food Safety System"

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:30:29 -0700

Since taking office, President Obama has wasted no time addressing the food safety concerns that have been on the minds of many American consumers. Not only does the long-awaited COOL food labeling law finally take effect today, but over the weekend the president vowed to improve public health under his administration. In addition to introducing two new FDA commissioners, he also announced a plan of action to drastically improve food safety in America.

First, the president, who called the current state of government inspections "unacceptable" and "a hazard to public health," formed a new Food Safety Working Group. The special FDA task force will focus on reviewing, updating, and enforcing food safety laws, which he declared "have not been updated since they were written in the time of Teddy Roosevelt."

The FDA improvements will entail more cash - one billion dollars, to be specific. Obama described the FDA as "underfunded and understaffed" and said the government will increase the number of food inspectors and modernize food safety labs. Additionally, the US Agriculture Department will be taking further action to prevent diseased cows from entering the food supply: "Downer cattle" - those that cannot walk - will be banned from slaughter. The president closed by saying:

"Food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your President, but as a parent. Protecting the safety of our food and drugs is one of the most fundamental responsibilities government has, and, with the outstanding team I am announcing today, it is a responsibility that I intend to uphold in the months and years to come."

Given the issues with contamination in spinach, jalapeños, milk, and peanut butter in the past year, I think Obama made a smart decision to address food safety concerns so early in his administration. Do you think these measures will be enough to keep consumers safe?

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What Would You Do?

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:00:36 -0700

We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's today's scenario:

You've just moved into a new neighborhood, and the friendly family next door stops by to say hi. They happen to own a nearby restaurant that you've been curious about and wanting to try. The hang-up? They invite you over, and it turns out their house is disorganized, dirty, and ill kept - which leaves you questioning the restaurant's cleanliness and health standards. As you leave, the family encourages you to come to the restaurant sometime for a meal. What would you do?

To find out what I would do in this scenario - it happened to a friend! - read more.

Because they're such nice neighbors, I'd go to the restaurant to make nice. I would avoid ordering anything raw (like oysters), instead opting for a small dish and a drink. I'd choose something that's popular on the menu, as the food is more likely to be fresh and routinely prepared. And I'd definitely take a look at the health inspection scorecard on my way out!

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Would You Eat At Kitchen Nightmares' Purnima?

partysugar — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:05:18 -0700

After watching last night's episode of Kitchen Nightmares, I started to wonder just how many functioning restaurant's kitchens are filled with rodents, bugs, and rotting food. How on earth did Dillions/Purnima pass the health inspection? No wonder the case against Ramsay was dropped, Martin the manager was a total hag. Even after the changes I'm still not sure if I would want to dine there. How about you? What did you think of last night's episode? Would you eat at Purnima?

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