2016-08-23
North London
BURGER
Burger & Beyond

Burger & Beyond is operated by a group of guys from the country, and they brought the meat right off the farm with them. Operating from a 1970 Citroen H Van at Camden Market and drawing inspiration from burger joints around the world, Burger & Beyond serves hand-pressed and cooked-to-order burgers, freshly ground from choice cuts of dry-aged beef. THE burger to order? The Cliff. Served on a brioche bun, a 90-day aged patty of chuck and brisket aged on the bone is topped with Monterrey Jack cheese, pancetta bacon, lettuce and tarragon mayo. This burger, masterful meaty happiness in a bun, is brought to you on a street festival, party level. It's the essence of what a burger should be. OK, you can start drooling now.

Tags: Beef, Bacon
 
2016-08-23
East London
BURGER
Lucky Chip Burgers and Wine

Burger aficionados agree Lucky Chip makes some of the greatest burgers in London. Originally operating from a van in Netil Market, which still serves hungry East Londoners every Saturday, they have established themselves in two other locations: The Sebright Arms in Hoxton and The Grafton pub in Kentish Town. Go for the classic, The John Travolta Royale wit Cheese, first mentioned in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” An aged beef patty with American cheese is layered with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, gherkins and Lucky Chip’s homemade burger sauce. The patty, cheese and sauce are perfectly matched. There’s no need to add anything else.

Tags: Cheese
 
2016-08-22
West Side
BREAKFAST
Lou Mitchell's

It may look like a hole-in-the-wall, but don’t let this iconic diner fool you. Mitchell's has been pleasing patrons since 1923, offering old-school food at its best. Politicians including Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and George Bush are known to pop in. Women and children are welcomed sweetly with free boxes of Milk Duds, and as soon as diners sit down, they are presented with a basket of piping hot doughnut holes. An extensive breakfast menu is available all day and meals are brought to the table steaming in the skillet. Recommended options include fried eggs, homemade Greek toast, hash browns and oatmeal. Dishes are usually large, so plan a post-breakfast nap. 

Tags: American
 
2016-08-22
Bristol
FRENCH
Bar Buvette

Bar Buvette is a French wine bar and traiteur run by Bristol couple Peter Taylor and Max Ososki, who spend the rest of their time running a small seasonal hotel in the Auvergne called Auberge de Chassignolles. Taylor opened the natural wine bar to pour organic, biodynamic and chemical-free wines and beers from small producers in France. These well-rounded wines are best accompanied by a simple cheese board or charcuterie platter, both of which find excellent form at Bar Buvette, or perhaps a toastie oozing with cheese and leeks. The chalkboard menu offers a number of other quintessentially French plat du jour, from celeriac remoulade, to gem lettuce with walnuts, lardon and soft-boiled egg, to a hearty coq au vin. 

Tags: Cheese
 
2016-08-22
Bristol
DESSERT
Swoon

Owners Pat and Bruno Forte, who trace their family's ice cream-making roots back 120 years to a village in the Abruzzi Mountains, opened their authentic gelato parlor on a prime spot on College Green with views of Bristol Cathedral. Swoon makes the ice cream on the premises in full view of customers and passersby on the other side of the glass-walled "gelato lab" at the front of the shop. Expect specialty flavors that include tiramisu, bacio (chocolate and hazelnut), Amarena cherry cheesecake and Crema della Nonna, a traditional Italian custard dessert, along with a regularly-changing seasonal flavor list. Other handmade treats include sorbetti, stecchi (sticks of gelato dipped in chocolate) and monoporzioni (small puddings), along with pastries from local bakeries and coffee from Extract.

Tags: Ice Cream
 
2016-08-22
Houston
BBQ
Killen's Barbecue

Chef Ronnie Killen, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, opened his smoke shack in 2015 in a former school cafeteria and began turning out mouthwatering brisket, peppery pork and beef ribs, homemade pork and beef sausages, and bone-in pork belly. While there's usually a line (get there early; Killen's only serves until the eats run out), you won't be disappointed, especially on weekends when your wait time includes a free cold brew. A ticket dispenser sits next to the door, and everyone in line is expected to take a number so you don’t stand in one spot for an hour or more waiting for the doors to open. Smoked in pecan, oak and mesquite woods, meat is served by the pound and on plate specials. Classic sides include peppery pinto beans, potato salad heavy on the mustard, creamy mac ‘n’ cheese, baked beans, coleslaw and the ultimate Southern comfort food, creamed corn. For dessert, don’t pass up the rich bread pudding made with croissants, banana pudding, pecan pie and seasonal cobblers. There are plenty of paper towels on hand to clean up. And iced tubes packed with beer are ready to help you wash it all down.  

Tags: Pork, Sausage
 
2016-08-22
Bristol
BAKERY
Pinkmans Bakery

Pinkmans Bakery will please everyone with its daily feast of quiches, sandwiches and hearty salads, as well as keenly-priced sourdough pizzas fresh from the wood-fired oven. Their deep acidic tang and elastic base give the very best sourdough pizzeria a run for their money. Pictured above, the Artichoke Pizza sings with tender, caramelized confit garlic, a pesto tomato sauce and bright, lemony wedges of artichoke, quietened by cooling clouds of ricotta. For pudding, try one of their decadent sour-dough-nuts bursting with seasonal fruit, custard and honeycomb.

Read The Blog Post: http://tinyurl.com/ju9rjr8 

Tags: Pizza
 
2016-08-22
Bristol
BRUNCH
Tradewind Espresso

Set on Whiteladies Road, this charming coffee shop offers superlative coffee and one of Bristol's best brunches. Opened by local roasters Roasted Rituals, Tradewind offers coffee aficionados the best seasonal blends and single origins on espresso, while food lovers are tempted by a menu that focuses on the freshest seasonal produce. Most items are made in-house, including cakes, nut milks, preserves, chutneys, pickles, smoked and cured fish and salt beef. Our top choices include the BLT with chili jam or the chorizo with charred corn salsa and coriander pesto, tumbled on a bed of avocado, egg and sourdough, pictured. Even humble porridge is elevated by seasonal compote, sweet Egyptian dukkah and bee pollen. Dessert fans will revel in the blood orange and almond cake, roasted rhubarb friands (“little cake” in French) and brownies.

Tags: Cafe
 
2016-08-19
Bristol
BREAKFAST
Katie and Kim's Kitchen

Keep an eye out for the blancmange-pink café on Picton Street in Montpelier, because there is very little signage. But one bite of Katie and Kim’s famous toasted cheddar and rosemary scones and you’ll be back for more. Served warm with optional add-ons of bacon, poached eggs and spinach, the scones are incredibly rich, buttery and crumbly, with a tangy undercurrent of cheese and a delicate whisper of rosemary. Combined with the salty bacon and perfectly cooked, oozing poached eggs, they make for a sublime breakfast experience. The inside of the café is small, with a huge communal table and a tiny kitchen at one end. Open for breakfast and lunch, the menu is short and sweet, with daily changing specials including sandwiches, soups and pastries. If it’s available for lunch, try the homemade bun filled with chorizo sausage, basil oil and aioli accompanied by a carrot salad with a date dressing.

Read The Blog Post: http://tinyurl.com/j2gc6tn

Tags: Bakery
 
2016-08-19
Bristol
BREAKFAST
Bakers & Co.

For excellent huevos rancheros and decadent cinnamon torrijos, the Spanish version of French toast, head to this relaxed cafe specializing in brunches, coffees and home-baked sourdough bread. Opened by Kieran and Imogen Waite on Gloucester Road in early 2014, Bakers and Co. is inspired by the pair’s travels in California and influenced by San Francisco’s brunch scene. The open kitchen is at the heart of the cafe, a layout that reflects the ethos of cooking and baking everything in-house. Diners can perch at the counter overlooking the chefs or squeeze onto tables that flank the kitchen and stretch back into a long, light corridor behind. Bright yellow coffee cups, hanging baskets and sunny artwork add touches of color. The eponymous Baker’s Breakfast, a tower of dry-cured bacon, fennel sausages, morcilla, thyme roasted mushrooms, pinto beans and fried duck egg, is always popular.  Yet the huevos rancheros commands an equally strong following. To this traditional tomato and chilli stew, the Bakers add pinto beans – cooked until just collapsing and turning creamy – and a hot salsa whose fire and freshness works well to cut through the richness of the fried eggs. A soft, warm corn tortilla is on hand to mop up any leftover yolk-streaked sauce.

Read The Blog Post: http://tinyurl.com/h9muqfk

Tags: Farm to Table