He also knows a fine sandwich when he tastes one. And he has a blog to prove it.

Introducing SNDWCHD, a sandwich blog by San Francisco food and drink professional Tom Baker.

Sugar 1, HFCS 0, at least for the moment

…and linked to this article, also by Nestlé, on a court battle going on between two trade groups — the Sugar Association and the Corn Refiners.

It was tempting, going in to the article, even given the cautious optimism of the tweet, to pick a side and root for the “good guys” — the Sugar Association — but the article reveals two things.

One: the tendency toward ambiguity made possible when the most you have available to express and attract a click-through is 140 characters…

…and two: the reinforcement that siding with one business over another is often foolish at best, dangerous at worst.

The sugar association is not fighting for our health. It’s fighting for money and market-share. It’s acting in its own self-interest. We should do the same by continuing to check labels and buy with our values. That way, no matter how this sugar battle turns out, we win.

First things first: I haven’t even tried this thing yet. I was so excited, though, at the prospect of a tea and bourbon based cocktail I just couldn’t help myself.

I received a text from a friend of mine with an image of a page torn from the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine.

“Damn, that looks tasty!”, were my exact words.

Here’s the recipe (from Food & Wine Magazine):

Ingredients

• Ice
• 1/2 cup cold brewed Darjeeling tea
• 3 ounces bourbon
• 3/4 ounce simple syrup (see Note)
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• Lemon twist, for garnish

Preparation

1. In an ice-filled shaker, combine the tea, bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice and salt. Shake well.

2. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass, garnish with the lemon twist and serve.

It’s not just the use of tea that’s intriguing about this drink but also the addition of salt. Salt and tequila? Done it. Salt and cheap Mexican beer? Mm-hmm. But salt and Bourbon? … never even heard of it. Like I said: intrigued.

We moved to L.A. recently and we just found a permanent place to call home in Pasadena. This will be our inaugural drink in our new abode.

Stay tuned for a sip-by-sip…

Build over ice. Stir gently with a pen, crayon, finger or any other stick-shaped object. Garnish with tears.

— American Drink, “Back to School Special”

“Here’s what to do when the closest mixer is a juice box.” Via Daring Fireball

$5 Tips and Tricks and Challenges.

Slow Food USA has a continuing challenge set up that encourages people to prepare a healthy, wholesome meal for $5 or less per serving. The idea is to prove that good food doesn’t need to be more expensive than fast food.

The above link points to the program’s associated Tumblr site where people are able to offer (a-hem) tips and tricks on how and what they prepared for their contribution to the challenge.

Alton Brown makes one of the last quality shows on the Food Network. Good Eats marks the spot in every person’s kitchen where science and the food we bring into it meet. And “meet” is too tame a word, because in Good Eats, food and science don’t simply “meet”, they get down and party.

Alton Brown has never once failed to convey the utmost passion and enthusiasm for the vast array of knowledge he’s dropped on Good Eats. The show’s authentic approach to food science is lifted and juxtaposed by a cast of semi-regular quirky characters, its witty, literate dialogue and consistently exacting production values. If Jim Henson had produced a cooking show, it might have looked something like Good Eats and that, my friends is a compliment.

Alton Brown is the science teacher I wish that I’d had in high school and the cooking teacher I wish that I’d had in junior college. He’s a famous someone that I’d like to sit down and have a conversation with (I figure we’d eat as well). I’d like to think that I would go in a little star-struck and come out smarter and better informed.

He’s never dumbed a subject down but at the same time he’s never pandered to his audience. The show has always been an exuberent and fascinating education. I’m sad that it’s over but I’m happy the show, and its creator and host, go out with nothing to be sorry for.

Alton Brown, you and your show will be greatly missed. It is with a mix of fondness and sadness that I say thank you and farewell.

Dinner at home with the Grandparents, who we are staying with until we save enough money to get a place of our own. My fiancé and I moved to Los Angeles about a month ago for her job.

Meals here are from scratch, unpretentious and delicious. Tonight, penne tossed with fresh mozzarella, basil and sautéd cherry tomatoes.

I think we’re getting spoiled.

My long night of envy can end…

The Coolhaus ice cream sandwhich truck. Choose your ice cream, choose your cookie. I.M. Pei-nut-butter ice cream with a potato chip & Skor bar cookie.

At Carmela in Pasadena, CA. Some of the most finely wrought ice cream and sorbet flavors I’ve found anywhere.

Aaaaand we’re back… to Carmela, of course.

Salted caramel: incredible. Mellow yet rich. Juuust on the border between salty and sweet. Better than my up-‘till-now favorite from San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Creamery (yes, my SF Bay peeps, I’m afraid it’s true).

Intelligentsia Coffee: another beautifully crafted classic and another example of what appears to be a Carmela signature.

I’m sure there’s a ton of sugar in these flavors — it’s ice cream, after all — but none of the flavors are cloying. Balance. That’s the word. The flavors are gelato intense, the texture is ice cream soft.

And there are more flavors to try…