gourmet dining news stories on Newser

Forget Kibble: Today's Pets Eat Gourmet

Matt Cantor — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:03:05 CST

At least one demographic isn't feeling the burn of a tough economy: pets. Instead of cutting back, dogs and cats are living large—at least when it comes to fine dining. Pet food companies are offering meals fit for a king, such as egg soufflé for cats; a lobster consommé...

11 Toughest Restaurants to Get Into

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:05 CST

If you fancy yourself a gastronome, you have surely heard of these celebrated restaurants where masters engage in the high art of cooking. But getting into them is another thing entirely. Eater.com has compiled a list of 11 restaurants around the world where it is virtually impossible to snag...

Hipster Foodies Turn to Food Stamps

Harry Kimball — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:55:00 CDT

Food stamps are for the poor, no matter if you’re a single mother or a destitute hipster. Salon checks in on the growing number of young, unemployed, college-educated foodies who qualify for stamps and use them for organic delicacies along with staples. One UChicago grad says he “used to think...

Chefs Fly High With Gourmet Pot

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:34:48 CST

Potheads no longer have to inhale their drug or gobble pot brownies—they can eat it oh-so-properly with a fork and knife, thanks to the growing number of marijuana-laced gourmet goodies. Ganja Gourmet serves cannabis-infused specialties such as pizza, hummus, and lasagna in one medical marijuana dispensary in Denver, and...

Trend Alert: Gourmet Pizza Heats Up

Matt Cantor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:59:17 CDT

In recent years, a new culture has developed around pizza: “It’s scrutinized and fetishized, with a Palin-esque power to polarize,” writes Frank Bruni in the New York Times . That means debates over oven types, varieties of flour, the virtues of buffalo mozzarella. The new “stratosphere of respect” for the pies...

Haute Cuisine Hides Out in Uruguay

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:18:48 CDT

Nine hours in a plane from Miami, 125 miles through the Uruguay countryside, and 15 minutes down dirt roads will bring you to the ritzy restaurant Garzón, where a plate of ravioli will set you back $48. Garzón, in the village of the same name, is Argentinian celebrity chef Francis...

Sagging Economy Is Bitter Dish for Restaurateurs

Clay Dillow — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:55:01 CST

Lean times are perhaps leanest in the restaurant business, and fine-dining establishments are bracing for a particularly tough year while improvising strategies to remain afloat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sales, $7 billion last year, are expected to plummet 12-15%; the industry could shed 12,000-18,000 restaurants, a 2-3%...

20 Best New Places to Dine

Michael Roston — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:13:48 CDT

After surveying restaurants across the US, Esquire gave the country props for its chops, proclaiming "the emergence of American cooking as the most diverse and most innovative in the world." It highlighted 20 favorite new restaurants of the year: L20 (Chicago): Overlook its Midwest locale; this place serves the best...

Snail Prices Shell-Shock French

Kate Rockwood — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:12:27 CDT

The French may soon be shelling out big bucks for the 14,000 tons of snails it consumes annually. Most actually originate in Eastern Europe, where growing economic development means rural families aren’t as willing to take up the demanding task of snail-gathering without better wages. And that, reports the...