The Rake Magazine

What was once a kicky, quirky food magazine is now a kicky, quirky website. Chow was bought by the guys at CNet, about the same time they decided to re-work my favorite Chowhounds site. Now the two sites are working together to bring fun and un-stuffy food articles to eaters. With pieces on how to make your own snackie cakes, the rituals of absinthe, and a recipe for watermelon juice with fleur de sel, I like like love it.

The barn at Deer Lake Orchards.

Suddenly, the weekends belong to the apple orchards. They've figured out it's quite a business, luring familys with hot cider, mini-donuts, jumping goats and corn mazes. My cynical side bemoans the crowds and trampled fields and toddlers with farm cats in a love-strangle. But I am renewed when, during the wagon ride around the farm, I see pampered kids get mucky while learining about flax seed and amaranth and how corn goes from field to movie theater. If they can connect their caramel apples to a place where you can smell straw and see pink baby pigs, we're doing something right.

Afton Apple Orchards

Apple Jack Orchards

Applewood Orchard

Deardorff Orchards

Emma Krumbee's Orchard

There are more listed on the Apple Journal, including my personal favorite Fall Harvest Orchard in Delano where we get to feed the cows.

Dear Crappy Restaurants,

I know you probably don't care, but just in case you are having a moment of self-reflection, please go out and buy the current copy of FastCompany magazine.

The cover features the ragerific comedian Lewis Black, whom you should recognize as your typical customer: frustrated, agitated, walking away and screaming his story to everyone he meets.

The current issue announces their Customers First awards for 2006. Read about how the Mandarin Oriental Hotel does the simplest of things with the utmost class. Learn from the dudes at Burton Snowboards who hire people that care about the product and never stop learning. Study the brilliant people behind American Girl and how they read the customer, never underestimating their needs and desire, no matter how small. And don't you dare skip the section with Danny Meyer of Union Square Cafe in NYC. He's got a book coming out that should become the dogeared and underlined bible for all your managers.

It's not that hard, you could be brilliant, too.

xoxoxox
SM

here puppy, puppy

I'm surprisingly OK with the upscaling/gourmandizing/Starbucking of the hot dog.

Because once we get through lauding the foie dog, the salmon dog, the wasabi coated tuna dog, the kobe dog, the tofu dog or whatever they decide to come up with, there will be a backlash. All of a sudden classic hot dogs will be chic again. It's even possible that we may see a resurgence of the corner doggery, a stand or tiny joint that serves nothing but juicy, salty hot dogs and maybe a nice batch of fries.

Dig through your family collections, ladies and gentlemen. Pull the best dish from your repertoire and steel your nerves. You, yes you Betty Lou, could win fame and acclaim in the Great Mill City Farmers Market Taste-Off!

I know you are hiding a killer dish of some sort (scalloped potatoes? creamed corn? broasted chicken? Granny's hot-pot? Earl-grey smoked pheasant?) that others consider to be the end-all-beat-all culinary definition of YOU. Why not flaunt it, show it off?

This Saturday at 10:00am, show up at the Mill City Farmers Market with your masterpiece (enough for 12 samples) and its recipe. Sprightly food maven Sue Zelickson, lanky chef Brenda Langton, and other chefs, farmers, and eaters in general will judge the dishes and bestow great honors and bragging rights.

Winners will be featured in the first Mill City Farmers Market Cookbook. (Your mantra: I WILL be published. I WILL be published.) Top choices in each category might take home a gift certificate to a local restaurant, limited edition market tote bags, t-shirts, posters and other such spoils.

Categories are as follows:
Hors D'Oeuvres (also known in MN as "apps")
Salads
Soups
Main Dishes
One-Dish Meals (ooooh, a challenge. crock-pot anyone?)

Seriously, if my friend Danielle shows up with her Bourbon Brownies, the judges will be too drunk to taste anything else, so if you get a whiff of chocolatey-whiskeyliscious-goodness, elbow in front of her.

Call the good people at 612-341-7580 with questions.