FoodLink Roundup: 09.8.08

Last week, Cupcake was checking out the annual International Pickle Festival on the Lower East Side in NYC. (If you're local, check it out next weekend!) Where in the world is Cupcake this week? Post a guess in the comments.

Where whale steak goes well with greens
Save the whales? They're saving them for dinner.

Will Cupcakes Be the Next Krispy Kreme?
I just love the term "cupcake backlash."

Harissa, mon amour
"This is an ode to harissa. It's replaced my ketchup, my salsa picante, even (gasp) my Louisiana hot sauce." I could not agree more. Harissa rules.

Budget Brown Bag
The SanFran Gate gets some flack for their high-falutin' recipe ideas in the comments: "Nobody has both a tight budget AND so much leisure time as to make a child's lunch using 10-20 ingredients."

20 fabulous European food festivals
The Guardian tells you where to go... Pizzafest!

New food links — and a new postcard from Cupcake — every Monday morning on missginsu.com

Quick Bites: HerringFest

I'm now officially in love with the herring. A trip last week to Grand Central Oyster Bar's Herring Festival struck me smitten with the briny, oily flesh of these little guys.

You see the split display with chives, egg and radish above, but my favorite item was the apple, beet, sour cream, dill pickle and herring salad off the appetizer menu. A gorgeous balance of sweet, salty, creamy, fatty and sour. Brilliant.

The herring run occurs in the late spring, and there's mere days left in the fest, so if you're herring-inclined, don't delay...

Ladies & Gentlemen, the BBQ will be televised...

Oh yes, my friends... it's that time of year again.

Here's my tips for surviving the 3rd annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party in NYC this weekend.


The Susquehanna Tool & Die Company sweat in their costumes before hitting the stage.


Don McLemore (Big Bob Gibson's grandson) slings smoky piles of pig at their mobile pit. McLemore, his wife, Caroline, and their son-in-law, Chris Lilly, have braved this madhouse event three years running.


Eleven Madison provides chocolate-chocolate cupcakes with cow and pig sprinkles.


Early attendees scarf down swine samples on the wing.

1. Show up before it begins at noon. By the time the dinner bell rings, you'd better be in line. With cash. (There's always that $100 Bubba Fast Pass for those who have money to burn, of course... and if you happen to know any of those people, please be a doll and send 'em my way.)

2. If you'd like to sample multiple 'cues (seize the day, people!), divide and conquer. Send someone out to each pit you want to taste. Have 'em buy multiple boxes.

3. Bring your own bottle of soda or water (or, hey! lemonade!) in your bag. No sense in paying a premium price and then having to carry it around. You'll need your hands for barbeque.

4. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen.

5. Bring a blanket and stake out a spot in the shade on the lawn. From there, you can listen to music, revel in your superior attack plan and pity all the poor, sweaty masses queued up for 'cue.

Happy Eating!