Chef Brings Gourmet Food to Homeless

Charlie Trotter plans 'sabbatical' after 25 years

(NEWSER) - A Chicago landmark will soon be history. Legendary chef Charlie Trotter is closing his restaurant in August, after a quarter-century of service. It's not a financial matter: "We’ve always been profitable, that’s for sure," he tells the Sun-Times . But Trotter is ready "to put the flag in the sand" and achieve some non-culinary goals, including travel and a graduate degree in philosophy and political theory. More»

Fritos, Cheetos, and donuts, oh my!

(NEWSER) - Even a world-renowned chef sometimes needs a good old-fashioned cheeseburger. Daily Meal got a number of chefs as well as restaurateurs, food critics, and other VIPs in the food world, to admit to their secret food vices. A sampling:

• Mario Batali: "Three things: Really well-made ice cream; really well-made Mexican food—like chips and salsa; and raw shellfish. I could live for weeks on nothing but oysters."
• Bobby Flay: "A cheeseburger with two slices of American, potato chips, and chipotle ketchup." (Another chef even admitted to loving McDonald's cheeseburgers; a third said he likes burgers "if I'm drunk.")

Homeless population up 15% in year

(NEWSER) - The sound of waves crashing, spectacular views, white sand between your toes: Such is life for the hundreds of homeless flocking to Hawaii's shores, where the medical and dental care is free, and hey, you're not under a bridge in Detroit in January. With the homeless population up 15% over last year at a cost of $35,000 a head—and worries that tents on the beach will drive away tourists—the state is resorting to buying them one-way tickets to their home state. More»

From chicken knees to grub guts, someone considers them a delicacy

(NEWSER) - In an adventurous mood? You might want to try one of the world’s top 10 culinary challenges, compiled by Eddie Lin for the Times of London:

• Alligator cheesecake, New Orleans: Yes, real alligator, mixed with cheese and shrimp.
• Blood tongue, Germany: Exactly what it sounds like: Cow tongue and blood.
• Cow udder, Italy: Stewed or fried by the Tuscan poor, when prime cuts went to the rich.

From onion blossoms to overhyped chefs, these things need to go away

(NEWSER) - Asked to name the decade's worst dining trends, chefs and other food experts couldn't shut up. There were too many (including "mache, water sommeliers, organ-meat entrees, unisex bathrooms, bacon tattoos on chefs, over-flaunted kitchen burns, chefs tables") for Christopher Borrelli to list them all, but he hits the top 10 in the Chicago Tribune:

• Fried onion blossoms: Too sweaty, too greasy, too little onion, and too much fried stuff.
• The $40 entree: When your neighborhood bistro has hit these heights, it's time to say enough is enough.