Have you checked your freezer for potentially contaminated Trader Joe’s Chicken Soup Dumplings over the past few days? Have you taken time to properly mourn the loss of Philadelphia’s Dollar Dog Night? Are you aware of the existence of IHOPplebees restaurants? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” then read on for our top food news stories of the week.
Is your German grandmother’s favorite chocolate cake the one with pecan and coconut slathered on top? Do you assume it’s because she’s German? You might be wrong, my friend. There are many foods that we commonly associate with a certain culture, history, or health benefit, and in many cases, we were given bad intel. Read on to learn about the foods you might just be wrong about. - Lauren Harkawik Read More
IHOP and Applebee’s are both owned by the same parent company, Dine Brands Global. And though you probably don’t sit around wishing you could order a short stack alongside your Dollarita, you just might be able to sooner rather than later, because Dine Brands Global has quietly been rolling out prototype locations with both restaurant chains under the same roof. And if their current run of success is any indication, you might find one in your own backyard sometime in the future. - Dennis Lee Read More
Spring is rolling around and we’re looking forward to baseball season. There’s nothing like munching on a ballpark hot dog and washing it down with cold beer in the stands, and it’s even better when the dogs are cheap. But fans of the Philadelphia Phillies’ popular “dollar dog night” promo at Citizens Bank Park must kiss their best concessions deal goodbye this MLB season, thanks to a bunch of rowdy spectators last year who ruined things for everyone. - Dennis Lee Read More
In the grocery store world, food recalls are a common thing (better safe than sorry!), and Trader Joe’s isn’t immune to this phenomenon. This week, CJ Foods Manufacturing Beaumont Corporation, the company that produces Trader Joe’s popular soup dumplings, has issued a recall of 61,839 pounds of chicken soup dumplings that might be contaminated with foreign materials. - Dennis Lee Read More
Palm Springs, California is known for many things. The city is part showcase of midcentury modern architecture, part serene oasis full of hot springs and desert vistas, and part playground of the Rat Pack era—if you ask nicely at Melvyn’s, you can have your steak Diane prepared tableside at table 13, once reserved at all times for Frank Sinatra. But what’s easy to overlook in Palm Springs, and in the Coachella Valley at large (yes, that Coachella Valley), is the area’s long agricultural history. In fact, it’s famous for one particular product: dates. - Julie Tremaine Read More
Make some space on the grill, because there’s a new plant-based hot dog to satisfy vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike. Kraft Heinz, owner of the Oscar Mayer brand, has partnered with AI-powered food developer NotCo to create a line of new NotHotDogs and NotSausages, rolling out in spring 2024. - Dennis Lee Read More
The 96th Academy Awards premiere at 6 p.m. Central this Sunday, March 10, but if you want to score a free sandwich from Shake Shack, what really matters is when the ceremony ends. The Oscars are known for high fashion, celebrities’ memorable red carpet moments, and a notoriously long runtime, so Shake Shack is letting its upcoming free food giveaway to be determined by the length of this year’s broadcast. - Angela L. Pagán Read More
A bakery on Long Island is getting a lot of heat for allegedly supplying a local market with “vegan” “gluten-free” doughnuts that were neither GF nor vegan—these doughnuts, in fact, just might have been purchased at Dunkin’ and resold in different packaging. An alleged doughnut scam like this could have a lot of legal and health ramifications. - Laura Wheatman Hill Read More
Whether you think Daylight Saving Time is an unnecessary national ritual or a great way to soak in more sunny hours throughout the summer, that special day where the clocks spring forward is right around the corner: 2 a.m. this Sunday, March 10. To make up for one less hour of sleep, there are multiple chains offering free food and drinks to the weary. - Angela L. Pagán Read More
Lately I’ve been noticing air fryer recipes pop up on my Instagram feed promising perfectly seared steaks. It makes a certain kind of sense, given that an air fryer is really just a small, high-powered convection oven that circulates heat faster and more evenly because the food is suspended in a basket while cooking. Although the idea of potentially ruining a quality cut of beef was daunting, I had to test whether this really is the magical new method for cooking great steaks at home. - Ali Khan Read More
When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day cuisine, corned beef and cabbage has always taken center stage. But there’s no reason for cabbage to play second fiddle to a protein—in fact, for many chefs, the cruciferous vegetable now plays a starring role. From Paris to Oxford, Mississippi and many places in between, cabbage is being transformed into innovative entrees and sides. Even traditional uses of cabbage are being updated, as chefs show these leaves the respect they’ve long deserved. - Micheline Maynard Read More