and speaking of fondue...

fx of fxcuisine, apple of my eye, posted a gorgeous account of his own fondue adventure. when it comes to fondue, you can trust the word of a true swissman (bonus points for other yummies, like french pressed swiss coffee, gingerbread and panettone, and for the action sequence of luging down the alps).

a definite fon-DO

i don't generally read Vogue - not for any reason in particular, or maybe because it has too many words, or because i can't identify with people who think $500 face cream is a worthwhile investment - but i happened to have a copy of the February 2008 issue lying around, and i was bored, so i decided to flip through it. and, man, am i glad i did. if you happen to have a copy of this (admittedly out-of-date, sorry, i know i'm behind the times) issue within arm's reach, crack it open to page 265.

you're welcome.

for those of you who aren't staring at a droolworthy beauty shot of emmentaler right now - and Jeffrey Steingarten's accompanying (borderline pornographic) piece devoted to fondue - i'm sorry. you are majorly missing out. on the upside, there's no reason you can't whip up a pot of the good stuff at home. happily, cheese fondue seems to be experiencing some kind of long-overdue renaissance, as evidenced by Melissa Clark's January 23rd piece devoted to the topic in the New York Times. if you haven't already read it, do yourself a favor.

back to Jeffrey Steingarten. in the article, he claims to have posted his recipes here and here; so far, however, i haven't had much luck pinning them down. it is still worth checking out his two sites for the wealth of other yumminess they provide. and if you're in the new york area any time soon, swing by Tom Colicchio's craftbar by union square and try the "warm pecorino fondue with acacia honey, hazelnuts and pepperoncini". yes, that's right. a few of your favorite things. i had the incredibly good luck to try this dish last month with my friend molly and i can tell you that it is ramekin-lickin' good.

if you're just itching to read more about this delicious new old trend, gourmetsleuth provides a fun, comprehensive guide that's a great starting point. if you can perfect your craft in time, take it on over to the Fondue Takedown at the slipper room next week and win yourself a cool $50. we'll see you there.

one is the loneliest number

fyi, our faithful readers, my partner in crime left us this morning for the glitz and glamour of Tokyo. she will return (and, i hope, share all the dirty details of savory seafood and perfectly prepped noodles) in two weeks, at which point we'll tell you all about last night's super-amazing dinner at the always super-amazing jimmy's no. 43.

have coupon, won't starve

i'm a scientist. so, you can trust me when i say this. it is one of the fundamental laws of nature that when one is broke, and one receives coupons from Subway in the mail for dirt-cheap sandwiches, even if one is not a sandwich person, one will eat the aforementioned sandwiches, and like them.

yes, it's true. i generally don't like sandwiches. this will surely come up again, but i think it's something we need to address right off the bat. people usually think this is a silly position, but i think that a sandwich is only as good as its contents, and so why not just eat what's on the inside, and eat more of it, and not clutter it up with all that bread? (i'm also not a bread person, but that's a more complicated stance that we'll discuss another time).

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, this coupon was for a 6-inch sub for $1.99 with the purchase of a 32-oz drink. THIRTY TWO OUNCES. DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH SODA THAT IS?! i do now. the only really noteworthy point i have to make is that i found it hilarious that i ate my sub on the subway. i think alanis morisette's songwriters need to hear about this.

julie's rules for ordering at Subway:

1. order whatever type of sub you like on any kind of bread. this makes little to no difference.
2. order cheese, even though it's not good.
3. have them toast your sub. this is where the cheese is critical.
4. get as many of the veggie toppings as you can. anything that you can tolerate and don't viscerally hate, should go in there.
5. two words: spicy mustard.
6. it's also a good idea to ask them to sprinkle a little oregano and/or black pepper on it before they roll it up. i usually forget to do this, but it does a world of good.

seriously, i'm not some kind of subway fanatic - it was just a pretty solid set of coupons.

this sounds promising

my pal, co-conspirator, and elementary school nemesis, posh, has proven himself to be an excellent cook. partial to meat and square-meal-type dishes (not a pathological grazer like yours truly), he has taken yuppie flight from the granite countertops of Queens and wowed me time and again with his culinary prowess. so, i was excited when our conversation took this enticing turn earlier today:

posh: what are you guys up to on friday?
me: nothing that i know of
posh: would you like to come over for dinner?
me: YES
what are we having?
posh: chipotle encrusted chicken, I think
have I made that for you before?
me: nope
sounds great
posh: it's chicken breast cutlets
marinated in a yogurt-based marinade with chipotle peppers, garlic and cilantro
then dredged in cornmeal and pan fried
me: wow
yum

it should be noted here that chipotle is one of my most very favorite flavors. naturally, i thought this foodish news would be a good way to start off our new blog - with the promise of deliciousness right around the corner - so i figured i'd dig up the recipe to share with our faithful readers. are you holding on to your hats?

me: where did you get your chipotle chicken recipe?
posh: I made it up

and that, friends, is the sign of a master.