Robert Mondavi died today at home, after a long life of making wine and shaping California wine’s image. He was 94. His was an eight-decade career. In 1966 he opened the winery that bore his name, which was the most... (read more)

Last call for Emeril Lagasse's Atlanta restaurant will take place next Wednesday, April 30, according to published reports. (read more)

As the new star of Dinner: Impossible, Michael Symon will face a new challenge in each episode, with a "culinary curveball" and a strict time limit. (read more)

If the chef makes the restaurant, then you can expect to have a completely different experience each month at Ikarus in Hangar-7 near the Salzburg, Austria airport. In 2008, Joel Antunes will be the only American cook invited to serve as a distinguished guest chef. (read more)

"Vayniacs" will no doubt be pleased to know that video wine blogger Gary Vaynerchuk will soon bring his picking personality to bookstores everywhere. His "101 Wines" book is slated to be published in mid-May and should please current fans and find new ones as well. (read more)

It should come as no surprise that Americans drink a lot of beer every year, but we also make a lot of beer. New statistics released by the Brewers Association ranks nearly 1500 breweries in the U.S., including both major producers you have probably heard of, as well as countless craft brewers with which you may be less familiar. (read more)

This week’s Wednesday food pages are stocked with recipes and ideas for Passover cooks bored with their usual routine. If you are hosting or attending a potluck, this edition of Hot Plates will provide some ideas on ways to switch... (read more)

Wine bars? We’ve got two on that topic. Weekend martinis? Brazilian sugar cane juice with a kick? Somebody’s thinking about summer cocktails, too. People are ready to relax outside and maybe even tie one on to celebrate the arrival of... (read more)

Hot Plates is delighted it’s the weekend, but after a day where temps slumped into the 30s, we are pretty anxious about the weather. Maybe we have become real Washingtonians after all — fretting about the weather, being scared to... (read more)

When it rains, friends, it’s a food news downpour. Great stuff today, almost just in time for the month known for its frequent showers. It seems the last gusts of March’s windy nastiness have blown in a plethora of items... (read more)

Hey there, loyal Hot Plates readers. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we? Last spring, you guys weren’t even a twinkle in our eye. But it seems like it is already time to begin thinking, again, about patio wines —... (read more)

This year, we are still eating leftover corned beef brisket and noshing on a loaf of soda bread even as the Easter supplies sit in a bag on the counter. Usually there is more space between St. Pat’s and Easter,... (read more)

Hot Plates is half-Irish, so we have to admit to feeling slightly happy each March 17 even though it has become something of an annual excuse for bad behavior. Plenty of Americans don’t feel close to any particular ethnic group,... (read more)

Is it a good thing that some semi-famous chefs are “taking to blogging as if it were the foam of 2008”? The blogging “bandwagon,” as some call it somewhat disparagingly, does not need any more bad writers, and food workers... (read more)

Wine writers this week were in a romantic mood — they went on a European holiday to Spain, France and Italy. They used words like beguiling, heartbreak, soulful, beautiful, and intense. Like you, they are probably dreaming of better weather,... (read more)

Many times when we open up the Wednesday newspaper food sections, we find stuff that makes us say, “Oh well.” Maybe the recipes featured seem to be heavy on a couple of our least-favorite ingredients, or the restaurants reviewed just... (read more)

Happy Saturday, Hot Plates readers. Some of us around here are in less-than-stellar condition; it’s been a long week and a long winter. But happy vibes are stirring — the kind that come with the first spring day. We could... (read more)

You know, it isn’t the most newsworthy item out there this week, but the Crustastun is what jumped out at us when someone asked what was new in the realm of food news. It’s more fodder for the ongoing discussion... (read more)

We used to be truly in the know on trends, but it isn’t easy to keep up. They seem to come and go faster than ever. In the case of the meal-assembly trend, it seems it got hot and then... (read more)

Two of the most prominent celebrity brands will now be united, as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has acquired the rights to Emeril Lagasse's media empire. His restaurants will not be included in the deal, but his TV shows, cookbooks, web... (read more)

A little bird told us this is Valentine’s Day Weekend for a lot of folks who decided not to celebrate on the 14th. So people who hate dealing with crowds and overburdened servers may have stayed out of restaurants and... (read more)

Happy belated heart’s day, readers. We don’t mean to be grouchy, but we are just not big Valentine’s Day people over here at Hot Plates. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be, though, and it doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate you... (read more)

Food cravings are strange. They can come on for no reason at all sometimes, and we have to rush off to market or restaurant to procure the roasted peppers/pork ribs/black cod/Mallomars we are lusting for. Most often, we get cravings... (read more)

It wasn’t until recently that we understood how people who really didn’t care much about football would so look forward to Superbowl Sunday: They love a party occasion, first off, and they especially love one that can be centered around... (read more)

Happy 4706! Well, almost. The Chinese New Year starts on Feb. 7, and the Year of the Rat is coming (check your own Chinese symbol here). It is nice to think about another new beginning, since by now most of... (read more)

Hot Plates is coming at you this week with a fun assortment of food news, but we have to lead with what bleeds, as the hardened types say. This isn't about a fatality, exactly, but Americans are so up in... (read more)

It is a little silly for us to write a headline like the above, being that we happen to be 50 percent Italian ourselves and therefore a little biased. But what it refers to is the fact that every wine... (read more)

No matter the time of year, we love a good obituary. Somehow, though, it is easier to consider a person's passing when the air is cold and the sky is dark and nothing is alive outside. The obit doesn't have... (read more)

With the long, not-terribly-cold Washington winter stretching out before us, and the holidays solidly past, we at Cork & Knife have decided to tone up. Yes, we have joined a gym, in the hopes of getting the old blood moving... (read more)

Happy weekend, friends. Is anyone feeling like it was a long week? Going back to the grind can be tough, especially with the psychic weight of knowing the champagne supply has just been decimated. But now it is Wine Friday... (read more)

Hot Plates knows you all love food, and you enjoy dining out. We also know how much you value something culture writer Virginia Postrel calls "look and feel." Food is never the end of the story, is it? You care... (read more)

It is a nice feeling -- that familiar clean slate we get when a new year begins. A simple trip to the grocery store can seem like a way to begin anew: Maybe you'll buy a pineapple, some scallops, a... (read more)

There are those who love champagne, who order it and buy it all year round, who always have a bottle chilled and ready. Then, there are wine lovers who will take a glass of bubbly when offered, and are happy... (read more)

So what kind of year was 2007 in the restaurant world? New York Times writer Frank Bruni wrote an interesting wrap-up this week that neatly explains something that is easier to feel than to describe. In New York, it has... (read more)

We hope everyone has had a merry and a happy so far! Hot Plates loves New York in December, but it is always a bit loony -- the driving, the cooking, the crowds -- and so we also love these... (read more)

Bonus edition today, friends of good drink. Typically you see this roundup of wine and spirits articles on Friday, but Hot Plates was tied up. We thought you might be too, and so here we are with this roundup just... (read more)

If you are traveling in the next couple of days, chances are you might not have a stocked refrigerator right about now. And if you are hosting a Christmas party, then your fridge might be so full that you don't... (read more)

Hello lovely readers. We had to laugh when we saw two fruitcake articles in the food pages today -- we know that when it is crunch-time, it is tempting to flip out about everything that is still left on your... (read more)

Feeling a little blue, reader? Has that cold done a number on your sense of taste, so that your nightly nightcap just isn't the same? It can be tempting to overdo it in mid-December, rendering you tired and cranky with... (read more)

China, India, Afghanistan? France, Italy, America? Dining out in great restaurant cities is a way to take a trip when you can't get on a plane. Amid the holiday chaos, give yourself the gift of a mini-escape to a place... (read more)

Here we are in mid-December, and it just doesn't feel as crazy as usual. We don't know your reality, of course; maybe you are having a second cookie-decorating party this weekend, and you're still not totally cleaned up from Saturday... (read more)

We don't enjoy being bearers of bad news. Rather, our joy as Hot Plates is thinking that perhaps we are making people -- that's you -- excited about the world of food and drink. Maybe we're showing you something you... (read more)

If you're an East Coaster, you might have woken up this morning to a beautiful, frozen wonderland outside your window. It's easy on the eyes, for sure, but it does a number on hands and faces, leaving chapped lips and... (read more)

You all might be cooking up stews and london broil, but Hot Plates has a case of the midweek munchies. Our ideal dinner right now would be very snacky: an assortment of small plates with big tastes, complemented by a... (read more)

It's time to stock the bar (there are two items on this), learn about global bubbly options, and plan to have some of the strong stuff on hand for your guests who say "pish tosh" to a simple glass of red. (read more)

What's yummier, the food or the words? Don't ask us -- we're sometimes biased. (read more)

After spending the past couple of weeks in survival mode, and then maybe in some form of chill-out mode, it's back to party time. But now, gone is the rigidity of Thanksgiving, with its accompanying fretting and family drama. Now it's about cruising through the holiday shopping, dropping off the bags at home, dressing up and heading out for cocktails. (read more)

Emeril Lagasse, the chef who put the Food Network on the map for many Americans, will tape the final episode of Emeril Live on December 11, according to multiple press reports. (read more)

We'll admit to feeling totally relieved Thanksgiving is behind us. Why should we feel this way about such a happy occasion? Something in the air, maybe. Either way, now it's time to relax, shop, and open some really good wine for no reason at all! The crowds have gone, your kitchen's a wreck and cooking's the last thing on your mind. Let the wine inspire your food choices for the next few nights as you relax into true winter. (read more)

Even though Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally an at-home affair, many people let others do the cooking. Takeout from a great place like Balducci's is one thing, but some folks go all the way with a full-on dining out experience. We see the merit of that choice, but we also can't help but relish this day where we are supposed to stick around our home, or someone else's home, and break bread with the people we love (sub in "like" or "tolerate" here as needed). (read more)

Tomorrow is The Big Day. Are you ready? Is that a truly tired question? Hot Plates knows it is. Media people know that events with what's known as "lead time" tend to seem like they have already happened two or three times by the time The Event actually occurs. (read more)

Ladies and gents, this is probably the most helpful of all the Hot Plates columns we have had so far. This week there are several terrific articles about wine that suggest a variety of bottles to buy for your holiday table; much ink is devoted, too, to explaining the "why" behind these selections. That is part of what is so addictive about getting into wine: There are guidelines to follow, but bending those rules can lead to a delicious discovery. (read more)

As Italian wines increasingly get the respect they deserve from American consumers, many of you may be considering gifts of this delicious juice for holiday gifts. But what to buy? Italian wines are some of the most daunting to learn, at least in this writer's experience. (read more)

Air travel these days isn't comfortable for you or your wine. But with liquid carryon restrictions, you need a safe way to get that precious juice home. A new product promises to do just that. (read more)

As much as we are enjoying roasting stuff and, our new thing, making soups and stews, we are headed out to dinner as soon as possible. It is hard to decide whether we want a perfectly cooked and insanely rare steak or whether we want an ethnic feast. We checked the papers, which opened our minds to other possibilities. (read more)

Many Americans might be feeling the country has been in a bit of a rut. But to quote FDR on the topic of apathy, "above all, try something." Don't totally give in to the routine; mix it up this time around with the help of those who are paid to inspire you. (read more)

Giada expects, Next Iron Chef chooses, and several celebrity chefs dish in this week's installment of TubeFood, your resource for the latest in TV food and cooking shows. (read more)

To help you start a tradition, or build on one you've already begun, we'll round up the recommendations from newspaper wine writers. (read more)

Right about now, people are getting in a groove with cooking, and getting ready to entertain -- which makes it a great time of year to take a break and rediscover the pleasure of letting someone else do the cooking (and cleaning) for you. (read more)

The newspaper food pages decided to stuff themselves silly today with good stuff for us to eat up. From heritage turkeys to chilled oysters to fried pizza to coconut cake, there is a delightful assortment of food news today. (read more)

Wine lovers now have a new option when seeking the best price on the perfect bottle of wine. San Francisco-based Vinquire provides a web-wide search engine that will tell you where and at what price you can buy a specific wine. (read more)

Women Chefs & Restaurateurs recently held their 2007 award ceremony, honoring seven women who have distinguished themselves in the industry. (read more)

Imagine sipping an uncarbonated drink in a snifter. Not exactly the classic image of a beer, but that's exactly what Samuel Adams has done with the fourth release of its limited edition Utopias. (read more)

Newman's Own will soon be adding wine to its roster of products. Starting in March 2008, the company will begin offering California Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, starting with the 2006 vintage. (read more)

Here at Cork & Knife, we see some of the strangest press releases cross our desks each day.  But the one we received from the American Egg Board today made us laugh so hard we knew it qualified as... (read more)

Guy Fieri gets picked up for a couple of more seasons on the Food Network, plus a preview of primetime food programming for the week (hint: lots of turkey). (read more)

Though the newspapers are full of talk about Thanksgiving this week, there are still a few interesting stories about wine and spirits to be had. (read more)

The holiday season is approaching; it is a time of possibility. Prior to the rush that will soon hit, with shopping, parties, and all the accompanying whatnot, we bask in a feeling of anticipation. Once it comes, everything will be... (read more)

The Specialty Wine Retailers Association has announced the launch of new online efforts to fight for less restrictive wine shipping laws throughout the United States. (read more)

People are funny on Halloween. All people, including adults. Some whimsical souls still dress up no matter their age, and some real goofballs don't care about candy or costumes in the slightest. However, it is always great fun when a... (read more)

Have you ever wanted to create your own cookbook, either with your own recipes or your favorite ones from other sources?  If so, you may find the just-launched TasteBook service to be of interest.  This web site takes the index... (read more)

Interested in baking bread but think that doing so takes too much time and effort?  Enter Breadtopia.com, a new web site devoted to providing text and video instruction on how to make what it claims are tasty, easy loaves of... (read more)

Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin vetoed a provision in the new state budget that would have permitted retail outlets to offer consumers up to 3 half-ounce samples of spirits, bringing those drinks in line with the rules for beer instituted... (read more)

Popular New York chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin fame has been at work of late on a new establishment in the nation's capital.  Outward appearances suggest the final stages of preparation, and indeed sources tell Cork & Knife that... (read more)

For years, American Express has maintained an image of a company associated with some of the finer things in life, including excellent restaurants.  They offer some cardholders benefits including their Fine Dining program that reserves tables at some of the... (read more)

The wine writers at papers this week were in a big-wine mode, which is fitting for the season. And some of them were more in the mood for a beer, and didn't even bother writing about wine. Here is the... (read more)

Probably the most interesting restaurant piece in this week's papers focuses on service, and the cultural differences that make dining experiences vary from city to city. Los Angeles is a driving town; that affects the service, since people splurge on... (read more)

There are no holiday humbugs in the newspaper business; it's simply not allowed. One week from today is Halloween, a day that is less about good food and more about Mr. Goodbar. And as they do each and every year,... (read more)

Happy weekend to you, readers. This week's food pages had a few items worth noting, some of which we wrote down in our "wireless device" to reference when we get to the wine store this afternoon. Darn that L.A. Times.... (read more)

The older we get, the easier it can be to pop over to a favorite restaurant for a meal that's a "sure thing." One bad experience can make a diner run screaming back to his routine of golden oldies. So... (read more)

TV chef Martin Yan and former Top Chef contestant Lee Anne Wong will host an awards ceremony for the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in America on November 11 in New York City.  It will be the 4th annual event organized... (read more)

Food Network celebrity chef Bobby Flay recently built a 13 story edible skyscraper as part of a holiday special edition of his show, "Throwdown!" filmed in Springfield, IL.  The effort was part of a competition with "gingerbread artist" Johanna Rosson,... (read more)

It's often surprising how much lies at the intersection of food and politics. The newspapers know this, and each week we become a little more educated about the politics of what's on menus across the country. (read more)

The E.W. Scripps Company has decided to split itself into two publicly-traded companies, "one focused on creating national lifestyle media brands and the other on building market-leading local media franchises," according to a press release.  The local media company will... (read more)

The 29th annual Zagat Survey of New York City dining has been released and the big winners are Daniel Boulud, Gordon Ramsay, and Danny Meyer.  For top food, Daniel took the honors bumping last year's winner, Le Bernardin, which... (read more)

The 2008 Michelin Guide for New York City has been released and it includes good news for a number of Manhattan restaurants, but bad news for celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio whose flagship restaurant, Craft, lost its Michelin star. Fellow... (read more)

Harris Interactive recently conducted a survey of Americans to determine perceptions and purchasing trends for organic food products.  The study found that Americans almost uniformly believe that organic food is more expensive, but that it conveys greater benefits for the... (read more)

As the holiday season approaches, many companies and industries will activate so-called "hotline" phone numbers for consumers who may need help with things such as figuring out how long it takes to thaw a turkey.  These commercial endeavors offer legitimate... (read more)

One of America's leading sparkling wine producers, Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley, recently announced a contest to find what the company terms a "savvy entertainer."  Entrants must submit a two minute video showing their style and an interesting holiday entertainment... (read more)

Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois recently signed legislation that will enable out of state wineries to ship to consumers in his state if they purchase a permit to do so.  However, out of state retailers will still be prohibited from... (read more)

A new online wine club has been created, with the aim of growing through word-of-mouth rather than conventional marketing approaches.  Club Wine Web requires an invitation code to join, usually provided by an existing member or at a club-sponsored event. ... (read more)

Gary Vaynerchuk, the host of Wine Library TV, a lively web-based video show that reviews wines in relaxed and entertaining format, will move from reviewing wine and selling the product through his retail store to actually creating wine.  In partnership... (read more)

Rachael Ray is getting in on the TV cooking competition business.  In a market already saturated with shows trying to discover the next great chef or TV cooking personality, the syndicated TV talk show host aims to find a "real... (read more)

How appropriate that Danny DeVito should launch his own line of limoncello, the lemon-flavored liqueur he mentioned on his infamous appearance last year on ABC's The View after a night (and morning?) on the town with George Clooney.  At 60... (read more)

The TV Guide blog reports that Mario Batali will no longer be appearing on the Food Network, his longtime TV home.  First they canceled his shows, then he quit his role on the popular Iron Chef series.  TV Guide: "The... (read more)

The Wall Street Journal reports on Chef Grant Achatz's battle against tongue cancer that could leave him without the ability to taste. (read more)