Ideal Bite

Well, here: Platform21's Most Remarkable Repair Contest (based on its "Repair Manifesto"). I ran across this a few days ago - basically, you send in photos and a description of something you've repaired (instead of tossing and buying new), and the most amazing fix wins.

I'll be watching. Eager to enter, I started thinking about stuff I've repaired lately. Just this month, I've sewn a couple buttons, secured a pant hem, glued shiny little baubles back onto a hair stick, and performed surgery on my shredding machine. Remarkable? Not so much.

So I asked around the office - what's something you've repaired personally instead of throwing away?

Mike: I’ve kinda only fixed home stuff…fixed sink, fixed toilet, Read the full post... 

In lieu of my standard Midwest weather report, I've got a new fave brunch drink idea to share.

Last weekend I spent several dizzying hours preparing a fancy b-day brunch for my partner and some pals. Though I cooked the better part of brunch-ish items in our collection of Moosewood cookbooks and Vegetarian Times mags, the pièce de resistance was the beverage bar, and the popular highlight there was champagne with a seasonal twist. I'd planned to go the mimosa route - simple, failsafe, crowd-pleasing - but, since the local strawberry season is nearing its end, I went the farmers' market (and on sale) fruit route instead. The result? Refreshing, pink and gold spritzer-y goodness.

Just add 3 tablespoons of Read the full post... 

A few weeks ago, some of the SF editors spent an hour brainstorming new taglines for the Bite.

According to Web Marketing for Dummies, "taglines and slogans are short phrases that convey important ideas to [Biters]." See if you think we did just that, with 10 castoffs from the brainstorming sesh:

Walking the talk…with occasional detours.

A planet is a terrible thing to waste.

It's getting hotter. Chill out.

Less bark, more Bite.

Because everyone else is boring.

We don't send tips on Sundays. [Long story…]

Our Kool-Aid tastes better.

Baby got Bite.

Fast, cheap,

Read the full post... 

Do you like to eat? It's not as simple a question as it sounds. America's preoccupation with healthy eating means there can be a whole lot of guilt involved in the process - and we're not usually making the right choices anyway.

Or so says journalist and food activist Michael Pollan, who tackles our love-hate relationship with our pantries in his new book, In Defense of Food - which is the next installment in the Biter Book Club, starting July 6.

Alison (a self-described foodie) and I (a self-described gummy bear addict) are gonna pick your brains for thoughts, reactions, and suggestions on Pollan's claim that we got so wrapped up in nutrition we ended up making it way more complicated than it actually is.

So pick up a copy at your Read the full post... 

Powerball

Feeling lucky about your numbers? Probably not if we're talking the digits on your energy bill. Check out our tips to shrink your electricity payments and to keep both you and the planet rolling in green.

1. Raid your closet.

Rather than turning to the thermostat every time you catch a chill, grab a sweater instead. Dressing in layers is totally in: It'll keep you off those fashion makeover shows, save you about $250, and keep 1,000 pounds of CO2 outta the environment per Biter, per year. Get the full Bite.

2. Break the (drying) cycle.

Save $25 a year by turning off your dishwasher's drying cycle. It accounts for 15%-50% of dishwasher energy usage, and believe it or not, your dishes will indeed Read the full post... 

One of the biggest Whole Foods stores in the world opened this spring in Chicago, where I live, and I’m afraid to go. 

My husband has breezed through a few times already and always returns with a glazed, content look on his face. “Can we move in?”  he asks, then turning into 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon, says with awkward longing, “I want to go to there.”

So why avoid it? First, markets are kinda my happy place, lame as that sounds, and a visit to this superduper Whole Pay Check could quickly turn into Whole Bank Account. All that beautiful produce? And amazing cheese and bread? And a wine bar to boot? Forget it. I’m bound to completely bliss out and wake up at home with a pallet Read the full post... 

..and put me in The Plant Café Organic, which had its grand debut yesterday on SF’s Embarcadero. The new Pier 3 spot is super airy and open with lots of light (think: Scandinavia), offering huge Bay views and a waterside patio. Boasting a full bar and an almost 100% organic menu (95% of the ingreds on the menu are organic and most are locally-sourced) you can have your food while assuming a sitting position or cruising by: Half of the space is allotted for grab and go, while the other half is dedicated to dining, and both have outdoor seating on the Embarcadero.

For lunch - Open Faced Wild Smoked Salmon with red onion, lemon, capers & dill aioli on walnut bread

For dinner - Udon Noodles with sautéed vegetables in a light cilantro shiitake lemongrass broth

For fun - Read the full post... 

...ok, not really, but Gomi does mean trash in Japanese. NY-ers, today after work get your booty moving to GomiNYC (a store stocked with hot sustainable garb) to check out the trunk show for Ryann's spring and summer line. You’ll score 20% off Ryann (stock up on tailored shirts and skirts and vintage-y dresses) and Gomi is slashing prices up to 50% off too.
 
When: Today, Thursday, June 25 from 5-8 pm.
Where: GomiNYC, 443 E. 6th St. 
 
-NY City Editor Brianne…off to slip outta my heels to book it to the sale…
 
From Read the full post... 

Back in 2001, when dot coms were more doom than boom, my employer at the time laid off all but four of us. They closed the office and told us we could work from wherever we wanted. My coworker Scott and I took "wherever" to mean "Paris" and my so-cool boss gave us the go ahead.

We rented an apartment in the trendy Bastille district – complete with French windows looking out to a French courtyard (I felt so French). On our block was a butcher, a bakery (mmm…macaroons), a mini farmer's market where I could get my fruits and veggies for almost nothing (they were still on francs), and a market that was not at all "super." It was small and carried all my packaged needs – yogurt, pasta, French wine…

What I loved about this place were the lack of choices – one yogurt brand, one cheese brand, one Read the full post... 

I'm starting to see fava beans at farmers markets all around town, and pretty much my only exposure to them thus far in my life comes courtesy of Hannibal Lecter.

So today I use my platform to speak to thousands of you for a completely selfish purpose: To solicit recipes.

Please, ladies and gentlemen: Share your favorite fava bean recipes in the comments below. I'll take a crack at them, and I'm sure some other Biters will appreciate it too. And maybe I'll even post taste test results at a later date for you aspiring Top Chefs out there, and glory and fanfare will be heaped upon you all. Or something.

-Senior Editor Mike...off to say "Hello, Clarice…" in a really creepy Read the full post...