The Beard Foundation, in the spotlight as Monday’s awards approach, is still on shaky ground financially, and questions still linger about the way it spends its money. [NYT]
Restaurants are lobbying customers to vote for them in the Zagat survey, a trend nobody likes, but which few in the business can stop or resist. [NYP]
The days of the fat chef seem to have been passed, leaving mostly whippet-slim cooks to inherit the world’s kitchens. [Waitrose via Serious Eats]
“Luscious, incomparable” Indian mangoes are finally allowed in America; they are “probably the most eagerly anticipated fruit delivery ever.” [NYT]
A tasting panel of experts confirms that “while great martinis require great gins, great gins don’t necessarily make great martinis.” [NYT]
Related: Professional Opinion: Best Martinis
Latin American bodegas are springing up all over Long Island, and they’re the places to go for pork and fish. [Newsday]
Give an American a big bucket or a big plate, and he or she will eat a lot of what’s in it. So claims an expert on behavior and portion control, anyway. [NYT]
