Video Killed the Radio Star

...and social media killed the blogger. Or, in my case, more like a combination of social and traditional media.

At least that's the best explanation I can offer for the nearly nonexistent nature of this blog over the past year or two. It's not that I've stopped writing - not at all - it's just that I've pretty much stopped writing here.

I used to write about Baltimore restaurants here; that content has found a home both at Baltimore Fishbowl, in my events column, Hot Plate, and at the Sun, where I write longer form pieces here and there.

Other posts - short little ones inspired by random thoughts or observations - end up on Facebook, either as posts of my own or posts in the comments. Facebook and Instagram are also where I end up sharing bits and pieces about meals I've had out, or dishes I've made at home, or even interesting articles or cool things I spot here and there. I don't share as many of those things as I did back when I was blogging daily...but occasionally it happens.

I don't do any real restaurant criticism anymore - once I stopped reviewing for the Sun, I lost my interest in that kind of writing. I'd rather focus on the positive than on what doesn't work (though I always did try to deliver criticism in a constructive way).

There is one type of writing that I've lost without blogging and that I miss: longer form observational stuff. Over the past year, I've started, but not finished, a bunch of posts with names like "What follows peak food?" and "How to be a good restaurant guest" and "The evolution of dinner parties" and "Restaurants as artists." Posts that start with a quick spark, but then require real thought and effort to complete.

I miss that sort of writing and thinking, but I find myself too distracted to actually follow through and finish the posts. That's where social media's doing the damage, I think. It's much easier to post something quick and walk away than it is to follow a thought and explore it in writing.

All of this is a very long - and navel-gazing - way to say that after over 12 years, Mango and Ginger is officially on hiatus. I'll continue to sporadically update the "about" page that houses links to recent articles. And who knows...maybe 2018 will bring me the inspiration and the follow-through necessary to finish one of those longer posts. I'd like to think so, but I'm not holding myself to it.

Even if this is the last post I end up writing in this space, it's been a great run. A dozen years, zillions of words, countless meals, a bunch of trips, many new friendships, and tons and tons of great memories. My life wouldn't be the same without this blog and I will be forever thankful that I started it way back when - and that a reader or two found it along the way.

Twelve Years

Photo courtesy of Winecream

Oh, hello. Do you remember who I am? I'm Kit, the person who used to write in this space multiple times a week, but who hasn't posted anything at all since the beginning of summer. (Trust me, I wish I had. I feel guilty about it every day and the number of draft posts in my blog folder is mortifying.)

I'm popping back in today to say happy fall...and happy blog birthday to me. As of today, it's been twelve years since my first post here and even if I don't show it by writing very often these days, I'm still extremely thankful that I took that initial plunge.

I'd planned to write a big summer roundup post for today (I've done so many fun things including so many great meals in Duck and in Boston and in Baltimore! Everyone should go to Blue Point and Art's Place and Select Oyster Bar and Yvonne's and Pure Wine Cafe and Bluebird Cocktail Room.) I'd like to think that I will still write that post.

But sadly, I don't have time to do that today. I did have time, however, to email the awesome people at Winecream (which is delicious) about their brand new Mango Ginger flavor. (They really are the nicest people.)

I learned about it yesterday! Just in time to celebrate twelve years of M&G.

Blog Birthday Retrospective

My mom made me this angel food cake for Mother's Day, but
it's the cake I always had for my birthday as a kid. So it seems
fitting for today...even if it's the blog's birthday, not mine.

Happy blog birthday to ME! Today is the 11th anniversary of my first post here on Mango & Ginger.

I will be celebrating this evening with dinner at Parts & Labor and I have spent a little time today reminiscing with myself about everything I've learned and all the opportunities I've had over the past decade-plus-one thanks to this blog.

In case you don't have time to go back and actually read the thousands of posts in the blog, here's a quick recap of some of the highlights of each year. Navel-gazing, yes. But it's my blog birthday - if I can't do this today, when can I do it?

2005: In the last few months of 2005, I wrote a lot. I posted crappy food pictures and basic recipes. Wrote about excursions I took (Paris! NYC!). And babbled about how food fits into our lives. It's two of those posts (one, two), both about fashion and food, that I love most from that year. They're so typical of how I was thinking about food back then. Back then, when I was only 29!! I was a baby!

2006: Less than a year into this blog, my posting fell way, way off. Because I was pregnant...and then because I had a little baby. But looking back, what I did write was pretty interesting (to me, anyway). I got into art and food and Harry Potter and food (way before the books were over!) and the importance of regionalism in food (a subject I've revisited often). Also, apparently 2006 is the year I learned that scrapple is a regional food. I thought that was just something I always knew! Apparently not!

2007: Blogging was light again in 2007, as I juggled work, tiny baby Dixon and a massive home renovation, including a brand new kitchen. But when I did write, I was all kinds of philosophical. This is the year I started getting interested in happiness research and began exploring how happiness relates to food. Nine years on, that's still one of my favorite subjects. It's also when I started getting bored with "foodie" culture, which is also, something that has persisted.

2008: In 2008, I made a commitment to myself to post every weekday. And I did. Sometimes more than once. I wrote a lot. Not always strictly about food - there was a lot of "other stuff I love" that year, mostly about art or design. I wrote a lot that year about pop culture and celebrity chef/TV chef culture (something I am not really interested in at all anymore), but it's also when I really started to think about the food scene here in Baltimore and I started casually reviewing restaurants (here on the blog). Also that year: I started drinking rose, I learned a ton about food and I made less money working than any other year since I started freelancing. I think those things are all related.

2009: In 2009, I was writing for Houzz, so a lot of my posts here ended up being about dining rooms and tables. That year, I also started writing for Deep Glamour, so I was looking at pretty much everything through the lens of glamour, which is really a very interesting way to view the world. But if I had to pick one theme for the blog that year, it would be parties. I wrote so much about parties and drinks and wine. Still, obviously, some of my favorite topics.

2010: Looking back, 2010 was a banner year. Parties, cocktails and decor remained top blog themes, with a splash of fashion thrown in. This was also the year I really started to get into vintage cookbooks, which I still love. Our friends hit a lot of major milestones (Kyle and Mary got married, Mike and Alicia's daughter Maggie was born, Alicia and Dixon collaborated on their first birthday cake, the entire Kelly family threw the first major throwdown.) We started to go to Dogwood wine dinners. It's also the year that I "met," via the old Elizabeth Large blog on the Sun website, the son of my parents' favorite waiter ever. Around that time, I started to really understand my family's food and restaurant culture. When I first started blogging, I didn't think we had one. I was wrong. Very wrong, in fact. We had/have a fairly strong culture, really, all built around the Chesapeake, restaurant dining and casual parties. And I'm pretty lucky for that.

2011: Two big - really big - things happened to our family in 2011. First, we got a smoker. That was a game-changer. And second, I got a phone call from Sam Sessa, asking me to write a "cheap eats" piece for the Sun's Weekend LIVE section. Then I got another call from him asking me to review a restaurant. Next thing you know, I spent the next four years - until last fall - reviewing. Again, big.

2012: My New Year's resolution in 2012 was, "More mascara, more parties." And wow, did I stick to that. I'm happy to report that I'm still in the habit of wearing  mascara when I leave the house (it keeps me from looking like a corpse). But really, it was the party thing that I most successfully fulfilled. We had so many parties that year, I can't even count them all. And when we weren't having parties, I was experimenting with cocktails. I tested a lot of recipes that year, too. And I gave a talk about food and art at the BMA. Also, this is also when we probably reached Peak Southern Cuisine. But really, when I think back on 2012, I think of the parties. Man, that year was fun.

2013: My sister got married in 2013 and we, once again, went to or hosted a ton of parties. That year, we also had a fun wine-tasting trip to Keuka Lake, spent a weekend eating our way through Manhattan, and hosted one of my very favorite Pollard house dinners ever, celebrating Kyle and Mary's third wedding anniversary. I got to write a series about crabs for the Sun and, as a result, I spent a whole lot of time thinking about my personal culinary roots, continuing the train of thought that began in 2010. So we did a lot in 2013 and I was very busy. Maybe that's why the blog doesn't seem to have one overarching theme. I was constantly trying to play catch-up and trying to remember to record the stuff I was doing in my real life.

2014: In 2014, I semi-fixed the "forgetting to post it" problem from 2013, by writing a ton of summary posts rounding up stuff I'd done over the previous week or month. It was a solid year, including a short but killer trip to Paris, our tenth wedding anniversary, our first fundraising Fake St. Patrick's Day party, and an unbelievably wild Mock Thanksgiving party (our 12th). It's also the year I first learned about how Baltimore's chefs work together to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and when I started to get really excited about the way the city's chefs work together and the tight community they've formed. Have I mentioned that I love this city and the food people in it? I really do.

2015: In 2015, Cooper and I turned 40. As did many of our friends. Which means the year was pretty much one long party - there were these fall/winter trips and parties and this party in the snow and this trip to Philly to see Swifty and an Alicia-themed Keuka trip I didn't even blog about and these August parties and this wine tasting excursion and, finally, after everything else, our massive Clementine-catered blowout at Church & Company followed by a good old-fashioned McGarvey's meet-up and bar crawl. It was intense, to say the least.

2016: I started out this year with a desire to shine a light on all the cool things happening in and around Baltimore. Unfortunately, too much regular work has thrown me off my posting schedule and focus. But I have had some great experiences, including a vacation-filled summer that started at Keuka Lake, then took us to Ireland, Scotland, to the Delaware beaches and back to Keuka. (Not that I've written much about any of that!) Even with the travel, my favorite post of this year was something close to home - a roundup of what I learned from the Sun series I wrote about international grocery stores. And the year isn't over yet, of course.

Whew. It's been a good run, so far. In the moment, I always feel so busy, but when I look back, it's clear that though my to-do list might be long, it's stacked with incredible parties, memorable meals and event after event that puts me in contact with some of the greatest people around.

This little trip down memory lane has been a great reminder that I have wonderful friends, both in and out of the food world, and that I am lucky, lucky, lucky to have the opportunity to write about food, especially at this time and in this awesome, dynamic city.

Ten Years

Today is the tenth anniversary of my very first post here on Mango and Ginger - just a couple short, tentatively phrased paragraphs. I obviously had no idea what I was getting into, and no real expectations associated with the blog. That was so smart of 2005 me!

Over the course of the past decade, I've written nearly 1,900 posts, been to Paris twice, had a kid who hates vegetables but loves meat, learned to cook (mostly), lived through a complete kitchen renovation, hosted about a hundred parties (for real) - and turned blogging into an actual food writing career. 

I feel very much like I've been in the right place, at the right time. My interest in food blossomed just as food blogs became a thing, and I've been in the perfect place to watch Baltimore's food scene explode. 

Along the way, I've met so many great people through blogging and had a ton of incredible meals. In 2005, I never would have guessed that ten years after starting this blog, I'd be reviewing restaurants for the Sun, or that I'd have my own food column in Baltimore's Child. I probably wouldn't even have guessed that I'd still be blogging.

I do wish I had time to blog more than I do right now - these days, instead of blogging about things, I often share them on Facebook. But hopefully one day, more frequent blogging will in the cards again. I miss writing here several times a week.

Blogging makes you curious, and helps you look at everything through inquisitive eyes. Thanks to this blog, I've had my eyes trained outward, on the food world as a whole and Baltimore, and inward, on the role food plays in my own life and relationships. It's a fascinating lens. 

So thank you, everyone who reads what I write here. I love writing it. And now on to the next ten!

Happy New Year!

It's 2014 and I have no resolutions - but not for lack of trying to think of some. I only believe in making resolutions that are concrete, discrete and realistic (get more haircuts, wear mascara to the grocery store, start wearing caftans, etc.) - and I usually keep them.

2013 was a challenging year for me, work-wise, and this past month has been especially challenging. Though I really intended to make a resolution or two, I couldn't think of any really good ones. ("Good" in this case means my kind of resolution not, say, noble or healthy.)

I do have some new plans for the blog, though. This year, I'm planning to post at least twice a week - once on Tuesdays and once on Fridays. Fridays will be overall updates: What I've been eating, drinking, thinking and planning. Tuesdays will be something a little different. Each Tuesday, I'll write about something I own that's both vintage and food or party-related. I have a lot of those things - people give me amazing found gifts all the time. I always intend to write about them but somehow never have enough time. So expect all of that - starting tomorrow.

And for today, I'll leave you with this:

It's a photo of India Hicks' New Year's Eve dinner (from her Facebook page, shot by Felix Flint Wood). Long, windy table, little lights, late night dinner. So much to love.

With that, Happy New Year! And hello, 2014!

My New Project: Mason Dixon Social Club

Because apparently job+kid+friends+blog isn't enough, I have a new project on the horizon. I'm starting a social club (with the help of Cooper and our friends!).

I know it sounds a little ridiculous. But here's the deal: Now that we're older, we've run out of weddings to go to and, sadly, we are way too old for sorority formals (which really are the best, funniest kind of dress-up fun).

I miss the combination of party dresses, open bars and dance floors.

So the Mason Dixon Social Club will remedy that. Starting next month, on November 3rd, at the Country Club of Maryland in Towson. There will also be happy hours and dinners and other events, but at least to start, the focus of the MDSC will be dances.

If you're interested in coming to the dance, or in hearing more about the MDSC, email me at kit at kitpollard dot com.

For now, membership is open to the public, too, and I am hoping that it expands well beyond our current circle of friends. The more the merrier, as they say!

Seven Years

Today is the seventh anniversary of my first post here on Mango & Ginger. Seven years!

While I was juggling Dixon's first almost-full week of kindergarten and several deadlines, I kind of forgot about the anniversary. So I've got nothing planned. No balloons, no confetti. Not even any confetti-sprinkled cupcakes.

We will be heading to the final Belvedere Square of the season tonight and tomorrow, we're going to Tio Pepe to help Alicia and Mike celebrate their 11th anniversary; I guess that's celebration enough.

Blogging has been a pretty great experience. When I started writing in 2005, I could barely throw together tacos without screwing something up. Now I can actually cook.

I also have blogging to thank for a ton of new friends. I've met a million new people via this blog - some even in person! People who are smart and fun and great all around.

And beyond all that, I've become a full-fledged food writer - and how lucky am I that my hobby became a job?

And for that job - and for all the other joy I get from writing here - I thank the M&G readers. Just knowing that you're out there makes every post so much fun.

Cheers!

Quick Note

While I sort through pictures from this (very fun) engagement celebration, I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to M&G reader Sara(h?), who I met at Belvedere Square on Friday night.

I'm sorry I couldn't talk longer - Dixon hasn't quite grasped the concept of stopping to chat - but thanks so much for introducing yourself! You totally made my night!

Not Blogging = Not Awesome

In the past week, I have been grappling with:

• a major work deadline
• a thrown-out back (that is not getting better and hurts enough to kill my appetite)
• a quickly dying modem

The modem is really the thing that's keeping me from blogging. I can't stay online for more than a few minutes without some sort of problem and everything's moving at a snail's pace. I've been hitting the library and panera to deal with the deadline, but that doesn't leave me much time for blogging.

I do have a new modem on the way from Verizon, though, and at least theoretically, it should be arriving any day now. Which means I'll be back on the blogging thing sooner, hopefully, rather than later.

Five Years. That's Right: Five.

Today is M&G's fifth birthday, which kind of astounds me, until I think about all the things that have happened in my life since I started blogging. Like having an actual flesh-and-blood child (who will turn four this month), undertaking a major home renovation/addition, and completing somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 work projects.

It's been a pretty busy five years.

It's also been a pretty busy summer, which is why, even though I've known that this anniversary was coming up, I never really planned anything special for it. Last night, when we got home from the beach, tired and cranky, I remembered that today is, well, today, and that I wanted to recognize the anniversary in some way, even if it's a small one. That's when I started reading.

Just clicking through the archives, I ran across tons of posts I barely remember and a ton of meals that I'd have completely forgotten if it weren't for the magic of the internets. Lots of crappy, amateurish photography (especially from the early days) and rambling paragraphs that try to connect art with food.

But some of it, I actually enjoyed rereading. I didn't make it through the whole blog last night - as it turns out, I can write a lot over five years - but I did collect a handful of posts that I still find interesting. Kind of a "best of" collection (except not complete. And maybe not all "best.") And, for your reading pleasure, that's right here:

• How I learned to cook
• How cooking transcends
• On fashion and food
• Matisse doesn't eat
• The food of Hogwarts
• In praise of regionalism
• Happiness is making decisions
• Lamenting the rise of the kiddie foodie
• Dots and food and romance
• Futurism's failure
• Remembering parties past
• I ruin my microwave
• The start of the Grande Diplome project
• Hot dogs and jean shorts at Keuka Lake

One more note: thanks to everyone who reads, whether it's every day or just once. It's nice to know that I'm not just shouting out into the darkness. Really nice.

Great Grapes Recap: The Photos

Great Grapes was this weekend - the wine tasting event at Oregon Ridge that also featured a bacon-themed blogger cookoff, pitting me against Kathy (aka the Minx) and John (the Baltimore Snacker). It was a hot day - kind of miserably hot - but we were lucky enough to be under a pavilion, which kept us a little cooler.

The cookoff didn't have many rules, but we did have to use bacon in our dish. Oh, and no nudity, which was probably for the best, what with all that bacon grease flying around.

During my planning process, I asked a few people what their favorite bacony foods are. More than one (including one Bill "Big G" Kelly, aka Alicia's dad) mentioned that bacon is best when its simply tucked inside a BLT. That was it - my inspiration.

Because food always tastes better to me when I know it's story (and because I love infographics), I did a little research on the BLT and ended up making a timeline for the judges:

The timeline was paired with a copy of my menu:I'll post the recipes, one by one, during the week. Nothing was hard to make and I ended up really happy with how all of it tasted. The sweet BLT, in particular, was kind of delicious. Plus, after the contest, back at home, I made appetizer-sized, open-faced portions of the sweet and savory BLTs - both a success.

And the vodka...it is good.

Now, on to the real pictures. Here I am, hard at work, pouring bacon grease into my little espresso can: Greg Nivens, the organizer of the Great Grapes events, was the event emcee (along with Dara). To say he's a fan of bacon would be, well, mild. I think it must be where he gets his energy and larger than life personality - he's great. Here, he's explaining to the audience that no one should ever, ever throw away bacon grease. It's just too good.

Here, the judges - Bernadette Woods and Jessica Kartalija from WJZ (who were both cuter than cute in real life) and Hugh Sisson from Clipper City Brewery and Heavy Seas Beer - deliberate over the dishes:We were rated on taste/flavor (50%), presentation (25%) and creativity (25%). I'm sure that it was a difficult decision, too, because everything I tasted was excellent.

And...the dishes. Kathy (with help from her husband/sous chef Neal) made a BLT banh mi:

Her sandwich was gorgeous - really bright and fresh-looking - and had nicely balanced spice.

John made an Ethiopian dish - bacon and pancetta wot - which had fantastic flavor (great heat) and was totally new to me. He drove all the way to Silver Spring to make sure he had the best bread for the dish - that's commitment: He's already posted the recipe on his blog.

And then there was my plate:

Yes, there is a lot going on. As I said, though, I was really happy with the flavors, which is what's most important, as far as I'm concerned.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the Bloody Mary's...they looked like Bloody Mary's. But the smoky bacon flavor of the vodka really does come through.

So, in the end...I WON! It was a pretty exciting moment for me, especially since I really had no expectations going into the event. I just wanted to have fun.

Also, I owe a big thanks to my sister, Erin, and her friends LP and Kathleen, who helped me lug the entire contents of my kitchen up to the pavilion and back, and who took a million pictures (including these) because I couldn't. I wouldn't have won without them. I wouldn't have finished without them. Hell, I probably wouldn't have been able to start without them. Also thank you to Cooper for tasting everything (and getting to the event in time to help pack the car back up) and Alicia for doing last minute tasting and advising.

So that was Great Grapes. After the cookoff, Cooper and Erin/LP/Kathleen and I did a little wine tasting and a lot of wilting in the heat, then we headed back to Towson to catch the tail end of the USA-England game, which the county broadcast outside in a courtyard:

It was a fun event, but, again, so hot. After the game, I wasn't sorry to retreat to my air conditioned kitchen, where we ate bacony leftovers and pizza, and passed some time the way we usually do, staring at baby Maggie:

By 9 p.m., we were all settling in for the night and starting off for bed. It was a long, exhausting, hot day, but so much fun from start to finish. Kathy and John were great competitors and I had a blast!

Great Grapes Is Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that Great Grapes is this weekend at Oregon Ridge and tomorrow at 1 pm I will be facing off against the Minx and the Baltimore Snacker for bacon-cooking bragging rights. Hope to see you there!

What to Do Next Weekend: Great Grapes at Oregon Ridge

If you happen to be without plans and in the Baltimore area next weekend, get yourself up to Oregon Ridge - that's where I'll be, at the Great Grapes wine and food event. As I mentioned last week, I'm competing in a bacon-themed throwdown vs. two of my favorite Baltimore food bloggers, Kathy "the minx" and John "Baltimore Snacker."

We'll be competing at 1 pm - cooking for about half an hour, then being judged for who knows how long. The judges include Bernadette Woods and Jessica Kartilija from WJZ and Hugh Sisson of Clipper City (and formerly of Sisson's, which I always thought was a nice bar).

Who will win? Well, that remains to be seen. I've been doing some planning, but I also know that Kathy has had herself steeped in bacon for the better part of the month (John has had himself steeped in SoCal, which could be an advantage in itself).

What I do know, though, is that I have a pair of tickets to give away! I've never had a real contest on here before, so I'm going to make it simple: if you want the tickets, email me before Monday (kit at kitpollard dot com). On Monday, I'll pick one emailer at random. That's it - no quizzes or essays or anything else. Easy on both you and me.

1,000

This is my one thousandth post here at Mango & Ginger.

When I started this blog, on September 7, 2005, I was just starting to gain a little headway in the learning-to-cook department. We'd moved into our house less than a month before and I was cooking in a kitchen that was big enough, but severely outdated (it also had the ugliest, buckliest linoleum floor ever). Cooper and I were married, but there was no Dixon just yet.

I'll spare you most of the milestone-post navel-gazing...but I will say that it's been a good four years both in the kitchen and out, and blogging has been a part of that. I'm still far from the world's best cook (or even the best cook in my zip code), but I've come a long way, and learned a lot about what I am good at (sauces) and what, well, I'm not (pastry crust).

I've also met a lot of smart, funny, interesting people, both online and in real life, and had some opportunities that I wouldn't have had, if it weren't for M&G.

After 1,000 posts and God knows how many actual words, I've learned a lot about food and culture, and about what's important to me when it comes to both of those things. Plus, I've learned that blogging, well, it suits me. I like it.

Finally, to everybody who's read my posts, commented, emailed me, eaten my food, listen to me whine, etc.: Thank you. M&G couldn't exist without the people around me - virtually and in "real life" - and I definitely appreciate all of your support.

Back Home with Piles of Work

And very little time for blogging, which is unfortunate, since we ate tons of great food in New Orleans (not that I photographed any of it) and saw some of the most gorgeously preserved architectural details I've ever seen. Also, there was drinking and staying up late. And a wedding.

So, in lieu of real posts, just a quick reminder that we're also posting a lot over at All Top Chef and on Deep Glamour. So read those!

Vote for M&G at the Mobbies

Because I am a Master Blogger, M&G has been nominated for a Baltimore Sun blog award. They're called The Mobbies and are entirely based on reader votes...any and all votes would be much appreciated (click here to vote)!

Also, later this week: actual content. I promise it. I've got a posts-to-write list a mile long, including recent meals cooked and eaten, upcoming events, and more on the food-art connection.

Until then, though, we are all chicken soup and birthday cake around here. Dixon turns three tomorrow and is celebrating with a vicious cold. Good times!

Urbanspoon Hits 1,000

Urbanspoon just added their thousandth blogger and to celebrate, they've written a blog post of their own highlighting a handful of that thousand - including yours truly (thanks, Urbanspoon!).

And I swear that it's not just because of that that I'm saying this: they are an awesome restaurant resource - the main one I use - and I'm really happy to see how much the community there has grown. I'm not surprised, though. Since I first joined, everyone there (especially Ethan and Kate) have been friendly and responsive to questions and even requests. They're very tuned in to what their users want and I think it shows in the quality of the website.

Congratulations, Urbanspoon!

All Top Chef

It's that time again - Top Chef season.

On Wednesday, the premiere of Top Chef Masters airs. With experienced, often famous, chefs as contestants, the show is set up a little differently than the regular seasons. Each episode features four chefs, competing against one another in a traditional Quickfire and regular challenge. The winners of each episode then compete against one another, and so on, until there's only one left. The Top Chef Master, I guess.

The show's format isn't the only thing new about this season. There's also a fabulous new blog. I might be a little biased, as I am one of the bloggers involved, but probably not. All Top Chef is the brainchild of theminx, known for both her highly comical TV commentary and for almost being my neighbor.

So if you're into Top Chef at all, make ATC a regular read. You won't regret it. I promise.

M&G in Baltimore Magazine

The June issue of Baltimore Magazine is on the stands now, touting (as the cover says), "101 Things to Eat, See & do Before You Die." In Baltimore, of course. Blog lovers will be especially interested in number 79. I know I was:

79. Local foodies appreciate Baltimore Snacker, a humorous, often-updated look at food and drink around the city. Also worth a mention are Mango & Ginger and Dining Dish.

I agree -and I am also a big fan of John (Baltimore Snacker) and Dara (Dining Dish). Thanks, Baltimore Mag!

Trendy Monday: Places to Watch

The May Food & Wine arrived the other day and, with it, a "go list" - the world's best food cities plus 20 "rising star" restaurants in the food world. For anybody paying close attention to global food trends, there aren't a ton of surprises, but it's interesting reading anyway.

The "best" food cities are mostly what you'd expect: Tokyo, Barcelona, New York, London and Copenhagen. The most interesting inclusion on that list is Copenhagen, which the magazine calls an "avant-garde stronghold." That's very F&W of them. I'm trying to imagine what #5 would be on, say, Bon Appetit's list. Something in Italy, maybe? Shanghai?

The rising star restaurant list provides a little more geographic diversity, with spots in Hong Kon, Lima, Dublin, Buenos Aires and Melbourne. Oddly enough, Momofuku Ko is included on that list. I guess I have a hard time thinking of a restaurant that's gotten that much ink as a "rising star."

But that also might just be because I read a lot about newish restaurants?

(As an aside, this is my 800th post on M&G. I've been writing for just over 3 1/2 years and writing every weekday (minus a couple of days last fall when I was in the Bahamas) for almost a year and a half. Wordy, huh?)