Photo: j_bary/Flickr
LOCAL BITES
You Say Oyster
Have you ever seen professional oyster shuckers open shells frighteningly fast? Were you jealous of their skill? Ok, maybe that’s just me. But you can have your chance to learn at the normal pace this Saturday: Mercato Del Mare fish market in the North End will be giving free oyster shucking lessons from 1 to 3 p.m. You do pay for what you shuck and eat.
Celebrate India
Celebrate the beauty and tastes of India at The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, April 2nd- 3rd for “Sensational India!” Try mixing up your own spice blend for signature curries or stir up food memories. The museum will also offer dancing, art projects and story telling. (Check out PEM’s impressive collection of Indian art HERE.)
Five Napkin
Something exciting happened last night for Boston burger lovers. The first location of 5 Napkin Burger, originally from NYC, opened in Back Bay! The original burger is topped with gruyere, caramelized onion and rosemary aioli. It also offers a turkey burger, veggie burger, milkshakes, and cornmeal crusted onion rings. I know where I’ll be tomorrow.
Whole Hog
Several Boston-area restaurants are now offering pig roasts indoors, said Devra First of The Boston Globe. You might lose the atmosphere of an outdoor, summer party of most pig roasts, but you still get the main event of ultra tender meat and crunchy skin. The majority of these restaurants require advanced notice, and parties of ten or more.
NATIONAL TREATS
About Time
Vegetarians, here’s an invitation: ditch those hockey-puck veggie burgers and demand something meaty – ok, not meat-y, but substantial. Jeff Gordinier of NY Times wrote how some restaurants are giving much needed attention to the veggie burger, and that they no longer need to be a thing of shame to make or order.
Food Ban
The FDA has banned the import of some foods from Japan, including milk. Officials said fears of radiation are only from these few Japanese products, and that there is no threat to the U.S. food supply. See the story at Slashfood.
James Beard
They are like the Academy Awards for foodies. The 2011 James Beard Awards nominees were just announced, which includes some Boston names like Menton Restaurant and Joanne Chang! See the list at the Huffington Post.
Fancy Ramen
Ramen may be the budget-conscious person’s dream. Unfortunately, it can also make one dread mealtime, and this is tragic. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats wrote about 30 easy “Ramen Hacks” –in other words, how to turn your bowl from depressing to delectable. One warning: you may have to spend over a quarter per serving to cook up these recipes.