ChrisZach.com

Tom Ka Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup), originally uploaded by ChrisLZach.
I worked from home on Monday due to the remnants of the Snowpocalypse, and I couldn’t resist cooking some soup for warmth and comfort. A survey of the ingredients on hand led me down the road to Tom Ka Gai, or Thai Coconut Chicken Soup.
The [...]

Cross-posted from Yelp.
J&G Steakhouse is a well-appointed restaurant in the W Hotel serving beautiful, flavor-filled dishes beyond just cuts of beef.
I sampled the offerings at J&G during Restaurant Week, helping bring the price down to a level as palatable as the food. Fortunately, the presence of RW didn’t seem to diminish the quality of food [...]

Back in the days when I had a TV, I was a big fan of the Food Network. What’s my favorite show? Good Eats! Thanks for asking. (I now own three of Alton Brown’s books after receiving Good Eats: The Early Years for Christmas.)
 
 

 
I never assumed that filming cooking shows was easy, but this article [...]

I had my heart set on attending the DC food bloggers’ potluck this evening, but the Iowa Hawkeyes’ victory in the Orange Bowl kept me out of the kitchen last night, and by the time I could pull a dish together today it was too late. Nonetheless, I think the selected dish turned out well [...]

New York Magazine published a piece providing some insight into the marketing – one might even say “gastro-econo-engineering” – that goes into well-planned restaurant menus today. The information is pulled from the book Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It) by author William Poundstone.
The terminology Poundstone uses seems roughly [...]

In researching glass container sustainability initiatives, I came across this awe-inspiring press release from Tyson’s Wright Brand at Package Design Magazine. Wright Brand has been working with Interbrand to update the packaging and branding of its bacon products. Bacon is an undeniably delicious and versatile food — and pleasantly fatty, compared to the rest of [...]

If two cars are traveling towards each other, with one car traveling at 60 mph and the other trying to drive as far away from McDonald’s as possible, how far can it drive?
The answer is 145 miles. In other words, you’re never more than 2 1/2 hours from a Big Mac.

Excerpt:
“For maximum McSparseness, we look [...]

And I thought instant coffee was only useful for cooking and baking. (I use it in desserts, chili, etc.) I’m willing to give Starbucks VIA a try — heck, it can’t be too bad for camping, at least!
Excerpt:
AFTERMATH
Once the true brews were revealed, the tasters were – as Schultz predicted – surprised and delighted by [...]

Courtesy of my lovely grandma, the best grandma in the world. Sorry, they only made one copy of her. But you can make as many copies as you want of her peach pie recipe! It’s the easiest to make and deliciously fresh. The peaches are not cooked, so make sure to use nice, ripe ones.
1 [...]

I’m not talking about hipsters wearing “ironic” John Deere baseball caps.
PSFK recently posted (via Edible Brooklyn) about a nascent young farmers movement and its emerging name, Greenhorns.

Growing up in Iowa, I was surrounded by farming most of my life. At the same time, I was not raised in a farming family myself. So, [...]