Michelin Stars, Paula Dean’s pole, 2009 cookbooks and an online restaurant review survey.

Food Links | Compiled by Nathan Mattise

• One of the most read New Yorker articles this month? Take a look behind the scenes with the folks who go undercover to determine the Michelin Star ratings.

• For other food-related items from well-respected magazines, take a look at this interesting McSweeney’s take on Paula Deen.

• When perusing all the various Best of 2009 lists, I’m glad to see that Best Cookbooks is its own entity. (This local 94-year-old did not get any listings despite the impressive productivity).

• Finally, if you enjoy anything on this blog, chances are you’ve looked at food reviews online at some point in your life. Share that experience with a needy grad student in this online restaurant review survey (being done for my Applied Research in Content Management Systems class).

“Beer & Cheese Soup” in the DWFT Test Kitchen

It still has yet to really snow in the ‘Cuse area, but it’s finally cold enough for a daily cup of soup. Inspired by a recent road trip, here’s a step-by-step account of a beer and cheese soup made with the help of a Yuengling cookbook.

The Food Issue, a Funk employee, funky stuff in food and… Bourdain!

Food Links | Compiled by Nathan Mattise

• The New Yorker released their annual “Food Issue” just in time for the holidays.  I’m partial to the piece on the never-ending parade of cookbooks.

• In other food-related press, local Syracuse outlet The NewsHouse recently had a very interesting story about a deaf-Sudanese refugee who found a home working at Funk N’ Waffles.

• The New York Times reminds us to double-check the pre-canned yams with their “Stuff in Foods” video.

• Finally, this week I had the opportunity to interact with two of my Top Five Fav Pop Culture People…Ira Glass (I asked him about food too) and ANTHONY BOURDAIN!

During his Q&A session, I managed to ask him about his favorite breakfast meal (not available in this country) because my question about his development as a writer was asked while I waited in the microphone line. The first half of the night was all Bourdain riffing on his topics of choice including:

-His favorite TV food personalities (Giada, Ramsay, Paula Deen, Flay, Batali, Alton Brown… he shares the opinion of this blog on a certain sweatband wearing host though ).

-His distaste for the Food Network

- His tips for Americans traveling abroad (Eat where no other Americans eat, respect the local customs 100 percent)

- His take on the recent Organic-push in response to food processing horrors

It goes without saying, absolutely worth the trip.

Diners Without Frosted Tips featured on USA Today’s Pop Candy

Food Links and Essay | Compiled by Nathan Mattise

…well, a list I wrote inspired by this blog was on Pop Candy. Click on to read my Top 5 Pop Culture Diners (and they’re not the five you’d expect… it’s a Meg Ryan-free list).

Diner Critique: Banana Curve Diner (South Waverly, Pa.)

Review | Written and photographed by Nathan Mattise

Directions | Web site | Overall Rating: 4

Yep – it’s really called the Banana Curve.   However, the other exterior sign revealed a locale much more conservative than its name would lead you to believe.  Nevertheless, when you’re hungry and in the middle of nowhere to grab a new driver’s license photo, the local diner is your oasis. Thankfully food has no politics and the Banana Curve’s taste is worth lobbying for.