Mouthing Off

Poor John McCain faces some tough competition tonight at the Republican National Convention: the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. While McCain is delivering his much-anticipated speech, the 2008 NFL season will have officially kicked off as the reigning Super Bowl champions face the Skins. Some of the sports-crazed staffers at F&W have put together the ultimate F&W NFL package that delivers delicious recipes to get you through five months of football as well as predictions, opinions and obsessions from our favorite football-obsessed chefs.  
 
We’ll be updating our NFL package throughout the season. Still to come:

*David Chang’s prediction for the Washington Redskins's season.

*New Orleans Saints fan Susan Spicer’s favorite game day foods.

*Frank Ruta on which player he’d most like to be on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

 

The U.S. Tennis Open started today. A mixed blessing, like new pencils or new jeans—it's a treat but an indisputable reminder that summer's almost over. To take the edge off of the longer nights and chillier air, Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia and his wine-expert wife, Cathy, have provided F&W with a few lighthearted tennis wine-pairing tips. Rosés to match your tennis skirt, anyone? Check it out here. For the New Yorkers among us, the Mantuanos will be serving wine-bar snacks at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center today through September 7.

 

In honor of the birth of Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon Jolie-Pitt in Nice, France, last month (which brings the movie star family total to eight) we here at F&W decided to indulge in a little roundup of eight of our favorite Provençal dishes that serve eight. And for when the family returns stateside, we polled some of the sagest, funniest food bloggers and restaurant critics for family-friendly restaurants they’d feel comfortable recommending to any star-quality group of eight or more. From Grub Street's Josh Ozersky to New Orleans Times Picayune's Brett Anderson, they came through in spades. The full roundup is here; highlights below.

 

• Josh Ozersky, Grub Street

If the Brangelina 8 are looking for something new, Cabrito just opened in the West Village. It’s fun and noisy, it’s got lots of tacos, and it’s so loud, no one would notice six shrieking children there. Plus it has a certain multiethnic cachet that they might find appealing.

• Amanda McClements, Metrocurean

Should the power couple need to swing by Capitol Hill to drum up support for their do-gooder deeds, it’s a quick stroller ride over to Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn’s new burger joint on Capitol Hill, Good Stuff Eatery, for milkshakes, herb-flecked fries and burgers.

• Brett Anderson, New Orleans Times Picayune

Kids tend to like the little-monster aspect of boiled seafood, provided their parents aren’t the types who forbid them from playing with their food. We’re at the end of crawfish season, but you still get them at some places, and most seafood joints will have boiled shrimp and crabs. I like Seither’s, The Galley and Charlie’s Seafood and Barbecue, all of which are family-friendly.

• Paolo Lucchesi, Eater SF

Their best bet might be Spruce. Chef Mark Sullivan’s menu epitomizes the seasonal cuisine that San Francisco loves, yet is accessible enough for the kids. The converted garage’s flashy design (cathedral ceilings, fancy skylights) should please the architecture lover in Brad, and the entire clan could escape the paparazzi in one of the private dining areas.

• Jonathan Kauffman, Seattle Weekly

After a quick trip to Barney’s, or even a pilgrimage to the Rem Koolhaas library downtown—de rigueur for any patron of architecture—the family can drive a few blocks northeast of the shopping district to Habesha, a gorgeous Ethiopian restaurant with exposed brick walls and handmade paper lamps. Not only can the Jolie-Pitts share Zahara’s heritage with the entire family, Habesha offers a practical meal for a family of eight: a lunchtime buffet.

The plight of the honeybee is all the buzz this year, with its mysteriously dwindling population getting a mention in the new M. Night Shyamalan movie, The Happening, and inspiring Häagen-Dazs to create a honey-flavored ice cream and fund bee Colony Collapse Disorder research.

The August issue of Food & Wine pays homage to the bee with eight delicious, honey-centric recipes and a primer on the best single-varietal honeys on the market.

Fairmont has also jumped on the save-the-bee bandwagon. In June, more than 100,000 bees checked in to the roof of the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto. The hotel partnered with the Toronto Beekeepers Cooperative to create a rooftop apiary to house three hives, and the hotel’s executive chef will be sourcing his honey straight from the roof.
 
Fairmont also plans to add bee colonies to two other Canadian properties this summer: the Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews and the Fairmont Winnipeg.

The grim economic reports may have you holding onto your pennies, but yesterday, Wall Street Journal columnist Robert Frank wrote about a Harvard Business Review article that says we all might be a little happier splurging, even in the long run. The authors wrote, “Our research shows that forgoing indulgences today can feed strong regrets later, and that near-term regrets about self-indulgence dramatically fade with time.” To test out the theory, treat yourself to a few summery luxe ingredients and try one of these fantastic recipes:

Lobster Sliders

King Crab and Avocado Shooters

Corn and Chanterelle Crostini

Tex-Mex Porterhouse Steaks

Mixed Berry Hand Pies with Raspberry and Mascarpone Whipped Cream (for an extra splurge, add the rarer and often pricier black raspberries).