What we're reading: January 24

What we're reading:

Dubai keeps aiming for skies with highest restaurant
(Reuters) The world's highest restaurant, aptly named Atmosphere, just opened in Dubai. Ironically, it serves "eclectic, European cuisine." Uh, what?

An Irreverent Campaign from Bon Appetit
(The New York Times) One of the country's best-known food magazines just launched a rather unappetizing PR campaign. Hint: the phrase "bite me" figures heavily.

The Saveur 100: People and Places
(Saveur) We all know that slideshows are just shameless traffic grabs, but Saveur's are generally worth clicking through. In this one, the magazine asks chefs to nominate their favorite chef or restaurant, and then compiles the answers -- some of them quite intriguing -- into a hunger-inducing, 100-page slideshow.

What we're cooking:

Bur Oak Winter Soup (inspired by Bowerbirds)
(Eating the Beats) This music-infused cooking blog is only one week old, but it's already one of my favorites. (Okay, okay, disclaimer -- I do know the chef.) In this recipe, one of my favorite folk bands serves as inspiration for a seasonal squash soup. It's easy, vegetarian and looks killer with cornbread.

Quote:

"Reviewing restaurants for a newspaper in a city with good food is what many people would call a dream job. I won't deny the obvious perks of subsidized restaurant inspection, but ... If I listened to my gut I wouldn't eat half of what I swallow in the line of duty, and if I listened to my heart, I'd eat even less."
-- Ari Levaux, Why Food Critics Don't Always Say Everything They Think (The Atlantic)

Photo by Chotda on Flickr