If you're old enough to remember when The Simpsons was just a series of animated shorts on the The Tracey Ullman Show, you'll probably feel even older when you realize that as of this year the show has been on the air for a quarter of a century. And what better way to celebrate its success than by immortalizing the characters as plastic over-sized toy potatoes?
Two professors at Harvard Business School have found evidence of racial discrimination on Airbnb, the site that lets people rent their extra space to guests for short term stays. The study, which was based on 3,500 listings in New York City, concludes that black hosts are earning 12 percent less than white hosts for similar properties. The authors say that suggests that white hosts are able to charge more simply because they're white.
Airbnb puts an emphasis on the people behind the properties in order to build trust, including large profile pictures, biographical information, and connections from Facebook and Twitter. A thumbnail of the host’s photo shows up next to the main photo of the property in the search results page. The...
There are, probably, very few people who have a living memory of Mario kneecapping Yoshi in this advertisement and who are not old enough to vote. It's the famous spot for Super Smash Bros., which 15 years ago today released as a Japan-only novelty and exploded into one of Nintendo's best-loved series.
    
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Chinese exports are directly contributing to air pollution in the US, according to a study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a leading science journal. The country's massive export industry accounts for about 20 percent of its total pollution output, the authors write, in what is the first paper to quantify the impact of Chinese exports on US air quality.
The paper was authored by nine scientists from the US, the UK, and China, and was published this week after more than two years of research. The authors used data from 2006 to examine how air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and black carbon are propelled by strong winds from China to the west coast of the US, as part of an effort to...
For games as big as EA's Titanfall, it's all but inevitable that footage slithers out of an alpha test, and oh how footage has slithered out. This 10-minute or so video is just one of plenty of examples out there, but it neatly showcases the Respawn ...
Chicago Restaurant Week 2014. That time of year that breaks the most dedicated of food-related New Year's resolutions and sends gourmands in the city and suburbs into a frenzy of booking tables at old favorites and the latest buzzy hotspots.
Last year, Restaurant Week ran for 10 days. This year, for the first time, Restaurant Week has been extended to two weeks. At this rate, next year we'll just have Restaurant Month for all of January to compensate for an otherwise slow time of year for restaurateurs. Participating restaurants are offering special prix fixe menus from January 24th through February 6th for lunch and dinner (some choose to participate in just one meal) at prices of $22, $33, or $44.
For 2013's event, I highlighted seven places worth booking for lunch. This year, I'm expanding my picks to include some dinner spots, using the same criteria as before. My choices are based on how much the menu made me salivate, the regular price of a meal at the restaurant compared to the deal, and the generosity of the menu based on estimated ingredient costs. Some restaurants seem to just go through the motions of Restaurant Week, while others put significant thought and effort behind the menu. I want to note that NAHA and Blackbird did not make my list because they regularly offer three-course lunch prix fixes for $22. Don't bother visiting during the two-week Restaurant Week time frame. You can get the same deals any time of year at these Michelin-starred restaurants with less of a crowd. Topolobampo recently launched a new lunch prix fixe as well, for $25. With this option you get selections with each course, whereas for Restaurant Week, you don't. Again, I'd recommend going another time of year.
Disclaimer: Many great restaurants did not have their Restaurant Week menus available at the time of this posting, so not all 280 restaurants were able to be considered.
[Courtesy of Henri]
Normally, a lunch entree can easily run you $22, so getting three courses for that price is a steal. Start with a soup du jour or blood orange salad, followed by chestnut gnocchi or duck terrine satisfy your sweet tooth with a chocolate mousse verrine. Executive Chef Chris Gawronski has really made the menu his own, and presents a light and satisfying lunch menu that won't leave you lethargic.
Henri, 18 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603 (map); 312-578-0763
Start with a salad at Nomi. [Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]
NoMI makes our lunch list again this year for good reason. You'll be paying about half what these items would normally cost, and I'm confident that the service and food will be as elegant as ever. Celeriac soup with spiced pistachios, truffled bucatini and red wine braised short rib are all mouthwatering winter menu additions.
NoMI Kitchen, Park Hyatt Chicago, 800 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 (map); 312-239-4030
Inside the Tortoise Club [Courtesy of Tortoise Club/Facebook]
Both lunch and dinner deals are offered at this jazzy clubhouse, and both are good deals compared with their regular menu. There are a few more options at dinner (wild pheasant pie with foie gras sauce, anyone?), but for those working in the Loop, this is a very conveniently located lunch pick too, and impressive enough to bring clients.
Tortoise Club's Restaurant Week Menu
Tortoise Club, 350 North State Street, Chicago, IL 60654 (map); 312-755-1700
Look for this Roasted Char dish on the menu. [Courtesy of Travelle/Facebook]
Located in the elegant new Langham hotel, this Mediterranean-inspired restaurant helmed by Chef Tim Graham normally has a lunch prix-fixe for $29. In honor of Restaurant Week, they knock $7 off that price. I've dined here several times and highly recommend the arctic char with spinach, burnt onion and tangerine vinaigrette. It's easily Chef Tim Graham's best entree.
Travelle's Restaurant Week Menu
Travelle, 330 North Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 (map); 312-923-7705
[Photograph: Chelsea Ross]
Normally Ada St. has a fun shared plates dinner menu, so I was surprised to see them shake things up this year. The $33 three-course menu celebrates the women of the restaurant industry, with individual courses inspired by Alice Waters, April Bloomfield, Barbara Lynch, Julia Child, and more. These dishes will only be available during Restaurant Week, so if anything looks tempting, be sure you book a table quickly.
Ada Street's Restaurant Week Menu
Ada Street, 1664 North Ada Street, Chicago, IL 60642 (map); 773-697-7069
This is a great time to sample iNG's Salvador Dali-inspired menu. [Courtesy of iNG/Facebook]
Executive Chef Tim Havidic is cooking up some thoughtfully kooky and delicious food with his current Salvador Dali-inspired tasting menu. Normally, a 10-course dinner runs $105 with abbreviated six and three-course tasting menus available for $85 and $50 respectively. So getting an extra course and $6 off is a no-brainer, particularly when this is what some of the courses look like.
iNG, 951 West Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607 (map); 855-834-6464
Garlic Bread with Blue Cheese Fondue at Michael Jordan Steakhouse [Photograph: Nick Kindelsperger]
If you want steak, a petit filet mignon specifically, that alone is worth the cost of admission here. For dinner, they're offering four courses for $44, and forget about skipping the bread. Everyone starts out with their signature garlic bread and blue cheese fondue. Just enjoy it. During the rest of the year, MJ's offers a $49.95 three course prix fixe on Sundays only. Here, you get an extra course, an extra option for each course, and for $6 less.
Michael Jordan's Steakhouse Restaurant Week Menu
Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, 505 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611 (map); 312-321-8823
[Photograph: Huge Galdones]
I haven't actually been here, but it's the restaurant I'm most looking forward to trying after perusing their menu. I wasn't able to make a price assessment, since their prices aren't listed on their online menu. However, I want to try every single dish from appetizer through dessert. Pulled pork tostones or avocado fries? Chili rubbed pork tenderloin with squash purée or pepita crusted trout with wild mushrooms, leeks and tomatillo sabayon? Pistachio rum cake or a chocolate sformato? It's kind of embarrassing that I'm having so much trouble choosing when my options have already been significantly narrowed.
Nana, 3267 S Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60608 (map); 312-929-2486
[Courtesy of Quince]
My top suburban pick is for Evanston's Quince. On price point alone, this is a great bargain and this intimate and romantic restaurant can hold its own with the best in Chicago. The choices for Restaurant Week, including goat cheese pierogi, pork with persimmon, cabbage, mustard and rye spaetzle and a coconut sticky rice dessert highlight the creativity and bright flavors Executive Chef Andy Motto is known for.
Quince at the Homestead's Restaurant Week Menu
Quince at the Homestead, 1625 Hinman Avenue #102, Evanston, IL 60201 (map); 847-570-8400
[Courtesy of TWO]
This new West Town eatery is only open for dinner and their three-course menu actually has a bonus course of roasted wild mushrooms in a creamy-herb polenta, along with vegetarian options for each course. You won't be disappointed by the chestnut risotto, signature duck egg fettuccine or chocolate bourbon pudding.
TWO, 1132 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642 (map); 312-624-8363
[Photographs: Farley Elliott]
Well, like it or not, the nefarious future is here to ruin things again. All good things must come to an end, as they say, and so too must this mortal coil of ours perish into nothingness. And if we ever get the chance to look back upon it all, we'll have to admit that it wasn't nuclear war or pollution or superviruses that did us in. No, we'll laugh bitterly—we fell at the feet of a $3 gas station burrito.
Not just any old pump-n-pay snack, mind you, but hormone- and antibiotic-free burritos, made with cage-free eggs, and offered at $3 a pop from a 24-hour kiosk known as Burrito Box. You've probably heard of the Burrito Box. The brightly-tinged vending machine sprouted up mysteriously inside of a 24-hour Mobil gas station in Los Angeles recently, and has managed to attract quite a bit of press, even though its parent company, The Box Brands, has remained villainously quiet. And, as if to prove a point about the world's inevitable slow decline at the hands of laser-wielding Bond villains and reheated Mexican foodstuffs, the Colorado-based company that supplies said hormone-free burritos is named... EVOL. Seriously.
There's simply no stopping the Burrito Box now, what with its superior heating skills, uncanny combinations of eggs and breakfast meats, and triptych of possible accompaniments—Tabasco hot sauce, sour cream, and guacamole—that can accompany any purchase. That is, unless the burritos actually taste like, y'know, gas station burritos. In which case we may all be able to rise up and declare in one voice that "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight!"
But there's only one way to find out how ready these burritos are to take over the planet. We must try them all.
Here is the initial offering, and my first sign that things wouldn't end well. These burritos aren't actually cooked to order through some feat of biothermal engineering. They're actually just heated up to sort-of-room temperature.
From the on-the-go squirt of sour cream to the neon cup of pressed guacamole, the sides don't deliver much, either. (Though that dinky bottle of Tabasco is pretty darn cute.)
And now, onto the burritos. I will spare you close-ups of all but the best in the bunch, which was still only passable. Behold:
Uncured Bacon, Egg and Cheese Burrito (top left): Please, look away. This soggy, chewy mess is supposed to be a smoky, savory bite of bacon, eggs and cheese. And that little flap of red? It's the remaining skin from a peeled and crushed tomato, begging to be set free.
Roasted Potato, Egg and Cheese Burrito (top right): A good thing to always keep in mind: don't order eggs from a vending machine. Especially if the next strongest flavor to accompany them is 'boiled potato.
Chorizo Sausage, Egg and Cheese Burrito (bottom left): Closing out the breakfast options is the chorizo and egg, though this is less the Mexican morning staple than it is a traditional American breakfast link. There's a bit more to sink your teeth into, but the whole thing is still exceedingly chewy and moist. Maybe this Burrito Box isn't so intimidating after all.
Shredded Beef and Cheese Burrito (bottom right): Hmm, a better option. Though the beef is bland, it's a large step up from sweaty eggs. This won't beat out any machaca burrito you might try elsewhere, but at least its worthy of its gas station setting—and $3 price tag.
Free-Range Chicken, Bean and Rice Burrito: Finally, the best of the bunch. There's chicken that tastes like chicken (albeit in faint amounts) and other discernible bites like corn, beans and rice!
Suffice it to say, after much strenuous research, the Burrito Box will not be coming to take over the world after all. But it may keep on clogging up LA's Instagram feed.
About the author: Farley Elliott is a writer and comedian living in Los Angeles. He writes about food, beer and entertainment at OverOverUnder.com.
J.J. Abrams' vision for a Star Wars sequel is one step closer to theaters today, as the director reveals the script for Star Wars Episode VII is complete. "We're working really hard and we've got our script and we're in deep prep," Abrams tells The Wrap, "full steam ahead, y'know."
Speaking at a press event for his new NBC series Believe, Abrams confirmed Jesse Plemons is being considered for a role in the sequel, saying he "is one of the actors that we’ve talked to." Plemons has long been rumored for a potential starring role; he's perhaps best-known for his role as Todd Alquist in the final season of Breaking Bad.
At the same event, Abrams also revealed that Episode VII will be shot on regular film, rather than with IMAX film...
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Turns out that Chris Benz was right when he called Haribo "the most disgusting kind of candy" in last week's Grub Street Diet. After receiving complaints for over a month, the German confectionery company has finally pulled its "Skipper Mix" candies, which depicted Africans in blackface, from the Swedish market. The licorice was supposed to symbolize a sailor's voyage around the world, but instead, it was flat-out racist. [Earlier, Recipe Finder]
Read more posts by Sierra Tishgart
Filed Under: yikes, candy, haribo, offensive
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Go ahead, ask your roommate for their sibling's HBO Go password — as it turns out, HBO really doesn't mind. "It presents the brand to more and more people and gives them an opportunity, hopefully, to become addicted to it," HBO CEO Richard Plepler tells BuzzFeed. Plepler says that HBO is well aware that people share their account passwords, but he views it as a "terrific marketing vehicle" rather than an obstacle. "What we're in the business of is building addicts, building video addicts," he says, "and the way we do that is exposing our product and our shows and our brand to more and more people."
What's the difference between a blogger and a journalist? Congress is still debating that question, but today a federal appeals court ruled that there's no difference when it comes to defamation.
In 2011, blogger Crystal Cox lost a trial when an Oregon judge denied her a First Amendment protection traditionally reserved for the press. She claimed that Obsidian Finance Group was guilty of tax fraud — which was false, it appears — and a jury awarded Obsidian $2.5 million in damages. Normally, Obsidan would have had to prove that Cox was negligent to recover some of that money from Cox, and that prove she acted with "actual malice" to get the rest. However, those rules came from Supreme Court cases that only applied to journalists —...
Whether it's a touchscreen, keyboard, or mouse, there are plenty of ways to interact with your computer, but sometimes you need something a little more tactile. Enter Palette, described as a "freeform hardware interface," that lets you create a custom controller with a variety of switches, dials, and buttons. It works with Mac, Windows, and Linux devices, and the creators say that they're working to support a variety of software right away, including Photoshop and Traktor. Each module also comes with built-in LED lights so you can work late into the night.
All of the pieces come in the form of tiny blocks and you can arrange them however you like, sticking them together like LEGO blocks. "Our fingertips are some of the most sensitive...
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Masatsugu Horie and Takashi Amano, reporting for Bloomberg:
“We are thinking about a new business structure,” Iwata said at a press conference today in Osaka, Japan. “Given the expansion of smart devices, we are naturally studying how smart devices can be used to grow the game-player business. It’s not as simple as enabling Mario to move on a smartphone.”
Hurry up, I say.
Raphael Orlove, writing for Jalopnik:
The last and best feature of the car is Honda’s GPS solution: it’s your phone. You can order the car with navigation for something around $1500, or you can download the HondaLink app from Honda for $59.99 and get something better. With the app, the car will display your phone’s GPS on its seven-inch display. That means as you upgrade your phone, you’ll be upgrading your GPS, too. I can’t think of a better system.
Way of the future.
Brian X. Chen, writing for NYT Bits:
Nokia, whose smartphones primarily run Microsoft’s Windows operating system, was not even worth mentioning in the study. In general, Nokia’s Windows phones have not gained traction in the United States, although Nokia’s phones are selling stronger in overseas markets like Argentina, India, Poland and Russia.
The NPD numbers underscore especially disappointing results for Motorola. Last year, the company aggressively promoted the Moto X, its first flagship smartphone made under its new owner, Google. Yet despite these efforts, Motorola’s presence in the United States last year dwindled compared with 2012, according to the study.
Update: The story has now been updated to read:
The report did not track phones using the Windows Phone operating system, so Nokia, which uses that software, did not appear. In general, Nokia’s phones have not gained traction in the United States, although Nokia’s phones are selling stronger in overseas markets like Argentina, India, Poland and Russia.
Family-friendly megacorporation Disney has allowed its trademark on Star Wars 1313 to lapse, likely driving the final nail into the coffin of the promising action game once described by developers as "Star Wars hell."
Initially revealed just prior ...
In-N-Out at night [Photograph: Nick Solares]
Time recently published a list of 17 burgers that, according to burger historians and experts, have made the most noticeable impact on the burger industry. Did they miss any monumental burgers? Take a look at the full list, below:
About the author: Erin Jackson is a food writer and photographer who is obsessed with discovering the best eats in San Diego. You can find all of her discoveries on her San Diego food blog EJeats.com. On Twitter, she's @ErinJax
Love hamburgers? Then you'll Like AHT on Facebook! And go follow us on Twitter while you're at it!
Competition for foot traffic is particularly fierce along the corridor of restaurants on Eighth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen: One place touts Best $1 Pizza Slice in huge letters while another offers $5 Frozen Margaritas Anytime. But Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen, which actually opened late last year near the corner of West 49th Street, stands out, not just for the audacity of its name. The well-made "little steamed buns" here are actually xiaolongbao, or the soup-dumpling variety; the ramen isn't porktastic tonkotsu, or any of these late-night varieties for that matter. It's O.G. lamian, or hand-pulled noodles and hot broth in a variety of flavors, including duck and shrimp. More interesting than all this, however, is that it turns out Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen's chef Peter Song is sort of famous in China.
Prior to moving to Flushing, Song was an actor and comedian who performed on huge, nationally broadcast variety shows in China. He even co-starred in a movie whose name translates to Don't Talk to Me About Tall, Rich, and Handsome Guys. In New York, however, he ended up working at Lanzhou Handmade Noodle in Flushing's Golden Mall Food Court, where his talent for noodles won him praise. He says he considers hand-pulling a form of performance. Narratively covered Song's unlikely career path in depth last year; his dough is used for the scallion pancakes, which are rolled with beef tendon, fried, and served with black vinegar on the side. Each bowl of ramen ($8.75) comes with a heap of his noodles.
Here's five minutes and 29 seconds of some of the most intense fancy footwork and simultaneous gluten-smacking you'd ever want to see. It's like Flashdance with dough.
Here's the Narratively video that tells Song's story, in which he says he can't break through to Broadway or Hollywood roles because his English isn't strong enough. His short film, which combines noodle-making and nunchucks, is apparently still in the works. We'd definitely watch it.
Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen, 811 Eighth Ave., nr. 49th St.; 917-388-2555
Read more posts by Hugh Merwin
Filed Under: openings, hand-pulled noodles, hell's kitchen, kung fu little steamed buns ramen, peter song, ramen, xiao long bao
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As part of its unprecedented, headlong rush toward the Singularity, Taco Bell is now selling three all-new sodas, called "Manzanita Sol®," "Diet Mtn Dew Baja Blast," and "Mtn Dew Sangrita Blast," the latter two of which do not actually explode. Additionally, because tacos that have Doritos for shells can never have enough pairing options, three noncarbonated drinks have now joined the fray: "Brisk Iced Tea & Lemonade," which is a fancy way of saying Arnold Palmer, the festive "Brisk® Mango Fiesta," and something called "SoBe® Lifewater™ Yumberry Pomegranate," which is made with genuine foraged yumberries. Expect that long-in-the-works Mountain Dew Passion-Fruit Frenzy Salad to launch any day now. [Earlier]
Read more posts by Hugh Merwin
Filed Under: the chain gang, doritos locos, fast food, locosification, mountain dew, taco bell
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Hoefler & Frere-Jones (H&FJ), one of the most respected type foundries in the world, is now the subject of a multi-million dollar legal battle between its eponymous type designers Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones. The New York City foundry owns and sells licenses for well-known font families like Whitney and Gotham, and has also designed typefaces for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, Esquire, HP, Nike, and others.
For the past fifteen years, Sony's portable radios have dominated a very specific market: the federal prison. One specific model, the SRF-39FP (the 'FP' stands for 'federal prison'), remains a firm favorite 15 years after its debut. It's made out of clear plastic, allowing guards to ensure the radios aren't being used to smuggle contraband, lasts for forty hours on a single AA battery, and is rated by enthusiasts as one of the most precise portable radios around. In a New Yorker article, Joshua Hunt looks at how and why the SRF-39FP became "the iPod of prison."
Combo Time: if you play Street Fighter on PC, then you might wanna check out the Street Fighter IV combo trainer, which lets you create and test combos—and it comes with built-in functionality that will help you memorize the combos. You can read more about it here, and download it here. (Via RPS)
