Aside from running the most outstanding culinary center in New York City, our fearless leader Jenn Smith is currently working on one of her life's goals, creating a different cocktail to compliment every American president. Here she shares with us #39, James Earl Carter Jr. or the "Jimmy Carter" The Jimmy Carter
by Jenn Smith

• Crushed salt, sugar, peanuts on the rim
• Castries Peanut Liquor
• Anchor Porter
• Nutmeg

We here at Astor are overwhelmed with sadness at the devastation in Haiti. In order to help, we have added an "Elements of Wine" class to our calendar on Monday, January 25th, and will pass on 100% of ticket sales to support the relief effort.

 
Every year Saveur magazine asks for their readers to submit their ideas, inspirations, and favorite food finds. Everything from family recipes to treasured cookbooks to time-honored tips. And thanks to y-o-u Astor Center is ranked #68 on The 2010 Saveur 100 List.

Here's to another delicious year!

See for yourself

On my most recent of Sunday morning bloggings, I came accross a little piece of fun called Roboexotica. It's a festival held in Vienna that adresses a long standing issue. This is direct from their homepage.

"Until recently, no attempts had been made to publicly discuss the role of cocktail robotics as an index for the integration of technological innovations into the human Lebenswelt, or to document the increasing occurrence of radical hedonism in man-machine communication. Roboexotica is an attempt to fill this vacuum. It is the first and, inevitably, the leading festival concerned with cocktail robotics world-wide. A micro mechanical change of paradigm in the age of borderless capital. Alan Turing would doubtless test this out."

Needless to say, you can take a few minutes out of your day to check this out.

Below is a robot that mixes cocktails based on how you play Mario. Needless to say, my drink would be elegant, potent and delicious.

Hi my name is Kent.

I might be what some consider a nerd. The way that my colleagues at Astor Center speak about locally produced goods and interesting dishes they made from scratch at home, I can akin to the way I speak about smartphone OS's and robust websites that don't use Flash. You can often hear me going off on my extreme distaste for Apple products the way Michael Pollan might Fruit Loops.

I am also a big fan of the Gross Food movement.

I am also 50% Japanese.

So this, as no surprise, tickled my proverbial fancy.

Happy Windows 7 Day!

I'm not speaking about the proper temperature to serve a chablis. (50º-55ºF says Jancis); nor am I speaking about the temperature at which the middle of a pork roast should be (I didn't feel like looking that one up); but rather something to me that is much more intriguing.

Allow me to temporarily kidnap you from sitting in front of your computer screen and propose to you this scenario: You have just brought home your piping hot General Tso’s chicken and have set it down in front of a nice fresh episode of  “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” You take the first few bites and are in heaven. The outside is crispy, the inside is juicy and tender and the sauce is spicy, sweet and it is the perfect adhesive for the chicken fried rice (that’s right, I double up on my poultry) ::SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE:: exclaims your cell phone as it begins your Kelly Clarkson ringtone. You pick it up and it’s Dave, your best friend calling you from the west coast. You get up and walk away from your noisy telly, and towards your bed. You catch up and he tells you about firing his friend’s gun using RC cars as targets, and you tell him about that girl that wouldn’t call you back. After you both stop being interesting you bid each other adieu and you return to your dinner of exotic cuisine, only to discover that it’s no longer even warm, it’s damn cold! It immediately becomes up appetizing as you think of the best way to reheat it. Stop…

Right there… Why? Why is it better warm? Why are so many foods better warm? I understand that you can eat it cold, but it’s not the same. I know that there are people out there who enjoy cold pizza, I’m one of them. Although there are the few who say that cold pizza is better than warm pizza and there is a very simple explanation for that, they’re lying. Probably to seem more interesting, but I digress…

I’ve done my fair share of thinking, conversating and researching this phenomenon, but interestingly enough the internet has very little to say on this matter. Here are some of the possible answers I have compiled. Perhaps you could contribute some of your own ideas. It would certainly make you seem interesting… to me at least.

-         An expectation of certain foods to taste and feel a certain way

-         A solidifying of fat, affecting texture and taste

-         A nurturing factor, similar to taking a hot shower

 

This blew my Monday morning addled mind. A British man apparently has invoiced Pret A Manger, amongst 50 other companies, for time wasted waiting on line. And apparently Pret A Manger, as well as 3 other companies ARE PAYING HIM! This gives me a whole new perspective on lunch.

My question to you is, who would you invoice for your idle time?

Read: Telegraph.uk via GrubStreet

Our good buddy Dave Wondrich, stopped by the Colbert Report to mix up a few cocktails for Stephen, as well as create one just for him. He mixes up a few of the popular cocktails from American History (Civil War, Prohibition) as well as the Colbert Bump.

THE COLBERT BUMP

1 ounce Heering cherry liqueur
1 1/2 ounces gin
1/4 ounce lemon juice
Splash of soda wate

Stir in a tall glass with 3/4 ice

As a big fan of The State, which recently came out on DVD, I was happy to find this posted on MTV.com. It was hard not to think of the current bacon craze we're in the tail end of...

Robert Kenner, Director of Food, Inc. on the Daily Show with John Stewart.