Slashfood

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Chocolate! Jacques Torres, former pastry chef of Le Cirque, last night showcased dazzling desserts at an anniversary bash to celebrate the launch of his chocolate factories in Brooklyn, and then in Manhattan, more than a decade ago.

But the dazzle at Torres's Hudson Street factory wasn't limited to the macaroons, chocolates, and bombolinis with vanilla custard that party people were eating faster than chocolate reaches the boiling point. Some of the stars of the culinary scene were also there to wish Chef Torres well. They even brought their families. Food Network's Sara Moulton came with her daughter, and Top Chef's Gail Simmons brought her parents, just in from their home base of Toronto. (Just Desserts judge Dannielle Kyrillos was also there with her husband, J.P. Kyrillos, publisher of Travel +Leisure.)

Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue food writer and judge on Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef, and his wife, did a drive-by on their way to Lotus of Siam, one of the hardest Manhattan tables to snag.

Drew Nieporent (Nobu), who had recently returned from the 12th Annual Gastronomika conference in San Sebastian, Spain, where he ate around with the likes of Ferran Adrià and Daniel Boulud, was asking everyone (in between flashing BlackBerry pics of his trip) if they'd been to his new restaurant, Corton, located in the former Montrachet space. Yes, they had.

And where is the food crowd going for New Year's Eve? Vegas, of course. All the talk was about the Jay-Z and Coldplay shows at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel, where chef José Andrés just opened his China Poblano.

Gingerbread, gingerbread, gingerbread rocks. We know people get creative with this stuff but never realized you could do more than just craft a little man to chew on later after the Kettle Chips ran out. No, a Gingerbread Wonderland contest this month at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown, New Jersey, revealed some real Robert Moses-Baron Haussmann-Type A bakers out there who are capable of Eiffel Towers, Taj Mahals and suburban homes ("House on Ridgedale Avenue," which, if memory serves, is one block over from Freddie's place on Elm Street). We've even spotted a gluten-free, dairy-free house, which causes us to ask: "Doesn't gingerbread taste bad enough without having to make it totally inedible?"

But by far the winner of the Most-Disheveled-Joint Award, the one that pulls at our cramped-for-space heartstrings is the hoarders' house (above), with messy little stacks of gingerbread books and gingerbread trash, and well, who knows what's under that gingerbread carpet? What fresh Wonderland is this?

They say 9/11 changed everything, and after a recent report by CBS News, we're liable to believe it.

It used to be that the only thing to worry about at the hotel breakfast buffet was whether the guy ahead of you scooping out a second helping of scrambled eggs from the chafing dish was a regular hand washer. Now you can add salad bars and buffets to the list of places where terrorists may strike next.

Citing a "key Intelligence source," CBS News reports that the federal government uncovered an al Qaeda plot earlier this year to poison salad bars and buffets at a variety of undisclosed locations. The report quotes from an al Qaeda website where terror leaders call for "...attacking the enemy with smaller but more frequent operations" to "add a heavy economic burden to an already faltering economy."

Specifically, terrorists have proposed using the poisons ricin and cyanide, both of which can be fatal in small doses.

Intelligence officials say that they don't want to alarm the public, though they have briefed security officers at several restaurant and hotel chains.

Who the %*&#! is Clara Peller?

You like trivia? So does Fox's new game show Million Dollar Money Drop, whose first contestants had to answer a question about vintage ad slogans, one of which involved the now-famous query, "Where's the Beef?" (The grouchy old bag who asked the question was the late Ms. Peller, who, to the best of our knowledge, was a one-hit wonder.)

The show also called out "Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands," the vaguely obscene slogan for M&Ms. But why stop there? Let's take a stroll down Madison Avenue, right where it merges with Memory Lane, and call up some of our favorite TV food commercials from the past:

Snap, Crackle and Pop for Rice Krispies (1939). Gee, Bobby, hope you'll stay over again now that your little friend can summon up his Breakfast Pals in a flash each morning. And can they also summon up a Play Station instead of bowl of cold cereal?

Chef Boy-ar-Dee (1954). "Hello, may I come in?" asks the chef with the world's thickest Italian accent. Actually, please go away. Even at 15 cents a serving, we can make better spaghetti from scratch.

Harriet Nelson for Aunt Jemima Pancakes (1958). When you've got "three man-sized pancake eaters" like Ozzie, David, and Ricky hanging around the house (what did Ozzie do for a living, anyway?), you need some help in the kitchen.

Like your breakfast on the spicy side? Chik-fil-A is listening. They've taken their Spicy Chicken Sandwich cranked up with chiles and spices and made it into a biscuit-based breakfast meal that'll stoke the fires bright and early. Chick-fil-A is launching the Spicy Chicken Biscuit on January 3, for around $2.25. But why pay when you can get one for free? You can reserve a free Spicy Chicken Biscuit starting December 27 at www.getspicychicken.com, and be one of the first to try the buttermilk-biscuit spice bomb.

The FDA has issued a recall of all Sally Jackson Cheese due to a possible contamination of E. coli. Sally Jackson produces raw cheese from cow's-, goat's- and sheep's milk. These cheeses do not bear a USPC code, as they are wrapped in leaves and tied with twine. The company is based in Oroville, WA but the cheese has been distributed nationwide to restaurants, distributers and retail stores.

As per the FDA: "Customers who have purchased Sally Jackson cheeses are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 509-429-3057, Monday through Friday, between 8:00am and 5:00pm Pacific Time."

Sally Jackson is one of the pioneer women cheesemakers. She had recieved a grant from the Carter Administration in the 1970s to produce her raw cheese on her Okanagan Highlands farm from the raw milk of her pasture-raised livestock. The cheese is then aged for the required 60 days (for raw cheeses) in signature dried chestnut leaves. You'll even find her product at the famed Murray's Cheese Shop, whose owner once referred to Sally as "one of America's great artisans."

Here at Slashfood we believe that's as true today as it's ever been. Ms. Jackson has had a long record of producing fine cheeses safely and we wish her the best in the future.

You're not likely to find gruyère in most fast-food burger joints, but now you will, at the crossroads of America, New York's Times Square. Just in time for the city's New Year's Eve bash, there's a new burger joint in town: The Counter, a nearly 8-year-old California-born chain specializing in custom-built burgers with uncharacteristically top-notch ingredients. The new outpost just opened in Times Square yesterday -- the chain's 26th U.S. location -- at 1451 Broadway.

Oprah has already named their "Build Your Own" burger one of the "20 Burgers You Must Eat Before You Die," and GQ's Alan Richman put it on his list of best burgers in the country. At least with more than 300,000 possible combinations you'll never get bored. There are four types of patty (Angus beef, grilled chicken, turkey, veggie), 12 types of cheese (like Greek feta, provolone and soft-ripened brie), 33 toppings (house-made guacamole, sautéed mushrooms, and even a fried egg) and 21 sauces (like basil pesto, chipotle aioli and ginger-soy glaze). Then, top it off with one of six different buns, such as honey wheat or ciabatta.

Unexpected starters round out the meal, from sweet-potato fries to turkey chili and fried dill pickle chips. New York City's location is also the first to have shakes, malts, floats and a full bar with spiked shakes, beer and wine. Plus, they say all their meat is humanely raised and hormone- and antibiotic-free. Especially cool? The promise that each outpost includes some locally sourced market ingredients. Happy National Burger Day!

Last Monday we kicked off our 12 days of chef-inspired gift giving. Stay tuned every morning through December 24th for ideas from the pros on the best gifts for cooks. And see the links at the bottom of the post to catch up on days you've missed.

On the ninth day of Christmas, a Mexican master gave to me...

The Chef: Richard Sandoval

Restaurants: La Sandía and Zengo (Santa Monica, CA); RAYA at The Ritz-Carlton (Dana Point, CA)

The Gift: A molcajete. It's a unique and personal gift that is central to Mexican cooking - a simple and traditional tool that imparts great texture and adds flavor as the molcajete is seasoned over time.

Where to Find It: Can be purchased at Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, and other kitchen supply stores. Also available online.