Dana Bowen looks ahead to Summer Restaurant Week in NYC. The article looks at the sacrifices...or workarounds that Restaurants have to scramble to do to compensate for the increased demand, but lower profits. One section I did find amusing.

"When I called my fish guy last year and told him I wanted to do halibut for Restaurant Week, he told me to put down my crack pipe," said Alexandra Guarnaschelli, chef at Butter on Lafayette Street. But her grilled halibut with squash emulsion flew out of the kitchen and became a house favorite.

Got Goat? Joan Nathan looks at the increasing popularity of goat meat. I guess if it looks like this photo to the right (Taken by Peter Taylor for The New York Times) I might be tempted to at least try it. Then again, I can't say for sure. Just something about goat that doesn't seem appetizing to me. Also in the The Times, the interesting story of Alain Senderens, who is closing his Michelin three-star restaurant to open something "more fun". He will feature lower prices, a more casual environment and younger feel.

With hot weather finally here, (for some of us at least) a cold beer is enhanced and even more refreshing going down. Regina Schrambling in the Los Angeles Times and Sandy Thorn Clark in the Chicago Sun Times each have a look at the fermented beverage, with the latter piece looking at the emergence of higher end beers on the market.

Sue Ontiveros says that mainstream grocery shoppers can learn a lot from the habits of immigrants. Peggy Grodinsky writes about good ol American beefsteaks. George Erdosh examines the Maillard technique for browning meat and bringing out the flavor.

Finally, Gina Piccalo in the Los Angeles Times looks at a somewhat absurd web site devoted to videos of people crying while eating. In fact, that's the name of the site - Crying While Eating.