episode 28: Foxtrot, freezers, and frankenfoods

this week we talk about the downfall of Foxtrot, foods that can and can't go in the freezer, franken-Ice Cream that “never melts”...and more!

the swift downfall of Foxtrot 💥

ah, the news that rocked the Little Treat communities in DC, Austin and Chicago. as you may know, all Foxtrot Markets closed abruptly on Tuesday morning. managers were notified the business was shuttering, and mere hours later employees were kicking customers out of the stores. the corner-store chain closed after a November merger with Dom’s Kitchen and the parent company is filing for bankruptcy after “exploring many avenues” to stay open. in addition, they failed to file WARN notices in Illinois and Texas, which requires businesses of a certain size to notify the government of mass firings.

while I whole-heartedly loved their fun snacks and gummy candy, this VC-overloaded business that clearly expanded at an unsustainable rate, was dumb at best and greedy at worst with the lack of respect for employee’s livelihood with this abrupt decision. for customers, if you are looking for a new gourmet corner store to frequent, here is a list of bougie markets in the DC area that can fill the snack-sized hole in your heart. Odd Provisions is my fav <3

a comprehensive list of DC Ice Cream: 2024 🍦

as the weather gets warmer, we will need the crutch of ice cream to deal with the unbearable DC heat, so I am bringing back my DC ice cream list. (i’ve also put all the ice cream shops into a google maps list here.)

as i’m revamping this list for 2024, please comment if there are any spots that i’ve missed. here’s my criteria: 1) the store must serve ice cream at a standalone ice cream shop, a restaurant that also serves ice cream consistently, or at a dessert shop that serves ice cream. it cannot be a restaurant that happens to serve ice cream as a rotating menu item. 2) my definition of ice cream includes standard American-style ice cream or soft serve, but doesn’t include gelato. (maybe i’ll change my mind on that this year. maybe.) 3) D.C. proper ONLY! none of that MD and VA stuff. happy ice cream cone lickin’!!

food in freezer: do’s and don’ts 🥶

if you come to my house and open my freezer, you would think that a family of 4 lives in my small home, there is so much stuff in there!! I looooove the freezer, its a great way to avoid waste by making your foods last longer. my favorite hack is sticking sliced bread in the freezer, it heats up in the toaster perfectly and lasts for months without mold growth. however, there are some foods that do work well in the freezer, like shredded hard cheese and blanched vegetables, and many that don’t work, like soft cheeses and raw leafy greens. more on the No list: whole eggs, custard desserts, and milk. while some of these may seem obvious, I like that this article shows you alternatives for freezer prep for these popular foods, like cracking eggs into ice molds and then freezing them! read more here.

etiquette corner 🎀

is it okay to Venmo guests for groceries for a dinner party you hosted?? an Eater etiquette writer says definitely not, and I agree. the submission writer went to a friend’s house for a dinner party, brought a bottle of wine, had a nice meal with friends, and then upon coming home received a $20 request for groceries the host used to prepare the meal. is that weird?

yes! while groceries are expensive these days - if you cannot afford to host a dinner, just don’t do it. a dinner party is an optional event initiated by the host to cook for your friends and enjoy the company — it is not a restaurant meal where payment is expected for labor. if you expect people to pitch in, make it clear from the beginning that splitting costs is expected, or you can host a potluck instead. unexpected after-event payments are blindsiding for the guest and don’t allow for an informed choice.

the author has a good bit here about how only rich people used to be able to afford hosting lavish parties, but in this day and age, there are ways to do this affordably while still being a gracious host. “There’s no shame in a potluck dinner, or serving a simple-yet-delicious meal to your guests. What is shameful, however, is treating your friends like they’re your customers.”

toxic Lunchables 🥪

while I don’t think many are looking to Lunchables as the beacon of nutrition, these kid-sized meals may be worse than you think. a new Consumer Reports article found high levels of sodium in the meal kits but also lead, phthalates, and other contaminants. there are (shockingly?!) no federal limits for presence of heavy metals in many foods, but states like California do have allowable limits - which Lunchables were reaching report’s investigation. while some of these toxins can be found naturally in the environment, the high concentration in Lunchables for such a small portion size of food, compounded when eaten regularly, can be dangerous. you can see the full write-up and good info about safety of school lunches, here.

reservation mercenaries 🕵️‍♂️

in Tier 1 cities like New York, getting a dinner reservation is a debacle that requires weeks and months of planning, or maybe employing bots and mercenaries to get those hot tables for you. this week Adam Iscoe wrote a piece in the New Yorker on how the restaurant reservation industry has become just that - an industry of reservation platforms, heckling reservationists, credit card concierges, and table scalpers.

there’s a lot of good stuff in this piece that explains the frustration of the current state of competitive dining. I was sad to find out using the “notify” feature on Resy (a waitlist feature for reservations) as a normal person automatically bumps you to the bottom of the line — the top spots are reserved for expensive credit card holders (like the $5k annual fee Amex Centurion). these same people say they want to “democratize dining!” basically, exclusivity that used to be achieved through personal relationships and in-person bribes has been outsourced to the internet making money for the restaurant, but also creating more work for employees and diner competition. read more here.

agricultural influencers 🫐

the rise of influencers has brought with it reformed digital advertising rules. say, if a creator is paid to talk about a brand of olive oil, they have to disclose that it is an ad, and it is clear that a branded product is featured in the content. however, this line becomes blurry when an influencer promotes an unbranded agricultural product, such as blueberries, cheese, eggs, or potatoes.

this issue is outlined in a recent BA article that discusses “checkoff boards,” which are organizations that promote and research agricultural products without attribution to a specific brand, work that is research-based and approved by the USDA. examples of these boards are the American Egg Board and the US Highbush Blueberry Council. these entities can conduct research into new products, like the creation of Egg Beaters, or partner with brands like in a Taco Bell beef taco.

on the advertising front, these boards are now looking to influencers to promote foods, which is a less costly advertising mechanism than campaigns like the Got Milk! ads. disclosure of rules and regulations for social media influencers can already be hard to understand, but branded content with a generic product like blueberries can be even hard to distinguish for viewers, causing confusion and controversy. read more about food industry influencer issues here.

THC joins the beverage world 🍸

while many young people are cutting alcohol out of their lives completely, others are going the Cali Sober route: cutting out alcohol with the exception of weed. however, smoking isn’t always a bar or party-friendly activity, which is where cannabis cocktails come into play. these drinks contain levels of THC derived from marijuana, which is legal in 24 states, or hemp which is quasi-legal in all 50 states. this Bon Appetit article reviews these infused beverages that you may want to bring instead of alcohol to your next party. see more here!

Mythbusters Corner: franken-ice cream? 🍨

there has been a lot of food-related misinformation lately, so much so that I am starting a Mythbusters corner, where we investigate false claims with food science! this week - the “never-melting ice cream.” a TikTok user left a Drumstick ice cream cone out overnight and was shocked that it “barely melted.” the video shows some liquid on the plate, but some of the ice cream solid and intact. the user insinuated that the lack of complete “melting” means the food is so fake that it is dangerous to consume.

another TikTok user, cosmetic chemist Javon Ford replied by breaking down the ingredients list to explain this situation. it turns out, the liquid of the ice cream did melt, and what you see left is dairy product solids, a combination of sugar, gums and cellulose that helps the cone keep its shape (watch the video for a better explanation). these preservatives are totally safe to consume (when kept at the right temperature) and are also what make the ice cream last for months in your freezer with consistent quality. viewers were mistaking the intact solids as edible ice cream parts, when the liquid in the ice cream clearly had melted. its literally just preservatives…preserving our food. if you want preservative-free food, as Javon says, go watch Nara Smith…

restaurant review: Love, Makoto 🍣

finally got to try a few concepts inside Love, Makoto recently, and they did not disappoint! this is a multi-concept space with a sushi omakase restaurant called Dear, Sushi, an izakaya spot called Beloved BBQ, and a lunch/dinner/dessert casual spot called Love on the Run. i got some good matcha soft serve from Love on the Run which will definitely be a summer staple this year. we also went to Dear, Sushi for their omakase experience as a bday treat for my bf, which was very nice — these heart-shaped soy sauce plates were the cutest!! read more about the ice cream here and the omakase here.

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f*cked up food

my new summer martini…

d.c. happenings

closing

• Foxtrot Markets, duh

• Captain Cookie & the Milk Man closing in Capitol Hill

• Radici closing in Capitol Hill

• Yellow closing in Navy Yard - opening in Union Market this summer!!

• G St Foods closing downtown

• PAUL bakery in Foggy Bottom closed

openings

• La Bicicletta the Italian spot reopened as “La Bicicletta by Emissary” a Mexican restaurant in DuPont

• Wizards star Kyle Kuzma opens Childhood Cafe coffee shop on 17th and U

• Tacqueria Xochi taking over a spot that Taco Bamba initially reserved in Navy Yard

• new bar called Gold Clover Bar in old Truxton Inn space

• Tamashaa Indian restaurant fiiiiinally opening next month in Columbia Heights

• soon! Taco Bell Cantina applies for liquor license on U St

• Sushi by Bou, disco-themed omakase opening on Wharf

• La Tejana extending hours to evening in Mt. P!

• Panera coming to Navy Yard

• Julia’s Empanadas coming to 17th St

• Coneacopia Ice Cream coming to Shaw

other news and events!

• Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate is doing a dinner #ChefsforWCKFamilies to raise money for World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in war on Monday

• New Kitchens on the Block, a food festival for new locally-owned restaurants in June

home cooking

I went home again and had my mom’s fantastic food, for which I have no recipes sorry, lol. but when I got back to DC I did a big grocery shop and made a few things, this miso salmon with sushi rice that was really great, and this green bean pasta which is a lovely summer recipe to use some fresh produce up. yay!

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thats it folks! have a great weekend!