episode 31: Poppi, pizza, and pancakes
this week we are talking about the lawsuit against Poppi “gut-healthy” sodas, pizza-shaped trash cans, sheet-pan pancakes brunch, and more!
prebiotic lawsuit 🥤
some interesting news for the prebiotic soda girlies. Poppi, one of the leading prebiotic soda companies is facing a class action lawsuit, alleging that the marketing of the “gut-healthy” soda was misleading. the prebiotic fiber that Poppi advertises as gut-healthy is present in such a low amount in the drink that the effects are negligible. “A consumer would need to drink more than four Poppi sodas in a day to realize any potential health benefits from its prebiotic fiber, However, even if a consumer were to do this, Poppi's high sugar content would offset most, if not all, of these purported gut health benefits." Poppi hasn’t responded yet, but you can read more here.
Foxtrot return…kinda? 🏬
make it stop! Foxtrot made this cryptic Instagram post the other day hinting at a return. the fancy-convenience store chain went bankrupt a month ago and shut down very abruptly. it was so abrupt that employees and customers left the store within hours, and inventory has been rotting on the shelves in many DC stores since. now, Foxtrot announced the reopening of 15 stores in Chicago, Dallas and Austin (not DC!). it’ll be the same concept, a convenience store focusing on small brands. there’s a lot more explained in this Eater article that includes the sale of their assets, the buyers, and input from the founder, Mike LaVitola. this quote really got me though:
“When asked if he had a message for workers who suddenly lost their jobs, LaVitola says that he’s ‘sorry that they found themselves in that situation and we want to do what we can to be there for them now in this new version of Foxtrot and really provide opportunities.’”
the shift of blame to the workers is…wild. unclear if the return of their legendary gummies is worth supporting a business that treated its employees so badly. thoughts?
very niche DC drama 🐠
Tony P, a DC influencer (who looks like a 40-year-old Boston dad in a 25 year old’s body) makes lifestyle content touting his day-to-day as a consultant and bachelor in the city. he occasionally makes cooking videos of his single boy meals, and recently one featured a recipe of cooking swordfish in…Caesar dressing…yikes. in response, the head chef of Caruso’s Grocery and Cucina Morini, Matthew Adler, did an open-letter style Instagram story which was captured by X user leyla. Adler tells Tony to not use the dressing on fish (duh) and gives him some alternatives, like baking the fish with spices and serving the Caesar salad on the side. Adler then quote-tweeted leyla, reiterating his stance alongside a the kind offer to help young Tony with cooking lessons. Tony, if you’ve ever been to Caruso’s, you may want to listen to your elders on this one…
the Bro-makase trend🍣
steakhouse culture meets sushi, and the bro-makase dinner is born. as the Japanese omakase meal has become more common in the US, rich men people have begun to replace the masculine steakhouse with the sushi restaurant. this trend either started with Joe Rogan’s visit + Insta post at Sushi Bar ATX in Austin, or the opening of Sushi Nakazawa in NYC (yes, there’s one in DC too) from a former apprentice to Jiro Ono, from the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. sushi spots and steakhouses have similarities, they’re exclusive, meat-centric, and not cheap. omakase bars with flown-in fish have popped up in mid-size cities, with chefs grabbing attention from high-paying clientele with blowtorches and truffles and Wagyu. this has not occurred without opposition of course, some say the experience has been bastardized by separating it from its roots and the chain-restaurant-ification of it all. honorable mention of thoughts from the chef at Yoshitomo in Omaha, NE in this article too! read more here.
the end of Instagram cookware 🍳
the trendy cooking pan you’ve seen all your favorite influencers sporting is…not that great. in a piece on the “end of Instagram cookware,” NYT is reporting that DTC cookware brands like Our Place, Caraway, and Great Jones are seeing their products re-sold on Facebook Marketplace, donated to Goodwill, or worse, thrown in the trash. the surprising thing is that many of these products just came out 4-5 years ago, and are already being discarded due to bad quality, with reports of paint chipping, the nonstick coating wearing off, and attachments not working. all of this makes the pans unusable, all for steep prices. as one user noted, the brands are selling standard cookware for luxury prices, a recipe for failure. read more here!
we can’t stop talking about fees💰
a new law in California is making extra fees illegal - including restaurant fees. the law aims to eliminate fees tacked onto bills that go beyond the listed price, like service charges on concert tickets or restaurant service fees. of course, restaurant fees have become very common to supplement low profits and high operating fees for restaurant owners. smaller restauranteurs have borne the brunt of fee disputes, faced with customer credit card disputes and lawsuits from opportunity-hungry lawyers. the law directs for price hikes to be built into the menu, but restauranteurs say this negatively impacts customer experience. read more from NYT here.
in the same vein, there’s a number of fancy DC restaurants that have steep cancellation fees if you cancel reservation. the premise makes sense, last-minute cancellations means the restaurant loses money, especially on a higher-end meal. some restaurants will be reasonable if people are sick, but the fee is definitely a stressful factor. some diners avoid booking at restaurants with fees in the first place, because the policy seems uninviting. a high-end restaurant like Pineapple & Pearls gets around this by charging the full price of the meal up front, including service fees, which is $925 for two, just to avoid last-minute bs. read more in the Washingtonian, here.
egg storage 🥚
I always get stressed about using my groceries before they go bad, so one of the best things I learned was that eggs (properly stored, of course) last a decent amount of time from their purchase date. in the US, you need to keep your eggs in the fridge, and if stored there, the raw eggs can last three to five weeks, even longer than the date printed on the carton. raw egg whites separated from yolks can be stored in an airtight container for four days in the fridge and yolks for two days - both can last much longer in the freezer. hard-boiled eggs in their shell can stay for a week, and if you’re unsure, use the float test to determine the egg’s freshness. read more egg-cellent tips here!!
pizza trash 🗑️
a very NYC solution to a very NYC problem: the Central Park Conservancy is unveiling new trash cans that fit the specs of the city’s favorite food: the pizza box. a takeout pizza is understandably a popular meal to bring to the park, but people were recognizing a particular problem when trying to fit a large square pizza box into a round trash can. so, the Conservancy commissioned some trash cans in a square shape to meet the pizza trash need. now you can eat your pizza and throw it away (properly!) too!!
bad TikTok nutrition content ✋
“wellness” movements can fester on the internet and quickly veer into diet culture territory, a point that this nutritionist is making in a critique of online nutrition videos. health and wellness content has become intertwined with influencer culture, with people making false claims about the nutrition value of food intertwined with trend-based messaging, “Things like ‘what I eat in a day’ videos that begin with a bikini selfie, as if copying that person’s diet will make you look like them. I see people who say that processed food is harmful in one breath and then try to sell a processed protein powder in the next.” Dr. Nielsen is advocating that viewers of this content understand how to fact-check to create a better and healthier understanding of balanced nutrition. read more in the excerpt of her book here.
donut Sambas 🍩
do you plan to celebrate National Donut Day with a new pair of … sneakers? in perhaps my favorite food and fashion collaboration yet, Tim Hortons, the Canadian coffee and donut chain has teamed up with Adidas for a limited edition of the very popular shoe, Sambas. it features four donut-inspired colorways including Vanilla Dip, Boston Crème, Honey Cruller and Double Chocolate. sadly, these are not available to residents outside of Canada, but hey if you’re Canadian, now’s your chance to enter to get me a present!
a food blogger in Gaza 🍉
a few weeks ago Bon Appetit did an interview with Hamada Shaqoura, who is a food blogger in Gaza. his videos feature very creative recipes using ingredients from aid packages amidst the hunger crisis declared “entirely man-made disaster,” by the UN. water and food supplies are extremely limited due to bombings across Gaza and pathways for aid access. amidst the horrors, people like Shaqoura are feeding their neighbors with the little they have, depicted in these videos where he makes sandwiches, pasta dishes, and more, in refugee camps or in destroyed buildings. read more about how he came to make cooking videos here, and you can find donation information here.
Judith Jones and Julia Child 📖
the story of Julia Child’s life and impact on the world of cooking is a story of challenges and success. Judith Jones, an editor at the publishing house Knopf, was pivotal in the story of Julia Child’s writing career. Jones worked with Child for years and advocated for her work to publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. a new biography of Judith Jones written by Sarah Franklin called The Editor just came about Judith’s life, an excerpt is here and a review from the Times is here.
restaurant review: Bar del Monte
I finally got to try the trendy new Mt. Pleasant Italian spot, Bar del Monte. the space is simple and cute, and with one whole wall as a window, there is tons of beautiful natural light. the menu features a few pizzas and mains, some appetizers, lots of great gelato and dessert options, and a big wine list. I have some great aperitif cocktails and loved the anchovies with bread and butter. a really tasty meal and I can’t wait to try more! pictures and thoughts below!
f*cked up food
just some bros getting hitting protein goals 😍
D.C. happenings
openings
puregreen smoothie bar opened in DuPont
NoMa getting a Chipotle
Gordon Ramsey Street Pizza opening in Chinatown
Easy Tiger Tavern opened June 1 in AdMo
signage for EggHolic an Indian Street Food shop in West End is up
Catboat Pizza Bar opened from Sonny’s Pizza people in Alexandria
Ama, a Northern Italian restaurant opens in Navy Yard
West African restaurant coming Downtown
Amelie restaurant opening on 14th/Logan Circle
Crème Tavern coming to Georgetown
Ko Kaiseki opening in Dupont Circle
Playa Bowls soft opened in Navy Yard
Heat Eats Lounge opened on H St
V14 Lounge (in P14 space) opened on 14th
Pluma by Bluebird Bakery expanding to Wharf
Soca Cafe and Wine Bar coming to lower part of Trini Vybez in Columbia Heights
Compass Coffee opening in Wydown’s space on 14th
closings
McCormick and Schmick’s closed on K St (this still existed?!)
Beloved Blue 44 closing in Chevy Chase
Philotimo closed in Downtown
California Tortilla in Foggy Bottom closed
other news
Call Your Mother campaign to fight zoning issues in Georgetown
Dabney Cellar hours now Th-Sun evenings in Shaw
$1 Margs between 12-1pm M-F at Surfside in Tenleytown
home cooking: brunch edition
I hosted a big brunch this past weekend as a pregame for Wonderland Ballroom’s annual Sundress Fest. made the following for the crew (and YES I made too much. I know!!!)
sheet-pan chocolate chip pancakes from NYT Cooking — these were great I just made two batches and didn’t need to lol.
jammy deviled eggs from NYT Cooking: I didn’t read all the steps for this jammy deviled egg recipe and didn’t realize it called for topping the jammy egg with the mayo mixture instead of mixing the yolks with the mayo (which I did not agree with) so I went off-script a bit. I think this means I slightly undercooked the eggs but they turned out really tasty anyway!
muffin tin frittatas from Cookie and Kate: got intimidated by making one big frittata for some reason, so I used this blogger’s recipe formula to make them into egg bites. I did a broccoli, spinach, tomato, sun-dried-tomato and cheddar combo, and these turned out great!
mini avocado toasts: I just cut up a baguette and toasted the slices, and made some avocado mash on the side for a topping.
fruit salad: cut up a bunnnnch of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, apples, oranges, blackberries) and tossed it with lime juice and honey.
hashbrowns: straight from TJs, I was not about to shred all that potato lmao.
Carajillo: my favorite cocktail - so simple and impressive! equal parts cold brew and Licor 43, shaken with ice. it’s like an espresso martini but better!
Hugo Spritz: a lovely light daytime drink, with St. Germain (elderflower liquor) prosecco, soda water, mint and lime. this was really nice and i’ll be making it again for sure!
thanks for reading, all!
I wonder why pizza box is not round while almost all pizzas are round. May be making square box is easier than round boxes? Inefficiency in one sector creates an isse elsewhere. Good read!