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What if I told you could expand your culinary horizons beyond ramen and Natty Light while keeping things quick, easy and tasty? Would you be interested in that? Yeah, we thought you would.

The Ultimate Mac and Cheese

By Nick Schonberger
4/23/08
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Macaroni and Cheese was a staple of my childhood. Not in a good way, though. Moreso in a lonely, "eating a box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese while the rest of the family is off gallivanting somewhere else" way. Yet, for some reason, the allure of one of America's greatest comfort foods never wained.

Understanding Wine and Spirits

By Arielle Sachar
FILED UNDER:
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Quick Tips

  1. Red vs. white wine – Deciding often depends on what you’re eating. Generally, go for whites with lighter foods like fish or most pastas, and reds with heavier dishes like meat or pasta with cream or meat sauce. But ultimately, wine is a matter of personal taste, so just drink whatever tickles your fancy.
  2. Ordering from the menu - You should never order the second least expensive bottle of wine on the menu because you don’t know what to order and don’t want to look cheap. Restaurants actually prey on this psychology by pricing their cheapest (and worst) bottle of wine as the second least expensive.
  3. Getting help is okay – If you have to ask for help, go ahead. There’s no shame in that. In fact, it’s expected. Most restaurants and wine and spirits stores employ people who know what they are talking about, and love to chat. The web is also a great resource—check out sites like Dr. Vino and Wines.com to up your wine IQ.
  4. Ditch the house alcohol - Nothing ruins a drink and worsens a hangover more than house alcohol. Give specifics when ordering a mixed drink. Ketel One and tonic, not vodka-tonic. While premium may be a few more bucks, it’s worth it if you’re aim is enjoyment. If you’re aim is blackout, then by all means save money by sticking with the well options.
  5. Pick a signature drink - Making drinks at home for friends? Find a signature drink, whether it’s a mojito or a margarita. Perfect the recipe and soon friends will fawning over your bartending skills. You can also make it the drink you default to at a bar.

The pain of graduation leads many to drown their sorrows in drink. But while beer-chugging contests and sake bombing were considered power moves in college, they begin to lose

The Delaying the Real World Fellowship

By Cheddar Ted
4/17/08
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Gritz sent me a link to this unofficial fellowship (not as unofficial as this fellowship) called Delaying The Real World, and even though I'm skeptical of any fellowship that claims to delay the real world by giving you $5,000, I applied because the application

Buy U A Drank

By
4/17/08
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Back in the salad days of college, the consequences of a little bit o’ binge drinking were generally limited to raging hangovers and egregious charges on your parents’ credit card. Once full-time jobs and societal pressure to “act your age” kick in

Easy Nachos, Part IV: Pub Nachos

By Nick Schonberger
4/02/08
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Somewhere, somehow, the nacho eclipsed its humble origins in Mexico to become a staple of American bar food. How this happened, and how the nacho (in my mind) eclipsed the potato skin as America's favorite cheese topped finger food, is a subject ripe for exploration.

Grad Watch on the NYT

By Christopher Schonberger
3/27/08
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We all love the The New York Times in our own unique ways. Some people enjoy buying the enormous Sunday edition, throwing away almost all of it, and then pretending to do the crossword while they drink Hoegaardens or

Boiling Points

By Cheddar Ted
3/27/08
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Recently I've been spending an inordinate amount of time with this off-colored culinary savant. Yesterday, after whipping up a fresh pitcher of iced Green Tea, he said something that was very interesting

Freestyle Beirut

By Christopher Schonberger
3/26/08
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Whether or not you have kept your beer pong skills up to standard after graduating (to each his own), it’s impossible not to be impressed with this clip. Reminds me of the old Jordan-Bird McDonald’s commercial, except Legend can probably drink way more than this dude

Easy Nachos, Pt. III: BBQ Chicken

By Christopher Schonberger
5/22/08
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Over time, we've begun to establish that turning one dish into the basis for many is a useful way of expanding one's culinary horizons. Remember that cheese sauce we made last week? Of course you do, it fueled a weekend of college hoops and living the high life. Well, imagine turning that ode to the stadium snack

On Tipping and Adriana Lima

By
9/16/08
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Holler! I’m a graduate student at the University of Chicago, studying philosophy.

I take mad walks.

Especially now that the weather

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