Bite of the Best » Featured Bite

Monterey Pasta Company Creamy Ricotta Florentine Ravioi

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:59:16 +0000

Bonnie:" Refrigerated pasta can be a quick and tasty dinner option, especially when it's from Monterey Pasta. If you're cooking for Valentine's Day Tuesday, do consider this for a light, incredibly uncomplicated meal to share with a loved one. Just add a salad, some crusty bread a good bottle of red wine plus some candles and a single red rose in a bud vase. Simplicity at its best.

As for Monterey Pasta — the company began as a neighborhood fresh pasta shop in its namesake California...

Bryan: "Good" food isn't all about taste. Though flavor may be the most important component in any good food equation, there is more to food than just flavor. Sometimes it really is the principle that makes a difference. I've never raised any product to a level it did not deserve when its flavor was lacking. Bad taste cannot be overcome, even while tipping a hat to principle. Solid core beliefs in food production do not necessarily add up to a quality product, but when something wonderful-tasting has its core food philosophy correct, too... you've got yourself a keeper. Enter Monterey Gourmet.

Monterey Gourmet Foods does not use...

Eric: I have a love affair with fresh pasta, and for good reason, it's absolutely delicious. Give me some Kerrygold butter and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on a bed of fresh linguine and I'm like a pig in you know what...

For all those wondering about my love affair, fresh pasta — meaning not dried, frozen or canned — defines how "real" pasta should taste, and it all started while growing-up in CT and frequenting one of my favorite Italian haunts, Luizzi's... Follow @BonnieBOTB

Food Should Taste Good Kettle-Cooked Salt & Pepper Sweet Potato Chips

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:59:14 +0000

Bonnie: When Terra Original Exotic Vegetable Chips was introduced, I would often cherry-pick the tasty orange-colored sweet potato ones from the mixture that also included batata, taro and yuca chips. I’m glad that bags of just sweet potato chips are now available from both Terra and the aptly named company, Food Should Taste Good.

In the past, BOTB named as a FeaturedBite that company's...

Bryan: We've written about the aptly named Food Should Taste Good Inc. before. It's pretty simple actually: We really think that its food tastes good. It's definitely a better way to snack; a healthier, more flavorful, less Cheeto-dusty way to have a nosh. The company's founder, Pete Lescoe, created Food Should Taste Good Inc. in 2006 after having held positions within the grocery and food-brokerage businesses. One can only assume he was terrified by ...

Eric: There's something so delectably simple about a quality chip. The beauty of a chip is in its simplicity: one part potato, one part oil and one part salt. Now envision that combination with sweet potato and pepper, disguised in a sinister crunch.

The secret behind the crunch? It's the...

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Keurig Platinum Brewing System

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:59:01 +0000

Bonnie: Tassimo was the first single-cup coffee machine I sampled and liked, but only to brew Starbucks Africa Kitamu. I found most other T-discs too weak for my palate, as I like a strong cup of coffee.

When I heard the news last year that Kraft (the corporation behind Tassimo) and Starbucks were parting ways, I started stocking up on my favorite Africa Kitamu T-discs — until I heard that Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee Roaster, makers ...

Bryan: I don't know if I am in the minority or not, but right up until the time I got my Keurig in the mail, I still hadn't been won over to the K-Cup revolution. Thank you Keurig; you have certainly changed my mind. In all honesty, I was still not fully sold on pod-based coffee production when we considered writing about Keurig. And it's not the machine that's the actual problem. There is no arguing with the simplicity of a system that utilizes a single-use coffee pod (also known as a K-Cup) coupled with a foolproof method for measurement of water and heat... it's just that lack of freedom you end up with that I always found...

Eric: This product boils down to a simple equation: Morning addiction + instantaneous gratification + quality coffee (of your choosing) = the Keurig Brewing System. What's not to love about having your morning coffee at the press of an incredibly elegant, sleek-looking button? And what differentiates the Keurig coffeemaker from other brands such as the Tassimo, DeLonghi and Cusinart? Not much, aside from an affordable price tag and the option of using your own coffee in refillable coffee pods.

What's unique about the Keurig (aside from ...

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Rosa Mexicano Pomegranate and Black Bean Salsa

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:59:06 +0000

Bonnie: Bonnie: Rosa Mexicano has been serving authentic Mexican food in a fun atmosphere in New York City since 1984, and now has more than a baker’s dozen locations around the country. I generally dine at the Union Square one, usually ordering the award-winning tableside Guacamole en Molcajete. Actually that and one of their delicious margaritas is enough to satisfy! So when their publicist emailed me about Rosa Mexicano’s line of new foods, I jumped at the chance to try them.

I started...

>What’s not to love about chips and salsa? No matter the time of day, no matter the level of hunger, salsa always hits the spot. I generally keep a jar of salsa on hand; it’s a great thing in a fix to feed yourself or guests. With at least one jar in the fridge and a backup in the cupboard, you’re ready for any small food crisis. Heck, salsa has got to be one of the greatest snacks around. Grab some chips and you’ve got yourself a meal: It’s filling, it’s healthy, it’s even social… it’s downright wonderful. And it’s not just me saying so. Over the years, salsa has slowly become one of the most...

Eric: I love trends, especially those pertaining to the world of food (and I hope you sense a touch of sarcasm in that statement). When Rosa Mexicano Pomegranate-Black Bean Salsa came across my desk, a sense of intrigue came over me. What is it about pomegranate that has the world riveted? Is there a surplus of the fruit that leads us to believe it should be used in everything from lip balm to salsa? I am aware of the health benefits of the almighty pomegranate, but I wasn't aware that Mexican culture was using ...

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GarLic It!

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:59:27 +0000

Bonnie: I've always loved garlic. That's why the email from LLance Kezner intrigued me.

"We are contacting you to see if you might be interested in our unique story and product that was recently awarded the prize as the top specialty food product in the country... (Garlic it!) was born in our kitchen, spurred on by a job layoff just over two years ago...."

What makes LLance's GarLic it! unique is that his triple blanching ...

Don't miss the recipe for : Southern Italian Fondue (Bagna Calde)

Bryan: GarLic it! is a husband and wife boutique food company that prepares garlic in a manner I've never come across before. Their cooking methods soften the potency of garlic's natural flavor, creating a whole new, kinder, gentler garlic experience. GarLic it!'s triple blanching and caramelizing process radically reduces the sharpness and bite regularly found in garlic. The result is a far more mellow, approachable...

Eric: There's truly nothing simpler, yet seductively delicious, as garlic -- of my top flavor profiles, garlic holds a high position (just behind basil and onion) and for good reason, the little bulb packs a mean bite. Now there are certainly "haters" out there that don't respect the bulb for what it's worth (certainly none of them hail from the Mediterranean region) and I can vaguely see why; it attaches it's aroma to everything it touches, it has a pungent flavor if not properly cooked (or overused) and for some, it's not...

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Freschetta Simply…Inspired Farmers Market Veggie Pizza

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:59:10 +0000

Bonnie: The BOTB team has selected Freschetta Simply…Inspired Farmers Market Veggie Pizza as this week's Bite of the Best. We're doing this in conjunction with my syndicated column, Supermarket Sampler, awarding that frozen pizza our annual Golden Shopping Cart of the Year Award for best new food product introduced into U.S. supermarkets in 2011.

My column-writing partner and I met — and both of us have lived — in the Greater...

Bryan: Freschetta's Simply...Inspired Farmers Market Veggie pizza offers more real vegetable toppings than I've seen almost ever from a frozen pizza option. Every frozen pizza company seems to offer its take on a "veggie supreme," generally lacking in depth of flavor and most unfortunately lacking in actual veggies. Though Freschetta is likely already a brand of frozen pizza you might be aware of, you might not have known about its Simply...Inspired line, representing...

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Happy Holidays from the BOTB Family

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:59:58 +0000

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Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:59:19 +0000

Bonnie: I love the taste of a good mustard as it kicks up the flavor of almost everything — from sandwiches to salad dressings and lots of foods in between. Mustard is made basically as it was in ancient Greek and Roman times - crush the mustard seeds and just add liquid (vinegar, wine, beer) and seasonings.

Looking for an interesting new mustard for a salad dressing, I perused ....

Bryan: It all seems too wholesome, too natural, too down to earth. Who exactly is this "Saucy Mama" and where does her sauce come from? Can she be trusted? It just had to be a sham, I thought. Some huge corporation, some big food conglomerate posing as a nice little lady just selling homemade sauces. It was too perfect.

Well, wrong again. Conspiracy theory smashed...

Eric: Mustard, how many ways can you cut it? Suzie Barhyte might argue that there's only one way -- with a little chipotle. And not that I agree with most, but she's on the right track. Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard is a natural, non-science experiment, mustard. Made from the "best stuff on earth" (bring it on Snapple), the Saucy Mama concept started small at...

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POM POMS Arils

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:59:10 +0000

Bonnie: Ever open a fresh pomegranate, the sturdy fruit with a tough, leathery skin? Many find opening one a bit intimidating, wondering how to do so without making a mess and staining clothing.

I had to laugh when recently visiting my friend Carolyn O...

Bryan: It's the most... wonderful time... of the year. No, I'm not talking about the holidays. We all know how commercial they've gotten, how stressful they can be and how waistline expanding the eventual results are. That combination is anything but wonderful! No, I'm talking about...

Eric: It's fascinating how we, as omnivores, find pleasure in the the oddities of world -- always exploring, discovering and defining new foods. It's also exciting to live in a time that allows produce from around the world to be widely available in your everyday supermarket. How cool is to be ...

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Kerrygold Cashel Blue

Bonnie from BiteoftheBest.com — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:59:01 +0000

Bonnie: Each year the folks from Kerrygold invite food editors to an event to sample its Irish dairy products such as butter, cheese and cream. At this year's event I sampled the new Cashel Blue, an authentic artisanal farmhouse cheese.

I asked for samples...

>Kerrygold's Cashel Blue cheese (actually produced by J&L Grubb Ltd.) is made by Jane and Louis Grubb on their farm in County Tipperary, Ireland. And, like any good cheese maker, they've been making it the exact same way, in this case, since 1984.

Cashel Blue is actually the first farmhouse blue cheese to be ...

Eric: Kerrygold's Cashel Blue is one-of-a-kind (although mass produced) and would be one of my choices as an accompaniment to my "last meal". By no means am I a blue cheese advocate -- most of the time, blue cheese taste just like it smells, pungent with an almost mildewy ...

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