Gather the following: Diced tomatoes Shredded lettuce Sliced jalapenos Pitted sliced black olives Sour cream Minced onions Chopped cilantro Black bean chili Tomatillo salsa 12 small individual bags of Fritos corn chips Open the Frito bags, add a ladle of chili and some/all of the above ‘mix-ins’… it’s a taco in a bag. Spoon in… Read More →
By Andrew Zimmern
The Best Thing I Ate Last Week The best thing I ate last week was a simple taco plate at Pineda’s on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. I was shooting a pilot for a new series we’re developing for Travel Channel and I had a 10 minute break. Realizing I was a block away, I… Read More →
Tacos al Pastor By Alex Stupak Short of investing in a vertical broiler, this hack is the closest you’ll get to al pastor tacos at home. We tend to think of pork shoulder as something that needs to be braised, but a well-butchered shoulder steak given a swift ride on a ripping hot grill can… Read More →
The Votes Are In! Hosted by yours truly and an expert panel of 43 in-the-know culinary experts, the 2015 Munchies: People’s Choice Food Awards recognize the best-of-the-best in the food biz. After more than five weeks of competition and hundreds of thousands of votes, Tablespoon.com reveals the 2015 winners in 20 different categories, from terrific tastemakers to top food… Read More →
A Chef’s Guide to Music City Chef Tandy Wilson is known for his Southern riffs on classic, rustic Italian fare at Nashville’s acclaimed City House in the Germantown neighborhood. Before opening City House in 2007, Wilson went to culinary school in Arizona, cooked at Tra Vigne in Napa and worked with Nashville legend Margot McCormack… Read More →
Big Food Truck Tip Premieres Wednesday, September 19th at 10/9pm CT on Food Network I can’t wait to share my new series with you, Big Food Truck Tip, premiering on Food Network with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, September 19th at 10/9pm CT. Join me as I travel the country in search of passionate food truck… Read More →
Mayonnaise Dips & Sauces By Andrew Zimmern Now that I’ve taught you how to make homemade mayonnaise, here are a few ways to jazz it up for a dip, marinade, salad dressing or sandwich spread. Really, the possibilities are endless, so season to your liking with whatever herbs, citrus and spices you have on hand.… Read More →
¡Salud! Tacos The Zimmern List: San Diego premieres April 2 9|8c on Travel Channel! To fully experience San Diego you need to spend a day in Barrio Logan, a neighborhood on the rise transformed by a vibrant art and food scene. After a stroll through the art-filled Chicano Park—home to a massive display of murals… Read More →
Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon Surrounded by a super sized state best known for its uniquely Texan way of doing things, Austin is an oasis of freethinkers and creatives with a vibrant music, film, technology and food scene. Austinites have a taste for experimentation that borders on the delirious and it’s reflected in their food—from traditional barbecue… Read More →
Quick Pickled Jalapenos By Andrew Zimmern Trade in your jarred jalapeno rings for this super easy quick pickle. Trust me, they’re far superior to their store-bought counterpart. I always have a stash of homemade pickled jalapenos in the fridge for use on sandwiches, nachos, scrambled eggs, chili and stew, tacos, burritos, or alongside grilled chicken… Read More →
Pineda Tacos Minneapolis may not have a dependable taqueria on every corner like Los Angeles, but head to Lake Street and you’ll discover plenty of authentic options. Pineda’s is a hidden gem of a place. What this sparse taco shop lacks in ambiance, it makes up for with flavor. I usually go for an order of four… Read More →
15 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes for Football Season Few things excite me more than the prospect of a lazy Sunday spent hanging out with friends and family eating football couch chow. I love cooking for a crowd, rolling out different finger foods, hearty soups and snacks throughout the day. Here are some of my go-to recipes for… Read More →
Back-To-School Recipes It’s September, the kids are in school and it’s time to get back into the routine of family dinners. If you’re looking for inspiration this fall, here are a few mainstays at the Zimmern household. I’ll admit, these are not all 30-minute recipes and some may take planning ahead. But, they’re all fairly… Read More →
We tasted new food at the Minnesota State Fair – here’s our take. By AndrewZimmern.com Staff Tasked with sampling a slew of new foods at the State Fair, we skipped breakfast and headed out early Thursday morning with empty stomachs and open minds. There were pleasant surprises (maple bacon shaved ice!), a few safe bets (anything with… Read More →
My Go-To Salsa By Andrew Zimmern This fresh tomatillo salsa has a tangy, herby, citrusy flavor with an extra kick from the jalapenos and poblanos chiles. It’s one of my favorites, it’ll truly brighten up any meal. Try adding chopped or smashed avocado for a twist.
The Best Cookbooks of the Year It seems each year there are more incredible cookbooks published than the last; it’s a tough job to whittle down the lengthy list into a handful of my favorites. This year in particular, there are several noteworthy debuts, like Aaron Franklin’s meat smoking manifesto, Michael Solomonov’s ode to Israeli cuisine,… Read More →
The Country’s First Edible Insect Farm Kevin Bachhuber founded Big Cricket Farms in Youngstown, Ohio in 2014 in response to growing water shortages, the rising costs of protein production and a simple love of eating insects inspired by a trip to Thailand. Big Cricket Farms is the first government certified food grade insect farm in this… Read More →
Corn Tortillas By Alex Stupak It’s hard to call something with only one ingredient a recipe. Making tortillas is really just a method, and getting it right depends on a lot of little details. Make enough tortillas, and you’ll learn to intuit when your dough is too dry or too sticky, as well as how… Read More →
Jonathan Brooks’ Top Picks for Indianapolis Indianapolis native Jonathan Brooks opened his first restaurant, Milktooth, with his wife in October of 2014. It didn’t take long for his edgy brunch menu to gain a following and a national reputation. In 2015, Brooks was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef (the first award given to… Read More →
Devour Madrid A vibrant city with a storied history, beautiful architecture and a serious appetite for food, art and music, Madrid is one of Europe’s great capitals of culture. From market tapas to Michelin-starred fine dining, restaurants in this bustling metropolis intertwine the country’s rich culinary traditions with innovation and modern gastronomy. Here’s a sampling… Read More →
Where to Eat in Mexico City When I first started traveling, Mexico City’s fine dining scene was peppered with Mexican chefs cooking other countries’ food, like Italian or French cuisine. That’s no longer the case. These days the best Mexican food is once again being cooked for Mexicans, by Mexicans. Here are five restaurants you… Read More →
The Best Fall Salad By Andrew Zimmern In Minnesota, we love to hunt. I store plenty of the confit birds (covered in their fat) in the fridge and crisp halves or quarters as needed, served with salads, on root vegetable mash, in tacos with tomatillo salsa or as a hash with fried egg for breakfast… Read More →
Beer-Battered Fish Tacos This recipe for crunchy, beer-battered fish tacos comes from Big Star’s Chef de Cuisine Cary Taylor. Topped with a tangy slaw and wrapped in fresh corn tortillas, it’s the ultimate summertime fish fry.
Not to Miss in Portland A Food & Wine Best New Chef and Top Chef Masters contestant, Jenn Louis is a champion of Pacific Northwest cuisine and one of Oregon’s most beloved chefs. At her restaurants Lincoln and the more casual Sunshine Tavern, Louis strikes the ideal balance between rustic and refined with a less-is-more approach… Read More →
#OnlyinMN I’m constantly traveling around the world, but there is no place I would rather be than my home state, Minnesota. What makes the land of 10,000 lakes so great? Check out just some of my favorites things to do only in Minnesota. MINNESOTA STATE FAIR I love the Minnesota State Fair so much that I try… Read More →
Another South Beach Wine & Food Fest has come and gone. And yes, it was hot, humid and awesome. HUGE thanks to Lee Schrager & his team for putting on what I like to think of as spring break for the culinary world…. except in this case, what happened on spring break is not staying… Read More →
Inspired Cuisine From South of the Border Highly regarded for his avant garde desserts at modernist temples Alinea and wd~50, Alex Stupak surprised the culinary world when he opened a Mexican restaurant in 2010. Once the critics got over their bewilderment and tasted his creative take on this rich culinary tradition, most realized he’s just… Read More →
Congratulations JBF Award Winners! I just returned from the James Beard Foundation Awards in NYC, the nation’s most prestigious awards ceremony honoring professionals in the food and beverage biz. Winners of the Foundation’s annual Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards were presented on May 3, at Gotham Hall in New York City, during a ceremony hosted… Read More →
Inspired Mexican Cuisine WD-50 alum and former modernist pastry chef Alex Stupak serves stunning Mexican-inspired cuisine at his acclaimed restaurants in New York City. At Empellón Cocina, the upscale sibling of his Greenwich Village taqueria, Stupak turns traditional Mexican cuisine on its ear, experimenting with flavors and textures while honoring its roots. The depth and breadth of… Read More →
