The First Stage: Shock The original plan was to take Craig to see the play "Speech & Debate," which he's been eager to see, and then to dinner at Soto--a Japanese place in the West Village, praised as the...Adam Roberts

It's time for the second installment of Scene Report, a new feature where we give you the lowdown on dining scenes in major cities around the world. At a glance, you'll find out about dining trends, up-and-coming restaurant neighborhoods, where you should drop $300 on a meal, and where you can save a few bucks. In our second installment: Chicago.

Chicago has been an up and coming foodie city for awhile now. Each year, more and more exciting restaurants open, garnering national media attention and accolades from the likes of the James Beard Foundation. Chicago has always had deep-rooted culinary traditions albeit on the lowbrow end of things (pizza, hot dogs, pierogi, etc.). These days it's the first place to look for cutting-edge cooking techniques, and it's up there with New York and Los Angeles on its crop of astronomically expensive eateries. And just like those cities, restaurants open and close and chefs move so often it's hard to keep track of what's going on. Chitown still has a ways to go before it will be called an all-around food city, but the rabidity of the gourmand populace coupled with the number of new, excellent restaurants make it a definite food destination.  read more »

From the Culinary Institute of America

Explore a tasty use for dried salt cod - cod cakes.

Kitchen Detective

Eggplant Parmesan is simple enough. Breaded slices of eggplant are fried until crisp and then layered with marinara sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Although it is delicious, it is also labor-intensive. Our goal? To simplify and perfect this recipe so it turns into a regular go-to recipe in our home-cooking repertoire.

A request to try Maru on the house was an invitation I couldn't refuse, and thank goodness I made the trek to the northernmost edge of Los Angeles's suburbs. Even if the meal hadn't had eight indulgent, generously sized courses (per person!) and even if it hadn't been free, my meal at Maru still would have been one of the best I've ever eaten.  read more »

In the fall, many universities throughout Japan have big festivals called ??? daigaku-sai, meaning university festival, or ??? bunnkasai, Culture Festival. They are basically street fairs held on campus, with lots of food and fun stalls, concerts, even ghost houses and amusement rides. Many of the big ones also hold concerts in which top Japanese singers and bands appear. Daigaku Imo, which means University Potato, are candies sweet potatoes, a sweet and slightly savory snack that is often served at university festivals in Tokyo.

The snack itself probably originated as a cheap, calorie-rich, affordable snack sold to cash-poor students around universities in Tokyo around the turn of the 20th century. The idea for deep frying and then sugar coating potatoes most likely came from similar snacks in Chinese cuisine.  read more »

How many Sugar Hits could you possibly consume in one night?

It's a question that's plagued me everytime Good Food Month rolled around. As I'd finish scraping the plate of another delectable Sugar Hit, the final mouthful of sugar slowly dissolving on my tongue, I'd ponder deep and meaningful musings like "should one start at the north end of town or south?" and "would it be faster to get a taxi or run between participating hotels?"  read more »

Santouka Ramen (in the Mitsuwa Marketplace) 3760 S Centinela Ave Los Angeles, CA 90066 310.391.1101 www.santouka.co.jp I have eaten Santouka ramen in the Mitsuwa Marketplace, in more than one location , on more than one occasion . I even ate there before it was Santouka . I have relaxed my neck to let my head fall forward , holding my bangs back away from my eyes, face deep down into the bowl.  read more »

Scene Report gives you the lowdown on dining scenes in major cities around the world. At a glance, you'll find out about dining trends, up-and-coming restaurant neighborhoods, where you should drop $300 on a meal, and where you can save a few bucks. In our third installment: Paris . Between gastro and bistro, caf and brasserie, Paris has never been a hotbed of cutting-edge cuisine. Until recently, that is. The past few years have seen the popular rise of the bistronomique and caves manger trends, and molecular flourishes are popping up all over town.  read more »