So here’s what’s been happening…
Acadia Launches New Brunch Menu
Looking to treat your mom to the type of decadent brunch she deserves this Mothers’ Day, but bored with Evanston’s offerings? Take her to elegant South Loop staple Acadia for its new brunch menu, which just launched yesterday. For $35, the two-course brunch features the restaurant’s well-loved burger and brunch versions of popular dinner courses such as lobster, Deer Isle scallops and pastry chef Thomas Raquel’s signature doughnuts. Mom is sure to enjoy Acadia’s contemporary take on American cuisine and feel pampered in the dining room’s chic, upscale atmosphere.
Artist Bakes Twerk Cookies (Twerkies?)
Brooklyn artist Natalie Capannelli might be more well known for her “exploration of universal narrative” through “pop language” in the form of colorful prints and graphic design, but we’re more intrigued by her now Internet-famous “Twerk Cookies.” The simple glazed sugar cookies are distinctly delicious renderings of scantily clad ladies dancing in the “Twerking” style. Capannelli starts by sketching the dancers, cutting out the cookies according to the outlines, baking, frosting and then carefully drawing on the dancers using edible ink. This is truly art in its purest form, if you ask us.
Return Of the Twinkie
As if you needed another reason to anticipate summer, this year you might be able to indulge in a processed snack you thought you’d never taste again. After Hostess shut down last year due to labor disputes, the company was sold for $410 million to a joint venture of private equity firms, Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. The iconic cream-filled snacks are due to hit shelves again by early summer; this time with brand improvements including 100-calorie options, presence in more stores and Zach Galifianakis as a spokesman.
Study Supports Exercise-Based Nutrition Labels
Data from a study presented at the Experimental Biology 2013 meeting showed that consumers are more likely to abstain from unhealthy foods when presented with nutrition labels that list the amount of exercise required to burn off the calories. While basic calorie counts on menus had no affect on participants’ behaviors, those who saw how much brisk walking would be necessary to burn off the meal ate less food. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University replicated these results back in 2011, when they found that jogging times listed on soda discouraged teens from purchasing it. While the new federal food safety law requires restaurants to list nutrition data, exercise-based labeling has yet to find its way into legislation — but it just might be the best idea yet for encouraging a healthier public.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Brave Sir Robin.
McMakeover Means Delivery and All-Day Breakfast, Maybe
McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson recently hinted at some exciting changes for the Golden Arches, including the potential widespread institution of delivery services, mobile services, a customer “rewards loyalty program” and “innovative ways” to expand breakfast hours for customers, including a potential 24-hour breakfast menu. McDonald’s follows in Burger King’s footsteps; the company began offering delivery in several major cities early last year. The changes would come as a brand evolution to complement an ever-changing menu, which has shifted to accommodate millennials’ more complex and refined tastes and ordering habits.
Suspended Coffee Phenomenon Sweeps the World
The pay-it-forward practice of buying an extra or “suspended” cup of coffee or food along with your purchase and leaving it behind for someone in need took root as an Italian goodwill tradition. Now “suspended coffee” is spreading around the world thanks to the power of social media. From the UK to South Korea, India and the U.S., diverse communities are organizing around the initiative, which aims to exist not only as a form of charity for the homeless but also for general community morale and goodwill. One suspended coffee Facebook page from Cork, Ireland has amassed 75,000 likes in one month. Starbucks even signed up for the initiative recently, stating that the campaign “will provide warmth and comfort for those looking for food or a hot cup of coffee.” All hope for mankind is not lost just yet.