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Food & Drink

Food and Drink

Ed Zotti

The challenge of dining al fresco in Chicago

The food and drink editor was taken with my idea for a piece on the challenges of outdoor dining in the big city, specifically Chicago, the big city where I live. “Do you know when you might be able to file?” she asked. “Ma’am,” I replied, “this morning it was 23 degrees Fahrenheit. One of the challenges of outdoor dining in Chicago is avoiding frostbite. How far can you push it out?” The number of outdoor diners in Chicago killed by shrapnel is remarkably low I would have preferred the Fourth of July. She gave me till the end of April. Fine, I said. Even in Chicago, two straight months of inhospitable weather would be unusual, setting aside that 43-day stretch when the mercury never got above freezing. (No joke. December 28, 1976 to February 8, 1977. Look it up.

Robert F. Moss

Why is May National Barbecue Month?

We’re almost to the end of May, which means National Barbecue Month will soon be drawing to a close. I hope you’ve been celebrating appropriately. You did know that May is National Barbecue Month, right? And that May 16 was National Barbecue Day? I, for one, can never forget, for each year my email is flooded with pitches from PR reps convinced I have completely run out of things to write about. “With it being National Barbecue Month,” one begins, “I wanted to check in and see if you have any roundups planned of must-try barbecue spots in Little Rock.”  Another generously offers, “In honor of National Barbecue Month, we’re sharing this coveted BBQ Shrimp & Grits recipe from Nashville’s [restaurant name redacted].