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Food Rules: In-N-Out Intrigue Continues, Pepe for Mayor and More

It was like Christmas came early.

Actually, it was like Early Christmas came earlier.

That was the only logical conclusion to draw as this week's issue hit newsstands. It felt like our Oct. 20 Wine & Food issue (aka Early Christmas), with our lead news story taking on the increasingly bizarre but always closely watched In-N-Out drama with Seaside and Marina; an opinion piece from Michael Pollan on driving the food movement at a local level; a music story largely about feeding people; a Squid commentary about a restaurant owner running for mayor; and an indirect peek ahead at Wine & Food 2011 itself in the back of the book, along with a spicy primer on homemade salsa by my man Ari LeVaux.

(Wine & Food Fall 2011 was on my mind because it comes accompanied for the second time in human history with a Wine & Dine glossy that explores all of the area restaurants' signature dishes, as recommended by chefs themselves. Click here for a peek at this week's print edible column, "The Best, Baby," where I describe a little bit of what that guide does for readers and the wider restaurant community—and how they can get their dish spotlighted—or simply scroll down and read up below.)

Take your cursor arrow here to bone up on In-N-Out ins and outs with Kera Abraham's "In-N-Out Tug-O-War."

"As the fast-food company roots for a Monterey Peninsula outpost," she writes, "both mayors say they want it in their city."

Navigate this way to read Pollan's piece "The Fork Vote: Changing the food system won’t come from Congress, but from educated eaters."

"Promising anti-trust initiatives to counter food industry concentration, which puts farmers and ranchers at the mercy of a small handful of processors, appear to be languishing…" he writes. "The most promising food activism is grassroots: Local policy initiatives are popping up in municipalities across the country, alongside urban agriculture ventures in underserved areas. Changing the way America feeds itself has become the galvanizing issue for a generation now coming of age." 


Jump over to this week's Squid to see how Little Napoli owner Rich Pepe, whose sexy new Vesuvio we reviewed last week, is aiming for Carmel's top political post. (It's the second nugget down on Squid.)

Mouse this way to read LeVaux's "Salsa Season: Keys to a jarring experience from a special character named Roy."

And follow along below for word on the upcoming Wine & Dine catalog that we are currently assembling:

We are talking caramelized day boat sea scallops with fingerling potatoes. Fluffy spinach dumplings in a dreamy Parmesan cream sauce. Sixteen-ounce single bone-in prime short rib cooked for four hours in stout beer and homemade veal stock. Flopping-fresh catch of the day crusted with pistachios and grilled, drenched in tomatillo-avocado sauce and served with organic quinoa and plantains stuffed with Cotija cheese. 
 Yes, we are talking about some of the best grub between Pajaro and Pebble Beach, as gathered for the first time in the Best of Monterey Bay Wine & Dine guide, which debuted last year with a list of such signature dishes, recommended directly by local chefs, and bundled with a catalog of local signature wines. My copy still sits within arm’s reach. I’ve used it just about every week this year.
 Now Wine & Dine 2.0 is in the works. Email edible@mcweekly.com if you haven’t gotten your go-to platter sent yet. (Like all editorial content, it’s free, though ad space is also available.) 
 The glossy special pub hits streets Oct. 20 as an insert in the Fall 2011 Wine & Dine. Bonus: The first person to email me the names of three of the four restaurants whose new signature specialties are listed above gets lunch on me.