I read a great article today —
How to Turn Your Favorite Snack Food into Seasoning
The author recommends buying a cheap grinder at your local grocery store — perhaps when buying salt or pepper — and when it’s empty, placing small, broken-up chunks of your favorite snack foods inside. Then use them as seasoning over appetizers, main dishes, desserts — you name it.
Voila — junk food seasoning.
Of course, my first thought was Cheetos.
(If you’ve read this blog before, this should come as no surprise.)
We already know that Cheetos dust is super yummy eaten right off your fingers. Imagine it sprinkled on any of your favorite foods that already pair well with cheese…like popcorn.
Now you can take your Cheetos seasonings with you. It’s certainly more portable than regular cheese since it doesn’t require refrigeration.
There’s enough preservatives in Cheetos to outlast us all.
The Sticky Egg 
We’re not gonna pay rent
I love my Upper West Side neighborhood.
But today, I have a major beef.
Ditch Plains, a wonderful restaurant across the street from my apartment, has closed. And the rents in my neighborhood are to blame.
Owner Marc Murphy did everything right when they opened three years ago. Their ‘soft open’ lasted a month, offering the entire menu at half-price and free appetizers and desserts. By the time they officially opened their doors, the entire neighborhood was hooked. On the menu. The atmosphere. The friendly vibe.
During the past three years, I have been a loyal customer, and from my unique vantage point, I have seen them maintain a healthy business — far more popular with people of all ages than the two previous restaurants that occupied that same space for brief spans of time. But like their predecessors, Ditch Plains’ success still couldn’t scale the exorbitant rents in my neighborhood.
And they are no more.
If you visit my neighborhood, you will see several empty storefronts. They no doubt are victims, too.
This is just the first to hit so close to home.
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Posted in Business, Commentary, Food, Life, Restaurants
Tagged appetizers, atmosphere, Business, commentary, desserts, Ditch Plains, empty storefronts, food, friendly vibe, life, loyal customer, major beef, Marc Murphy, menu, neighborhood, New York City, rents, restaurant, soft open, Upper West Side