"Top Chef: Finale, Part 1," 10 tonight, Bravo Now that former Clearwater Beach resident Spike Mendelsohn is out of the way - see today's Stew column on Page 2 - the four finalists head south to Puerto Rico for the first episode of a two-part finale. Now the real cooking can begin. Curiously, the previews show Lisa without her iconic head scarf. Apparently the bandana was confiscated at customs for having soaked up too much antipathy. ...more

June 4, 2008

Tampa Tribune reporters placed first in seven categories in statewide journalism awards announced Saturday. ...more

June 1, 2008

BUT, HONEY, IT'S ORGANIC "Do you promise to not buy something if I show it to you?" The Official Wife of The Stew said to me as we were shopping. ...more

May 27, 2008

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN: PERSHING (POLYVINYL) **½ "Dance as if no one's looking" goes the anti-self-consciousness adage. Too bad someone didn't close the curtains when Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin was recording its second album. ...more

May 22, 2008

NUKE THAT PIE Microwave ovens usually turn the texture of bread into something akin to a baseball glove. Tough. Chewy. Disgusting. Which explains why we were surprised to find that the new California Pizza Kitchen Sicilian-style thin-crust pizza serving for one tasted like, well, pizza. We're very much in favor of food that tastes like it should. We tried the DiGiorno version, too, but liked CPK's better. Cost: $3.29. ...more

May 21, 2008

This is the second season that Dunkin' Donuts has given away a free doughnut on the day after each win by the Tampa Bay Rays. That probably seemed like a safe marketing bet in 2007, when the team won only 66 games out of 162. ...more

May 20, 2008

Esquire.com came out this week with a list of 75 skills every man should master. They included a few food-related items, such as: ...more

May 6, 2008

BUC IT UP: Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Scot Brantley's recipe for Granny Jones' Raisin Nut Squares is in last place in Epicurious .com's tally of votes in its Taste of the NFL recipe contest. We can do better, people. Each vote counts for charity. To vote, go to epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/superbowl/tasteofthenfl. ...more

January 29, 2008

Our congratulations go out to Valrico resident Christine Dohlmar, a frequent Recipes Lost & Found contributor, who is featured in the January-February issue of Cooking Light magazine. ...more

January 16, 2008

Gertrude McWilliams of Valrico wrote last month in search of a dilly bread recipe. Dolores Fritz in Zephyrhills sent her version along. ...more

December 4, 2007