Hostess Twinkies, Going the Way of the Dinosaurs?

Categories: Buyer Beware
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Can we all agree that TV Daily World News is horrific? 2012, according to the Maya culture and numerous other civilizations are predicting the end of humanity, as we know it.. this year! The economy, global change, earthquakes...what else could possibly go wrong? Well, here comes le coup de grace. Hostess has declared bankruptcy and Twinkies may soon go the way of the dinosaurs...extinction. Au revoir, Adios, Sayonara and bye-bye.

Yes, Hostess Twinkies, the Texas-based company may no longer compete against healthy food trends. Chef superstar Mario Batali recently said, "Twenty years ago, Hostess executives didn't see the writing on the wall. Had they suspected a healthy, conscientious, low carb, high-fiber oriented America, they would have made whole wheat Twinkies."

If truth be told, the fluffy little, vanilla, spongy treats are filled with corn syrup, niacin, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, cellulose gum, polysorbate artificial flavors, preservatives and saturated fats, plus that yummy, creamy mysterious filling.

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Norman Van Aken Tips for Buying Olive Oil: It Should Smell Like Olives

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Photo by Kevan/Flickr CC
Shoppers at the supermarket are bombarded with a variety of brands and types of olive oil to choose from but the reality is that as much as half the stuff sold in the U.S. as "extra-virgin olive oil" is either deceptively mislabeled or just plain fraudulent, according to Tom Mueller in his new book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.

Many Italian brands are either adulterated with other types of vegetable oils or made with rancid olives, depriving the consumer of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil.

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Are 95 Percent of America's San Marzano Tomatoes Fake?

Categories: Buyer Beware
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San Marzanos -- for real.
Back in July, gustiBlog ("Italy's Best Foods") interviewed Edoardo Ruggiero, the president of the Consorzio San Marzano, who proceeded to drop a bombshell. "First thing Edoardo said was: maximum one percent of tomatoes in America sold as San Marzano are real San Marzano." When the blogger informed Edoardo that it would put in writing, "he said, OK, let's say 5% to be on the safe side."

Considering how many brands of San Marzano tomatoes are sold on supermarket shelves, and how many Italian restaurants and pizzerias (locally and nationwide) tout that tomato, this is pretty surprising news. As the story goes, in Italy the "D.O.P." stamp has legal backing, while in America it does not. So shady companies send unbranded tomato tins to this country, where labels saying "San Marzano" and "D.O.P." get slapped on.

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Art Basel is No Excuse to Screw the Locals: Joey's Gives Us the Cold Shoulder

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Lesley Elliott
Joey's rigatoni with radicchio in a "4-formaggi" sauce.
I feel like restaurant roadkill after a sad experience Tuesday night when I attempted to eat at one of my favorite neighborhood spots, Joey's in Wynwood. I was ousted from a table by people who were identified as "the owner's friends" just prior to being seated. Now, I completely understand that Joey's and WKB had a pretty full plate business-wise due to the opening of Wynwood Walls, and I truly admire the Goldmans' longstanding efforts on behalf of Wynwood's evolution.

Nevertheless, it's not good to alienate locals during Art Basel. In fact, it's even more important when juggling big names and small ones, to ensure that everyone dining in your restaurant receives fair treatment. So how do I know that my party got shoved aside? Well, we were the only ones waiting when these "friends" walked in the door without a reservation, seeking a table, which owner Joey Goldman, who was at the restaurant, facilitated for them.

We had literally JUST been informed by the hostess that our table was ready, they were resetting, and it would "be one minute." As these "friends" were standing right next to us, we had the joy of hearing the words, "Don't worry, don't worry, it's all taken care of." Then they were quickly ushered onto the last available seating in the place, out on the terrace. It was the exact table promised to us.

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Burger King's California Whopper is Neither New Nor Healthy

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The California Whopper: Green and mean, but not lean.
Ever since Burger King dethroned their totally-creepy mascot, we've been wondering what's the next move for the Miami-based fast-food giant. Here's a, like, totally rad hint at the totally cool sandwich that BK is featuring, starting Monday -- the California Whopper.

According to an article in USA Today, the commercial launch of the California Whopper as campaign and sandwich might be Burger King's entry into the healthier food market.

Short Order did a little research and found that the California Whopper, made with guacamole, Swiss cheese and bacon, is neither new nor healthy.

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The Six Worst Fast-Food Burgers

Categories: Buyer Beware
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The McDonald's Angus Burger -- the "best" of the "worst."
In honor of National Burger Month, Short Order featured some great burgers in Miami, but, thus far, has totally ignored the way most people get their burger -- at the drive-thru.

Yes, there are wonderful places to enjoy a quality burger in Miami, but chances are at some point in your life you'll be either too drunk, stoned, broke, or busy to stop at a nice restaurant and sit down for a good burger experience.

And it's exactly when we're too drunk or broke or busy that we don't really notice what we shovel into our bodies.

So here are some of your most heinous choices. Next time you're in your car and hungry, consider yourself forewarned.

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Hawa Fusion Lacks Cohesion

Categories: Buyer Beware
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John Zur
The dining room.
Located in Coral Gables, Hawa Fusion is a potentially fascinating commingling of mostly Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine. Featuring glossy, unnecessary photos of the food, the menu doesn't excite at first glance, but the dining room has hints of moderate elegance in brown linen napkins (unfortunately stuffed in the water glass), abstract artwork on the walls, leather seats, and tasteful simplicity of neutral colors throughout.

The restaurant accepted an early, 6:30 reservation on a recent Saturday night, but it was clearly unnecessary. After sitting in the rather empty dining room, we realized the air conditioning wasn't on. Our server said it had been down all day and that they were working on it. Eventually, the fans began blowing, but the air clearly was not functioning properly.

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O.N.E. Coconut Water Recalled Over Mold

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ONE World Enterprises announced this morning that they are recalling their O.N.E. Coconut water in 11.2-ounce packaging due to mold. According to a statement posted on the Food & Drug Administration's site, product affected was shipped to several retail outlets in Florida. Consumers are asked to bring the product back to the store where it was purchased for a full refund.

Locally, the beverage is available at retailers like GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, and Whole Foods.

Follow Short Order on Facebook and Twitter @Short_Order.

Shake Shack Beef Supplier Creekstone Farms Recalls Ground Beef, Miami Not Affected

Categories: Buyer Beware, News
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Shake Shack in Miami Beach is fine to eat.
Creekstone Farms Premium Beef recalled 14,158 pounds of beef, due to possible E.coli contamination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The recalled meat was shipped to processing plants in 10 states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. The recalled cases were marked with establishment number "EST 27" in the USDA inspection trademark.

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The Original Crab House: Sketchy GPS Treats Us to Malnourished Blue Crab

Categories: Buyer Beware
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John Zur
Everglades blue claw crabs
Not to be confused with The Crab House in North Miami Beach, The Original Crab House, is located in Kendall at the end of an unassuming strip mall off US 1 and SW 98th Street. The place lacks any view of water. This should have been a warning sign. But with crab on our minds and a desire to test uncharted waters, we entered and found a dining room consisting of seven tables covered in newspapers. Walls were adorned in harpoons, a taxidermy swordfish, and plaques that looked as if they had been yanked off the walls of a New England inn.

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