Round-Up: Wednesday, Dec. 23

Listen: Bombadil - "Otto the Bear"


Read: NYT article on the psychology behind menus
They discuss the cons of putting dollar signs on menus, putting expensive decoy items near the top of menus to make other items seem more reasonable,and how to highlight more profitable dishes.
Most interesting part to me was the description of 4 types of diners: "The customers he calls “Entrees” do not want a lot of description, just the bottom line on what the dish is and how much it is going to cost. “Recipes,” on the other hand, ask many questions and want to know as much as they can about the ingredients. “Barbecues” share food and like chatty servers who wear name tags. “Desserts” are trendy people who want to order trendy things." - What type of diner are you? (I'm more of a "Recipes" diner these days)

Badass of the Week: "A 52-year old man walked into a Detroit diner with a five-inch knife stuck in his chest, ordered coffee and waited for the ambulance. [MSNBC]" (H/T Grub Street LA)

Laugh: Santa webcomic

Drink: Wine enthusiast lists 2006 Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Maria's Cambria as #1 Wine of 2009. It's only $21 a bottle.

Watch: Everything is better with bacon on it. Knives up!

Top Chef: Hungry Ladies - watch more funny videos

Political Science: 538 identifies the most valuable Democrat Congressman (warning, it's pretty wonky)