Gluten Free NYC: Indian Decadence at Baluchi's ? Inside New York

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Baluchi?s in Park Slope

Baluchi?s has five locations in the city, but their three-year-old outpost in Park Slope stands out among?the lot. The d?cor is breathtaking: a soothing fountain full of rose petals welcomes you as you come in?from the cold; gorgeous, colorful glass lanterns hang throughout the romantic space; and the massive,?intricate wooden bar was carved in India.

But it?s not just the d?cor that will stimulate your senses at Baluchi?s; the extensive menu of Northern?Indian cuisine is unique among Indian restaurant menus here in New York. In addition to the classics?that you see everywhere (tandoori main courses, briyanis, and curries), they also have a robust selection?of mouthwatering vegetarian dishes, a unique drink menu of house-created specialties, and an amazing?selection of appetizers, which is where we started our meal.

If you check out Baluchi?s, the Bhel-puri appetizer ($8) is a must. I had never heard of the dish, but as?I read the description, I knew I had to try it. A popular street food in India, it?s a mound of rice puffs?(similar to the cereal we all know and love!) mixed with onions, tomatoes, and potatoes, and topped?with a variety of chutneys and masalas. It was fresh, slightly spicy, and had a bright, herbal flavor. ? I?would return to Baluchi?s for this appetizer alone!

After the Bhel-puri, we asked for recommendations and decided to chow down on the Rogan Josh curry?(succulent pieces of lamb in cardamom sauce, $16) and the Chana Masala (chickpeas cooked in a spicy?Punjabi-style sauce, $12). Both were delicious; the Rogan Josh was aromatic from the cardamom and?the Chana Masala was perfectly hot and spicy. Because many Indian dishes are based on rice, it was?easy to make a gluten-free meal at Baluchi?s. I didn?t eat the naan (my dining partner sampled several?varieties and said they were delicious, $4 each).

Baluchi?s was considerably crowded on a Sunday evening, especially considering that we went to eat?there during the Superbowl. Although they were broadcasting the game on a flat screen at the bar, the?atmosphere of the restaurant remained calm and romantic.

In short, I?d rank Baluchi?s as a ?10 out of 10? when it comes to Indian restaurants. The delicious main?courses are enhanced by the incredible d?cor, a large appetizer menu, attentive service, and thick?mango chutney.

When it comes to Indian food, lunch buffets with predictable menus are a dime a dozen. The next time?you?re craving curry, get classy and head to Baluchi?s!

310 5th Ave, Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Subway: R to Union St.

(718) 832-5555. Open for lunch and dinner; call for exact hours.

Monday ? Thursday Lunch: 11:30am to 3:00pm Dinner: 5:00pm to 10:00pm

Friday Lunch: 11:30am to 3:00pm Dinner: 5:00pm to 11:00pm

Saturday 11:30am to 11:00pm

Sunday 11:30 am to 10:00 pm

-Jacqueline Burton

No Comments | Posted on February 8, 2013 | Categories: Brooklyn, Dating and Romance, Dining, From the Blog, Park Slope

tags: baluchis, brooklyn, Dining, dinner, gluten-free, india, indian food, lunch, Naan, naan naan naan naan naan naan naan naan batman, Park Slope, tandoori, weekly feature

Source: http://insidenewyork.com/2013/02/08/gluten-free-nyc-indian-decadence-at-baluchis/

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Rabbi shares her love of chocolate | Food | Jewish Journal

February 7, 2013

by Kylie Jane Wakefield, Contributing Writer

To say that Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz likes chocolate would be a gross ? or rather, delicious ? understatement.?

For seven years, she?s traveled around the world and written about the delicacy, culminating in October with the publication of ?On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao.?

This Valentine?s Day ? not a Jewish holy day, to be sure, but one many celebrate with loved ones ? the book is as close to edible knowledge as one can get (though, surely, a box of chocolates makes a nice gift, as well).

For Prinz, who lives in New York City but grew up in Los Angeles, the story began in 2006 when she kicked off a blog called, ?Jews on the Chocolate Trail.? She had always loved chocolate, and when she traveled the world, she made sure to stop and try the local take on it. Her research included going to different regions and diving into history books.?

She turned her pursuits into the book, which goes into detail about how chocolate relates to Jewish culture and religion. It also covers the relationship that other groups ? Catholics, Quakers, Protestants, the Mayans and the Aztecs ? have had with chocolate. In ?On the Chocolate Trail,? Prinz said that her Nancy Drew-esque ?choco-dar ? my internal, serendipitous radar for chocolate discoveries and experiences? led her to ?uncover the stories of Jews, religions, and chocolate.??

For example, did you know that a bishop in Mexico was once poisoned because he banned local women from drinking chocolate during Mass services? Or that chocolate gelt for Chanukah might be derived from St. Nicholas traditions?

Mainly, though, Prinz said she wanted to shed light on the connection between Jews and chocolate.?

?I wrote the book because it seemed like the story called out to me. It?s been ignored for a long time,? she said. ?There was so much there that would excite, inform and tantalize people. It was a story that had to be told.?

Prinz is director of program and member services and director of the joint commission on rabbinic mentoring at the Reform movement?s Central Conference of American Rabbis. She?s been a rabbi for more than 30 years and served as the senior rabbi at Temple Adat Shalom in Poway, Calif., for nearly 20 of them.?

During journeys to countries like Spain, Italy, England, Israel, Switzerland, Belgium and Egypt, Prinz tasted and wrote about all sorts of regional chocolates.?

?Every place was fascinating,? she said.?

The history of Jews and chocolate dates back hundreds of years. According to the book, Jews on Christopher Columbus? voyages are believed to have been some of the first Europeans to view cacao, the basis for chocolate.?

After exile from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1496, Jews continued to participate in international business and worked with cacao, opening up workshops where they made chocolate in various cities across Europe. The first coffeehouse in England was run by a Converso Jew who served hot chocolate there.?

In France, Jews had a strong influence in the chocolate industry as well. During the 1600s, they introduced the product through a port in Bayonne. Due to anti-Semitism and discrimination, however, Jews could not sell chocolate on Sundays or Christian feast days, and they had to leave the town every evening at sunset. Still, Prinz wrote that when she spent time in Bayonne, she visited chocolate museums that confirmed the importance of the Jewish traders.

Europe isn?t the only place where Jews and chocolate became intertwined. Prinz delves into the American Colonial period, and another part is titled ?Israelis: Meshuga for Chocolate.?

Although much of the book is about Judaism and chocolate, Prinz said that the food is not celebrated enough in Jewish culture.?

?While there are chocolate customs for Chanukah and Passover, we could really throw in a lot more chocolate,? she said. Could you imagine chocolate-covered apples for Simchat Torah or chocolate-covered challah? We could go so much further with it.?

Not surprisingly, people love to ask Prinz what chocolate is her favorite. She said she has many ? depending on which day you ask her. One that stood out during her travels and received mention in her book was bicerin, a special chocolate drink from Turin, in northern Italy. She wrote that she and her husband, Rabbi Mark Hurvitz, drank the layered drink made of hot chocolate, coffee and cream while feasting on torta di nocciole con cioccolata calda, a warm chocolate soup poured over hazelnut cake.?

?It was amazing to be able to drink bicerin [where it comes from],? she said. ?That was definitely a highlight.?

Prinz said that those who exchange chocolates on Feb. 14 should be responsible and consider fair-trade items.?

?I hope that when people celebrate Valentine?s Day with chocolate to express love for their partners, they also think about supporting people in the industry and farmers who often don?t even taste the product they produce. They?re very, very poor,? she said. ?We have to be mindful of the children and the slaves who labor to produce chocolates in some countries.??

Despite the downside of producing chocolate, Prinz said that she enjoys just how much the upcoming holiday incorporates one of her most beloved subjects.?

?I love the fact that there?s a restaurant called City Bakery in New York City that offers a different hot chocolate flavor for the month of February to celebrate Valentine?s Day. Any excuse for chocolate is terrific.?

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Source: http://www.jewishjournal.com/food/article/rabbi_shares_her_love_of_chocolate

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Coal sales investigated by feds; no violations yet

FILE - This Aug. 22, 2006 file photo shows a coal mine seen from the air in northeast Wyoming near Gillette, Wyo. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 that federal review has so far found no evidence mining companies knowingly skirted royalty rules as they've increased coal exports to Asia. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

FILE - This Aug. 22, 2006 file photo shows a coal mine seen from the air in northeast Wyoming near Gillette, Wyo. A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 that federal review has so far found no evidence mining companies knowingly skirted royalty rules as they've increased coal exports to Asia. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) ? The U.S. Department of Interior is investigating whether mining companies are skirting royalty rules as they increase exports of coal to Asia, federal officials disclosed Friday.

No violations have yet been issued, but a newly released report to two U.S. senators says audits of overseas sales have just begun for years when coal export volumes from federal lands grew substantially.

The investigation is focused on companies' use of affiliates or brokers to sell coal from mines in the Western U.S. to customers in Asia. The parent company pays government royalties based on the mine price, then the affiliate ships the fuel overseas where it's sold for many times the original price.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said he has asked the agency's Office of the Inspector General to look into whether such actions violated federal law.

He said one federal coal lessee is under investigation for possible criminal violations. Details weren't offered, and his office declined to say if that involved coal shipped overseas.

The administration was responding to concerns raised by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. They've warned that as coal exports grow, taxpayers could lose many millions of dollars annually if royalties are unfairly calculated.

Coal royalties nationwide totaled $876 million last year, from 460 million tons of coal mined from federal lands.

Salazar said a special task force of state and federal officials plans to review coal sales and contracts in Montana and Wyoming from 2009 and 2011, and later expand the inquiry to other states for sales dating to 2001.

Government agencies typically audit coal sales several years after they have taken place.

In a joint statement, Murkowski and Wyden said they were "pleased with the formation of a task force to ensure coal companies have paid their fair share when coal is mined on public lands and sold overseas."

Salazar said the issue underscores the need for reforms in how royalties are calculated, which was last updated in 1989, before the recent spike in coal exports. He said his agency is pursuing changes that would make the process more transparent.

Murkowski's office said she was open to changing royalty rules if needed but was waiting for the issue to further unfold.

"It doesn't appear there were any knowing or willful violations of the royalty law. That doesn't mean they might not find violations," said Robert Dillon, the Republican's spokesman.

Companies defend their use of affiliates for export sales, arguing that the higher price their fuel fetches in Asia largely reflects additional shipping costs. That should be counted as a different line of business than mining, they contend.

But the chief of the Montana Department of Revenue's business tax division, Lee Baerlocher, said the industry's practices have the attention of government auditors.

"It's an audit red flag, meaning we've got to look into it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's not a fair price," Baerlocher said.

Until the audits are completed, Walter Archer with the Montana-based Northern Plains Resource Council said the government should stop leasing coal from federal lands. Industry representative Bud Clinch with the Montana Coal Council said that's unwarranted given no substantial violations have been issued.

Half of royalties go to the federal government and half to the states. Strip mines that account for the bulk of coal from public lands have a 12 percent royalty rate.

U.S. coal exports hit record levels last year ? an estimated 124 million tons. That includes increasing quantities of steam coal used in power plants shipped to Asia by companies including Arch Coal Inc., Peabody Energy Corp., Cloud Peak Energy Inc., and Signal Peak Energy.

Asian markets have given the industry some sorely needed relief in the face of declining domestic demand.

Proposals to export even more coal, through new and expanded West Coast ports, faces concerted opposition from environmentalists and some public officials.

Most of the exported coal from the West comes from Montana, with coal also exported from mines in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. In 2011, the most recent year for which state-by-state figures were available, those states shipped about 22 million tons for export.

The special royalties task force, established in December, includes auditors from the federal government, Montana and Wyoming.

A spokesman for Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead said no problems have yet been found.

Securities filings by Cloud Peak Energy show Asian exports accounted for 23 percent of the company's revenues but only 5 percent of its coal production through the third quarter of 2012.

In a letter to Salazar, Cloud Peak CEO Colin Marshall said the company considers transportation logistics work as "fundamentally different than our business of selling coal at the mine."

He said the company plans to list mining and logistics as separate businesses in its upcoming annual report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-08-Coal%20Royalties/id-173441eb799a4562a05319f2e5191c51

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Ashley Judd mocked in GOP ad. Will it scare her off Kentucky Senate run? (Christian Science Monitor)

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Quick updates: #scio13, #wjchat, Science Studio, @scifri

As you probably know, last week was ScienceOnline2013 ? I still need to wind down, and catch up, before the regular blogging will resume. For those of you who missed it, you can catch up on coverage on the Scio13 Information Central page, see the media and blog coverage to date, or watch the recordings of morning Converge talks (a number of other recorded sessions will be available at the same link later). Or join us in the still very active conversation on Twitter using #scio13 hashtag.

During the event, last week, I was also a guest on the NPR Science Friday show with Ira Flatow, mostly discussing the paper (and my post about it) on the effect of blog/article comment threads on the audience understanding of the articles. You can listen to that radio segment here.

One of my projects, the Science Studio (the podcast/multimedia version of Open Laboratory) has only 9 more days to go on Kickstarter and still needs $1214 to reach the goal. Take a look?.

Finally, today at 8pm EST, go on Twitter, set up a search for the #wjchat hashtag, and participate in the discussion on science journalism, science blogging and more, with myself acting as the host.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=9b8d18675cdcff69a4442caf5685e361

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One Comment - Yeshiva World News

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has agreed to a comprehensive review of the use of solitary confinement in its prisons, including the fiscal and public safety consequences of the controversial practice, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said on Monday.

A spokesman from the bureau confirmed that the National Institute of Corrections plans to retain an independent auditor ?in the weeks ahead? to examine the use of solitary confinement, which is also known as restrictive housing.

?We are confident that the audit will yield valuable information to improve our operations, and we thank Senator Durbin for his continued interest in this very important topic,? spokesman Chris Burke said in a statement.

Prisoners in isolation are often confined to small cells without windows for up to 23 hours a day. Durbin?s office said the practice can have a severe psychological impact on inmates and that more than half of all suicides committed in prisons occur in solitary confinement.

In Durbin?s state of Illinois, 56 percent of inmates have spent some time in segregated housing.

?The United States holds more prisoners in solitary confinement than any other democratic nation in the world, and the dramatic expansion of solitary confinement is a human rights issue we can?t ignore,? said Durbin, who chaired a Senate hearing on the use of solitary confinement last year.

?We can no longer slam the cell door and turn our backs on the impact our policies have on the mental state of the incarcerated and ultimately on the safety of our nation.?

The federal prison system is the largest in the country and includes some 215,000 inmates.

News of the review was welcomed by the American Civil Liberties Union ? a strong critic of the nation?s use of solitary confinement.

?We hope and expect that the review announced today will lead the Bureau to significantly curtail its use of this draconian, inhumane and expensive practice,? David Fathi, director of the ACLU?s National Prison Project, said in a statement.

(Reuters)

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Blowing hot and cold: U.S. belief in climate change shifts with weather

Feb. 5, 2013 ? A University of British Columbia study of American attitudes toward climate change finds that local weather -- temperature, in particular -- is a major influence on public and media opinions on the reality of global warming.

The study, published February 5? by the journal Climatic Change, finds a strong connection between U.S. weather trends and public and media attitudes towards climate science over the past 20 years -- with skepticism about global warming increasing during cold snaps and concern about climate change growing during hot spells.

"Our findings help to explain some of the significant fluctuations and inconsistencies in U.S. public opinion on climate change," says UBC Geography Prof. Simon Donner who conducted the study with former student Jeremy McDaniels (now at Oxford University).

The researchers used 1990-2010 data from U.S. public opinion polls and media coverage by major U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. They evaluated the relationship between average national temperatures and opinion polls on climate change, along with the quantity and nature of media editorials and opinion pieces related to climate change.

While many factors affect climate change attitudes -- political views, media coverage, personal experience and values -- the researchers suggest that headline-making weather can strongly influence climate beliefs, especially for individuals without strong convictions for or against climate change.

"Our study demonstrates just how much local weather can influence people's opinions on global warming," says Donner. "We find that, unfortunately, a cold winter is enough to make some people, including many newspaper editors and opinion leaders, doubt the overwhelming scientific consensus on the issue."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of British Columbia, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Simon D. Donner, Jeremy McDaniels. The influence of national temperature fluctuations on opinions about climate change in the U.S. since 1990. Climatic Change, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0690-3

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/oyccEB0yHX8/130205083058.htm

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