Latest news with #MisterMao
Eater
18-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
Tariffs Are Coming For The Menu
Sophina Uong's New Orleans restaurant, Mister Mao, is the kind of third culture-chaos cooking party spot where strawberry chaat shares the menu with 'Spanish octopussy,' and cocktails are served with candy cigarettes. It is a purposeful celebration of a variety of influences, which naturally requires both local and international ingredients to come to life. So when President Donald Trump announced his brash, nonsensical tariff plan — if you can even call it that — in March, Uong realized her whole menu may have to change. She began stocking up on ingredients like asafetida, black salt, and chilies from both India and Mexico, she says. But spices go stale, and some fresh ingredients are becoming more difficult to source. 'We have suggested to our bar manager switching acids, or developing a menu less citrus heavy — limes are $74 a case right now and steadily climbing,' she says. Fish sauce, too, has jumped from $2.99 to $8 a bottle. 'We have dropped avocados for now, and will just be watching like everyone else [to see] what happens.' 'What happens?' is a lingering question, as every day, Trump seems to change his mind about what tariffs are in effect and when. Here's a relatively updated list of the tariffs that may or may not have been invented by ChatGPT, but the numbers matter less than the overall intention — whether it's by 10 percent or 27 percent, Trump means to apply reciprocal tariffs widely, affecting everything from cars to fast fashion. Even the most locavore restaurants rely on ingredients and supplies from overseas, whether that's European wine, Brazilian coffee, or takeout boxes manufactured in China. And Trump's tariffs, whether they've been implemented or not, are having a profound effect on the industry. Some restaurateurs suddenly can't afford ingredients that have been the backbone of their menus, while others must switch to domestic alternatives that require complete menu revamps. As Top Chef has drilled into the collective consciousness, the mark of a good chef is the ability to adapt. Which one must do when suppliers text you and say everything is going to cost 20 percent more than it did the day before, as recently happened for chef Nick Wong of the newly opened Agnes and Sherman in Houston. Ingredients like rice flour, tofu, and spice mixes — crucial for the Asian-American diner concept — are suddenly far more expensive than when they planned out the business. Through one lens, the tariffs (or threat thereof) are having the intended effect of encouraging chefs to buy local. Wong says he's begun working with a local tofu purveyor, Banyan, which allows them to save some costs. Chef Apurva Panchal, the head chef at ROOH in Palo Alto, has also found himself leaning more into the cross-cultural California-ness of the menu. For instance, a cauliflower steak that used to use Indian red pumpkin is now made with local butternut squash. It's an 'opportunity for innovation,' he says. But locality and seasonality can only go so far, even at restaurants that aren't immediately affected by tariffs. Chef Omer Artun describes Meyhouse, also in Palo Alto, as a Mediterranean restaurant that uses lots of fresh produce and garlic and herbs for seasoning — all cheap and plentiful in the California summer. But 'as we go into the wintertime, a lot of the tomatoes and so forth come from Mexico,' or from hothouses in Canada, he says. Currently, most goods from Mexico and Canada are subject to a 25 percent tariff, various court rulings notwithstanding. The tariffs disproportionately affect restaurants that rely on foreign ingredients, which are often cuisines that American diners expect to pay less for — it's easier to eat the cost of a $25 increase in spices when you're charging $300 a meal for a menu in a European tradition, rather than a counter-service Mexican restaurant. But chefs are getting savvy with their buying. Uong has been adding spice mixtures to oil to extend their shelf lives and drying fresh chiles for future use. Wong says his team has reached out to other local restaurants about buying nitrile gloves in bulk so they can take advantage of discounts. But even if you spend all summer canning American tomatoes to avoid the 17 percent tariff on those from Mexico, there is the sticking point that some ingredients just aren't grown in the U.S., nor do they have a reasonable substitute. There is no domestic cinnamon production to tap into, no American turmeric or coffee or cardamom farm big enough to supplant international suppliers. 'I think it's going to be a reckoning,' says Wong. He's trying to keep Agnes and Sherman affordable like the diners it's modeled after, but at a certain point, diners are going to have to accept the cost of flavor, or risk their favorite places going under. 'Why is my fried rice so expensive? Food is politics,' says Wong. 'You don't get to exist in a vacuum and say you didn't want this. It's gonna affect you anyway.' Sign up for Eater's newsletter The freshest news from the food world every day Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate in New Orleans This Week, July 2025
Before landing in New Orleans, my pilot described the weather in the city as 'juicy.' He wasn't wrong. With summer in full swing, my team and I ate through NOLA. Here are the juiciest details on the best dishes we tried. Pani puri with strawberry at Mister Mao I headed to Mister Mao for brunch because I don't like brunch — eggs, pancakes, bacon, the regular brunchy stuff. The Mister Mao brunch menu is far from regular. With family-style Asian dishes (served as part of a brunch package for two for $50, a great deal) like Chinese chicken and rice dumplings, crispy beef wontons, poha breakfast potatoes, and garlic noodles, I knew this was my kind of brunching. The pani puri caught my attention. I'm from New Delhi, so pani puri, a fried, hollow spherical shell of dough stuffed with spiced potatoes and chutneys, is a staple street food. I'd also never seen it served on a brunch menu. The plate arrived with the pani puri garnished with strawberry — a blasphemy! There's no fruit in pani puri, I thought. But when you try it, the heat from the spiced mint water and the sourness from the tamarind chutney was brilliantly cut with the sweetness of the strawberries. I couldn't believe it. Mister Mao took a major staple, and tweaked it ever so slightly, to present a refreshing treat for brunch. I'd order another round. — Henna Bakshi, Eater regional editor, South. Crab claws at Toups' Meatery Pair the crab claws from Toups' Meatery with a Poblano Escobar cocktail. Erin Perkins Toups' Meatery came onto my radar because it was part of the wave of high-profile Southern restaurants joining spots like Husk in the national spotlight in the 2010s. I'd had food from chef Issac Toups at festivals and events, but this was my first time visiting the restaurant. It's a neighborhood spot in the Mid-City with bright NOLA-centric murals on the outside. As the name suggests, Toups is known for its meat — big charcuterie boards, stacked burgers, and a daily sausage. But consider the crab claw starter. The kitchen serves Louisiana crab claws, accompanied by grilled and pickled pineapple, all topped with a chili vinaigrette. The meaty bits of the claws are exposed, so it's easy to get to the good stuff. Each bite is a bit smoky, tangy, spicy, and sweet. It's a refreshing summertime appetizer to erase the memory of the New Orleans humidity looming outside. It's even more cooling when paired with a Poblano Escobar cocktail, which is a mix of poblano pepper-infused tequila, pineapple shrub, and lime. — Erin Perkins, Eater editor, South. Yak-a-mein from Eat-Well Food Mart I always make it a point to seek out iconic dishes native to New Orleans when I travel there, and yak-a-mein, the salty play on ramen, is a dish I can't find easily back in Northern Virginia (even if noodle soups abound there). I was excited to get to try Miss Linda's version a few years ago; this trip, I decided to make my way to the unassuming Eat-Well Food Mart to give theirs a try (partially on account of their early morning hours, which meant yakamein for breakfast was on the table for me). Their steaming hot rendition is less overwhelmingly salty than some others I've tried, and it upstaged the pho from the same takeout location. Takeout made the most sense for me, but there is a small area of seating for those who need it, despite the counter's existence hidden in the back of a convenience store. — Missy Frederick, Eater cities director. Shrimp thali at Plume Algiers It's not difficult to find a great meal in New Orleans. The city's identity is rooted in culinary excellence, so delicious food isn't exactly shocking. So imagine my surprise when I took a bite of my shrimp thali at Plume Algiers, and immediately closed my eyes in pleasure. A regularly (and frequently) rotating menu at this Indian restaurant means that a bite of food here is typically a real surprise, but garlic shrimp slathered in a chile-butter bath, fresh naan, and a sambar spiced to perfection made for an eating experience that affirmed my decision to move to New Orleans. An amalgam of regional and international spices transported me to India, a country I've never visited, through the swamps of Southern Louisiana, and right to my plate in the Crescent City. I left the restaurant with a takeout box, a full stomach, and a smile that stayed plastered on my face during the entire drive home. — Kayla Stewart, Eater senior editor. Eater New Orleans All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chefs share how to make the best nachos you've ever had
When we think of the perfect appetizer, our minds immediately go to a platter of tortilla chips smothered in cheese and toppings. Nachos satisfy cravings for so many flavors and textures — crunchy, salty, creamy, spicy! And they're easy to whip up at home. We asked chefs how to make nachos like a pro, so you can treat yourself to the ultimate version, with all the fixings of course. One of the reasons we love this dish is how customizable it is. A nacho recipe can vary tremendously depending on where you live and your dietary preferences. It might include shredded jack cheese, refried beans, pickled jalapeños, salsa and guacamole, or it might have a queso cheese sauce and feature beef chili as a topping. Alternatively, you could make them with grain-free chips, plant-based cheese and sour cream. The options are endless, but these pointers will help you reach nacho nirvana no matter what recipe you consider your go-to. Here's how to make the best nachos ever — your parties will never be the same! The easiest way to make nachos is on a parchment-lined sheet pan. I'm a culinary school grad and have been doing it this way for years, so it's validating to hear that experts concur. "A sheet pan is perfect for building and baking the ultimate nachos at home," says Natalie Colon, chef at Margaritaville Restaurant Times Square in New York City. You've got a ton of choices when it comes to the type of chip you choose for your nachos — corn, flour, grain-free and more. But the key to successful nachos? "Be sure to find a sturdy chip that will support the weight of your toppings," says Alex P. Taylor, lifestyle expert and "nachopreneur." A common mistake is piling chips on the bottom and distributing the cheese only on the chips at the top. You've got to work in the cheese between layers of chips so that every bite is laden with it and none are sad cheese-free chips. Colon says the biggest fumble people make when building a plate of nachos at home is "just dumping everything on top. Nachos are all about layering — chips, toppings, repeat. That way, every chip has a little bit of everything." The chefs we spoke to were divided on shredded cheese versus queso/cheese sauce. If you're going with the latter, Sophina Uong, chef/owner of Mister Mao in New Orleans, advises, "Homemade cheese sauce should be stabilized with Velveeta! You can use all the fancy cheese you want but if you add a smidge of Velveeta, it won't break." "Nachopreneur" Taylor can't get enough of the shredded variety: "Shredded cheese is and has always been my favorite ingredient. The more cheese, the better!" Alfredo Garcia, chef and author of the upcoming cookbook, Let's Make It!: A Mexican-American Culinary Adventure, says his nacho non-negotiables include "a spicy component like fresh or pickled jalapeños, and a saucy, tangy component, like a spicy tajín mayo or Mexican crema." How to get all that delicious crunchy, cheesy goodness to your plate? "My favorite nacho spatula is one that's often used for smash burgers. It's perfect when serving them from a sheet pan and keeps the chips in place on the way to your plate," says Taylor.
