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José Andrés Expands Beefsteak; Black Bun Burgers Coming to America

Plus, In-N-Out boosts tourism and a new problem for Blue Bell.

Sep 17, 2015, 6:00 PM UTC

Beefsteak in D.C.

— José Andrés is taking his vegetable-focused Beefsteak concept to Philadelphia. The D.C.-born fast-casual restaurant is slated to hit Houston Market, located on the University of Pennsylvania campus, in early 2016. The Penn campus is no stranger to celebrity chefs: It's already home to a location of Rick Bayless's Tortas Frontera.

— Starbucks has invaded new territory: the Tibetan plateau. Last Friday the Frappuccino behemoth opened not one but two stores in Xining, the capital of China's Qinghai province, located a mere 328 yards from one another. Obsessive Starbucks collectors will no doubt be itching to get their hands on one of the Xining-exclusive mugs emblazoned with a yak. (Pssst: They're already on eBay.)

— Blue Bell ice cream has just made its way back to store shelves following a listeria outbreak that resulted in three deaths and a massive recall, and someone’s already found a foreign object in their dessert. A Texas woman discovered an unidentified “plastic piece” in her carton of Homemade Vanilla; Blue Bell has retrieved the object and taken it back to the quality control lab for identification.

— Long Island is getting a second dose of Shake Shack. Danny Meyer’s beloved burger chain opened today in New Hyde Park, three years after Long Island’s first Shack hit Garden City. Shake Shack, which is popular not only with diners but also on Wall Street, now has more than 70 locations worldwide, from Austin, Texas to Kuwait. A Tokyo location is slated to open this fall.

— Meanwhile, California-based In-N-Out just opened in Medford, Ore., and as a result the town is seeing a boost in tourism. People are apparently traveling from all over the state to devour Animal-style burgers at Oregon’s very first In-N-Out.

— At long last, black bun burgers are coming to America. Burger King will offer a burger on a spooky black bun (previously served only in Japan) to coincide with Halloween. Pair it with BK's other new creation, a pumpkin Oreo shake, for an obnoxiously themed and wholly unhealthy holiday meal.

— Shouty chef Gordon Ramsay is showing his softer side on Twitter, of all places: After a young chef with epilepsy tweeted at the Kitchen Nightmares star that he’d gotten fired from his job, Ramsay promptly offered to hire him.

@GordonRamsay could do with your advice, got fired from my chef job on the way home on the same day I mentioned epilepsy , is that fair ?
— Aaron Merry (@Ejyptcentral) September 16, 2015

That's ridiculous DM I will offer you a job https://t.co/QwskzyHlFQ
— Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) September 16, 2015

— Pro tip: Don't drink espresso right before bed. It may seem obvious, but a new study is the first to prove that nighttime caffeine consumption has "a direct effect on a person's internal timekeeping system." Evening coffee drinking can throw off your circadian clock by up to 40 minutes, meaning "drinking coffee one night might have effects on your sleep cycle for many nights to come."

— A Tampa chef is doing his darnedest to keep native Floridian cuisine alive. Greg Baker’s first attempt at serving authentic “Cracker” food fell flat with diners, but after a rebranding, his restaurant Fodder & Shine is serving throwback dishes like pre-Depression pot roast and pilau alongside more modern fare like an edamame veggie burger, and customers are coming back for more.

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