HAL'S KITCHEN: Manitoba restaurant wins Burger Week

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Le Burger Week 2023 wrapped up on Thursday and Carlo’s Cucina from little old Sandy Hook, Man., has taken the Canadian crown. Carlo Guzzi’s entry in the competition is tops in the country again, just like two years ago. This victory is extra sweet for Carlo who almost won Burger Week last year as well, finishing a very close second. The Magnifico didn’t lead the way all two weeks but almost. The burger fell as low as third spot at the start of week two but it finished strong to take the national title. Congrats to all the local competitors, including Brazen Hall, Jonesy’s Restaurant and PVG Street Eats who all finished in the top five. But I’m especially happy for Carlo who I’ve gotten to know over the years. He’s very excited about the victory, not for himself, but for the people of his Interlake community who support him and his wife Marnie.

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EATING DINNER EARLIER

People are eating their last meal of the day earlier and the pandemic might be driving the change. Restaurants say they’re now seating about 10% of their dinner customers between 2 and 5 p.m. That’s double the percentage from before COVID-19. Restaurants are also closing their kitchens earlier, about 9 p.m. on weeknights.

SURGE PRICING AT PUBS

Some British pubs are getting in on surge pricing like we’re seeing with airlines and hotels. They’re charging more for beer at popular drinking times. Stonegate, the biggest pub company in the UK, has implemented a price hike on pints during busy evenings and weekends. “Dynamic pricing” adds about 30 cents to the cost of a pint of beer.

MEATY FLAVOUR INGREDIENT

Plant-based foods have become very popular but a common complaint is they don’t taste like meat. For people missing that juicy meaty flavour, a new study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry says food scientists have come up with an interesting solution…fermented onions.

CAFFEINATED CUP NOODLES

Nissen, the maker of Cup Noodles, has announced caffeinated noodles. The company says the product will help all-night video gamers stay awake. They’ll come in two flavours: garlic and black pepper yakisoba and curry. Both are sauce-based and soup-free so there’s no need to worry about messy hands, making them the perfect meal between games.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COKE

Coca-Cola is out with something new…the first flavour created by artificial intelligence. Coca-Cola Y3000 is the latest limited-edition flavour launched through the Coca-Cola Creations platform.

HOSTESS SELLS FOR BILLIONS

Hostess, the maker of snack classics like Twinkies and Ho Hos, is being sold to JM Smucker in a deal worth about $5.6 billion. Smucker, which makes everything from coffee to peanut butter and jelly, will pay $34.25 per share in cash and stock. Hostess struggled for years and nearly vanished before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization over a decade ago.

— Hal has written columns for years. He’s also the host of Connecting Winnipeg weekday mornings from 10 to noon on 680 CJOB. You can email him at Hal@HalAnderson.ca.