Four Food-Worthy Investments to Make Right Now

“Everyone’s a critic,” the saying goes, and with the popularity of blogging and social media, it seems that everyone’s a food critic these days. What many citizen (read: non-professional) critics underestimate, though, is the impact that their critiques can have on the welfare of restaurants.

Rather than yelp in complaint, former Seattle Weekly food critic (and soon-to-be food writer for The Post and Courier in Charleston, SC) Hanna Raskin has taken a positive approach in authoring Yelp Help: How to Write Great Online Restaurant Reviews. For $2.99, readers learn a little about the history of reviewing and develop skills on how to write more responsible, helpful reviews. I especially appreciate the book’s head-to-head comparisons of online reviews and critic reviews, as well as the inclusion of several quality online reviews as examples to emulate.

Raskin acknowledges help from local writer Matthew Amster-Burton for her foray into e-publishing. Amster-Burton, who previously authored Hungry Monkey (about raising his daughter to be an adventurous eater), recently released his first e-book: Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo. This story of his family’s month-long stay in Tokyo offers an insightful, stomach-growling look into the culinary (and sometimes non-culinary) culture of Japan.

$3.99 (also available in paperback for more) lets you take flight to the sprawling city of Tokyo, but enables you to feel connected to the streets, the people, and the cuisine. Amster-Burton shows that you don’t have to dine at Sukiyabashi Jiro to dream of delicious sushi the rest of your life. He and his family find delight in simple pleasure like octopus balls (takoyaki), cheap bowls of udon, and Mister Donut. Quality food—and quality travel—can be affordable even in one of the world’s so-called “most expensive” cities. The book will inspire you to embrace a simpler, more meaningful way of travel in Japan, or wherever you’re headed. Even a seasoned traveler to Japan like me learned a lot and enjoyed numerous laughs from Amster-Burton’s accessible and quirky story-telling.

Amster-Burton funded his latest book through Kickstarter (disclosure: I was a contributor), a captivating, crowdsourcing way to fund projects. Now Lauren Adler is doing the same thing to expand Chocolopolis. When locals or out-of-towners ask for the best place to find chocolate in Seattle, Chocolopolis is always on my list. I’ve enjoyed watching the growing success of this small, tasty store at the top of Queen Anne, now celebrating its fifth anniversary.

While Chocolopolis stocks nearly 200 chocolate bars from 25 countries, the store’s chocolatiers have been using their expertise to develop Chocolopolis’ own line of chocolates. (The Anise Ganache Fig is a favorite.) To expand product reach, they need “a redesign of our packaging and labeling to meet the specific packaging requirements of specialty retailers.” Your investment of $10 or more in their Kickstarter campaign gets you goodies—including the satisfaction of helping to build a business that brings better and better chocolate into the world.

Chocolopolis is an example of local artisanship combined with combing the world in a quest for the best. The same is true for Feast Portland. This four-day food festival returns in September for its second year. I attended last year, and would wager that this is one of the best food events you can attend in America—and it’s right in our backyard. Last year felt far from a first-year effort; any improvement in quality this year will amaze me even more.

You can invest in Feast Portland at different levels, buying events a la carte or as a package. Due to popularity, some events have already sold out (or are close), so your best bet is to watch the Feast Portland’s Facebook page to look for ticket releases and announcements of new events. The festival includes fascinating classes and workshops on topics like face meat and fermented Japanese foods. You can go to lectures that will stimulate and inspire. Learn about local products at the Grand Tastings. Attend evening events such as the Sandwich Invitational, Night Market, and High Comfort. Indulge in special dinners that pair local chefs with others from around the country. And with newfound reviewing skills, write your report to share with the world!