Food

Will Restaurants Face a World Cup Tourism Bubble?

Welcome to Open Tab, a weekly roundup of news, gossip, and stories that have stayed open in my tabs all week. Last week we covered some controversial tipping trends.

I’ve truly become jaded and immune to bizarre brand collaborations over the past few years. A Grillo’s Pickles-flavored PBR? Snooze. Tabasco x Absolut Vodka? Whatever. Kylie Jenner partnering with Lockheed Martin? Well to be fair, that one I made up.

But I admit that I raised an eyebrow at the incoming Popeyes partnership with the Surf Lodge, the nightclub and restaurant in Montauk. I’ve never been to Surf Lodge (and likely never will, for what it’s worth), but my impression was that the West Village-types that attended weren’t looking for a tower of chicken tenders to compliment their club-going experience. Who knows? I’ve been wrong before. (Once or twice).

In other news, Manhattans have been dubbed boy martinis, though I will say I have never felt less masculine than when I’m bashfully fishing the cherry out of the bottom of my Manhattan.

Also this week: The tourism industry braced for staggering World Cup crowds—but they may not be coming. And, should you bring your kids to Hooters? The answer feels obvious, but some parents are doing it anyway. Also, stadium food is wilder than ever, and we’re taking a look back at a story that’s getting its well-deserved flowers.

There was a lot of hype in the tourism industry around this year’s FIFA World Cup which would take place in major cities across North America. Hotels jacked up their prices—some by more than 300%—and restaurants across the country prepared by partnering with spirits brands, planning drinks specials, and generally girding their loins for the mass of fans they expected. For these restaurants, World Cup crowds could be big revenue generators. In New Jersey, for example, the event is estimated to bring in more than $3 billion in direct economic impact.

But so far, those expectations don’t seem like they’ll be met. In major cities, hotel bookings haven’t seen a huge spike, according to The Athletic. That means less tourists, which could mean smaller crowds at local restaurants and bars that were counting on the crowds’ revenue. Experts are saying the tourism slump is likely due to the pricey deposits needed for tourist visas as well as extra expensive airfare.

I’m not a person who can claim the lived experience of having ever gone to a Hooters. In fact, the closest location to me is in East Brunswick, New Jersey, which is a farther commute than I’m willing to make for wings. But I feel that I can say with certainty that if I was eating at a Hooters next to, I don’t know, an entire Little League team or whatever, I would feel weird about that.

But according to a report from the New York Times, attracting kids (and their families) to dine at Hooters is part of the restaurant’s new strategy. After a complicated bankruptcy scenario, the original Hooter’s founders are back in charge. Their strategy this time around? Make Hooters a family-friendly, casual dining experience. There’s something weird about inviting young kids into a restaurant where the gimmick is that the service staff are mostly scantily-clad women, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Write in with your ideas.

Some people attend baseball games for the love of sports. Others, like yours truly, go to baseball stadiums for the food. (Ahem, I’ve recently learned of something called hotdog fries.)

Food

HelloFresh Is the Meal Kit for People Who Are Bored of Predictable Meal Kits

Until recently, I didn’t understand the point of meal kits. The services I’d tried leaned on the same tired recipes of sloppy joes, bland chicken breast, and boring pasta. After trying HelloFresh, I can finally say I get it.

Of all the meal kits I’ve tried, HelloFresh stands out for one reason: Its menu reads more like a restaurant’s than a meal kit service’s. You’ll find dishes like za’atar-crusted Halloumi cheese, moo shu pork bowls, and Peruvian chili-soy steak stir-fry, with over 100 rotating options and more customization than any other service I’ve tried.

Whether you rarely set foot in the kitchen or cook elaborate meals on weekends, HelloFresh takes the stress out of the most tedious parts of cooking. Figuring out what to make, down the right ingredients, and avoiding the inevitable half-used bunch of cilantro rotting in your crisper drawer are all someone else’s problem now.

I spent a week cooking with HelloFresh for my husband and me. Here’s what won me over, and what didn’t.

best meal kits - hello fresh meal kit box

Watch us put HelloFresh’s cook times to the test

The HelloFresh ordering experience

Ordering meals from HelloFresh was easy. You’ll start by selecting your serving size (up to six people), how many meals you want per week, and a dietary plan: Meat and Veggies, Veggies, Family-Friendly, Fit and Wholesome, Under 20 Minutes, or Pescatarian. I opted for the two-person serving size and the three-meal-per-week plan for my husband and me. Prices start at $57 for two meals for two people per week.

From there, you’ll choose your meals from HelloFresh’s extensive menu. There are over 100 delicious-sounding rotating options, from coconut shrimp and cabbage curry to bavette steak with creamy truffle polenta, all filtered by your dietary preferences. Nutrition- and prep-related callouts like Fiber Smart, Easy Prep and Clean, and Vegan are marked under each meal to speed up your selection process, and you can browse up to five weeks of menus in advance since options rotate weekly. Each listing also includes ingredient amounts, cook time, nutritional info, allergens, and the full recipe. For those short on time, HelloFresh also offers a selection of heat-and-eat Ready Made Meals.

Food

Big Bean Ceviche

When the weather gets too warm to turn on the stove, ceviche offers a cooling respite. Typically made with high-quality raw fish or seafood cooked in citrus juice, this vegetarian version doesn’t require a trip to the fishmonger—and is far cheer. Turn to a trusty can of fat butter beans for the base of the dish. The bigger and meatier the bean, the more reminiscent this dish will be of proper ceviche—you could even cook your own gigante, corona, or white lima beans from dry; but any can of white beans will suffice in a pinch.

Inspired by Ecuadorian and Mexican shrimp ceviches, which feature a soup-like broth, you’ll blend a large, ripe tomato (if you can’t find a nice heirloom, use smaller Campari or Kumato tomatoes, which are sweet and juicy year-round), then stir in lime juice and hot sauce for a powerful bean-marinating liquid. While you could add toppings—sliced jaleño and red onion for heat, offset with buttery avocado—immediately and chow down with a bag of chips, the longer the beans sit in the tomato mixture, the more flavor they’ll absorb.

Food

The Rocco Fridge Is a Hosting Game Changer

Before the Rocco, that meant perching bottles on top of my roommate’s old college mini fridge: a retro light blue number that looked cute next to our yellow couch but left a lot to be desired functionally. The interior was designed like a fun-size version of a normal fridge, with no space-efficient way to store cans or bottles. It also jutted into the room further than we’d have liked, and the square top was fine for stashing bottles but not great for actually finding them.

The Rocco seemed like the ideal upgrade. Designed to hold a mix of wine bottles and canned beverages on adjustable racks, with a top built to function as a home bar and a shallow depth that works well in tight quarters, it promised to meet every one of my needs. Plus, it was pretty.

What I love about it

In addition to being cute, the Super Smart Fridge boasts dual temperature zones to keep your reds and whites propriately chilled and a host of smart features (hence its name), like p connectivity and a camera that supposedly tells you what’s inside your fridge.

After testing this fridge for two years, I can confidently say that it’s been a true hosting game-changer. I love that I can set one half of it to fridge-cold for sodas, hard seltzers, and the like, while keeping the other half at a warmer temp more suitable for wine—all of which I can control remotely from the p (which works very well for that purpose). It’s incredibly quiet and even has multiple noise level modes that you can switch between (Smart, Quiet, and Party).

Food

Sheet-Pan Shawarma-Spiced Chicken

Shawarma, the beloved Middle Eastern dish of thinly sliced, marinated meat slow-roasted on a vertical spit, is typically served with flatbread and an array of accompaniments. This version, which calls on chicken thighs for their juiciness and resilience to overcooking, chars them under the broiler alongside chunks of onion for a fuss-free dinner that will quickly make its way into your weeknight rotation. After the chicken comes out of the oven you can push the thighs to the side to make room for all of the toppings: sliced tomato, cucumber spears, and a tangy garlic yogurt. Loading the lot into warm pitas makes for a satisfying meal that comes together faster than you could order it for delivery.

Food

Chimichurri Grilled Shrimp

These grilled shrimp are the kind of low-effort, high-reward dinner that tastes best eaten outside—you can practically feel the beach breeze in every bite. A confetti-like chimichurri packed with parsley, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, and Fresno chile adds a splash of color and bright, fresh flavor that perfectly complements the charred shellfish.

Jumbo shrimp can go directly on the grate, but if you’re working with smaller ones, thread them onto skewers to keep them from slipping through. Tossing the shrimp with oil before grilling helps prevent sticking (without fussing with the grate) and encourages those smoky, lightly blistered edges everyone wants from grilled shrimp. Serve with grilled bread, steamed rice, a big green salad, or whatever else your cookout heart desires.

Do I need skewers for grilled shrimp?

Jumbo shrimp can go straight on the grill—though skewering them is fine if you prefer it. Smaller shrimp are easier to flip and less likely to fall through the grate when threaded onto skewers.

How do I know when grilled shrimp are done?