Sam Stone
Senior Editor
Sam Stone reports on nearly everything for BA, including food culture, restaurant news, and sneaky cooking ideas that (hopefully) make your life easier. A Rhode Island native, he’s currently based in New York City where he can usually be found searching out the city’s best bakeries. Before BA, he spent years working in fine dining while also writing for several publications about food, queer culture, entertainment, and how they intersect. In his free time, Sam occasionally writes humor pieces like this one. samstone.nyc
Culture
Trader Joe’s $2.99 Mini Tote Is the Hottest Bag on the Market
Plus, Kylie Jenner launched canned vodka soda, hyper-chopped sandwiches are making the rounds on TikTok, and more.
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Cooking
A Taste Test for the Best Chocolate Chips
We tried Toll House, Hershey’s, Costco, Ghirardelli, and more.
Restaurants
The Smash Burger Revolution Has Arrived
Creative chefs are packing their crisp-edged burgers with kimchi, Lao sausage, bulgogi sauce, and a whole lot more.
Cooking
5 Hard Ciders to Make You Love Hard Cider
Pour yourself a crisp glass—then use the rest of the bottle for a cozy braise.
Restaurants
Chipotle Founder’s New Robot-Run Restaurant Wants to Revolutionize Lunch. Is the Food Good Enough?
The first location of Kernel in Manhattan is betting big on the idea that people want to eat less meat—and don’t care that much about lunchtime human interaction.
Cooking
An Opinionated Ranking of Bacon Brands
Including Oscar Mayer, Smithfield, Whole Foods, and more
Cooking
Ina Garten Stores Her Knives Upside Down on Purpose
She says it keeps her blades sharp in the knife block. Here are our other favorite methods.
Culture
A Vibey Guide to Choosing Nonalcoholic Drinks
Choosing nonalcoholic drinks can be overwhelming. We’ve made four easy categories based on your mood.
Restaurants
What Is the Keith Lee Effect? These Restaurants Have Seen It Up Close
From social media stardom to massive surges in business, here’s how the viral food critic changed five restaurants’ trajectories.
Culture
Does a Grocery Chain’s Boycott Mean Lower Food Prices Are on the Way?
European superstore Carrefour has pulled PepsiCo products off the shelves to protest price hikes. But American consumers maybe shouldn’t get too excited just yet.
Cooking
An Opinionated Ranking of Canned Tuna Brands
Including Starkist, Bumblebee, Chicken of the Sea, and more.
Cooking
We Tried Every Magic Spoon Cereal
This new kid on the block is nothing like the cereals of yore.
Culture
Our Year of Thirst and Rehydration
Giant Stanley cups, WaterTok, Erewhon’s $26 luxury water. In 2023, it seems we were thirstier than ever.
Culture
How the Internet Ate in 2023
Martha Stewart’s Sports IIllustrated swimsuit cover. The Grimace Shake. Girl dinner. In this timeline, we trace this year’s biggest Extremely Online food moments.
Cooking
Which Orange Juice Is the Best? We Tried Tropicana, Florida’s Natural, Trader Joe’s, and More
For drinking straight or mixing mimosas, there’s one brand we want.
Restaurants
Disgraced Chef Mario Batali Attempts a Virtual Comeback
The chef, accused of wide-ranging sexual misconduct, recently hosted a slate of cooking classes and promises there are more to come. A report from his attempted return to the public.
Cooking
These Under-$20 Wines Were Just Named Best of the Year
Any occasion is a good occasion for these top-tier bottles.
Restaurants
These Are New York’s Michelin-Starred Restaurants, 2023
The coveted stars are regarded as the restaurant world’s highest honor. See who joined the list.
Culture
What 5 Runners Eat to Prep for the New York Marathon
We asked five New York Marathon runners what they eat before, during, and after the race. Spoiler alert: lots of bagels.
Cooking
A Definitive Ranking of Boxed Cornbread Mix
There were a lot of strong opinions on sweet versus savory.