It’s more than just alliteration; it’s a statement, a proclamation that Thursdays are when the weekend should really start. Kicking it off right is the key, and what better way than with a cocktail that not only takes the edge off, but tastes good too. A hard thing to disagree with, we know. Drink up, get down and go to sleep happy.

The key to Memorial Day weekend is simplicity and relaxation with some good food and drink. Any backyard Memorial Day bash should feature sizzling hamburgers off the grill and refreshing pitchers of cold, sweet cocktails. We’re choosing to celebrate with our favorite libation hailing from Cuba, the cooling and minty mojito.

Start by gently muddling the mint to release oils for an herbaceous accent to this spectacular mojito. Then this cocktail is played up with freshly-squeezed lime and lemon juices, light rum, bubbly club soda and lots of ice. There’s no better refreshing, simple and delicious summertime cocktail to whip up for a crowd.

Bottoms up, folks.

Mojitos

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

In a large pitcher, muddle mint sprigs with sugar and lemon and lime juices until well combined. Add ice, rum and club soda and stir together. Pour into glasses, straining out mint. Enjoy!

More ideas and recipes for Memorial Day.

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Pizza. The great unifier. The one thing pretty much everyone, aside from the lactose intolerant, agree on. I’d be hard pressed to find a time when I don’t want pizza. It’s just a matter of when I allow myself to have it. Now, thanks to Domino’s Brazil, this temptation is going to be even harder to resist.

Domino’s Brazil has teamed up with a series of local DVD stores to replace the label on popular DVDs to a heat sensitive one. What does it do? As the movie plays, the player heats it up, giving off an aroma of a pizza baking. The label also changes visually, going from a plain old title card to a delicious looking pizza. It’s just a little reminder that next time you watch a movie, maybe you should also dig in to a slice or three.

There has been no word on if and when this technology would invade the rest of the world. Here’s hoping nobody actually tries to eat the DVDs.

All-American Cheeseburger by Neighbor Food

5 Hot Links We’re Loving:

1. Neighbor Food’s All-American bacon cheeseburger is the perfect recipe for Memorial Day.
2. Calling all snickerdoodle lovers: Shugary Sweets’ cookie dough truffles are just for you.
3. This Tuscaloosa Tollhouse pie is a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and pecan pie. Check out Laura’s Sweet Spot for the recipe.
4. We’re drooling over Dine & Dash’s asparagus pizza topped with bechamel sauce and a runny egg.
5. Willow Bird Baking lightens up lobster rolls and serves the filling atop a bed of greens. Don’t worry, the garlicky croutons add just the right amount of buttery indulgence.

Craving More?

• From barbecued ribs to beer can chicken, we’ve got you covered with the best cookout recipes.
• For burger inspiration, check out our 50 top recipes.

Grab some high-quality ear plugs: the cicadas are coming. This spring, billions of these noisy insects will be emerging from the ground to annoy the living pants out of us. This collosal invation happens once every 17 years — the result of their lengthy gestation cycle — and this year’s influx is known as Brood II. You know what that means. Let’s eat ‘em!

Wait… what? You heard that right. A New Haven, Connecticut restaurant called Miya’s Sushi will be putting the soon-to-be-plentiful ingredient all over their menu. This is no marketing gimmick, however. The restaurant’s owner, Bun Lai, has stated that he prefers eating bugs to meat and Miya’s Sushi already features several grasshopper dishes.

So while our ear drums and gross-out muscles are getting an extra work-out, at least we can bask in the knowledge that we won’t go hungry. There will literally be billions of tasty morsels flying all around us. Yum.

Banjara Bistro

Once you’ve picked up on the car-free lifestyle of the San Fran locals, stop by this food truck to eat like one. Banjara Bistro’s specialty is the crepes, and the Southern Soul can’t be beat: It includes pulled pork, braised greens, honey bacon and cheddar.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill

I love Haight Street. It’s constantly bustling with characters. For a great place to people-watch, check out Rosamunde Sausage Grill. This is the restaurant’s flagship spot, serving more than 19 fresh sausages and loads of craft beers to wash them down.

Mitchell’s Ice Cream

Mitchell’s has been around for about 60 years and still serves what some say is the best ice cream in San Francisco. A nice rotation of seasonal flavors is offered, but some, like mango, Mexican chocolate and guava, can’t be missed.

Brenda’s French Soul Food

Brenda is bringing true Creole cuisine to San Francisco at her restaurant. I couldn’t come to this city without showcasing her fresh oysters and classic red beans and rice. Her restaurant is a great warm welcome to the city.

Alioto’s

Fisherman’s Wharf is a popular visiting spot in the city — and with good reason. There are so many fun things to do, especially getting a freshly cooked crab. I had a wonderful time at Alioto’s, both in the restaurant enjoying the views and down on the streets serving at the crab stand.

Hops & Hominy

This new hot spot in the Financial District does Southern hospitality right. The space really showcases the owners’ personalities by being trendy yet friendly. The drinks, like the gin and jam cocktail, are well thought out, and the entrees have enough Southern soul to be called comfort food.

Tune in to a new episode of Road Trip with G. Garvin G. Garvin tonight at 9pm | 8c to watch G. hit the best Southern food in San Francisco.

Recipes from this episode:

• Brenda’s Catfish Po Boy

Grilled romaine is one of those things that I order every time I see it on a menu. It’s just such a fascinating hybrid to me of two things that I wouldn’t at all think belong together: the grill, with its rough, hot brutishness juxtaposed with the tender, crispy leaves of “spa food” infamy. What sounds like failure in the making may in fact change the way you feel about romaine forever.

Grilling romaine at home is not a complicated or lengthy process. A quick spritz with some nonstick spray, 30 seconds of high-heat contact and BAM! Otherwise boring greens take on new life with a smoky aroma and toasted flavor with enough depth to let them stand on their own as a dinner centerpiece.

I stole a page from my friend Charissa’s recipe book and charred a grapefruit to serve as the base of this salad’s dressing. Its subtle tartness plus the charred leaves and a few toasted almonds make beautiful culinary harmony.

One note on the prep: Since leeks tend to be very sandy, I sliced them in half from root to tip and ran the cut side under cold water, gently pulling the layers apart to rinse away any sediment. This cleans the leeks out and also puts a bit of moisture in them, which helps to steam and tenderize them while they’re on the grill.

Grilled Romaine With Charred Grapefruit Dressing

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

1 large or 2 small ruby red grapefruits, halved
1 small leek, split lengthwise and rinsed
Nonstick cooking spray
3 tablespoons high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 large heads romaine, split lengthwise
1/4 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup shaved Manchego cheese (from about a 1-ounce chunk)

Preheat a grill to high heat.

Lightly grease the cut sides of the grapefruit(s) and leek with nonstick cooking spray. Grill them both, cut side down, until they are charred and the leeks are tender, about 2 minutes for the grapefruit and 3 minutes for the leeks. Let cool slightly.

Juice the grapefruit into a large mixing bowl (you should have about 1/2 cup juice). Chop the leeks and add them to the bowl with the grapefruit juice. Add the olive oil, honey, and some salt and pepper to the bowl and whisk to combine. Reserve.

Lightly grease the cut sides of the romaine with nonstick cooking spray. Grill the lettuce, cut-side down, until aromatic and charred, about 30 seconds. Transfer the lettuce to serving plates. Drizzle it with the prepared dressing and garnish with almonds and shaved cheese. Serve immediately.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Because my husband is one of those “this is good, but I’m still hungry” kind of people, I added some grilled chicken alongside. Do as you please — this would be perfect with a fillet of salmon, pork chop or all on its own.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food. Always has, probably always will. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary teams for Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Bobby Deen and Paula Deen, he now works as a food stylist and producer in NYC by day and a food writer and recipe developer at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night. You can see what he’s up to by following his latest tweets on Twitter at @patrickwdecker or visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.

In the past few years, websites that let you order restaurant delivery food have really blown up. Gone are the days where you have to interact with fellow humans in order to eat a pizza. You simply head to your favorite site and click a few hungry clicks. Technology! Now, two of the biggest delivery sites are merging to form a mega-verse of dining laziness, combining their restaurant databases and unique technologies.

GrubHub and Seamless — once fierce competitors — have announced a merger to create an as-yet-unnamed super-company. GrubLess? SeamHub? The deal, which is still subject to that wascally regulatory approval process, will give you even one less thing to remember when ordering food. Just type G or S into your web browser and autocomplete should take care of the rest for you.

In the meantime, you should probably just stay home and cook.

Meatless Monday is a global movement, a way of life. It’s not a campaign to turn everyone in the world vegetarian or vegan; in fact, many involved are meat-lovers. Eating less meat has been proven to reduce the risk of disease, curb obesity and has important environmental impacts, too. Will you join us in giving up meat, just for one day a week?

On Monday nights, I go for recipes that require minimal prep work and yield leftovers. Not only do I save money, but I also have something delicious to look forward to the next day in the office. Sundried Tomato and Basil Mac and Cheese fits the bill for a low-key dinner — and an extra -pecial lunch for the next day (or two).

You’re never too old for macaroni and cheese. Perhaps you’ve moved past the infamous blue box, but cheesy pasta is a timeless — and ageless — guilty pleasure. This recipe is classy enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough to make for tonight’s Meatless Monday dinner. If you’re worried about having too many leftovers, halve the recipe or stick some of the extras in the freezer for a quick dinner down the road.

Creamy Dreamy Sundried Tomato and Basil Mac and Cheese
1 tablespoon butter, for greasing
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, packed in oil and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
SAUCE:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, for topping

Grease a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof dish with the butter and set aside. Preheat the broiler to 500 degrees F

Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pan, making sure there is no water left. Stir the Asiago, fontina and mozzarella into the macaroni while it’s still hot, and then mix in the cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and basil, combining thoroughly. This is the base of your mac and cheese. Now it’s time to make the sauce that will be the “glue” to your whole dish.

For the sauce: Combine the butter and flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Only cook this mixture until it appears that all the butter has combined with the flour, making sure not to allow it to become dark in color or get overcooked. Immediately whisk in the milk and garlic, and continue whisking another 5 minutes. You want to keep the mixture moving so the milk does not form a skin. Whisking, add the salt, black pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Within 10 to 15 minutes, this mixture will start to thicken. Dip a clean spoon into the sauce; if the spoon is well coated, it means it’s done. If it is still loose, you can bump the heat to high and keep whisking.

Ladle three-quarters of the sauce into your macaroni base and combine. Transfer into the ovenproof dish and carefully spoon the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and place under the broiler 5 to 10 minutes. We just want the whole dish to get warmed up and the top to be golden brown. Once you have finished cooking your creamy, dreamy sundried tomato and basil mac and cheese, let sit 5 minutes before you cut into it. Serve it up and enjoy!

More Meatless Macaroni and Cheese Recipes:

Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese
Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Curried Macaroni and Cheese With Asparagus
Poblano Mac and Manchego With Corn and Mushrooms

Here in America, thanks to the nefarious work of Morgan Spurlock and others, we have begun expecting our fast food joints to be kinda, well, healthy. Most of them now serve veggie burgers, salads and even cups of fibrous material that scientists call fruit. In Japan, however, that is not the case. Japanese fast food restaurants still embrace the unhealthiness in all of its deep-fried glory. Case in point? McDonald’s and their new French fry size.

McDonald’s Japan has just unveiled something they are calling the “Mega Potato.” This massive container holds so many French fries, diners will think they have died and gone to deep-fried heaven. Don’t eat the whole thing in one sitting, or you might actually die (and go to deep-fried heaven). It holds enough French fries to make up two large-size American portions.

This Mega Potato will set you back 490 yen, or $4.80. Considering two large fries at your local McDonald’s costs around $6, it is quite a steal!

Alibi at The Liberty Hotel, Boston (pictured above)

Alibi is located in the “drunk tank” of the former Charles Street Prison, where those arrested for public intoxication were kept overnight — a unique place to relive a little Boston history (hopefully on better terms). Thick brick walls with cell doors and windows, original stone floors from the jail, mug shots of celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Jim Morrison and Nick Nolte hanging on the walls, and jail-themed cocktails, like The Doing Thyme, The Walk of Shame and Gordon Gekko, are unsubtle reminders of the bar’s theme. But leather couches, dark wood tables and candlelight make the experience much pleasanter today than it was for its former visitors.

The Oak Bar at The Plaza, New York City

Overlooking Grand Army Plaza on the Southeast corner of Central Park, the Oak Bar — which first opened in 1907 for men only — is almost as iconic as its parent hotel. Stick to the classics, and sip slow: Those tasty cocktails aren’t cheap.

Bar Marmont at Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles

With its butterfly-covered ceiling, stuffed peacock in the corner and plush banquettes, this 1930s Vietnam-inspired bar is one of the best places in Hollywood to share a drink with a starlet in hiding. Beyond the celebrity factor, the Chateau’s comfortable bar is a wonderful place to enjoy the fantastic food. The Damn Good Burger, we can assure you, lives up to its name.

Top of the Mark at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco

Come for a drink, stay for the view. The Mark Hopkins’ famous bar is, as the name suggests, on the top floor of the historic hotel. That places it 19 stories up, in a landmark building that sits at the apex of Nob Hill, one of the highest points in San Francisco. All that elevation adds up to one of the best views in a city renowned for its views; it’s a pretty sweet spot.

Round Robin Bar at The Willard Intercontinental, Washington, D.C.[mhc1] 

Allegedly, Kentucky Sen. Henry Clay established the official recipe for the mint julep — Maker’s Mark bourbon, mint, sugar and branch water — on the site of the Willard in the early 1800s. Upstairs, the Scotch bar serves from a menu of more than 130 Scotches — one of the most-extensive selections in the city.

Oak Bar at The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston

The dark wood-paneled Oak Bar is located in the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza (founded in 1912) and is evocative of a British Officers’ Club in East Asia: coffered ceilings, mirrors, marble. It feels like the kind of place where dashing men in suits casually make deals over martinis and oysters while eyeing a blonde in the corner. But the venue knows who it’s catering to: a more mature crowd that can splurge on one of the most-extensive martini menus in the city.

You can’t return a bad vacation. That’s why Oyster.com, “The Hotel Tell-All,” and partner of The Travel Channel, comprehensively visits, photographs, reviews and rates each hotel we feature. Basically, we uncover the truth, before it’s “uh-oh” time.