Today's Entertainment

Blogger Ali Khan considers himself a connoisseur of inexpensive dining and he brings his knowledge to bear in his appropriately titled new Cooking Channel series "Cheap Eats." The six-episode half-hour series, which premieres Thursday, April 21, brings Khan to various locales around the country, where's he's challenged to seek out delicious meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack – that cost a total of $35 or less and do it within a 12-hour span. Along the way, he meets the chefs who create these unlikely masterpieces of flavor. "They key to it is, you will find someone who's had a great deal of training and for whatever reason they don't want to work in fine dining," he explains. "And when you meet someone like that who is so content in cooking something simple, you're stoked. Because God is in the details, the devil is in the details, so the consistency, the training they can bring to the cooks on the line, that's pretty hot. And you'll never know it until you have a couple of bites and you go multiple visits to see that, wow, the hash browns are always crispy when I ask for them crispy. ... What's really surprising is when you find a chef who for whatever reason could cook like at a crazy restaurant ... but for whatever reason they're happy cooking at a diner and that's an amazing thing." In going to diners, burger joints, taco stands and other humble eateries in cities such as Chicago, Miami, Albuquerque and Austin, Texas, Khan has uncovered one inescapable truth: Cooks who cook on the cheap rely more on technique than ingredients. "Most of the time the ingredients are going to be modest, so the technique steps up," he says. "And traditionally, like when you talk about cool cheap eats, we're talking about, like back in the day, we're talking about country food, which meant eating low on the hog, which meant, 'Alright, I am going to slowly, slowly simmer this cut of meat until it is so tender and it'll inspire Sunday dinner memories for a lifetime.' ... But yeah, it's definitely for me all about the technique, finding these guys who just demonstrate amazing technique, trained or not trained." FOOD BLOGGER KHAN goes in search of 'Cheap Eats' on Cooking Channel What book are you currently reading? "I've been reading 'The Tummy Trilogy,' which is actually three books by Calvin Trillin. ... But I totally left it on a plane so I'm literally waiting for Amazon to ship me my second one." What did you have for dinner last night? "Daal. I had lentils. (laughs) I have a 4-year-old and ... daal was one of the few dishes of my parents' (Bangladeshi) culture that I really love, so I've made it and he likes it. So that's kind of a kid favorite in our house." What is your next project? "I'm expanding (my blog) 'Bang for Your Burger Buck' to include probably my second love after burgers, which is absolutely tacos. And because I'm in Austin, I've just experienced so much with barbecue as well. So I'm going to be expanding 'Bang for Your Burger Buck' into a myriad of cheap eats." When was the last vacation you took, where and why? "That was last week. ... I married someone as an officiate. I do weddings. ... So I went to L.A., married these people, met with my tax guy, then went to Vegas. Came back from Vegas, came back to Austin and then we actually were just shooting some extra footage in Boulder (Colo.). So I actually was in four cities last week. That was a busy week." BY GEORGE DICKIE Page 8 April 18 - 24, 2016 I FOUND IT! Whether you are looking for the latest garage sale bargain, a reliable car, a home or a new job. You are sure to find what you want in the classified section of … Nobody Covers Your Hometown Better! • Carpet • Vinyl • Ceramic Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 65669 US 33 East • Goshen 642-4770 TOLL FREE 1-877-642-4770 Area's Largest Selection of Remnants Large Inventory of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles! OEC Super Buffet 4024 Elkhart Rd Goshen IN 46526 Tel: 574-875-1298 Elk Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Adult $7.25 Children 2 years old $1.99 3-6 years old $3.50 7-10 years old $5.00 *Saturday Lunch $7.75 Dinner Monday-Friday 3pm-9:30 pm Adult $10.75 Children 2 years old $2.99 3-6 years old $4.50 7-10 years old $6.00 *Sunday Dinner Price ALL DAY $10.75 SENIOR DISCOUNT 10% PRICE On or Off - Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday DON'T STAY DON'T STAY … IN THE DARK. CALL 574-533-2151 OR 800-487-2151 ext. 393 TODAY ! Start your newspaper subscription today and see the light. Stay up to date on all the latest business, entertainment, sports, local news and more!

• Cover