Celebrate Upgrade Month At Tasting Table

Make your cooking, eating and drinking go harder, better, faster, stronger

"The only sin is mediocrity."

So said groundbreaking dancer and choreographer Martha Graham. And though we may not be practicing our contraction-and-release technique this September, we are taking her exacting words to heart—by bringing our collective dining, cooking and drinking experiences to a higher ground.

This month at Tasting Table's Soho office, we're embracing the upgrade. We'll learn cheffy techniques, expand our wine knowledge and make breakfast a little bit more interesting. We'll watch the country's best chefs take old favorites to a whole new level (stay tuned for Bruce Kalman's luxurious handmade pasta, Matthew Jennings's rich clam chowder and Bill Telepan's insane mushroom burgers). We'll show you ways to make a plain bowl of rice extraordinary and introduce you to a game-changing spice. We'll turn an of-the-moment lowbrow shot (hint: It rhymes with "miremall") into a classy cocktail.

And because we couldn't ignore the fact that September is back-to-school month, we're elevating the duds we used to find in our lunch boxes with our Sandwich of the Week series. Check back for new takes on egg salad, PB&J, even the usually sad turkey sando.

After you've soaked up all of these ideas and recipes, it might be time to take a bow.