Exclusive Afghanistan Café, Green Chiles, Southern Ramen: 10 Hot Topics On Food Republic

We traveled everywhere this week at Food Republic. We ventured to New Mexico and learned about their dramatic green chile laws, then onward to Dallas to check out how chef Chad Houser is helping at-risk youth. Next up: Mississippi to slurp some ramen. Finally, Afghanistan to sip on some exclusive coffee. And if you don't want to drink your coffee, we found a way for you to chew it. We also took a look at Detroit's growing dining scene and asked Harlem chef JJ Johnson about his Virginia upbringing. All that and more on this week's Hot Topics on Food Republic.

  • You'll need some serious paperwork and armed escorts to get into this coffee shop in Afghanistan.
  • Chad Houser gets at-risk kids off the streets and on the line at Cafe Momentum.
  • New Mexico is so serious about their green chiles that they're federally trademarked.
  • Chef JJ Johnson teaches us how to make deviled crab cakes.
  • Ramen in Mississippi? That's right. Chef Jesse Houston is serving it up Southern style.
  • Detroit's dining scene is on the rise, but it isn't all culinary fireworks.
  • These polenta fries are so great they deserve two dipping sauces.
  • Americans love big, strong wines, and they cannot lie.
  • Composting is great for the environment, but do we want to fill our freezers with the stuff?
  • Forget drinking your coffee. Chew it to get your caffeine fill.