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To understand a bit about what makes Lucky Peach different from other food magazines (and it`s so different that I think even that label could be challenged), one must know a little about David Chang, the mad Chef behind the Momofuku mini-empire of restaurants in NYC.  When Chef was an up-and-coming Chef he decided to leave the kitchens of some of New Yorks most acclaimed restaurants, fly overseas and learn how to make hand-pulled noodles.  He quickly found out that he wasn`t qualified to work in most of the hole-in-the-wall noodle houses he aspired to.

Years later he transformed New Yorks dining scene with hand-pulled noodles.  He`s obsessive to say the least.

Lucky Peach is similar to Chang – it`s origins are accessible but elevated to new levels.  It`s gritty (perhaps even crude) while being uncompromising in pursuit of flavor, technique and straight-talk on food.  It`s this straight-talk (and liberal use of language) that has likely contributed to the delay of the accompanying iPad app that was part of the vision of this piece from the beginning.  This isn`t Martha Stewart (although she`s a fan of his as well; she was one of the reviewers who inscribes his amazing cookbook).

Beyond sassy language and raw perspective, Lucky Peach separates itself from other magazines in a few ways.  It`s a quarterly publication that has almost no advertising.  The advertising that does exist appears to be hand-picked and very limited (the latest issue has 6 ads, all of which are full-page. They explain the ads are mostly from friends but in the future they may increase it – they`ll do whatever they have to keep the magazine going.  You`ll either love their bluntness or hate it.  I find it refreshing and transparent.

Some of the photography is stunning while other pictures are less than perfect but not out of place.  This is almost 50% art rag, 50% literary rant and another 100% serious food rant.  Yes, it`s 200% full.

The writing is raw.  The first article which chronicles the travels (or, more specifically what they ate while travelling) of David Chang and Peter Meehan ambles on for 20 pages and touches on Kyoto, Kentucky and Copenhagen.  This isn`t your bite-sized marketing bits – these are campfire stories that are meant to occupy your attention for extended periods of time.  Although you can casually flip through the magazine, you`ll find several articles that read like chapters in a book that doesn`t end.

Each issue is wrapped around a theme.  This issue is the `Sweet Spot.`  Not much is taken literally so don`t expect an entire book dedicated to deserts (after all, there is a dead fish featured on the cover).  There`s a feature on apricots, a piece comparing the brief period of a tomato`s peak ripeness then rot to the careers of chefs and writers, art pieces, cocktails, dry-ageing, dessert recipes, studies on miso, Japanese knives and….  You get the idea, it`s 200% full.

My favourite article, so far, is a wonderfully illustrated piece (written by Kevin Pang and drawn by Wendy MacNaughton) that covers the contents of Pang`s fridge and analyzes them to determine which items have improved – or deteriorated by the length of time they`ve been in his fridge.  The 5-page spread is cheeky, silly and has some fascinating food for thought (including an explanation of how 2-days in the fridge have improved his braised short ribs).

The list of authors once again includes Harold McGee (my absolute favourite food-scientist), Anthony Bourdain, David Chang and Ferran Adria (El Bulli).  It also includes a host of friends and others Chiang values and discovering that cast of characters is just as inspiring as anything I`ve read in a long time.

There`s also a very funny item on the inside of the back cover that relates to preserving (and a few recipes inside as well; Chang is a massive advocate for preserving and beleives it is a form of cooking that should be taught in Chef schools).  I won`t ruin t for you – it`s well worth the look.

The magazine isn`t budget-minded.  It retails for $12 and a subscription (4 issues ) is $28.  But this isn’t a typical magazine – and each issue will sit on our book shelf for a long time to come.  I hope there`s a long feature ahead for this publication and I`m certain there is – after all, if there`s one thing more obsessive than Chang and his team it`s the appetite many have for reading what they`re writing.