Tag: 2011

review: alone at the plancha… (rafa’s)

Some whelks, served cold with a side of garlicky vinaigrette. Espardenyes – those curiously striated cucumbers from the sea, tender with bounce and bite – langostas, gambas, chiparones, and a baby turbot not much larger than my hand, all grilled on the plancha. These are the simple pleasures of Rafa’s, an unassuming little eatery that has all but become […]

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review: alone at the plancha… (rafa’s)

Some whelks, served cold with a side of garlicky vinaigrette. Espardenyes – those curiously striated cucumbers from the sea, tender with bounce and bite – langostas, gambas, chiparones, and a baby turbot not much larger than my hand, all grilled on the plancha. These are the simple pleasures of Rafa’s, an unassuming little eatery that has all but become […]

Continue

review: spectrum… (mirazur)

I first learned of Menton, a small resort town on the French Riviera, through a dessert. It was a cold December night in Paris, and the biscuit molleux I ordered at Michel Rostang was kissed with the sunny scent of lemons from that city on the Côte d’Azur. I remember that meal in the 17eme […]

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review: spectrum… (mirazur)

I first learned of Menton, a small resort town on the French Riviera, through a dessert. It was a cold December night in Paris, and the biscuit molleux I ordered at Michel Rostang was kissed with the sunny scent of lemons from that city on the Côte d’Azur. I remember that meal in the 17eme […]

Continue

review: inside his mind… (quique dacosta)

I’ve never tasted terroir as intensely or unequivocally as I did in Dénia, Spain earlier this year. Eating at Quique Dacosta is like doing a faceplant on the shoreline not a hundred yards from the restaurant’s door.* It is a dynamic experience, where prehistory meets the future, where the land meets the sea, and where […]

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review: inside his mind… (quique dacosta)

I’ve never tasted terroir as intensely or unequivocally as I did in Dénia, Spain earlier this year. Eating at Quique Dacosta is like doing a faceplant on the shoreline not a hundred yards from the restaurant’s door.* It is a dynamic experience, where prehistory meets the future, where the land meets the sea, and where […]

Continue

review: holism… (saison)

“Old-ass pigeon.” Those are Josh Skene’s words, not mine. In a spirited email exchange that ensued after my meal at his restaurant, saison, that’s how he lovingly referred to the twelfth of sixteen courses I had at his Chef’s Counter. Skenes had salted the cavity of one of the birds. The other one, he left […]

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review: holism… (saison)

“Old-ass pigeon.” Those are Josh Skene’s words, not mine. In a spirited email exchange that ensued after my meal at his restaurant, saison, that’s how he lovingly referred to the twelfth of sixteen courses I had at his Chef’s Counter. Skenes had salted the cavity of one of the birds. The other one, he left […]

Continue

what else was on the menu 3: oud sluis (november, 2005)

What else was on the menu? Sergio Herman’s Oud Sluis was rising quickly among the food cognescenti when I ate there in November of 2005.  I had a simple but spectacular meal and wasn’t surprised when it was promoted from two to three stars by the Benelux Michelin Guide Rouge a week later. From the “Hoofgerechten” […]

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what else was on the menu 3: oud sluis (november, 2005)

What else was on the menu? Sergio Herman’s Oud Sluis was rising quickly among the food cognescenti when I ate there in November of 2005.  I had a simple but spectacular meal and wasn’t surprised when it was promoted from two to three stars by the Benelux Michelin Guide Rouge a week later. From the “Hoofgerechten” […]

Continue

rumination 16: proscenium…

What sounds like a fluff class, “Indian National Cinema,” was, in fact, one of the most challenging and rewarding courses I took as a film student in college. The attrition rate was high, the grading curve was steep, but I stuck it out and was rewarded with one, important kernel that I’ve carried with me […]

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rumination 16: proscenium…

What sounds like a fluff class, “Indian National Cinema,” was, in fact, one of the most challenging and rewarding courses I took as a film student in college. The attrition rate was high, the grading curve was steep, but I stuck it out and was rewarded with one, important kernel that I’ve carried with me […]

Continue

what else was on the menu 1: patrick guilbaud (october, 2005)

What else was on the menu? From the menu at Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, Ireland in October of 2005, a “Starter” course: Crubeen & Mustard Traditional Cork City Crubeen served as Carpaccio, Smoked “Andouille” and Coco Bean Dressing, Fine Herbs, Meaux Mustard Ice Cream (€35)

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what else was on the menu 1: patrick guilbaud (october, 2005)

What else was on the menu? From the menu at Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, Ireland in October of 2005, a “Starter” course: Crubeen & Mustard Traditional Cork City Crubeen served as Carpaccio, Smoked “Andouille” and Coco Bean Dressing, Fine Herbs, Meaux Mustard Ice Cream (€35)

Continue

travel: southern, by the grace of god…

If you’ve been to the South and didn’t leave smelling like bourbon and barbecue, then you had best go back and do it right. The scene of the last chapter of this most amazing year of travel and eating for me was set among the palmettos and live oaks of the Lowcountry. On 20,000-acres of […]

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travel: southern, by the grace of god…

If you’ve been to the South and didn’t leave smelling like bourbon and barbecue, then you had best go back and do it right. The scene of the last chapter of this most amazing year of travel and eating for me was set among the palmettos and live oaks of the Lowcountry. On 20,000-acres of […]

Continue

review: context… (osteria francescana)

Someone with grand wit once quipped that the problem with dining on the cutting edge is that you’re oft left bleeding. How true. It grieves me to report that my dinner at Osteria Francescana, perhaps one of the most spotlit restaurants in the world right now, was disappointing.

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review: context… (osteria francescana)

Someone with grand wit once quipped that the problem with dining on the cutting edge is that you’re oft left bleeding. How true. It grieves me to report that my dinner at Osteria Francescana, perhaps one of the most spotlit restaurants in the world right now, was disappointing.

Continue

travel: camera vivid…

– As an American living in a privileged bubble, it’s hard to know the rawness of life outside, even when I witness it first-hand. I recently took a photography assignment in Honduras.  The last time I was in that country was in 1999, right after Hurricane Mitch had devastated the region. Perhaps a bit naive, […]

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travel: camera vivid…

– As an American living in a privileged bubble, it’s hard to know the rawness of life outside, even when I witness it first-hand. I recently took a photography assignment in Honduras.  The last time I was in that country was in 1999, right after Hurricane Mitch had devastated the region. Perhaps a bit naive, […]

Continue