Category: dessert

review: la bohème…

Coquilles Saint-Jacques d’Erquy a l’Unilaterale” l’Arpege, Paris, France Unlike its brethren, l’Arpege does not cosset and caress. Like the food it’s known for, this three-star Michelin restaurant is more hearth and home than retrofitted palace. It’s surprisingly Spartan, awkwardly configured, and a bit dated.  It’s mostly red (carpet; upholstery; and strange, sombrero-like chargers) with honey-colored, […]

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review: la bohème…

Coquilles Saint-Jacques d’Erquy a l’Unilaterale” l’Arpege, Paris, France Unlike its brethren, l’Arpege does not cosset and caress. Like the food it’s known for, this three-star Michelin restaurant is more hearth and home than retrofitted palace. It’s surprisingly Spartan, awkwardly configured, and a bit dated.  It’s mostly red (carpet; upholstery; and strange, sombrero-like chargers) with honey-colored, […]

Continue

review: a different side of flavor…

Corton New York, New York Every year around this time, my postman has the honor of announcing Food + Wine’s Best New Chefs. Yes, little pleasures, tiny treasures. And so it was, yesterday, after a lengthy and long-overdue date with my running shoes, I returned to my corner of the world to find the latest […]

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review: a different side of flavor…

Corton New York, New York Every year around this time, my postman has the honor of announcing Food + Wine’s Best New Chefs. Yes, little pleasures, tiny treasures. And so it was, yesterday, after a lengthy and long-overdue date with my running shoes, I returned to my corner of the world to find the latest […]

Continue

dark and bitter, gooey and perfect…

u.e.’s Dark and Bitter Orange- Chocolate Birthday Cookies My close friends and family know by now that I make my own birthday treats. They also know that it takes a long time for me to come up with one. The problem is two-fold. First, I’m not motivated by sugar the way the rest of the […]

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dark and bitter, gooey and perfect…

u.e.’s Dark and Bitter Orange- Chocolate Birthday Cookies My close friends and family know by now that I make my own birthday treats. They also know that it takes a long time for me to come up with one. The problem is two-fold. First, I’m not motivated by sugar the way the rest of the […]

Continue

review: channeling pierre koffmann…

Pasture Raised Beef Duo niche (St. Louis, Missouri) I’m imposing a brief intermission on my eating tour of Europe and taking you to a more humble location, one closer to where I live. Gerard Craft opened niche, a small restaurant in St. Louis’s historic Benton Park neighborhood, in 2005. Embracing the farm, he’s turned the […]

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review: channeling pierre koffmann…

Pasture Raised Beef Duo niche (St. Louis, Missouri) I’m imposing a brief intermission on my eating tour of Europe and taking you to a more humble location, one closer to where I live. Gerard Craft opened niche, a small restaurant in St. Louis’s historic Benton Park neighborhood, in 2005. Embracing the farm, he’s turned the […]

Continue

review: high fidelity…

Mazzancolle Cotto in Bianco The River Cafe I was staring down unwanted reservations at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley when I, with the help of Food Snob, secured last minute seats at The River Café. Sorry Chef Wareing, do try to get a better buzz going the next time I swing by. I rang up […]

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review: high fidelity…

Mazzancolle Cotto in Bianco The River Cafe I was staring down unwanted reservations at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley when I, with the help of Food Snob, secured last minute seats at The River Café. Sorry Chef Wareing, do try to get a better buzz going the next time I swing by. I rang up […]

Continue

review: of blood and wonder…

Amuse Bouche l’Ambassade de l’Ile There is a sinister sleekness to l’Ambassade de l’Ile, the recently opened outpost to l’Auberge de l’Ile, a 2 Michelin-star restaurant in Lyon, France. There are shadows and dark corners. There are distorted silhouettes cast by underlit fixtures. Angles and mirrors make you doubt your presence. And there are voyeuristic […]

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review: of blood and wonder…

Amuse Bouche l’Ambassade de l’Ile There is a sinister sleekness to l’Ambassade de l’Ile, the recently opened outpost to l’Auberge de l’Ile, a 2 Michelin-star restaurant in Lyon, France. There are shadows and dark corners. There are distorted silhouettes cast by underlit fixtures. Angles and mirrors make you doubt your presence. And there are voyeuristic […]

Continue

best dishes of 2008…

Softball-Size White Truffle l’Ambroisie, Paris, France Gastronomic self one-upsmanship was not my intention when 2008 began. But it happened quite unexpectedly. For the past three years, I’ve recapped the top 25 dishes in a year-end review (click here for 2005, here for 2006, and here for 2007). Annually, I announce with certainty that my lucky […]

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best dishes of 2008…

Softball-Size White Truffle l’Ambroisie, Paris, France Gastronomic self one-upsmanship was not my intention when 2008 began. But it happened quite unexpectedly. For the past three years, I’ve recapped the top 25 dishes in a year-end review (click here for 2005, here for 2006, and here for 2007). Annually, I announce with certainty that my lucky […]

Continue

review: salt marsh umami…

Scallops with Seaweed Butter Steve Plotnicki was premature in posting his Best Meals of 2008 list, on which I am listed with Le Bernardin beneath my name. I told him as much when he sent me the questionnaire, knowing full well that my best meal just might be had whilst on my mid-December trip to […]

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review: salt marsh umami…

Scallops with Seaweed Butter Steve Plotnicki was premature in posting his Best Meals of 2008 list, on which I am listed with Le Bernardin beneath my name. I told him as much when he sent me the questionnaire, knowing full well that my best meal just might be had whilst on my mid-December trip to […]

Continue

primates on carbs…

Doughmonkey Dallas, Texas There’s a little store in Dallas tucked amongst the eclectic mix of retail and restaurants in Snider Plaza that I was told not to miss on my recent trip down to Texas. It’s called Doughmonkey and its playful mascot, which resembles a Paul Frank creation more than a confection, belies its rather […]

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primates on carbs…

Doughmonkey Dallas, Texas There’s a little store in Dallas tucked amongst the eclectic mix of retail and restaurants in Snider Plaza that I was told not to miss on my recent trip down to Texas. It’s called Doughmonkey and its playful mascot, which resembles a Paul Frank creation more than a confection, belies its rather […]

Continue

review: blanc burger + bottles…

Boulevard Pale Ale Onion Rings blanc burgers + bottles I had anticipated its opening back in March, and positive press and word of mouth in the subsequent months only intensifed my hungry curiosity. Over a recent weekend I descended upon blanc burgers + bottles not once, but twice. The first night, the tiny Westport burger […]

Continue

review: blanc burger + bottles…

Boulevard Pale Ale Onion Rings blanc burgers + bottles I had anticipated its opening back in March, and positive press and word of mouth in the subsequent months only intensifed my hungry curiosity. Over a recent weekend I descended upon blanc burgers + bottles not once, but twice. The first night, the tiny Westport burger […]

Continue