Category: michelin

review: syzygy…

It bears noting that, of the more than a half dozen times I’ve visited San Francisco, my last three trips to the Bay Area have shared the same primary purpose: Manresa. Sure, there were other noteworthy restaurants scheduled into those trips that might otherwise warrant a trip of their own: The French Laundry, ubuntu, Chez […]

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review: syzygy…

It bears noting that, of the more than a half dozen times I’ve visited San Francisco, my last three trips to the Bay Area have shared the same primary purpose: Manresa. Sure, there were other noteworthy restaurants scheduled into those trips that might otherwise warrant a trip of their own: The French Laundry, ubuntu, Chez […]

Continue

review: thunder out of the gate…

commis shot out of the gate with a thunderclap.* James Syhabout opened this tiny, tiny restaurant on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, California in June of 2009.  Four months later, it earned its first Michelin star, and half a year after that, Syhabout was named one of Food + Wine’s Best New Chefs. Barely opened for […]

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review: thunder out of the gate…

commis shot out of the gate with a thunderclap.* James Syhabout opened this tiny, tiny restaurant on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, California in June of 2009.  Four months later, it earned its first Michelin star, and half a year after that, Syhabout was named one of Food + Wine’s Best New Chefs. Barely opened for […]

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review: the asian laundry…

“You’ll feel like you’ve left the city,” someone told me when describing their experience at benu. I didn’t understand what he meant by it then, but I understand it now. You’ll see benu’s kitchen through the big, picture-windows on a quiet stretch of Hawthorne Street in San Francisco’s SoMa district.  If you arrive after nightfall, […]

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review: the asian laundry…

“You’ll feel like you’ve left the city,” someone told me when describing their experience at benu. I didn’t understand what he meant by it then, but I understand it now. You’ll see benu’s kitchen through the big, picture-windows on a quiet stretch of Hawthorne Street in San Francisco’s SoMa district.  If you arrive after nightfall, […]

Continue

review: personality, with a side of perfection…

The bread fairy always calls thrice at The French Laundry. First, arrives a beautifully glazed brioche bun. It’s got Lana Turner’s curves with the coloring of Sophia Loren after a summer on the Riviera. Then, a basket of mini baguettes and whole-grain wonders, all of which I overlooked in favor of the pretzel roll with […]

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review: personality, with a side of perfection…

The bread fairy always calls thrice at The French Laundry. First, arrives a beautifully glazed brioche bun. It’s got Lana Turner’s curves with the coloring of Sophia Loren after a summer on the Riviera. Then, a basket of mini baguettes and whole-grain wonders, all of which I overlooked in favor of the pretzel roll with […]

Continue

travel: epic dinners and secret breakfasts…

I don’t know what this East Coast v. West Coast culinary pissing contest of late is about (a silly, media-driven phenom, for sure). Both coasts have talented chefs serving fantastic food. San Francisco, especially, is an ever-more exciting place to eat.  In the year since my last trip, many new restaurants have opened, including Joshua […]

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travel: epic dinners and secret breakfasts…

I don’t know what this East Coast v. West Coast culinary pissing contest of late is about (a silly, media-driven phenom, for sure). Both coasts have talented chefs serving fantastic food. San Francisco, especially, is an ever-more exciting place to eat.  In the year since my last trip, many new restaurants have opened, including Joshua […]

Continue

photo of the week 10: in the still of service…

For those of you who dine late and long, you know well that point in the evening when the dining room suddenly empties, and you’re left alone with your company. The room goes quiet, and for those last remaining courses, as servers clear and reset the tables, you’ve got the restaurant to yourselves. Some get […]

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photo of the week 10: in the still of service…

For those of you who dine late and long, you know well that point in the evening when the dining room suddenly empties, and you’re left alone with your company. The room goes quiet, and for those last remaining courses, as servers clear and reset the tables, you’ve got the restaurant to yourselves. Some get […]

Continue

photo of the week 9: my eyes…

Unlike my best childhood friend Micky, I never had aspirations of becoming a fighter pilot or astronaut. Whereas he had (and still has) perfect vision, a requirement for military flight school, by the time we attended Space Camp together in middle school, I was already sporting my first pair of glasses. While Micky went on […]

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photo of the week 9: my eyes…

Unlike my best childhood friend Micky, I never had aspirations of becoming a fighter pilot or astronaut. Whereas he had (and still has) perfect vision, a requirement for military flight school, by the time we attended Space Camp together in middle school, I was already sporting my first pair of glasses. While Micky went on […]

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rumination 10: hold on to your hats windy city…

The long-awaited shoe drops.  The Midwest gets its first Michelin Guide Rouge.  It is slated to issue in November of this year.  CLICK. Let the guessing and obsessing begin.

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rumination 10: hold on to your hats windy city…

The long-awaited shoe drops.  The Midwest gets its first Michelin Guide Rouge.  It is slated to issue in November of this year.  CLICK. Let the guessing and obsessing begin.

Continue

review: embarrassment of riches…

Café Boulud, New York, New York Chanel No. 5 in the dining room, Yemen No. 10 in the spice pantry. This is the dichotomy you’ll find at Café Boulud. Yeah, yeah, I know, I was just there. That was Gavin Kaysen’s reaction too when he saw my name pop up on the books.* A return? […]

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review: embarrassment of riches…

Café Boulud, New York, New York Chanel No. 5 in the dining room, Yemen No. 10 in the spice pantry. This is the dichotomy you’ll find at Café Boulud. Yeah, yeah, I know, I was just there. That was Gavin Kaysen’s reaction too when he saw my name pop up on the books.* A return? […]

Continue

review: batman and robin…

The Menu wd~50, New York, New York There’s a culinary dynamic duo in Gotham. Their names are Wylie and Alex. Their ways are mysterious, their synergy, great. This stealthy team, comprised of an eccentric rebel maverick and his boyishly handsome sidekick, champions a culinary movement that the city has, for some inexplicable reason, largely resisted. […]

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review: batman and robin…

The Menu wd~50, New York, New York There’s a culinary dynamic duo in Gotham. Their names are Wylie and Alex. Their ways are mysterious, their synergy, great. This stealthy team, comprised of an eccentric rebel maverick and his boyishly handsome sidekick, champions a culinary movement that the city has, for some inexplicable reason, largely resisted. […]

Continue