Category: Uncategorized

rumination 30: the movable circus…

In his article “Dropped,” which appeared on the online magazine Grantland in March of 2014, Jason Fagone pens a biopic about the renowned juggler known as Anthony Gatto. (The subject is fascinating, and the writing is terrific.  I highly recommend it.)  Towards the end of the piece, after discovering that Gatto had left the Cirque du Soleil […]

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rumination 30: the movable circus…

In his article “Dropped,” which appeared on the online magazine Grantland in March of 2014, Jason Fagone pens a biopic about the renowned juggler known as Anthony Gatto. (The subject is fascinating, and the writing is terrific.  I highly recommend it.)  Towards the end of the piece, after discovering that Gatto had left the Cirque du Soleil […]

Continue

the best of 2013: the restaurant edition…

~ The late, great Diana Vreeland once said: “A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste––it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against.” I couldn’t agree more. There is a growing class […]

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the best of 2013: the restaurant edition…

~ The late, great Diana Vreeland once said: “A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste––it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against.” I couldn’t agree more. There is a growing class […]

Continue

best desserts of 2013…

~ Three years ago, I created a separate year-end list for desserts because I wanted to recognize and record the exciting strides that I noticed pastry chefs taking. In the short time since, the borders of dessert-making and dessert-eating have continued to expand. Speaking specifically as an American, our understanding of desserts has taken on a […]

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best desserts of 2013…

~ Three years ago, I created a separate year-end list for desserts because I wanted to recognize and record the exciting strides that I noticed pastry chefs taking. In the short time since, the borders of dessert-making and dessert-eating have continued to expand. Speaking specifically as an American, our understanding of desserts has taken on a […]

Continue

best dishes of 2013…

~ I literally sat in front of my computer and scrolled through every single dish I ate this year.  When I was finished, I did it again.  And then again. Eight years ago, I surveyed all of the dishes I had eaten in that year and compiled a list of my favorites, more for my […]

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best dishes of 2013…

~ I literally sat in front of my computer and scrolled through every single dish I ate this year.  When I was finished, I did it again.  And then again. Eight years ago, I surveyed all of the dishes I had eaten in that year and compiled a list of my favorites, more for my […]

Continue

travel: blurred lines…

~ At the end of each of the last two years, I’ve looked back in awe at a calendar filled with adventures.  At the same time, I’ve stared nervously into the new year, wondering how it might fill up, if at all. We are at the bottom of December, once again.  And, once again, I […]

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travel: blurred lines…

~ At the end of each of the last two years, I’ve looked back in awe at a calendar filled with adventures.  At the same time, I’ve stared nervously into the new year, wondering how it might fill up, if at all. We are at the bottom of December, once again.  And, once again, I […]

Continue

travel: intercontinental… (chile; part i)

~ Chile, as we know it now, is a fairly young country.  As recently as my childhood, which fell squarely in the Reagan years, the fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet terrorized the country with oppressive economic reforms and alleged crimes against humanity, leaving its citizens dispirited and its economy in shambles.  It wasn’t until a referendum […]

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travel: intercontinental… (chile; part i)

~ Chile, as we know it now, is a fairly young country.  As recently as my childhood, which fell squarely in the Reagan years, the fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet terrorized the country with oppressive economic reforms and alleged crimes against humanity, leaving its citizens dispirited and its economy in shambles.  It wasn’t until a referendum […]

Continue

kansas city: save the date…

~ It is a new day at The American Restaurant in Kansas City.  Debbie Gold, the former executive chef, has left (to open a new restaurant, The Red Door Grill), and Michael Corvino, formerly the executive sous chef at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, has come. When he arrived last month, one of the first […]

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kansas city: save the date…

~ It is a new day at The American Restaurant in Kansas City.  Debbie Gold, the former executive chef, has left (to open a new restaurant, The Red Door Grill), and Michael Corvino, formerly the executive sous chef at The Mansion on Turtle Creek, has come. When he arrived last month, one of the first […]

Continue

travel: the well-preserved patina of yesterday…

~ You know those restaurants you’ve been meaning to visit for ten years?  I have long lists of them.  And none is longer or harder to maintain than my New York list. New York City is a high-volume situation.  The sheer number of restaurants that open (and close) there each year, makes it one of […]

Continue

travel: the well-preserved patina of yesterday…

~ You know those restaurants you’ve been meaning to visit for ten years?  I have long lists of them.  And none is longer or harder to maintain than my New York list. New York City is a high-volume situation.  The sheer number of restaurants that open (and close) there each year, makes it one of […]

Continue

kansas city: 2013 chefs classic…

The Chefs Classic, held in late June, raises money for Harvester’s, a food bank in the greater Kansas City area. I serve on the event’s planning committee. Every year, hosting chef Debbie Gold and I invite three guest chefs from Kansas City, and three from abroad. In the years that I’ve sat on the committee, I’ve […]

Continue

kansas city: 2013 chefs classic…

The Chefs Classic, held in late June, raises money for Harvester’s, a food bank in the greater Kansas City area. I serve on the event’s planning committee. Every year, hosting chef Debbie Gold and I invite three guest chefs from Kansas City, and three from abroad. In the years that I’ve sat on the committee, I’ve […]

Continue

review: gently smoked… (asador etxebarri)

~ Is it a coincidence that some of the world’s most renowned restaurants are located in some of the most remote corners of our world? Of course not.  Special journeys make for special occasions. But does food taste better, or seem to taste better, when it’s harder to reach? I don’t think so. I’ve had […]

Continue

review: gently smoked… (asador etxebarri)

~ Is it a coincidence that some of the world’s most renowned restaurants are located in some of the most remote corners of our world? Of course not.  Special journeys make for special occasions. But does food taste better, or seem to taste better, when it’s harder to reach? I don’t think so. I’ve had […]

Continue