Destination: California

12 days of christmas: amaro… (2018)

– Everything was gigantic in Warsaw.  The buildings were gigantic – enormous concrete structures that stretched as far as I could see.  Those city blocks were gigantic too. What looked like a short walk on a map, to my surprise, took three or four times as long as I estimated. But amidst all of the […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: amaro… (2018)

– Everything was gigantic in Warsaw.  The buildings were gigantic – enormous concrete structures that stretched as far as I could see.  Those city blocks were gigantic too. What looked like a short walk on a map, to my surprise, took three or four times as long as I estimated. But amidst all of the […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: seidler… (2018)

– Kamilla Seidler was a name unfamiliar to me until this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas at The Restaurant at Meadowood. Committed to championing social equality, in 2012, this Danish chef moved to La Paz, Bolivia to open a culinary school and restaurant (Gustu) to bring culinary education to an under-developed part of South America. […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: seidler… (2018)

– Kamilla Seidler was a name unfamiliar to me until this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas at The Restaurant at Meadowood. Committed to championing social equality, in 2012, this Danish chef moved to La Paz, Bolivia to open a culinary school and restaurant (Gustu) to bring culinary education to an under-developed part of South America. […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: lowe… (2018)

– In 2011, I met a young, clear-minded chef in Paris named James Lowe.  At the time, he was the head chef of St. John Bread & Wine in London. He would subsequently help found the Young Turks, a collaboration with fellow young guns Ben Greeno (who subsequently went on to open momofuku Seiobo in Sydney, […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: lowe… (2018)

– In 2011, I met a young, clear-minded chef in Paris named James Lowe.  At the time, he was the head chef of St. John Bread & Wine in London. He would subsequently help found the Young Turks, a collaboration with fellow young guns Ben Greeno (who subsequently went on to open momofuku Seiobo in Sydney, […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: largey… (2018)

– I met Jessica Largey at the Twelve Days of Christmas in 2013.    At the time, she was the chef de cuisine at Manresa under chef David Kinch, who had been invited to cook on Day 11 that year.  In the five years since, she has won the James Beard Award for Rising Star, […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: largey… (2018)

– I met Jessica Largey at the Twelve Days of Christmas in 2013.    At the time, she was the chef de cuisine at Manresa under chef David Kinch, who had been invited to cook on Day 11 that year.  In the five years since, she has won the James Beard Award for Rising Star, […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: pynt… (2018)

– I perked up when I first heard about a restaurant in Singapore named Burnt Ends. (For the uninitiated, burnt ends are those charred “bits and bobs,” or “bark” of barbecued beef brisket first made famous in my hometown of Kansas City – the undisputed capital of American barbecue). I didn’t visit David Pynt’s restaurant when […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: pynt… (2018)

– I perked up when I first heard about a restaurant in Singapore named Burnt Ends. (For the uninitiated, burnt ends are those charred “bits and bobs,” or “bark” of barbecued beef brisket first made famous in my hometown of Kansas City – the undisputed capital of American barbecue). I didn’t visit David Pynt’s restaurant when […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: enrique… (2018)

– For six years now, I’ve had the pleasure of dining at The Restaurant at Meadowood the night before the first night of the Twelve Days of Christmas with the first guest chef of the holiday series.  Not only does that meal telegraph some of what is to come from the Meadowood kitchen in the […]

Continue

12 days of christmas: enrique… (2018)

– For six years now, I’ve had the pleasure of dining at The Restaurant at Meadowood the night before the first night of the Twelve Days of Christmas with the first guest chef of the holiday series.  Not only does that meal telegraph some of what is to come from the Meadowood kitchen in the […]

Continue

rumination 37: killing meritocracy…

A few months ago, I posted a picture of a plate of food to my Instagram story.  I purposely  framed the photo tightly – providing as little visual information as possible beyond the linen-lined table top.  But by context, it was clear that I was at a rather nice restaurant, with frilly rimmed china and […]

Continue

rumination 37: killing meritocracy…

A few months ago, I posted a picture of a plate of food to my Instagram story.  I purposely  framed the photo tightly – providing as little visual information as possible beyond the linen-lined table top.  But by context, it was clear that I was at a rather nice restaurant, with frilly rimmed china and […]

Continue

travel: the city by the bay… (san francisco; 2018)

– According to the year-end travel summaries and stats issued annually by my airline of choice, San Francisco has been my most-frequent destination for the past four years.  And yet, I rarely mention the city on this blog. I’ve written about eating in cities like New York, Copenhagen, Paris, Kansas City (where I get my mail), […]

Continue

travel: the city by the bay… (san francisco; 2018)

– According to the year-end travel summaries and stats issued annually by my airline of choice, San Francisco has been my most-frequent destination for the past four years.  And yet, I rarely mention the city on this blog. I’ve written about eating in cities like New York, Copenhagen, Paris, Kansas City (where I get my mail), […]

Continue

favorites of 2017: the restaurant edition…

– In 2017, my most exciting destinations had little to do with food. That’s not to say that I didn’t have any good food.  Rather, finding good food wasn’t my priority.  So, there are no dark horses for me to champion this year; no surprises to report.  You’ll find no exciting news here. On the bright […]

Continue

favorites of 2017: the restaurant edition…

– In 2017, my most exciting destinations had little to do with food. That’s not to say that I didn’t have any good food.  Rather, finding good food wasn’t my priority.  So, there are no dark horses for me to champion this year; no surprises to report.  You’ll find no exciting news here. On the bright […]

Continue

favorite desserts of 2017…

– Plums, ashen from the hearth, bleeding into gauzy muslin. Figs, syrupy and charred, nestled in a flakey frame. Saffron suspended in a milky cloud glinting with gold. And apricots, fleshy and warm, hugged in a doughy crust, with ice cream beside; a slice of the great American songbook. These are just a few of […]

Continue

favorite desserts of 2017…

– Plums, ashen from the hearth, bleeding into gauzy muslin. Figs, syrupy and charred, nestled in a flakey frame. Saffron suspended in a milky cloud glinting with gold. And apricots, fleshy and warm, hugged in a doughy crust, with ice cream beside; a slice of the great American songbook. These are just a few of […]

Continue