Destination: Lyon

troisgros: patrilineal… (2021)

As my taxi pulled into the gravel carpark, a smartly dressed woman from the front desk was already stationed and waiting for me outside, along with a valet.  I got out and greeted her, and, as a reflex, apologized for the amount of luggage I had with me (overpacking is a terrible vice; I don’t […]

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troisgros: patrilineal… (2021)

As my taxi pulled into the gravel carpark, a smartly dressed woman from the front desk was already stationed and waiting for me outside, along with a valet.  I got out and greeted her, and, as a reflex, apologized for the amount of luggage I had with me (overpacking is a terrible vice; I don’t […]

Continue

favorite desserts of 2021…

Alexandra Motz’s spumoni with chocolate sauce at Spoon and Stable; a fluffy wedge of panettone in the afternoon sun at Lo Pichotôme; plump prunes soaked in armagnac, crowned with a giant curl of vanilla ice cream at Salon. There was a swirl of strawberry soft serve wearing a mantle of whipped cream at Esmée. It […]

Continue

favorite desserts of 2021…

Alexandra Motz’s spumoni with chocolate sauce at Spoon and Stable; a fluffy wedge of panettone in the afternoon sun at Lo Pichotôme; plump prunes soaked in armagnac, crowned with a giant curl of vanilla ice cream at Salon. There was a swirl of strawberry soft serve wearing a mantle of whipped cream at Esmée. It […]

Continue

travel: reunions on the road… (2021)

If 2020 imparted any wisdom, it was a searing reminder not to sleep on opportunities when they present. Left behind, they can fester into regret, especially during dark times, when the opportunities that were seized can glitter, by comparison, in dazzling relief. So, as the scales started tipping towards a reopening in 2021, I leapt […]

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travel: reunions on the road… (2021)

If 2020 imparted any wisdom, it was a searing reminder not to sleep on opportunities when they present. Left behind, they can fester into regret, especially during dark times, when the opportunities that were seized can glitter, by comparison, in dazzling relief. So, as the scales started tipping towards a reopening in 2021, I leapt […]

Continue

travel: one day more…

~ In January of 2011, I went to Lyon a spectator, expecting little more than a fun detour on a two-week break from life. It turned out to be the start of the most incredible adventure I’ve known yet. It’s hard to believe, but one more day and one day more has turned into two […]

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travel: one day more…

~ In January of 2011, I went to Lyon a spectator, expecting little more than a fun detour on a two-week break from life. It turned out to be the start of the most incredible adventure I’ve known yet. It’s hard to believe, but one more day and one day more has turned into two […]

Continue

suitcase party…

Eleven months ago, I took a tremendous leap of faith. I quit my job. Life will catch you, my friends reassured. I wasn’t so convinced. I went to Europe soon thereafter, to think, to eat, to explore, and to spectate. Certain that it was my last hurrah for a while, I was thankful for the […]

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suitcase party…

Eleven months ago, I took a tremendous leap of faith. I quit my job. Life will catch you, my friends reassured. I wasn’t so convinced. I went to Europe soon thereafter, to think, to eat, to explore, and to spectate. Certain that it was my last hurrah for a while, I was thankful for the […]

Continue

review: toque of toques… (paul bocuse)

I went back to l’Auberge du Pont de Collonges (a.k.a. Restaurant Paul Bocuse) because it was convenient. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have gone back for other reasons. But I was literally down the street from the restaurant at l’Abbaye de Collonges for the day with Team U.S.A. in late January.  So, I decided […]

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review: toque of toques… (paul bocuse)

I went back to l’Auberge du Pont de Collonges (a.k.a. Restaurant Paul Bocuse) because it was convenient. That’s not to say I wouldn’t have gone back for other reasons. But I was literally down the street from the restaurant at l’Abbaye de Collonges for the day with Team U.S.A. in late January.  So, I decided […]

Continue

bocuse d’or…

Thanks to an amazing group of people, whom I thank below, I was afforded a rare, behind the scenes look at the final days of Team U.S.A.’s year-long journey to the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon, France. Although I arrived a spectator, with hope of little more, I was unexpectedly welcomed and included by the […]

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bocuse d’or…

Thanks to an amazing group of people, whom I thank below, I was afforded a rare, behind the scenes look at the final days of Team U.S.A.’s year-long journey to the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon, France. Although I arrived a spectator, with hope of little more, I was unexpectedly welcomed and included by the […]

Continue

travel: brave new world…

When the clock struck 2011, I quit my job and lept into a brave new world, vast and endless. Scared?  Out of my mind. Excited?  Brimming. Unfettered, a free agent to the world, I shrugged off responsibility and began my adventure in Europe, grabbing life by the cheeks and squeezing as hard as I could. […]

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travel: brave new world…

When the clock struck 2011, I quit my job and lept into a brave new world, vast and endless. Scared?  Out of my mind. Excited?  Brimming. Unfettered, a free agent to the world, I shrugged off responsibility and began my adventure in Europe, grabbing life by the cheeks and squeezing as hard as I could. […]

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

travel: crossing back over the puddle…

Lyon on Christmas Night I’ve been playing hooky. Jumping the Puddle, I recently struck out on my ugliest streak of gluttony to date. In fourteen days I pocketed 30 Michelin stars, cleared well over a hundred plates of food, consumed enough cheese to keep half of France employed, and sampled so many macarons that the […]

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travel: crossing back over the puddle…

Lyon on Christmas Night I’ve been playing hooky. Jumping the Puddle, I recently struck out on my ugliest streak of gluttony to date. In fourteen days I pocketed 30 Michelin stars, cleared well over a hundred plates of food, consumed enough cheese to keep half of France employed, and sampled so many macarons that the […]

Continue