Destination: St. Helena

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 […]

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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

favorite dishes of 2017…

– I took the lessons I learned in 2016 and applied them to 2017. Staying close to familiar quarters, I continued to bet on sure winners.  They did not disappoint. And, although many of my travel destinations in 2017 were not chosen with great food in mind, I found some great food anyway. Let me […]

Continue

favorite dishes of 2017…

– I took the lessons I learned in 2016 and applied them to 2017. Staying close to familiar quarters, I continued to bet on sure winners.  They did not disappoint. And, although many of my travel destinations in 2017 were not chosen with great food in mind, I found some great food anyway. Let me […]

Continue

travel: an education… (2017)

– It has been over a dozen years since I started recording and reporting here.  Yet, despite my dwindling updates, I have not lost enthusiasm or eagerness for it. What little time I manage to devote to writing my blog remains exciting and important to me, because above all, it represents an incredible education. Since […]

Continue

travel: an education… (2017)

– It has been over a dozen years since I started recording and reporting here.  Yet, despite my dwindling updates, I have not lost enthusiasm or eagerness for it. What little time I manage to devote to writing my blog remains exciting and important to me, because above all, it represents an incredible education. Since […]

Continue

12 days: on the eleventh day of christmas: couillon… (2017)

– Alexandre Couillon lives on a small island off the west coast of France called Noirmoutier.  For decades, there was only one road on and off the island called the Passage du Gois.  But it’s only passable at low tide, when the seawater recedes enough to expose the two-lane road to traffic.  I know this, […]

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12 days: on the eleventh day of christmas: couillon… (2017)

– Alexandre Couillon lives on a small island off the west coast of France called Noirmoutier.  For decades, there was only one road on and off the island called the Passage du Gois.  But it’s only passable at low tide, when the seawater recedes enough to expose the two-lane road to traffic.  I know this, […]

Continue

12 days: on the tenth day of christmas: zonfrillo… (2017)

 – “Give back more than you take.”  Those are the words that Jock Zonfrillo inscribed on the dry-erase board in the kitchen, which every guest chef at the Twelve Days of Christmas is invited to sign at the end of their dinner. Every year, there is usually one chef who pleasantly surprises me.  This year, it was […]

Continue

12 days: on the tenth day of christmas: zonfrillo… (2017)

 – “Give back more than you take.”  Those are the words that Jock Zonfrillo inscribed on the dry-erase board in the kitchen, which every guest chef at the Twelve Days of Christmas is invited to sign at the end of their dinner. Every year, there is usually one chef who pleasantly surprises me.  This year, it was […]

Continue

12 days: on the ninth day of christmas: werner… (2017)

– Conveying a sense of place has become a motif among restaurants and chefs.  And what makes so many destination restaurants unique is actually being there. Local ingredients, landscapes, weather, traditions, history, politics, religion, and language all converge to form culture, culinary and otherwise. So how do you bring all of that to another place? […]

Continue

12 days: on the ninth day of christmas: werner… (2017)

– Conveying a sense of place has become a motif among restaurants and chefs.  And what makes so many destination restaurants unique is actually being there. Local ingredients, landscapes, weather, traditions, history, politics, religion, and language all converge to form culture, culinary and otherwise. So how do you bring all of that to another place? […]

Continue

12 days: on the seventh day: takazawa… (2017)

  – Yoshiaki Takazawa is one of the four chefs cooking at this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas whose restaurant I have not visited.  And, admittedly, I still knew very little about this Japanese chef and his cooking when he arrived at The Restaurant at Meadowood. The anticipation and excitement surrounding Takazawa’s dinner was noticeably […]

Continue

12 days: on the seventh day: takazawa… (2017)

  – Yoshiaki Takazawa is one of the four chefs cooking at this year’s Twelve Days of Christmas whose restaurant I have not visited.  And, admittedly, I still knew very little about this Japanese chef and his cooking when he arrived at The Restaurant at Meadowood. The anticipation and excitement surrounding Takazawa’s dinner was noticeably […]

Continue

12 days: on the sixth day of christmas: brock… (2017)

– By now, Sean Brock’s great contributions to the current wave of revivalism rippling through our American South is widely known. While organizations like the Southern Foodways Alliance have been crucial to the documentation and preservation of that region’s rich, culinary heritage, Brock’s ability to communicate and apply his obsession with Southern history and culture in his […]

Continue

12 days: on the sixth day of christmas: brock… (2017)

– By now, Sean Brock’s great contributions to the current wave of revivalism rippling through our American South is widely known. While organizations like the Southern Foodways Alliance have been crucial to the documentation and preservation of that region’s rich, culinary heritage, Brock’s ability to communicate and apply his obsession with Southern history and culture in his […]

Continue

12 days: on the third day of christmas: stone and von hauske… (2017)

– The Twelve Days of Christmas are especially festive when good friends are in the kitchen.  Familiarity and conviviality go a long way in making the experience a fun one for everyone.  And if there are two chefs this year who could bring a party atmosphere to the kitchen of The Restaurant at Meadowood, it would […]

Continue

12 days: on the third day of christmas: stone and von hauske… (2017)

– The Twelve Days of Christmas are especially festive when good friends are in the kitchen.  Familiarity and conviviality go a long way in making the experience a fun one for everyone.  And if there are two chefs this year who could bring a party atmosphere to the kitchen of The Restaurant at Meadowood, it would […]

Continue