Destination: United States

travel: hot booter an awl…

– My latest trip to Chicago almost didn’t happen. Originally, I was supposed to go in late February, on business. But that trip got canceled. Thankfully, my prepaid hotel and airline reservations were moveable. So, I emailed a few of my friends to see if they could meet me in Chicago in March for an […]

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travel: hot booter an awl…

– My latest trip to Chicago almost didn’t happen. Originally, I was supposed to go in late February, on business. But that trip got canceled. Thankfully, my prepaid hotel and airline reservations were moveable. So, I emailed a few of my friends to see if they could meet me in Chicago in March for an […]

Continue

travel: hipster safari…

– Hyde Park, New York really is as beautiful as they say it is. Even with the trees stripped bare against those bald, russet hills in winter, the Hudson River Valley is breathtaking. To Greystone I’ve been twice, but never to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). So, when I was asked to photograph the […]

Continue

travel: hipster safari…

– Hyde Park, New York really is as beautiful as they say it is. Even with the trees stripped bare against those bald, russet hills in winter, the Hudson River Valley is breathtaking. To Greystone I’ve been twice, but never to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). So, when I was asked to photograph the […]

Continue

travel: kansas city… (2012)

Two years ago, I offered my opinion on eating in Kansas City.  It’s time I update that post. But this time, I’m not just going to throw you a list of my favorite places to eat. This time, I’m going slightly deeper than that. Recently, Saveur Magazine’s editor in chief, James Oseland, put Kansas City […]

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travel: kansas city… (2012)

Two years ago, I offered my opinion on eating in Kansas City.  It’s time I update that post. But this time, I’m not just going to throw you a list of my favorite places to eat. This time, I’m going slightly deeper than that. Recently, Saveur Magazine’s editor in chief, James Oseland, put Kansas City […]

Continue

best of 2011: the restaurant edition…

Mood and mind, place and time: once recorded, they cannot be erased. Neither can company nor cast, nor the events that happened at table. To do so would be a pity anyway, for dining is theatre; every part a prop, everyone a role.  And, as with life, in its unscripted scenes are often its finest […]

Continue

best of 2011: the restaurant edition…

Mood and mind, place and time: once recorded, they cannot be erased. Neither can company nor cast, nor the events that happened at table. To do so would be a pity anyway, for dining is theatre; every part a prop, everyone a role.  And, as with life, in its unscripted scenes are often its finest […]

Continue

best desserts of 2011…

(Frozen Sake; elBulli) Is pastry having a “moment?” Judging by the desserts I’ve had this year, I’d say it is. In the past, I’ve tacked on a dozen or so desserts to my annual “best dishes” post in a section at the bottom called “just desserts.”  While their inclusion was far from an afterthought, even […]

Continue

best desserts of 2011…

(Frozen Sake; elBulli) Is pastry having a “moment?” Judging by the desserts I’ve had this year, I’d say it is. In the past, I’ve tacked on a dozen or so desserts to my annual “best dishes” post in a section at the bottom called “just desserts.”  While their inclusion was far from an afterthought, even […]

Continue

best dishes of 2011…

(Crispy Pig Ears; Husk) * * * Another December, another set of listicles. Every year for the the past six, I’ve rounded up the best edibles of each and posted them here for posterity. They’ve included a list of my twenty-five favorite dishes, the best dozen desserts, and the top ten restaurant meals of each […]

Continue

best dishes of 2011…

(Crispy Pig Ears; Husk) * * * Another December, another set of listicles. Every year for the the past six, I’ve rounded up the best edibles of each and posted them here for posterity. They’ve included a list of my twenty-five favorite dishes, the best dozen desserts, and the top ten restaurant meals of each […]

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 […]

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 […]

Continue

travel: southern, by the grace of god…

If you’ve been to the South and didn’t leave smelling like bourbon and barbecue, then you had best go back and do it right. The scene of the last chapter of this most amazing year of travel and eating for me was set among the palmettos and live oaks of the Lowcountry. On 20,000-acres of […]

Continue

travel: southern, by the grace of god…

If you’ve been to the South and didn’t leave smelling like bourbon and barbecue, then you had best go back and do it right. The scene of the last chapter of this most amazing year of travel and eating for me was set among the palmettos and live oaks of the Lowcountry. On 20,000-acres of […]

Continue

travel: camera vivid…

– As an American living in a privileged bubble, it’s hard to know the rawness of life outside, even when I witness it first-hand. I recently took a photography assignment in Honduras.  The last time I was in that country was in 1999, right after Hurricane Mitch had devastated the region. Perhaps a bit naive, […]

Continue

travel: camera vivid…

– As an American living in a privileged bubble, it’s hard to know the rawness of life outside, even when I witness it first-hand. I recently took a photography assignment in Honduras.  The last time I was in that country was in 1999, right after Hurricane Mitch had devastated the region. Perhaps a bit naive, […]

Continue

giveaway: bluestem, the cookbook…

For years, I had been telling my friend, Colby Garrelts, chef-owner of bluestem in Kansas City, that he should write a cookbook.  The Midwest was grossly under-misrepresented on the cookbook shelves of America, and I thought he should do something about it. But, after three years of nagging him, I decided to drop the matter. […]

Continue

giveaway: bluestem, the cookbook…

For years, I had been telling my friend, Colby Garrelts, chef-owner of bluestem in Kansas City, that he should write a cookbook.  The Midwest was grossly under-misrepresented on the cookbook shelves of America, and I thought he should do something about it. But, after three years of nagging him, I decided to drop the matter. […]

Continue