review: cheeseburger o’clock…

It’s not on the menu, yet it’s the most-coveted item at Holeman & Finch Public House in Atlanta, Georgia. The restaurant only makes twenty-four of them each day, and they’re only offered late at night.* At ten o’clock, the bullhorn sounds: “It’s burger time!” Blissful Glutton had arrived ahead of me to reserve a couple […]

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review: cheeseburger o’clock…

It’s not on the menu, yet it’s the most-coveted item at Holeman & Finch Public House in Atlanta, Georgia. The restaurant only makes twenty-four of them each day, and they’re only offered late at night.* At ten o’clock, the bullhorn sounds: “It’s burger time!” Blissful Glutton had arrived ahead of me to reserve a couple […]

Continue

review: apotheosis interruptus…

Cannoli Sundae Pulino’s, New York Say you arrive into New York late, and the taxi stand has a tail that coils halfway to New Jersey. There is no way you’re going to get into Manhattan before 11 p.m., when most restaurant kitchens close. And suppose that you haven’t had dinner yet. Where do you go […]

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review: apotheosis interruptus…

Cannoli Sundae Pulino’s, New York Say you arrive into New York late, and the taxi stand has a tail that coils halfway to New Jersey. There is no way you’re going to get into Manhattan before 11 p.m., when most restaurant kitchens close. And suppose that you haven’t had dinner yet. Where do you go […]

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review: lovely…

Grilled Bamboo Kyoya, New York My friend Sneakeater is spot on in describing kyoya as “lovely.” The servers are adorable. The space is soothing. The ceramic serviceware is beautiful.  And the food, which is very good, leaves you feeling charmed and peaceful. Tucked away below street level in a townhouse in the East Village, kyoya […]

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review: lovely…

Grilled Bamboo Kyoya, New York My friend Sneakeater is spot on in describing kyoya as “lovely.” The servers are adorable. The space is soothing. The ceramic serviceware is beautiful.  And the food, which is very good, leaves you feeling charmed and peaceful. Tucked away below street level in a townhouse in the East Village, kyoya […]

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review: it kills me…

La Grenouille, New York I can imagine Holden Caulfield eating at la Grenouille as an adult, his gawkishly tall frame folded into the tiny back corner banquette – back near the kitchen door. His internal soundtrack would register a complaint about being seated back there, back where no one cares. If he weren’t so yellow, […]

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review: it kills me…

La Grenouille, New York I can imagine Holden Caulfield eating at la Grenouille as an adult, his gawkishly tall frame folded into the tiny back corner banquette – back near the kitchen door. His internal soundtrack would register a complaint about being seated back there, back where no one cares. If he weren’t so yellow, […]

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review: umlaut…

Seäsonal Restaurant and Weinbar, New York My parents just emailed a couple of days ago from Wien to tell me that they saw Manon at the Staatsoper.  My eyes turned green. You know, the last time I was at the Staatsoper, I had to endure a tortured, post-modern rendition of Elektra in nose-bleed SRO. A […]

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review: umlaut…

Seäsonal Restaurant and Weinbar, New York My parents just emailed a couple of days ago from Wien to tell me that they saw Manon at the Staatsoper.  My eyes turned green. You know, the last time I was at the Staatsoper, I had to endure a tortured, post-modern rendition of Elektra in nose-bleed SRO. A […]

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review: no echo…

“Pink Grapefruit” coi, San Francisco, California In 2006, I asked David Kinch of Manresa which restaurants were moving and shaking in the Bay Area. He told me about a small, fledgling start-up that a former Manresa cook was opening that week. That restaurant was coi. The chef-patron, as you probably know, is Daniel Patterson. Regrettably, […]

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review: no echo…

“Pink Grapefruit” coi, San Francisco, California In 2006, I asked David Kinch of Manresa which restaurants were moving and shaking in the Bay Area. He told me about a small, fledgling start-up that a former Manresa cook was opening that week. That restaurant was coi. The chef-patron, as you probably know, is Daniel Patterson. Regrettably, […]

Continue

review: three sisters and a chef…

Brigtsen’s, New Orleans, Louisiana … walk into a bar. Kidding. Sandra, Rhonda, and Marna. Those are three names you should have in your pocket when you arrive at Brigtsen’s.* These three women opened the restaurant in 1986 with Marna’s husband, Frank Brigtsen. It was Marna’s night off on my recent visit to the restaurant.  But […]

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review: three sisters and a chef…

Brigtsen’s, New Orleans, Louisiana … walk into a bar. Kidding. Sandra, Rhonda, and Marna. Those are three names you should have in your pocket when you arrive at Brigtsen’s.* These three women opened the restaurant in 1986 with Marna’s husband, Frank Brigtsen. It was Marna’s night off on my recent visit to the restaurant.  But […]

Continue

review: six blocks to elysian fields…

Lobster, Egg, and Caviar Stella!, New Orleans, Louisiana Coincidence is a curious thing.  Sometimes, it can be a b*tch. Just before dessert, the sommelier arrived with a bottle of Champagne, a gift from the chef, Scott Boswell. To explain how this happened, let me rewind to the beginning of our meal at his restaurant, Stella! […]

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review: six blocks to elysian fields…

Lobster, Egg, and Caviar Stella!, New Orleans, Louisiana Coincidence is a curious thing.  Sometimes, it can be a b*tch. Just before dessert, the sommelier arrived with a bottle of Champagne, a gift from the chef, Scott Boswell. To explain how this happened, let me rewind to the beginning of our meal at his restaurant, Stella! […]

Continue

review: galatwahs…

Oysters Rockefeller Galatoire’s, New Orleans, Louisiana As with the “The Quartah,” “oystahs,” and “Chartah Street,” the locals drop the “r” and call it “Galatwahs.” Founded in 1905 by French immigrant Jean Galatoire, over the last century, this unassuming restaurant on Bourbon Street has become New Orleans’s most beloved institution. This is where the city celebrates. […]

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review: galatwahs…

Oysters Rockefeller Galatoire’s, New Orleans, Louisiana As with the “The Quartah,” “oystahs,” and “Chartah Street,” the locals drop the “r” and call it “Galatwahs.” Founded in 1905 by French immigrant Jean Galatoire, over the last century, this unassuming restaurant on Bourbon Street has become New Orleans’s most beloved institution. This is where the city celebrates. […]

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review: two-star ascendant…

Saddle of Venison le Bristol, Paris, France I had had a good run. But sadly, my luxurious, two-week romp through restaurants in the U.K. and France was coming to an end.  It was my last night in Paris. Four years ago, I struck up a conversation with my server at le Cinq, who seemed quite […]

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review: two-star ascendant…

Saddle of Venison le Bristol, Paris, France I had had a good run. But sadly, my luxurious, two-week romp through restaurants in the U.K. and France was coming to an end.  It was my last night in Paris. Four years ago, I struck up a conversation with my server at le Cinq, who seemed quite […]

Continue