Where everything is made from scratch. An unassuming Korean restaurant in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond neighborhood, To Hyang is the stuff of legend. The authentic, flavorful Korean grandma food is unrivaled, with Hwa-Soon Im cooking her home-style food behind a small stove using her own fermented bean pastes and pickles. I don’t know anyone else… Read More →
Modern Italian Cuisine The emblem of the Roman Empire and an acronym for Senatus Populusque Romanus, SPQR roughly translates to “The People and Senate of Rome.” At SPQR, executive chef Matthew Accarrino takes traditional, rustic recipes inspired by ancient Italy and reinvigorates them with 21st century flavors and techniques. Smaller plates such as the chicken liver… Read More →
Boston’s Best Tapas Chef/owner Ken Oringer and chef Jamie Bissonnette, the duo behind the much-lauded Coppa, serve inspired Spanish fare at Toro, one of Boston’s most sought after tables. Located in the city’s historic South End neighborhood, the pint-size restaurant serves traditional and contemporary Barcelona-style tapas in a cozy, dimly-lit dining room with exposed brick… Read More →
Barbecue Pork Heaven Deep in rural Low Country, Scott’s Bar-B-Que is my favorite barbecue joint in America. You won’t see gas or charcoal at this roadside shack, just pigs, wood and smoke. The Scotts opened the place in 1972, using cooking methods passed down through generations. Pit–master Rodney Scott (who cooked his first pig when he… Read More →
The Gold Standard for Fine Dining After 15 years, executive chef/owner Tim McKee (the 2009 James Beard Award-winner for Best Chef Midwest) and chef de cuisine Mike DeCamp continue to impress with outstanding food and service at La Belle Vie. As the pinnacle of local fine dining, there isn’t a better spot in the Twin Cities… Read More →
China’s Modern Metropolis By Bob & Sue The food in Shanghai can be a bit sweeter and browner in color than that of its northern neighbor in Beijing, but many of the local foods are available highly spicy if you ask. Lost Heaven offers outstanding food at several locations, with dishes such as delicious kung pao… Read More →
My Favorite Lobster Roll Located on the island of Georgetown, Maine at Five Islands wharf, this seafood shack serves the best lobster roll around. Pulled from the surrounding waters and never tanked, these lobsters couldn’t get any fresher. Their “big boy” lobster roll is my idea of the perfect sandwich, served on a buttered and… Read More →
Exquisite Korean Barbecue With the largest Korean population in the country outside of Los Angeles and New York City, it makes sense that Baltimore is home to great Korean restaurants. Just west of downtown in Ellicott City, you’ll find Shin Chon Garden, one of the top ten Korean barbecue joints in America. Expect a communal,… Read More →
Peking Specialties By Bob & Sue Beijing is known for its colorful food and fabulous Peking duck (Dadong restaurant has the best duck, but Made in China at the Grand Hyatt is also excellent). The Taiwanese noodle house Din Tai Fung offers soup dumplings, double boiled black chicken soup and chopped pork in soy sauce.… Read More →
Peking Specialties By Bob & Sue Beijing is known for its colorful food and fabulous Peking duck (Dadong restaurant has the best duck, but Made in China at the Grand Hyatt is also excellent). The Taiwanese noodle house Din Tai Fung offers soup dumplings, double boiled black chicken soup and chopped pork in soy sauce.… Read More →
Flavors of the Big Easy Located in a 19th-century French-Creole building fitted with mahogany paneling and crystal chandeliers, August is the flagship restaurant of James Beard award-winning chef John Besh. The menu seamlessly combines French classics with Besh’s southern Louisiana roots, showcasing a stunning array of oysters, crawfish, pastas crushed under the weight of sliced truffles,… Read More →
Flavors of the Big Easy Located in a 19th-century French-Creole building fitted with mahogany paneling and crystal chandeliers, August is the flagship restaurant of James Beard award-winning chef John Besh. The menu seamlessly combines French classics with Besh’s southern Louisiana roots, showcasing a stunning array of oysters, crawfish, pastas crushed under the weight of sliced truffles,… Read More →
Inspired Mexican Cuisine WD-50 alum and former modernist pastry chef Alex Stupak serves stunning Mexican-inspired cuisine at his acclaimed restaurants in New York City. At Empellón Cocina, the upscale sibling of his Greenwich Village taqueria, Stupak turns traditional Mexican cuisine on its ear, experimenting with flavors and textures while honoring its roots. The depth and breadth of… Read More →
Inspired Mexican Cuisine WD-50 alum and former modernist pastry chef Alex Stupak serves stunning Mexican-inspired cuisine at his acclaimed restaurants in New York City. At Empellón Cocina, the upscale sibling of his Greenwich Village taqueria, Stupak turns traditional Mexican cuisine on its ear, experimenting with flavors and textures while honoring its roots. The depth and breadth of… Read More →
Dine With the World’s Greatest Sushi Chef By Bob & Sue Many knowledgeable Japanese believe Takashi Saito is now the greatest sushi chef in the world. With only seven seats and located inside a car park, Saito delivers a stunning menu using smaller cuts of the highest quality fish, specially textured rice, and the proper… Read More →
Dine With the World’s Greatest Sushi Chef By Bob & Sue Many knowledgeable Japanese believe Takashi Saito is now the greatest sushi chef in the world. With only seven seats and located inside a car park, Saito delivers a stunning menu using smaller cuts of the highest quality fish, specially textured rice, and the proper… Read More →
Duffy’s Understated Elegance As restaurants are trending towards casual menus and rustic decor, Curtis Duffy is running boldly in the other direction, reviving fine dining with his first solo project Grace. Duffy, who was chef de cuisine at Alinea before receiving 2 Michelin stars for his work at Avenues, uses seasonal ingredients and modern techniques… Read More →
Duffy’s Understated Elegance As restaurants are trending towards casual menus and rustic decor, Curtis Duffy is running boldly in the other direction, reviving fine dining with his first solo project Grace. Duffy, who was chef de cuisine at Alinea before receiving 2 Michelin stars for his work at Avenues, uses seasonal ingredients and modern techniques… Read More →
Not Your Typical Vietnamese Restaurant Chef Jordan Kahn opened Red Medicine in 2010, inspired by many post-shift late night meals at Vietnamese restaurants around Los Angeles. Although he uses fragrant, traditional ingredients in his wildly creative menu, this isn’t your traditional Vietnamese joint. Kahn’s reinterpretation of Southeast Asian cuisine is simply stunning, almost too pretty… Read More →
Not Your Typical Vietnamese Restaurant Chef Jordan Kahn opened Red Medicine in 2010, inspired by many post-shift late night meals at Vietnamese restaurants around Los Angeles. Although he uses fragrant, traditional ingredients in his wildly creative menu, this isn’t your traditional Vietnamese joint. Kahn’s reinterpretation of Southeast Asian cuisine is simply stunning, almost too pretty… Read More →
A Noodle Shop With a Serious Cult Following If I had only one meal in all of Hong Kong, it would be at Kau Kee. It’s a legendary 100-year-old institution, popular with locals, travelers and anyone in-the-know – and it’s my favorite place in town. The small, always crowded dive has one specialty: braised beef… Read More →
A Noodle Shop With a Serious Cult Following If I had only one meal in all of Hong Kong, it would be at Kau Kee. It’s a legendary 100-year-old institution, popular with locals, travelers and anyone in-the-know – and it’s my favorite place in town. The small, always crowded dive has one specialty: braised beef… Read More →
St. Louis’ Beloved French Bistro Named to Food & Wine’s best new chefs list a few years back, Gerard Craft earned rave reviews for his innovative take on American fare at his restaurants Niche and Taste. Located in the Central West End neighborhood, his third restaurant, Brasserie, is reminiscent of the classic bistros you’d find on… Read More →
St. Louis’ Beloved French Bistro Named to Food & Wine’s best new chefs list a few years back, Gerard Craft earned rave reviews for his innovative take on American fare at his restaurants Niche and Taste. Located in the Central West End neighborhood, his third restaurant, Brasserie, is reminiscent of the classic bistros you’d find on… Read More →
Paris’ Most Sought After Reservation Scoring a reservation at chef Daniel Rose’s Spring is the stuff serious food lovers build a trip around (hundreds of reservation requests pour in daily, and the restaurant has a mere 28 seats – if you didn’t plan months in advance, call in the afternoon for the night’s cancellations). Located… Read More →
Paris’ Most Sought After Reservation Scoring a reservation at chef Daniel Rose’s Spring is the stuff serious food lovers build a trip around (hundreds of reservation requests pour in daily, and the restaurant has a mere 28 seats – if you didn’t plan months in advance, call in the afternoon for the night’s cancellations). Located… Read More →
An Artisanal Cajun Salumeria Adjacent to chef Donald Link‘s famed Cochon (a.k.a. the Cajun restaurant of your dreams), Cochon Butcher is a sandwich shop, wine bar and salumeria specializing in Louisiana-style housemade charcuterie, terrines and sausages. Link is bringing back traditional old-world techniques and authentic Cajun flavor with the andouille, boudin, tasso and head cheese (among… Read More →
An Artisanal Cajun Salumeria Adjacent to chef Donald Link‘s famed Cochon (a.k.a. the Cajun restaurant of your dreams), Cochon Butcher is a sandwich shop, wine bar and salumeria specializing in Louisiana-style housemade charcuterie, terrines and sausages. Link is bringing back traditional old-world techniques and authentic Cajun flavor with the andouille, boudin, tasso and head cheese (among… Read More →
Consistently Creative American Fare This contemporary American bistro in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood has become a staple in the city’s booming restaurant scene. Chef Chris Pandel’s adventurous plates and relentless attention to detail packs the boisterous dining room with loyal fans every night (a focus on local ingredients, a knowledgable waitstaff and a serious cocktail program… Read More →
Consistently Creative American Fare This contemporary American bistro in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood has become a staple in the city’s booming restaurant scene. Chef Chris Pandel’s adventurous plates and relentless attention to detail packs the boisterous dining room with loyal fans every night (a focus on local ingredients, a knowledgable waitstaff and a serious cocktail program… Read More →
