Devour Johannesburg A lively and diverse city, Johannesburg—known by locals as Jozi, Jo’Burg or Joeys—is the largest city in South Africa. With a history chock full of crime and decay, the city’s future is heading in a different direction. An influx of creative energy has tourists eager to visit and the city is coming back… Read More →
The Best Cookbooks of the Year It seems each year there are more incredible cookbooks published than the last; it’s a tough job to whittle down the lengthy list into a handful of my favorites. This year in particular, there are several noteworthy debuts, like Aaron Franklin’s meat smoking manifesto, Michael Solomonov’s ode to Israeli cuisine,… Read More →
Championship Quality Barbecue Once known for its stockyards, Kansas City is still famous for its incredibly diverse barbecue scene. It’s a true melting pot of meat, with barbecue restaurants incorporating styles and traditions from all of the country, and doing it exceptionally well. One of the city’s newer establishments, Q39 was opened by CIA graduate and national… Read More →
Ed Lee’s Top Picks for Louisville You may recognize chef Edward Lee from his television appearances—Top Chef, Mind of a Chef (for which he earned an Emmy nomination), Iron Chef America, to name a few—but he’s more than a TV star. His brilliant cooking at 610 Magnolia has landed him four nominations for Best Chef: Southeast… Read More →
Here’s a backstage look at last week’s Cooking Light magazine photo shoot on Lake Minnetonka. The theme was a Fourth of July barbecue potluck with my Twin Cities chef friends. That’s right, we did the shoot nearly a year in advance! Thanks to Erik Anderson, Doug Flicker, Tracy Singleton, Mike DeCamp, Jamie Malone and Steven Brown… Read More →
Devour London A global hub of history, finance, fashion and food, London is incredibly accessible, reliable and popular for tourists. As England’s capital grows increasingly diverse, so do the culinary offerings. From high-end Michelin-rated tasting menus and an influx of chef-driven gastropubs to roaming food trucks and amazing ethnic food from around the globe, there… Read More →
Mike Solomonov’s Top Picks for Philly Highly regarded as one of the best chefs in Philadelphia—and I’d say in the entire country—Michael Solomonov’s Israeli food at the award-winning Zahav is beyond exquisite; it’s mind blowing. After he took a seemingly simple dish like hummus and elevated it to cult status, people started paying attention and the crowds have… Read More →
America’s Leading Pitmaster Aaron Franklin cooked his first brisket in 2002. After seven years of practice, he opened a food truck with his wife Stacy, though a few glowing reviews resulted in long lines and a move to a brick-and-mortar location on Austin’s east side just a year later. Today, Franklin and his crew serve… Read More →
An Impressive Debut After working in some of Chicago’s most prestigious kitchens—Charlie Trotter’s, Alinea and Schwa—chef Jake Bickelhaupt started an underground supper club, or “guestaurant,” called Sous Rising. With his wife Alexa Welsh, Bickelhaupt hosted Michelin-quality meals with a casual, dinner party feel in their Chicago apartment for nearly two years. In early 2014, Bickelhaupt and Welsh opened… Read More →
Barbecue Royalty Of course no one agrees on who serves the best barbecue in Kansas City and with over 100 restaurants touting the city’s claim to fame, we’re not going to try to discern who makes the best pulled pork or burnt ends. But one thing is for certain, a trip to Kansas City is… Read More →
Music City Food + Wine 2014 was the most intimate and fun food fest I have been to in years… Great out-of-town chefs, amazing local restaurateurs and food talent, superb food entrepreneurs and the most carefully-curated Grand Tasting Tent I have ever walked through. You gotta get there next year. Here are a few observations:… Read More →
Fast, Simple Sichuan Noodles By Andrew Zimmern This nicely balanced Sichuan sauce with just the right amount of heat is flavored with star anise and fennel seeds and makes a phenomenal, quick dressing for egg noodles of any kind. I use the aromatic soy sauce as an ingredient in anything requiring sweet soy or as… Read More →
Sin City Recommendations Las Vegas is wholly intoxicating, a city dedicated to sensory overload that’s all about being the biggest and the best. And while chefs from all over the country are generating a lot of great food in glamorous settings on the Strip, you won’t be sorry if you venture off the main drag… Read More →
Another Austin Food & Wine has come and gone, and I for one can’t wait for 2015. One of the most fun, intimate festivals in the country. Without further ado, some of the best moments (and one sort of ugly one) from this year’s party: 1. Paul Qui has confirmed for me that the Next Big Food Trend… Read More →
Eat Your Way Through Austin Paul Qui‘s career took off after winning Top Chef Season 9, followed by a James Beard award for Best Chef: Southwest, and a spot on Food & Wine’s roster of Best New Chefs in 2014. What’s more impressive is that the 33-year-old Filipino-born Austinite is killing it at his ambitious flagship restaurant qui, which was named the Best… Read More →
This recipe is not an April Fools’ prank. Why would you think it was? Because Miss Myra never shares it…but she did with me. And when I tell you, without equivocation, that it’s the most famous, most amazing, best tasting banana pudding recipe in the world, trust me, it is. Four generations have carefully guarded this recipe… Read More →
The Holy City Charleston is one of the oldest cities in America. While the food scene in Charleston is filled with innovators and food-forward thinkers, you can always taste the Southern roots and history in its cuisine. From incredible fresh seafood to mouth-watering barbecue to classic Southern dishes with a modern twist, you really can’t… Read More →
L.A. Recommendations From Michelin-starred fine dining to Korean barbecue and taco food trucks, Los Angeles has one of the most exciting and diverse food scenes in the country. Here’s a snapshot of my favorite L.A. eateries and hotels – there are probably a hundred more that should be on the list, but I’m only vouching… Read More →
Discovering Culinary Extremes An author, prolific poet, teacher and staff writer for The New Yorker, Dana Goodyear is one of the most authoritative voices in food journalism today. In her new book, Anything That Moves, Goodyear explores the remaking of America’s modern food culture, following intrepid eaters and chefs to the margins of the culinary world. Below,… Read More →
Eating Queens Queens-based food writer Joe DiStefano has been covering the borough’s ethnic food beat for more than a decade. When it comes to ethnic diversity, some estimates name Queens as number one in the world – it’s so rich that DiStefano has made exploring the borough his life’s work. He’s our go-to guide for… Read More →
Carnivorous Bliss Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook are rockstars of the Los Angeles food scene. The chefs co-own and operate two of LA’s most exciting eateries – Animal, where meat is the main course, and Son of a Gun where they channel their Floridian roots and focus on seafood (they also recently opened Trois Mec… Read More →
Grilled Mexican-Style Corn with Parmesan Mayo Mike Brown, of Minneapolis’ Travail and Pig Ate My Pizza, shares his recipe for this delicious grilled corn, dressed up with a killer homemade parmesan mayo. This is the best way to eat in-season summer corn. Try it at your next barbecue, it’s sure to win over your guests.
Elevating Midwestern Flavors Credited with re-energizing Kansas City’s dining scene, Colby Garrelts is the James Beard award-winning chef behind the game-changing Bluestem, known for impeccable modernist cuisine, and Rye, a more casual eatery that celebrates his Midwestern roots. We chat with Colby about how the city’s food scene has evolved since he opened Bluestem, the inspiration behind his new… Read More →
The Man Behind the World’s Best Burger Josh Capon, the executive chef and partner of New York City’s Lure Fishbar, B&B Winepub and El Toro Blanco, talks about the importance of consistency and quality in the restaurant biz, how to make a great burger and his favorite Manhattan eats. AndrewZimmern.com: You’ve worked in several esteemed kitchens… Read More →
Road Trip Fork on the Road Andrew and Molly are on the road on this week’s Go Fork Yourself. On a three-hour car ride to Iowa, they chat about road food, cars, GPS, and where you’ll find the cleanest pit stops. Questions We want to include your listener questions in upcoming podcasts. If you want… Read More →
A few nuggets for y’all from the Austin Food & Wine Festival: Graham Elliot always travels with a tuxedo…. T-shirt. Tim Love has the most badass tailgate set up of all time. Marcus Samuelsson is the only man on planet earth who can pull off floral-meets-camo pants. We love this man. Jason Dady‘s “Mexican street… Read More →
Bravo’s Golden Boy You may recognize this handsome Aussie as the host of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, but Curtis Stone is also a classically trained chef and best-selling cookbook author with his own line of sleek kitchen products. His latest book, What’s for Dinner?, is packed with flavorful, unfussy recipes for the family on the… Read More →
Alabama’s Barbecue Kingpin Nick Pihakis and his father, Jim, opened the first Jim ‘N Nick’s barbecue joint 25 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama. Known for the slow-hickory-smoked pork and an everything-made-from-scratch mentality, the meaty empire has now grown to 28 restaurants across the South (even the James Beard Foundation has taken note, consecutively nominating Nick as… Read More →
Alabama’s Barbecue Kingpin Nick Pihakis and his father, Jim, opened the first Jim ‘N Nick’s barbecue joint 25 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama. Known for the slow-hickory-smoked pork and an everything-made-from-scratch mentality, the meaty empire has now grown to 28 restaurants across the South (even the James Beard Foundation has taken note, consecutively nominating Nick as… Read More →
Embracing the South Edward Lee’s 610 Magnolia is Louisville’s most sought after reservation, well at least until Lee unveils his next restaurant, MilkWood, which is expected to open this February. Although the Korean-American chef was raised in Brooklyn, he’s a natural with Southern cuisine, celebrating Kentucky’s rich agricultural fabric with dishes built upon local ingredients. The… Read More →
