Greek Isle Grill Two years ago, I spent a week on the Greek island of Kalymnos. This island is the real deal, you’ll find tiny taverns with octopus coming straight off the coal fire, hillside goat herders selling cheeses and yogurt, sponge divers still working the outer islands. One night before a shoot, several well-lubricated… 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 →
A Sardinian Specialty One of my favorite rites of spring is the first lamb grill of the season, which always reminds me of a family trip to Sardinia, where little taverns serve grilled lamb on the bone with salads like this caponata (an eggplant dish with pine nuts and anchovies). I compose the dish on my plate with cheese, vegetables… Read More →
Reviving Cajun Cuisine Born and raised in Cajun country, James Beard award-winning chef/restaurateur Donald Link knows a thing or two about Louisiana cuisine. In New Orleans’ Warehouse District, his much-lauded Cochon is a tribute to the food he grew up eating and it’s one of the best restaurants in the city (and probably one of… Read More →
Reviving Cajun Cuisine Born and raised in Cajun country, James Beard award-winning chef/restaurateur Donald Link knows a thing or two about Louisiana cuisine. In New Orleans’ Warehouse District, his much-lauded Cochon is a tribute to the food he grew up eating and it’s one of the best restaurants in the city (and probably one of… Read More →
Cantonese-style Street Food I first tasted this traditional southern Chinese recipe when I was in Guangzhou, and I was instantly hooked. Serving this dish in the Thai style, with lettuce wraps and vegetable garnishes, seemed the way to go. Once skewered you can grill, sauté, fry, poach or broil them—just make a double batch of… Read More →
Devoted to the Art of Preservation One of Chicago’s most celebrated chefs, Paul Virant has been pickling and preserving produce at his award-winning restaurant Vie since 2004, expanding the program to his second restaurant, Perennial Virant, when he took the reigns in 2011. In his new cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen, Paul shares his wisdom and… Read More →
Devoted to the Art of Preservation One of Chicago’s most celebrated chefs, Paul Virant has been pickling and preserving produce at his award-winning restaurant Vie since 2004, expanding the program to his second restaurant, Perennial Virant, when he took the reigns in 2011. In his new cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen, Paul shares his wisdom and… Read More →
Savoring the Seasons Located just outside of Chicago in Western Springs, chef Paul Virant’s celebrated Vie restaurant is a great choice for solid farm-to-table cooking. Virant, a preservation expert with an everything-made-in-house philosophy, is known for preserving and pickling produce at its peak and incorporating those bright seasonal flavors into almost every dish. The cuisine… Read More →
Savoring the Seasons Located just outside of Chicago in Western Springs, chef Paul Virant’s celebrated Vie restaurant is a great choice for solid farm-to-table cooking. Virant, a preservation expert with an everything-made-in-house philosophy, is known for preserving and pickling produce at its peak and incorporating those bright seasonal flavors into almost every dish. The cuisine… Read More →
Amateur Schmamateur Adam Roberts took a big risk when he quit law school to start an amateur food blog in 2004. As it turns out, he’s pretty good at it. Seamlessly weaving recipes and photographs with personal narratives and humor, Adam transformed his a hobby into a full-fledged career (jealous?). For his new cookbook, Secrets of… Read More →
Amateur Schmamateur Adam Roberts took a big risk when he quit law school to start an amateur food blog in 2004. As it turns out, he’s pretty good at it. Seamlessly weaving recipes and photographs with personal narratives and humor, Adam transformed his a hobby into a full-fledged career (jealous?). For his new cookbook, Secrets of… Read More →
This simple dinner is deceptively complex. You can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes and the flavors are crazy good. My family and I love Mexican food—it’s one of the world’s truly great cuisines. This dish is often seen in the Yucatán, in Veracruz and in-and-around oceanfront communities, but for any indefatigable travelers who… Read More →
A Tastemaker with Southern Sensibility Leading a group of chefs changing the country’s perception of Southern cuisine is Chris Hastings, chef/owner of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham (one of the best restaurants in the South, if not the whole country). Chris and his wife Idie have been serving modern Southern/French cuisine that celebrates Alabama’s… Read More →
A Tastemaker with Southern Sensibility Leading a group of chefs changing the country’s perception of Southern cuisine is Chris Hastings, chef/owner of Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham (one of the best restaurants in the South, if not the whole country). Chris and his wife Idie have been serving modern Southern/French cuisine that celebrates Alabama’s… Read More →
Family-Style Modern Israeli Cuisine Located in Philly’s Society Hill neighborhood, Zahav is often touted as the city’s best restaurant. The menu is a mashup of Israel’s culinary heritage, celebrating the region’s bold flavors with both classic and reinterpreted dishes from chef Michael Solomonov’s homeland. For first-timers I’d recommend the tay’im, or “taste of Zahav.” You’ll start with… Read More →
Family-Style Modern Israeli Cuisine Located in Philly’s Society Hill neighborhood, Zahav is often touted as the city’s best restaurant. The menu is a mashup of Israel’s culinary heritage, celebrating the region’s bold flavors with both classic and reinterpreted dishes from chef Michael Solomonov’s homeland. For first-timers I’d recommend the tay’im, or “taste of Zahav.” You’ll start with… Read More →
Prepping For an Opportunity of a Lifetime Richard Rosendale, executive chef of the historic Greenbrier resort, is no stranger to cooking competitions as a crowned victor of more than 40. This January he will lead Team USA at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, a biannual international competition where the best of the best gather for… Read More →
Prepping For an Opportunity of a Lifetime Richard Rosendale, executive chef of the historic Greenbrier resort, is no stranger to cooking competitions as a crowned victor of more than 40. This January he will lead Team USA at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, a biannual international competition where the best of the best gather for… Read More →
Gastronomic Excellence By Bob & Sue Representing the third generation of Michelin 3 star chefs at this location (the restaurant has held three stars since 1968), Michel Troisgros offers classic dishes such as grilled blue lobster in herb butter and “plin” pasta stuffed with mascarpone and parmesan in a black truffle sauce. He incorporates Asian… Read More →
Chicago’s Culinary Rockstar Paul Kahan was ahead of the farm-to-table curve when he opened Blackbird in the West Loop, he brought the city communal tables and small plates with Avec, a pig-lovin’ gastropub with the Publican, followed by Big Star taco bar in Wicker Park and now the artisanal butcher shop Publican Quality Meats. The serial restaurateur… Read More →
Gastronomic Excellence By Bob & Sue Representing the third generation of Michelin 3 star chefs at this location (the restaurant has held three stars since 1968), Michel Troisgros offers classic dishes such as grilled blue lobster in herb butter and “plin” pasta stuffed with mascarpone and parmesan in a black truffle sauce. He incorporates Asian… Read More →
Chicago’s Culinary Rockstar Paul Kahan was ahead of the farm-to-table curve when he opened Blackbird in the West Loop, he brought the city communal tables and small plates with Avec, a pig-lovin’ gastropub with the Publican, followed by Big Star taco bar in Wicker Park and now the artisanal butcher shop Publican Quality Meats. The serial restaurateur… Read More →
Here’s what’s on my mind October 24th is National Food Day. Check out FoodDay.org for events in your hometown and how you can get involved! I am going to be at Babson College doing my best to promote sustainable healthy food production and consumption in America. I believe in the civic power of entrepreneurship to change our lives… Read More →
Here’s what’s on my mind October 24th is National Food Day. Check out FoodDay.org for events in your hometown and how you can get involved! I am going to be at Babson College doing my best to promote sustainable healthy food production and consumption in America. I believe in the civic power of entrepreneurship to change our lives… Read More →
Queen of the Test Kitchen Tasting Table‘s senior food editor Raquel Pelzel lives and breathes food. As director of TT’s test kitchen, her head’s in the fridge most days crafting creative content for their daily email publications, she’s also written over a dozen cookbooks (including a few James Beard award-winners) and she still loves to… Read More →
Putting Her Best Dish Forward As the first blind contestant on the home-cook competition show MasterChef, Christine Ha had her work cut out for her, but she overcame the obstacles and cooked her way to the top winning over the palates of three notoriously harsh critics. We chat with Christine about competing with a disability and… Read More →
Putting Her Best Dish Forward As the first blind contestant on the home-cook competition show MasterChef, Christine Ha had her work cut out for her, but she overcame the obstacles and cooked her way to the top winning over the palates of three notoriously harsh critics. We chat with Christine about competing with a disability and… Read More →
A Modern Approach to Rusticity Located in an old print shop in Chicago’s restaurant-centric Fulton Market neighborhood, Sepia effortlessly blends vintage, rustic details with modern design. Michelin-starred and James Beard-nominated chef Andrew Zimmerman (not to be confused with yours truly) has developed a fantastic menu since he took over the kitchen in 2009, often breathing… Read More →
