Stephanie March

Today is one of those crazed days. I can’t seem to get to a meeting on time, let alone find anything to jam into my mouth to stave off embarassing stomach growls. It’s ridiculous. And now that school is almost out for the day, there will be the flurry of pick up and drop off … Read more

piquillo peppers are part of our flavor … Doesn’t this dreary day call for a trip to Solera? Their Restaurant Week menu deal is a tapas spectacular for a measly $32. It’s like a little schooling in Spanish flavors. I know a few ambitious home cooks who see the tapas menu as a little project … Read more

lingonberries are a part of our flavor…. OK, it’s here people. This is the real Retaurant Week, the one you’ve been waiting for. Now get out and EAT to feed the libraries. Not only do you get to eat in the aid of young, fresh minds, but you have a chance to sample what our … Read more

I think they skipped a horseman, this must be a sign of the coming apocalypse. Have you seen the commercials for Stouffer’s new website, During Dinner, in which kicky “Mom” Anne Callaway has coffee and “Mom” Talk with friends, deals with the Callaway Kids, and manages to host a rollicking conversation-filled dinner every night! And … Read more

mussels don’t grow on trees y’know, they grow on ropes… Since the weather won’t cooperate, I’ll have to satisfy my vernal cravings in the kitchen. I know I’ve been on a seafood kick lately, mainly due to over-potroasting and maxi-meatloafing during the colder months, but I’m not done yet … Mussels. Glorious little Prince Edward … Read more

The Chicago City Council isn’t mucking around, people. Doug Sohn (the sausage King of Chicago?) is the first to feel their wrath. The man behind Hot Doug’s … The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium … has been fined for selling hot dogs laced with foie gras. The fine for taking a stand against The … Read more

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I am craving tequila lately. More specifically, I’m craving margaritas. I was in San Diego last week, at this thumping roof-top bar, and I swear I could have put down 10 or more without a problem. It’s an on-the-rocks situation, with loads of salt on the rim. … Read more

I just have to talk about chocolate cake for a moment. I love it, I think about it, I seek it. Sadly, there are many unfortunate chocolate cake stories out there. Slices that look so promising on a menu can be too rich, too cloying, to flourless. Density, moistness, simplicity, chocolate-ocity, these are all important … Read more

Have you read the “manifesto”? Last December, some of the most influential men in food wrote what they called “an international agenda for great cooking”. The Fab Four were Ferran Adria of El Bulli, Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck, Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Per Se, and food scientist/author Harold McGee. The … Read more