End-of-term gifts from one’s pupils are a recurrent pleasure of professorial life. Like the boarding-school boy who thanked the aunt for the bottle of cherries pickled in brandy, one enjoys them not only for themselves but also for the spirit in which they are given. Only once have I been given an apple (and then … Read more
Our story begins with a hungry young lass on her way to lunch at a new restaurant. She’s dragged along her lunch date to see what all the fuss is about, but upon entering the establishment, she feels a certain unease. The place is packed, and she is assured by a less-than-sweet hostess that the … Read more
I liked Rick Nelson’s Taste 50 in the Strib the other day…but I want to add a few more. The breads from Rustica Bakery in Mpls are something I think about often. Craving a crusty baguette with a fluffy, airy center or a dense pugliese with purpose right now. The U of M Arboretum is … Read more
Voodoo Doughnut, that’s who. Not only is this possibly the coolest doughnut shop on the planet, it’s a lesson. It’s a lesson about quitting your job and finding your life … about putting out a great and attention grabbing product … about having fun. Do you have a voodoo dougnut in you?
Just some things to chew on … Yesterday I caught a slip of the Today show in which Matt and two lady doctors sat and chatted about which “healthy” foods might or might not be reeeealy evil in disguise. They singled out some fish (swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, shark) to avoid because of high mercury. … Read more
Food & Wine has launched a Chowhound meets MySpace kinda thingy called Food & Wine Across America. Does it feel like they’re using locals to ferret out story ideas? Well, check it out … there’s an interactive map and everything!
There’s nothing culinary about cold, smeared toast and rubbery scrambled eggs thrust towards my sleeping head. But that kind of meal isn’t for filling the stomach, it’s for filling the heart. On Mother’s Day, I think less about what I deserve to get and more about what I still hope to give. There’s so much … Read more
hirny schmirny schmirny hirny schmirny bork bork bork Sooooooo. Mr. Top Chef #1 has finally made his claim on the NY eating scene. Yes, I was a Tiffani fan to the end, but I did heart Harold like the rest of you. I think it’s fantastic that he opened a small space with a friend … Read more
Every year I get the fever to forage. The thought of walking around a park for a couple of hours and coming out with an armload of wild edibles is like winning the lottery to me. Pirate like, even. Today I am especially craving mushrooms, morels. Maybe it was the overdose of cheap and tawdry … Read more
like a kitchen mixer … There’s just a bunch of stuff swirling around my brain today… Doug Flicker’s new menu at Mission started on Monday. I slinked in for lunch and had a nice egg sandwich, but our server had to read from his pack of notes to answer quetions, and a different egg dish … Read more