Good Taste is the Worst Vice

Walnut oil salad dressing

One of the many culinary skills I learned from my uncle is how to make an excellent salad dressing.  It's simple to make as long as you have a few basic ingredients - walnut oil, vinegar, salt, and garlic - and since it lasts a long time in a jar in the refrigerator, I make a lot at once so I ... continue reading...


Alinea and Per Se

I've had many wonderful meals in the past year, from truffle tastings to burgers, and I've commemorated the majority in these pages.  Yet the two that were perhaps the most sublime - Alinea and Per Se - have proven the hardest to write about. The doors to Per Se These are the sort of ... continue reading...


Gougères

There's a certain 'wow factor' to gougères.  When they're just out of the oven, they're wonderfully airy and cheesy.  Fortunately, they are also a bit hardier than their cousin, the soufflé, since they maintain their puffed exterior and tender interior even when cooled. I made these ... continue reading...


Bouchon Bakery NYC – and classic cars

This weekend I went to New York, so I ate lots of ridiculously wonderful food. Fortunately, I also walked all over Manhattan, so I can rationalize that I earned it. Really! One of my go-to places in Manhattan (not-so-coincidentally near my hotel) is Bouchon Bakery - quite a contrast to the original ... continue reading...


Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia

I never ate at Le Bec Fin when I lived in Philadelphia, but I was always aware of it - it was the storied, quintessential fine dining destination.  Whenever I walked by its elegant entrance on Walnut St, I thought, someday I'll go. Earlier this week, I finally made it to Le Bec Fin.  I ... continue reading...


Creamy corn soup

There is a very small window when corn soup makes sense - close enough to summer that there's still good fresh corn available, but cool enough that it doesn't seem absurd to be making soup. That window has arrived, so D and I had this creamy corn soup for dinner in Wisconsin tonight. The first ... continue reading...


EL Ideas

You might not have heard of EL Ideas.  I hadn't, until about a month ago, when a mention of it caught my eye online. What EL Ideas is:  New - open since July Exclusive - 10 guests a night, Weds-Sat Ambitious - serving a 14+ course tasting menu nightly What EL Ideas is not: An ... continue reading...


Homemade mochi

I've had a project in mind for a while now that I finally tried out last week: making homemade mochi.  It's a classic Japanese confection, but it never would have occurred to me to make it at home, until I saw it mentioned on a Japanese food blog, Umamitopia. The traditional way of making mochi ... continue reading...


Early Girl Eatery, Asheville

Weekend brunch is clearly popular in downtown Asheville - when I was visiting last month, we discovered that lines form outside most of the well-known spots before they open at 9am.   Based on my experience, I'd suggest you plan to be in line by 845am, and that the line you're in is the one in ... continue reading...