A hot and crowded train station in Florence, Italy. It’s 1997. There’s no such thing as social media, email barely exists, and cell phones are mainly for the rich. Ten days ago in Amsterdam, I made plans to meet my friend Elliot here at noon, but it was a long shot either of us would … Continue reading The Old World
The discovery of a new favorite wine, grape, or region can happen at any time or place, and it often occurs when you least expect it. For some, it happens at a fancy restaurant. For others, in a beautiful vineyard. With me, it all started in a sewer. Let me back up. In 2004, I … Continue reading All the World’s a Pub
Note: the below post was a guest blog I wrote for Morrell & Company Wines Wine gets better with age. Everyone knows that, right? I mean, growing up the only bottles I ever saw were Manischewitz and — later — Boone’s, yet somehow I feel like I’ve known this since the day I was born. … Continue reading A Matter of Maturity
Note: the below post was a guest blog I wrote for Morrell & Company Wines. Which one of these is not like the others? Good wine Sophisticated food Stimulating conversation Young children I love my kids. More than anything. But, I also love entertaining. And, sometimes the former makes the latter just a tad more … Continue reading A Perfect–Imperfect Balancing Act
In the cold winter months, cooking can quickly become redundant. Fresh produce on this side of the country is practically non-existent during this time, and as much as I love my proteins, I can only eat steak, chicken, or fish so many times in a given week. So, it is a rare but welcome moment … Continue reading Eleven Madison Park: Venison with Beets
Sea Urchin. AKA Uni. The gonads of this spiny echinoderm have been a delicacy in Japan and parts of the Mediterranean for years. In the past decade, however, uni has become such a trendy culinary product that it’s now difficult and expensive to track down a good source. I prefer Santa Barbara uni, which tends … Continue reading Battersby: Spaghetti with Chile and Sea Urchin
Beets: you either love them or hate them. The once-forgotten root vegetable went through a renaissance at the start of this decade, eventually showing up everywhere from trendy hotspots to fine dining institutions. But, by now they are kind of played out. I mean, how many times can you eat a beet and goat cheese … Continue reading Eleven Madison Park: Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Caraway
Once upon a time — back when my wife and I were just boyfriend and girlfriend — we would take little weekend trips to nearby cities like Philadelphia, Washington D.C, and others. Actually, we may have been engaged at that point. Or, perhaps, we were newly married? Doesn’t really matter — the point is: WE … Continue reading Stir: Prune Gnocchi
Many accomplished chefs will say that fall and winter is their favorite time of the year to cook. They’ll tell you it’s too easy to prepare a delicious meal in summer, with gorgeous produce everywhere you look. Using more humble ingredients, and turning them into something tasty using fermentation, pickling, and long briases — now, … Continue reading Taste and Technique: French Onion Soup
While ramps may be spring’s bellwether, asparagus its most versatile bounty, and strawberries its hedonistic delight, morel mushrooms are the season’s precious jewels. I’m not really a mushroomy-kind of guy, but when these beautiful and deliciously earthy guys come around each year, I use them for as long as I can before my wife eventually … Continue reading Eleven Madison Park: Morel Custard with Trout Roe
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