Writing about food since 2004.
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The Sazerac
When in New Orleans, you should drink a Sazerac. I didn’t know this until I went with Pim to dinner at a place called Mandina’s (more on that tomorrow) and she ordered one. Pim’s Sazerac was so good–it’s made with Rye whiskey, absinthe or Herbsaint (an anise-flavor liqueur, like Pernod), and bitters–I made a mental…
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Hansen’s Sno-Bliz & Napoleon House (New Orleans)
One of the best parts of traveling to a new city is discovering a food item that you didn’t know existed before. Like when I traveled to Barcelona and discovered pa amb tomàquet. Same thing in New Orleans, only it wasn’t bread smeared with tomato that I discovered; in New Orleans, I discovered the snowball.
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Someone’s In The Kitchen With…Matt Armendariz
My “Someone’s In The Kitchen With” series continues from the rooftops of New Orleans, where I join celebrated photographer and food blogger Matt Armendariz (author of the brand new “On A Stick” and the blogger behind MattBites.com) for a stimulating conversation all about Matt’s career, his book, why he likes food on a stick, food…
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Our Louisiana Seafood Adventure
When the BP oil spill happened, newscasters and journalists alike spoke of the devastating effect this would have on the Louisiana seafood industry. For most of us, that industry was just an abstraction. We imagined men and women in boats or on docks, but we didn’t have any specific images in our heads (except the…
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Commander’s Palace (New Orleans)
Restaurants that are institutions don’t have to be good. Before it closed, Tavern on the Green in New York was like that. You didn’t go for the food–no, you definitely didn’t go for the food–you went for the chandeliers, for the topiary, for the chintzy souvenirs you could buy in the gift shop.
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Cafe du Monde (New Orleans)
When you arrive in New Orleans, the first place that you’ll probably go is Cafe du Monde. There are a few reasons for this: (1) it’s open 24 hours; (2) it’s a New Orleans mecca, for locals and tourists alike; and (3) the beignets that they serve there are so dang good, they’ll haunt your…
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We Fell in Love with New Orleans
We were walking to dinner in a large group when the parade began to pass. I’d heard of jazz funerals, where the friends and family of the recently deceased march through the streets with music and dancing, a celebration of life in the face of death. This wasn’t that. This was a wedding parade; with…
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Oatmeal with Ginger, Coconut Milk and Lime
It’s easy to innovate when you’re working with a set formula. Oatmeal has a set formula. Bring 1 and 3/4 cups water (or milk) to a boil, add a pinch of salt, add your rolled oats, lower to a simmer, stir and cook until your oatmeal’s absorbed most of the liquid. Then sweeten with a…
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Someone’s In The Kitchen With…Doug Quint & Bryan Petroff (from The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck)
Doug burst out laughing when I told him that he and Bryan, of the world famous Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, were my first celebrity guests on “Someone’s In The Kitchen With….” And though his laughter was pretty sincere, you’ve got to admit: Doug and Bryan have made it pretty big. They have a book…
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Where To Go and What To Eat in New Orleans?
This Friday I’m heading to New Orleans on a trip sponsored by the Louisiana Seafood Board, my first time there since I performed with my college improv comedy troupe at Tulane (where we slept on a frat house floor) and certainly the first time I’ve been there as a real eater. Many of the meals…
