Writing about food since 2004.
-
Say Hello to Fall: Spiced Pork Stew with Polenta
It was so hot here in L.A., last week, I couldn’t bear to go outside. Then, quite abruptly, the heat went away and this morning I found myself turning off the A/C early, chilly under our light summer blanket. A change of season is afoot–especially in places that aren’t L.A.–and mood-wise, that might be kind…
-
Rejoice! Everything Bagels from Scratch
Like a dying swan, I came to L.A. and watched as, feather-by-feather, all of my bagel-eating genes fell to the ground. I tried, I really did. I made bagel bombs, which were a nice alternative, but not the real thing. I stood and ate a bagel at Brooklyn Bagel and thought, “Oh man: this doesn’t…
-
Dinner at Alma, The Best New Restaurant in America
Imagine being 27 years old and on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard when you find out that your relatively new restaurant in downtown L.A. has just been named by Bon Appetit the “Best New Restaurant in America 2013.” That’s precisely what happened to Chef Ari Taymor in August and his restaurant Alma is now on the…
-
Hey, So How Do You Open A Restaurant?
Don’t get excited: I’m not thinking about opening a restaurant. But! I have a really good restaurant name in mind (based on a nickname for my friend Diana who, in my fantasy, opens this imaginary restaurant with me here in L.A.; again, it’s just a fantasy, stop getting excited!). I realized, though, in having this…
-
Cook A Pot of Chickpeas, Eat For A Week
Here’s an idea for your weekend, and really there’s not much to it. While you’re sitting around on Sunday, reading the paper or doing a marathon of Orange is the New Black, bring a big pot of water to a boil. Drop in half an onion (leave the skin on), a carrot, a piece of…
-
Emergency Frittata with Spanish Chickpea Salad
Imagine a glass case in the part of your brain that houses recipes: inside that glass case? There should be a frittata and a little sign that says, “Break in case of emergency.” A frittata is a terrific thing to know how to make because, on a weeknight where you have nothing in the house–nothing…
-
I Answer Your Questions!
Hey folks, I’m sipping an Angeleno in Venice Beach (I just had lunch with my Uncle Jerry in Santa Monica, so figured: “why not?” Also: I have to return a plant we killed) and would like to take this time to answer YOUR QUESTIONS. Cooking questions, life questions, organic chemistry questions (well maybe not that).…
-
Let’s Make Profiteroles
What does it profit a man to make profiteroles? Turns out: it profits a man a great deal. A woman too. Profiteroles are happy little puffs that you slice in half, fill with ice cream and then drizzle with chocolate sauce. Sort of like little ice cream sandwiches, except they’re not sandwiches; they’re more like…
-
Two Years in L.A. (A Reflection)
Today’s the Jewish New Year–Happy New Year, you Jewish people, you–but it’s also, basically, our two-year anniversary of moving to L.A. Last year, around this time, I wrote a post called “One Year in L.A.: A Reflection.” It’s a pretty fascinating thing for me to re-read because, at the time, we were about to go…
-
Cro-Not
If you read my newsletter (and really, you should; subscribe here), you probably saw that this weekend we attended the L.A. Times Taste festival which was a terrific event–despite the heat–and had the coolest venue of any such festival I’ve ever been to, being hosted, as it was, at Paramount Studios. Here’s a picture so…
