Writing about food since 2004.

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Stories and Rants

  • Cuisinart on VHS

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    A mystery. Part one: my mom calls on Friday night, two weeks ago, and says: “Bloomingdale’s is having a sale on appliances; you and Craig really should go there tonight.” “Mom, we’re not going to Bloomingdale’s on a Friday night.” Actually, I’m not going to Bloomingdale’s any night, it’s just not a night time activity.…

  • Behind The Scenes of “The Next Food Network Star” Finale

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    The manufactured excitement of a reality show finale is both exhilarating and depressing. Exhilarating because, in the world of this show, one person will rise above the rest and have themselves declared the winner. Depressing because, in a few hours, the whole set will be swept away, memories of all the other contestants will vanish,…

  • Cookies for Dessert

    Cookies for Dessert

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    Here’s how I attack an impending dinner party: (1) I make dessert first; (2) I make/start the entree second; and (3) I make the salad and/or appetizers last so that when the guests arrive, the salad has only just been dressed and/or the appetizers are hot out of the oven. Recently, though, I made a…

  • Should Chefs Do Reality TV? A Discussion.

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    [I just chatted online with my friend Diana, who works in reality TV, about that very subject. Here it is, unedited (reality-style), for your consumption.] AdamR218: i’m about to do a post about reality tv on my blog Diana: ooh AdamR218: i’m going to tell my readers never do it AdamR218: that you always end…

  • Don’t Hold The Anchovies

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    Anyone who grew up in the 80s watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” will recall a very specific phrase that kicks in whenever the characters decide to order a pizza. I feel like you hear this phrase in “E.T.” when Eliot’s brother has friends over for poker and maybe in…

  • A Matzoh Moment

    A Matzoh Moment

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    Certain experiences belong in that well-worn jar on the mantle: “Only In New York.” Take the experience I had the other night before joining Craig for our second anniversary dinner at wd-50 (post to follow). I was in the Lower East Side, walking on Clinton Street (or was it Rivington?) and I noticed a humming…

  • Do better ingredients make a difference?

    Do better ingredients make a difference?

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    I make Cavatappi with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans on a very regular basis. (Click here for the recipe). It’s a great pasta dish because the sun-dried tomatoes make it taste bright and summery and the beans make it hardy (hearty? how do you spell that?) and substantial. Everyone loves it and plus you get…

  • A Funny Thing I Do (A Tip & A Recipe for Vanilla Bean Pudding)

    A Funny Thing I Do (A Tip & A Recipe for Vanilla Bean Pudding)

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    What you see here is documentation of a very strange practice, a funny thing I do each time I pull a recipe from the internet. What I do is: instead of printing the recipe out with my printer (which is totally hooked up and ready to use), I grab a piece of paper and write…

  • How Successful Writers E-Mail

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    One of the most surprising things I’ve learned over the past few years of running this blog and entering the world of food and writing is this: when e-mailing a famous writer–food writer or not–the best strategy is to keep your e-mails short short short. Eight paragraphs about your life, love and devotion to this…

  • Pulp, There It Is

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    Does anyone else think it’s strange when you buy orange juice now you’re given a choice between lots of pulp, some pulp and no pulp? Normally I’m an orange juice snob, coming from Florida as I do, and in Florida when you get fresh-squeezed orange juice you just know it has pulp. Oranges have pulp…