Category

Travel

  • Barcelona, A Reflection

    Barcelona, A Reflection

    Before I left for Barcelona, two weeks ago, I created a three-ring binder of essential information. The first tab said “Hotels” and there I printed out the confirmations for the Hotel Banys Orientals, where we’d stay for most of the trip, and Hotel Coral Playa, where we’d stay when we went to Roses for dinner…

  • Marea

    Marea

    It’s rare to find a restaurant that strikes a perfect balance between sophisticated grandeur and homey comfort, but Marea is such a restaurant. It’s the newest restaurant from Chef Michael White, whose other restaurants–Convivio and Alto–are justifiably revered for their highbrow Italian food. I’ve been to Alto, and liked it ok, but there was something…

  • The Pó Panini

    The Pó Panini

    Pó isn’t a restaurant that I frequent, but it’s a restaurant that I should frequent more. After all, this is where Mario Batali got his start, and however much distance now exists between him and this restaurant, every time I eat here I’m reminded of all the things I loved about Mario when he first…

  • Edible Flower Lemonade

    Edible Flower Lemonade

    There are certain danger zones for me, certain walks that if I take them, I know what will end up in my belly. So after meeting my new friend Jeffery Self, co-star of the hilariously irreverent new Logo show “Jeffery and Cole Casserole,” for coffee at Joe in the West Village last week, we found…

  • Porchetta

    Porchetta

    My Twitter followers are a fervent bunch. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was in the East Village, getting a haircut at Sei Tomoko (the best haircut deal in town), and thinking of going to Porchetta for lunch. “Ooooh!” they cheered, “you’ve gotta go!” “I’m jealous!” “Porchetta is AMAZING.” Then, later, when I…

  • A Picnic in the Park

    A Picnic in the Park

    There are random acts of kindness and then there are random acts of picnics. Or random picnics of kindness. I need to work on the name, but here’s how it works: you have a friend or loved one who works in midtown Manhattan. You offer to meet them for lunch. When they say, “where?” you…

  • James

    James

    The Brooklyn question is a question that still permeates my life, even after living here for three years. Usually, it’s the worst in winter when our heat goes out and getting into the city is a nightmare; that’s when I begin my ritual rant about “looking on Craigslist for Manhattan apartments when our lease is…

  • Blue Hill Stone Barns

    Blue Hill Stone Barns

    I’m no theologian, but I’m pretty sure that if there is a heaven, it’s a lot like Blue Hill Stone Barns. You arrive by train, the water of the Hudson glistening as you glide along the tracks. The cabs waiting for you to take you to the restaurant aren’t normal cabs: these cabs are clean,…

  • American Italian vs. Italian Italian (Carmine’s & Sfoglia)

    American Italian vs. Italian Italian (Carmine’s & Sfoglia)

    My dad and I often have a debate about food. It usually begins when my dad says, “This restaurant sucks.” You see, my dad likes food that is familiar and when it comes to food that’s familiar he loves Italian food. But a very specific kind of Italian food: he loves American Italian food.