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My grandparents are here, at this very moment, sleeping behind me in my bedroom while I blog to you from my new home on the couch. This is our temporary set-up while I prepare to leave for Italy (I leave on Thursday). They’ll be housing here for the next three weeks: caring for my cat…

Wine is trickling its way into my foodie consciousness: after dinner with Clotilde where the Babbo waiter paired some dishes with wine, I’m really starting to understand how wine enhances the overall dining experience. I like this Hemingway quote posted today on Gothamist Food: “In Europe we thought of wine as something as healthy and…

Helicopters circled overhead, newsvans hugged the curb as I made my way down 6th Avenue to meet Clotilde at her hotel for our 8:30 dinner date. Clotilde, that beloved Parisian, had descended upon New York a few days earlier, making her first appearance at Otto where her fans (myself included) came to greet her and…

Many may not know this, but back when I was living in Atlanta I was the member of a very violent, much feared gang. L.A. has its Crips and Bloods, my crew was too fierce to have a name. F’real. Equal parts “Boyz in da Hood” and “West Side Story.” Then Ricky and I both…

“I have very exciting news!” said my mom on the phone last week. “You’re not going to believe this! Are you sitting down?” I sat down. “Not only did I get us a reservation at Peter Luger Friday night, but I got us into Il Mulino on Saturday.” “What’s Il Mulino?” I asked. “Are you…

Many well-meaning non-Jews mistakenly believe that Chanukah (pronounced with an agressive phlegmy “CH”) is a significant and important Jewish holiday. It is not. It’s the President’s Day of Judaism. It’s the timing that shakes things up. Because it falls around Christmas, I’ve had non-Jews (particularly Christians) ask me, “What are you doing for Chanukah?” in…