• The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in the World

    The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in the World

    How many cookies does the average person eat over the course of a lifetime? 500? 5,000? 5 MILLION? I’m not sure but since life is short, I believe it’s important to make your cookies count. Cracking open a box of Chips Ahoy might scratch an itch much like sleeping with a prostitute probably scratches a…

  • Linguine with Clams

    Linguine with Clams

    When you’re an old fogey food blogger like me, dinner comes in one of two categories: 1. something you’ve already blogged about and 2. something you’ve never blogged about. The sad truth is that more often than not, lately, I feel like cooking things that I’ve already blogged about because I love making them. It’s…

  • Vegas Uncork’d 2013 (Rao’s, Border Grill, The Grand Tasting, KÀ & Blueberry Hill)

    Vegas Uncork’d 2013 (Rao’s, Border Grill, The Grand Tasting, KÀ & Blueberry Hill)

    Several years ago (in 2008, to be exact), I covered Vegas Uncork’d, Bon Appetit’s Las Vegas food festival, for the Food Network. That was a whirlwind of a trip; I interviewed so many chefs and attended so many meals, it felt like I ran a marathon. The nice people there invited me back many times…

  • Movie Theater Popcorn

    Movie Theater Popcorn

    Movie theater popcorn is a total treat, worse for you than a Big Mac (I’m making that up but I’m sure it’s true), but one of the best parts about going to the movies. I always get a small movie theater popcorn and a small soda (Sprite) despite the fact that, the way it’s priced,…

  • Makin’ Muesli

    Makin’ Muesli

    Last week I tried an experiment in Liveblogging that didn’t really work. I was really just fooling around, having some fun with my phone, but I can see why seeing pictures of bread arriving at a lunch table isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. Today, though, I bring you a different take on…

  • The Great Cottage Cheese Dinner Challenge

    The Great Cottage Cheese Dinner Challenge

    In good stories, a character changes. So, for example, if you’re watching a movie about a guy who’s afraid of heights but his girlfriend is being held hostage at the top of Mount Everest, we expect him to get over his fear in order to save her. If he decides to just leave her there…

  • My First Full English Breakfast

    My First Full English Breakfast

    My favorite weekend breakfasts usually have some kind of balance of savory and sweet. A pile of pancakes here, a strip of bacon there, some eggs for good measure. Rarely have I ever craved a big plate of meat-products with eggs on the side. Recently, though, I found myself at brunch at The Breslin on…

  • The Mast Brothers Salted Caramel Bonbon

    The Mast Brothers Salted Caramel Bonbon

    Wandering around Williamsburg last week, my nose (or “schnozz,” if you prefer) led me down a street to a place that looked like a warehouse. The warehouse was actually home to Mast Brothers chocolate, one of the most revered chocolate companies in the country. You may recognize their chocolate bars as the ones with wrapping…

  • A Really Good Radicchio Salad

    A Really Good Radicchio Salad

    Look, let’s be honest, I make a really good radicchio salad. That may not mean much to most people because radicchio isn’t one of those vegetables that gets anyone excited. It’s bitter. It’s red. It’s red and bitter. What’s the big deal? Well: I like to serve it before a big, heavy dinner to wake…

  • Please Don’t Tell But I’ve Never Had A Drink at Please Don’t Tell

    Please Don’t Tell But I’ve Never Had A Drink at Please Don’t Tell

    One of my favorite New York novelties is the existence of Please Don’t Tell in New York’s East Village. On St. Marks, between 1st and A, is a hog dog emporium called Crif Dogs. Looks innocent enough. But what you don’t realize, unless you know the secret, is that the phone booth that you see…