I’m slightly skeptical of “chipotle” anything these days. To me, this pepper was arguably THE ingredient of the 1990s, as smoked red jalapeños began to officially hit the American mainstream. Not only did a burrito chain emerge from Colorado emblazoned with this very name, but television chefs such as Bobby Flay seemed to be infusing [...]

In many ways, I feel like “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” is the companion reader to Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation,” a book that first sent a shockwave throughout the American food industry in 2005, by holding up a mirror to our current eating habits. “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” written by Michael Pollan and published in 2006, raises [...]

The calling card of a Squeezeburger is unmistakable: a skirt of crispy melted cheddar as big as a jukebox 45. The burger itself is as messy as it is delicious. Highly recommended. But not for the weak or dainty.

In the last few months, downtown Napa has seen the opening of two new restaurants, Neela’s Contemporary Indian Cooking and The Border. Both restaurants have received a fair amount of attention, although criticism tends to be the dominant theme for both places thus far. On one hand, you have Neela’s, which has a reputation for [...]

Some pictures from two weeks ago, but in a new slideshow format. The produce looked great that day, and the overcast skies provided terrific lighting…

Although I have covered pho somewhat extensively within these pages, rarely has this popular Vietnamese soup ever been readily available here in the Napa Valley. A few months ago, I had the Martini House “family meal” version of pho, a dish which seems to be out of the rotation at the moment. But as much [...]

Ubuntu’s vegetarian menu is something that I always viewed with a decent bit of skepticism. For this reason alone, I had postponed my visit, knowing that I was certainly obliged to make a visit at some point. It’s just that I’m a bit tepid on the whole vegetarian concept (and I don’t think I’m in [...]

The bacon banh mi sandwich at Banh Mi Ba Le can be a curious specimen for those who might be expecting a more Western approach to bacon. To be sure, most people in America have probably never seen this Vietnamese take on the almighty pork belly, which at Banh Mi Ba Le features a bright [...]

I have often said that being a chef is much more of a lifestyle than it is a profession. Working in a kitchen is far more demanding than most jobs, and I don’t think that there is any career that combines high stress with low pay so seamlessly. But the most demanding element of professional [...]

Lots of barbecue places tend to be hit or miss, at least here in California. Everett and Jones is no different, although their misses are few and far between. I always get the pork ribs alongside the beef brisket, which is the “Two-Way” pictured above (typically, I request to have the sauce on the side, [...]