Earlier this week, I had planned to visit Brenda’s French Soul Food for a bowl of grillades and grits, having recently emailed a friend about a memorable version of this dish that I once tasted at Cafe Degas in New Orleans. That email awakened a latent craving, and naturally, I thought of Brenda’s as the [...]

I tasted through about five dozen Riojas this afternoon at the Palace Hotel, and by the end of this four-hour drinking session, I needed lunch in the worst possible way. Of course, I knew this was going to happen, which is why I had already formulated a plan: blissfully full of moderate-to-good Tempranillo, I took [...]

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I’ve had some rotten luck on Clement Street over the last few weeks, thanks mostly to my own poor planning. I’ve definitely fallen into the “closed-on-Monday” trap recently, which can certainly sting when you’ve driven 50 miles from Napa with dim sum on your mind. But, when you make assumptions and simply hit [...]

When I was producing a radio show back in my early days in Los Angeles, a stop at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles became a weekly Sunday night ritual. Having Roscoe’s as a late-night option was truly a godsend, especially since the Pico-La Brea location was midway between K-Town and the Westside. With four other locations [...]

Traffic here in the Napa Valley has suddenly become a lot worse, as scores of rumbling 18-wheelers, loaded to the hilt with freshly picked grapes, have begun to clog Highway 29. Although producers of sparkling wine had already begun their harvest two or three weeks ago, it seems as though the rest of the wineries [...]

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 [...]

One of the best things about living in West Los Angeles was being able to find some great Japanese restaurants without ever having to venture east of the 405. Granted, a quick trip down to Olympic and Sawtelle would still bring you dangerously close to this country’s traffic epicenter (the 405-10 interchange ranks as the [...]

I had a fantastic dinner at Boulevard last night, which is what I’ve come to expect from this perennial San Francisco favorite. The foie gras appetizer, in particular, was extremely well-executed, with components such as vanilla sour cherries, root beer jelly, and candied nuts. Without a doubt, this dish is going to remain in my [...]

For anyone who has ever cooked professionally, “Don’t Try This at Home” may feel a little too familiar at times. Edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman, this short story collection is an engaging compendium of classic kitchen war stories, written first-person by an impressive roster of America’s most well-known chefs (along with a handful [...]

I’ll be flying out to Pittsburgh to attend a wedding in July, which means that I’m relishing the opportunity to eat something über regional. Naturally, a sandwich at Primanti Brothers tops the list. What says more about Pittsburgh than their famous all-in-one sandwiches, named because they contain a side of coleslaw and french fries within [...]