Umami Mart

Last week, NYC pastry chef extraordinaire Pichet Ong was a guest judge on Top Chef Just Desserts (aired September 22).  As he was introduced, some of my photos of his desserts were shown on the episode: Foie Gras Taco and Warm Date Cake (see below). I shot the desserts in his restaurants P*ong and The […]

Although we don’t see many kudzu vines taking over large patches of land in the west, it is often referred to as the “mile-a-minute-vine” in the South. It all started in 1876 when someone thought it would be a good idea to introduce the kudzu plant from Japan to the U.S. Instead of providing some […]

Let’s start this post by trying to pronounce its title. Easy, no? The Danish language is in a league of its own. Imagine a gurgling sound, the deep noise of a drunk blond viking with too much mead in his mouth. While Americans speak with the front of their mouth, Danes create the words way […]

There’s just something about growing your own food. In this Brave New World of global import/export where you can basically die from eating the wrong vegetable (big cucumber scandal in Germany with lots of casualties), is a home grown meal the new epitome of “comfort food” (as in “food that doesn’t kill you”)? For an […]

After having spent my later teen years plowing through the novels of Douglas Coupland, Bret Easton Ellis and other post modern cynics, I can’t help but see myself in so many typical Generation X situations. Meaning that you suddenly find yourself in a condition that requires an ironizing snark or a sarcastic comment–there’s just no […]

If I had a garden, I would go crazy. Everyone thinks having a big garden invokes peace and tranquility in the mind. WRONG! It gives you a constant nagging feeling of stress and frustration. The lawn must be mown, bushes cut, apples picked, weed removed, flowers planted, birds scared away, vegetables watered… Aargh it just […]

Wine bar meets patisserie? Yes, please! Especially when it involves Pichet Ong.  Imagine a place where you can sit either with a book and cappuccino in the afternoon or with friends and Cabernet in the evening. Reminiscent of a mini Parisian brasserie, the walls are decorated with antique mirrors and the leather booths are cozy. […]

People in this country are obsessed with bacon. Bacon-wrapped pork, bacon-wrapped hotdogs, bacon-wrapped corn, bacon is everywhere. Last summer, I posted bacon chocolate, and there are a lot of sweet/savor combo recipes popping up and I was getting very curious about this combination. Sweet and salty is something we do enjoy. Chocolate-covered salty rice crackers […]

I am totally into food. Add my friend who is also totally into food, and you get a Pepto Bismol-inducing food frenzy. On one such occasion, we visited perhaps the only authentic Chinese joint in Cleveland proper, Siam Cafe. Apparently, they also serve Thai and Vietnamese food, but we were there for the good stuff. […]

After spending cocktail hour at Botanica, we headed over to Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie around the corner- a definite stopover everyone should make while in Red Hook. I had run into Steve at last year’s Atlantic Antic, and over the years I’ve always ordered the pie at Brooklyn restaurants whenever it’s on the menu, […]