I believe that if you want to know a city, you have to embrace the streets. In Buenos Aires, I walk between three and 12 miles each day, venturing to different corners of the city and using new routes all the time. And if Anthony Bourdain has taught me anything,…

At first mention, the idea of a sauceless, cheeseless pizza doesn’t seem too enticing, so if it makes you feel better, you can call these flatbreads or something else. I’m happy thinking of them as pizzas where the focus is all dough and toppings. (In case you’re new here, I…

So I probably bought more than four six-packs in February, but honestly, these are the four I remember off the top of my head. SAM ADAMS BLACKBERRY WITBIER When I took the brewery tour this past August in Boston, the wonderful people were giving away samples of a new “Brewmaster’s…

At first mention, the idea of a sauceless, cheeseless pizza doesn’t seem too enticing, so if it makes you feel better, you can call these flatbreads or something else. I’m happy thinking of them as pizzas where the focus is all dough and toppings. (In case you’re new here, I…

Brittany mentioned that besides chocolate of course, a perfectly cooked steak is quite romantic.  I have to agree, I don’t know if the color of the pink juicy cut of beef does it, seared just enough to give it flavor, or the little bit of crimson that flows out when…

It’s putting it mildly to say I like ginger. I love the stuff in the most potent of forms — pickled, candied, dehydrated, juiced. The only way it’s too strong is if I take a bite raw… but don’t think I haven’t tried. This ice cream was maybe a bit…

In the Los Angeles Times food section today, editor Russ Parsons (also the author of How to Read a French Fry, which I started reading the other day) discussed the benefits of adding acids like vinegars to a dish. How many times have you watched Top Chef, or something like…

Ahh, to live in Maine. The quiet forest, the dewey mist-filled mornings. A cabin, tucked behind trees untouched in years. I have no idea what I’m talking about, the last time I was in Maine, I was 3. But, my Zizi Bev and Uncle Mac (Zizi is the unisex Italian…

When Michael and I competed in the university Iron Chef Battle Rice competition, we used brown basmati and red Himalayan, but there were a few other exotic varieties we didn’t put on our menu. We were curious to try them though, so we got some samples after the competition. One…

I left my wok in Argentina. And I feel nearly as strong about that as Tony Bennett leaving his heart in San Francisco. Fine, maybe not that much, but I will miss it. When my dad came to visit me in Buenos Aires, he was surprised to learn I had…