CHEWING THE FAT

         Ask me my favorite day of the week and I will say Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday have their charms.  But of weekdays, nothing compares to Wednesday and the arrival of “Food” from The New York Times.   Formerly called “Dining”, the section was renamed in…

         The Hamptons are chock-a-block full of famous chefs.  There are those who work here–or at least own restaurants here—like Jean-Georges Vongerichten who just arrived this year at Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton.  There are those who make this place their summer home like Bobby…

Rao’s Original, the toughest table in town. One of New York’s most iconic restaurants is almost impossible to get into.  Unless you are a bold-faced name or a local politician or, even better, a family with “connections” to a very specific group of Italian families,…

        Last summer, we served a version of Watermelon and Tomato salad so often, we were convinced everyone we knew had tasted it.  And this year, we’ve seen so many recipes for it, that we’re sure our readers have been inundated with variations on the dish. …

Food and Wine’s Justin Chapple I’ve bought the Bok Choy Trader Joe’s sells quite a few times.  I like the crisp crunch and slightly bitter flavor of the vegetable.  But I have to admit, my Bok Choy hasn’t risen to any great culinary heights.  Recently,…

I love Indian food.  Its intriguing blend of exotic spices and flavors are so distinctive and so transforming that it really does represent a cuisine far from our own American classics.  Take this dish from Bon Appetit.  It transforms the simple and inexpensive Chicken leg…

The man himself, Daniel Boulud Who doesn’t love Daniel Boulud?  His restaurants are on everyone’s New York Top 10 list from Daniel to DBGB on the Bowery, of all places.  I have a particular soft spot for his Bar Boulud, across from Lincoln Center and…

         One of the great joys of summer is that Andrew is back at the beach and back into baking.   It’s not that we don’t have temporary bursts of wonderful cakes, pies and cookies at other times of the year, but in Summer he settles…

I’d go back to Ireland in a New York minute, but it wouldn’t be for the food. We never got anywhere near Darina Allen’s Culinary Course and aside from a wonderful Thanksgiving feast that we prepared ourselves, a dinner at Fallon and Byrne in Dublin…

A short time ago, we went to the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan (344 Amsterdam Ave, NY NY 10023 Tel: (646) 505-4444). Judging from the smell of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, the place has a robust culinary arts program in addition to all its other…

Port Recine in Cap de La Hague, Normandy For all the time we have spent in France, inexplicably we have never been to the northwest corner of the country and their provinces of Brittany and Normandy. While we didn’t get to Brittany, Cherbourg, was our…

Rise and Shine! It’s At Sea Day on Viking Sea’s Maiden Voyage Viking at Sea          On Viking Star there was only one.  On the Maiden Voyage of Viking Sea, there would be three of them but for us, just one.  Sea Days. These port-less…

Are these the best alternative restaurants afloat? We went aboard Viking Star and Sea to find out Jun 1, 2016 | 3:59 pm By Monte Mathews Staff Writer Manfredi’s was magnificent, but was it our favorite on the ship?  Photo Credit: Viking Ocean Cruises Every…

Las Galleries La Coruna line the Avenue Marina.   The one building without a Galleria is called the “Missing Tooth”         Some places are total surprises.  I would have to say that the entire country of Portugal was one.  But second to that was the arrival…