This is a post I hesitate to start because, like gin in the previous post, salmon is a subject near and dear to my heart. Once I get rolling, it's hard to not follow various tangents about my experiences with the glorious fish. I'll take it as a personal challenge [...]
One of the best monikers that's ever been given to me is that of "gin connoisseur." I wrote a review of a really engaging, informative little book called The Joy of Drinking by Barbara Holland, which appears in the current spring issue of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture. My friend and [...]
This is an old friend I hadn't visited with for some time. The subject of caramel corn came up in a recent conversation and it set me on a nostalgic trip back to when I used to cook up batches of the stuff at home. So I dug out this [...]
Not long ago, a friend emailed asking for some input on knives for his kitchen. He wasn't happy with the last set that he'd bought and wanted to know what brand I might recommend for replacements. I suddenly felt that my "serious foodie" façade might crumble around me. I didn't have [...]
I'm trying to keep an open mind about this..... I got a press release this morning about a new line of wines called Wines That Loveâ„¢. It sounds a bit odd at first, but read that as "Wines That Love [fill in the blank]." And you can fill in that [...]
At the culinary professional conference I attended in New Orleans a few weeks ago, one of the most engaging and inspiring workshops I attended was called "Framing the Farmer: A Food Life List, Ten Food Experiences Before I Die." The farmer in question was the eloquent, insightful, soulful Mas Masumoto--author [...]
Ok, it wasn't really ice cream. It was amazing, rich, dense, creamy gelato that drew me downtown one early evening last week. My friend Maria Coassin, who opened Gelatiamo in 1996 (my how the time flies!) was celebrating a recent remodel of her small, bright space at the bustling corner of [...]
This is what I sat down to last Thursday afternoon: Twenty glasses, a judging sheet, a bottle of water and a pencil, with a platter of freshly shucked kumamoto oysters delivered forthwith. The tools of the trade for an oyster wine judging. This Seattle gathering at Anthony's HomePort at Shilshole [...]
I've come across a couple of interesting events that you might want to sign up for next month: one in Bellevue for the urbanites, another in the North Cascades if a little road trip sounds good. First, the road trip. May 17 and 18, Maria Hines will be a guest [...]
The IACP conference gets into high gear later today. Yesterday was my last vestige of unstructured time before the agenda gets packed. After a productive morning of work in the hotel room, I treated myself to a couple hours walking around the French Quarter. And after all that serious thinking [...]