Oh my gosh! Omakase at Ryoko.

Oh my gosh! Omakase at Ryoko.

“I pledge my allegiance…” We changed Japanese restaurants recently. And, though they definitely deserved us deserting them, I still felt like a guy leaving one of his best friends. But our old faithful had gone astray. Cutting the amount of fish on their rolls in half...
The search for San Miguel’s best burger continues.

The search for San Miguel’s best burger continues.

Thirty years. That’s how long it had been since Don Day’s Wife and I had that first date. It was a Wednesday. The restaurant was called Epicure. We ordered the burgers au poivre with blue cheese and peppercorn sauce and a bottle of a Côtes de Rhône from the village of...
Diving into an ocean of delights. At Mario’s.

Diving into an ocean of delights. At Mario’s.

With an enormous thank you to Scott Allison for his photographs. It’s become a bit of a ritual, an annual event. It’s when I get a group together and ask Mario’s Mariscos Frescos to bring in the very best that the Pacific Ocean has to offer. Oysters, scallops, shrimp,...
“These tapas are better than any I’ve ever had in Spain.” 

“These tapas are better than any I’ve ever had in Spain.” 

My friend Therese said that. And my friend Therese is usually a little shy with her compliments. I wouldn’t go as far as Therese with my praise but I will say that the tapas were very different from what I’ve traditionally had in Spain. The occasion was Therese, Don...
A very attractive woman. And very attractive fries. At Don Valente.

A very attractive woman. And very attractive fries. At Don Valente.

It was around 15 years ago when I first laid eyes upon her. Up from Mexico City she was, pedalling bicycles in a hold ’em tournament. Now you may think that life as a dealer only requires minimal skills. You cut, you count, you shuffle, you deal. But there are many...