“Ow I like dem erstas at Hank’s.”

“Ow I like dem erstas at Hank’s.”

That was my attempt at what New Orleanians call a “yat” accent. I know. Not very good was it. In her book, New Orleans Cuisine: Fourteen Signature Dishes And Their Histories, Susan Tucker refers to Oysters Rockefeller as “the single greatest contribution of the United...
You’re invited to spend a gourmet evening in Spain.

You’re invited to spend a gourmet evening in Spain.

At next month’s San Miguel de Allende wine-pairing dinner, we will be exploring the wine regions of Spain. With six different courses each accompanied by a different wine. The menu, I think, speaks for itself. GASPACHO DE ANDALUCIA Cucumber, bell pepper and herb...
Appassimento. Hard to spell. Easy to drink.

Appassimento. Hard to spell. Easy to drink.

There is no winery in my opinion more emblematic of the Veronese style than Masi Agricola. Still family-owned, Masi is one of the largest wineries in Valpolicella, producing over 12 million bottles a year. 47 of those bottles were opened last week at Firenze, one of...
In pursuit of a better shepherd’s pie.

In pursuit of a better shepherd’s pie.

I’m recycling one of my blog posts from a few years ago today. Partly, of course, because I’m lazy. But mostly because a Scottish version of Don Day’s Wife’s shepherd’s pie will be on the menu at Bonds’ Robbie Burns Night in San...
“If you know beans about chili, you know chili has no beans.”

“If you know beans about chili, you know chili has no beans.”

Wick Fowler wrote those words. Jerry Jeff Walker sang those words. Don Day doubted those words. I was never really popular as a kid. Except for about every two weeks on Thursday. Because it was about every two weeks on Thursday that I would get up in the morning and...
The Restaurant. Because there’s no friend like an old friend.

The Restaurant. Because there’s no friend like an old friend.

I had an old friend visiting this week. We go back a long way. To when “having a ball” meant owning a treasured piece of pigskin. And going long, up-and-down the avenue, was our favorite pastime. “Though a dragon lives for ever, not so little boys”,...
Cazón. Worth the seven blocks just to try it.

Cazón. Worth the seven blocks just to try it.

OK, Grille Torres is a little out of the way. But only a little. In fact, it’s only seven blocks from the jardin. I counted last week when I went for the cazón. I like Grille Torres. A lot. And it’s not exactly a foodie restaurant. Reasonably common dishes actually....
Oh where, oh where, can my ramen man be?

Oh where, oh where, can my ramen man be?

It was October 10 when I got the first email. October 11 when I got the second. There had been a sighting in San Miguel de Allende. On the top floor of Mercado Sano. And then a second sighting. And there I was in San Sebastian, Spain. It would be almost three weeks...
C’est ici! San Miguel now has its own French crêperie.

C’est ici! San Miguel now has its own French crêperie.

I used to love crêpes. I use to love crêperies. Everybody did in the seventies. We went to crêperies on dates. Crêperies had checkered tablecloths. Crêperies had candles in wine bottles. And most importantly, in those days, creperies had low prices. Two could go to a...
You’re invited to a very special wine-pairing dinner.

You’re invited to a very special wine-pairing dinner.

Masi Agricola produces not just some of the best Venetian wines, they produce some of the best wines in all of Italy. Their celebrated Amarones traditionally score in the nineties when judged by the critics. I was recently offered the opportunity to purchase cases of...