Jorge Avendaño. He looks right. He cooks right.

Jorge Avendaño. He looks right. He cooks right.

When we first walked into Bastardo, I could see him in the distance weaving his way around his shipping container kitchen. We’d shared a couple of messages back in November but all I really knew about him was his first name. But I knew this guy had to be the chef....
“See what the boys in the back room will have.” At Chikatana.

“See what the boys in the back room will have.” At Chikatana.

Is there anyone else out there old enough to remember Marlene Dietrich singing that song in Destry Rides Again? I was humming it to myself the other day when Don Day’s Wife and I were having lunch at Chikatana. I was thinking how tough it must be for Aleysha Serrato...
In praise of porcine pleasures

In praise of porcine pleasures

Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. But pigs treat us as equals. Winston Churchill said that. People challenge the intelligence of a pig. But in my opinion, any animal that can take soybeans and corn and turn it into bacon is a genius. Don Day said that. I was...
Vinos + Tapas. Bigger + Better.

Vinos + Tapas. Bigger + Better.

“That’s the best steak made from Mexican beef I’ve ever had in this town.” Don Day’s Wife used the “b” word the other night. Not the “better” word, the “best” word. Not the comparative, the superlative. She used it twice in fact. And “best” is a word that does...