Guest Post Time! Jonathan is back again with a post from Chicago. This time it's about an Asian-y restaurant. I'm always weary of restaurants that can't figure out their identity, but this place sounds pretty promising, and I'll let Jonathan take it away here:
In general, I haven’t found many "pan-Asian" restaurants that I like. In fact, I am more likely to dislike a place if it is described as pan-Asian than if it is not. Maybe I’m too harsh, but usually I find that all the cuisine ends up as a watered down version of the original. It’s a matter of focus; Asia's a big place. So when I heard about Sunda, a new Asian concept, had just opened a few blocks from my apartment in River North, I was skeptical.... [Continue reading]
Today you're getting a treat! A very very special treat from our eating duo (Jonathan and Grace) in Chicago. This guest post that features the pictures from Alinea's tasting menu! The man who's behind the genius at Alinea is Grant Achatz. He recently won the Beard award for Best Chef in the United States 2008. Enjoy the post!
In 2003, Grace and I traveled to Evanston to dine at Trio for her birthday. We had heard the restaurant was worth the short trip from Chicago, but knew little else about the restaurant. The meal that followed could be described as transformative. I had some great meals before, but this meal would show me just how food could go. One dish in particular was unforgettable. The dish was a butter-poached lobster with rosemary. But there was no rosemary in the dish. Instead, the plate sat on a bed of rosemary and hot water was poured onto the herbs filling the air with an evergreen perfume. For me, it was the first time a chef had purposefully exploited my sense of smell over taste, and I liked it.... [Continue reading]
Think for a minute about how awesome it would be to have a guest post today. Maybe I'm just excited because it's about pizza and I have been craving pizza. Or maybe it's because it just looks so damn tasty. Jonathan is back today with a story about making pizza at home!
Every so often, my sister justifies her own existence. It’s rare, but it does happen. A few weeks ago, I was over at her apartment when I discovered a pizza stone in her oven. I peeked behind the cupboard racks to find a pizza peel. This little discovery just happened to coincide with a New York Times article on pizza dough at home. And so while Danny was busy frying anything he could get his hands on, I set off making dough. I told my sister this had been a worthwhile visit and to expect me back the next day and that I would require a few ingredients. She frowned and sent me on my way. But I vowed to be back.... [Continue reading]
Jonathan is back with a guest post about pies! Mmmm... pie week is great. This makes me want to live in Chicago. We don't really have stores like this in New York. We only have the cupcake craze... but they have pies! I want some pie now... but as a substitute, reading about pies and looking at his drool-worthy pictures will do for now...
I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but there are two major exceptions: cookies and pies. For these two, I have a weakness. This weakness compels me to not only eat the cookies and pies, but also somehow obsessively rank them in my head. I have this running top five list for each. The lists themselves are very reminiscent of Rob Fleming from High Fidelity; and every once in a while I find myself listing off other things.... [Continue reading]
Oooooh boy, I hope you're ready. Jonathan is back with a guest post. Him and his wife hit up L2O and captured the deliciousness for everyone. Really, I thought I was ready for this and it still blew me away. It was like the 07-08 Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs against the Celtics. You could see it coming, I mean, L2O, this has to be good. But man... the pictures. The food. I haven't been this excited since I saw Slumdog Millionaire. Yea, this is BETTER than a Gloden Globe for best picture. This is better than the playoffs. This is a play by play of a meal at L2O, and IT'S AWESOME.
A petite and pleasant kimono-clad white woman led us back to the tatami room. In front of the room, slightly to the left of the main dining room, we took off our shoes putting them on a small tray. The room itself was cozy with a small table and accompanying recessed floor seating. I like sitting on the floor and I wish I could do it more (I used to love watching TV on the floor or playing videogames on the floor. I think most of my childhood was spent on the floor). As we got settled, the waitress artfully bent down to pour our water. That is when I decided to ask her about her knees; it seemed at the time to be relevant. While I loved sitting on the floor, it seemed like for me to truly enjoy this experience I wouldn’t want my server to be in any pain. She smiled politely and asked if I had any food allergies.... [Continue reading]
Apparently there's a lot that goes towards making an apartment a home. This shit never ends. Recently I installed some window air conditioning units.... [more]
After two weeks of Seattle posts, I think it's about time to sunset this dying category since it's just killing my page rank from shitty to shittier.... [more]
You ever do this thing where you enjoy a meal, think it's OK on the price, then later on when you think back, you realize they gave you an order of... [more]
Sometimes it's very difficult to quantify the premium you pay for being in New York City. Even within city limits, pricing changes rapidly from one... [more]
Aaaaaand more pictures from Seattle. Not much of a surprise there huh? I'm trying to go through them as fast as possible. When's the last time you saw... [more]
