EatDrinkSleepWell

13th and Wolf's Florence week

2012-01-11T02:35:00.001-05:00

I suspect many of you have found me through my brother's blog 13th & Wolf. For those of you who don't know 13th & Wolf yet, it is a superlative vision of men's style. This week, he branches out a bit with a very thoughtful series of posts regarding eating and art in Florence, Italy in honor of the fact that so many of his friends are making their first visit to our shared favorite city fr Pitti Uomo. His choices will be familliar to readers of this page, as tastes run very similar is our family. However, his choice of images and prose is worth a look if you long for a brief virtual holiday, or you happen to be in Florence right now. If you're in the latter category, I am supremely jealous.

In a related vein, today would've been my Dad's 69th birthday. In honor of that, and of the focus on Florence, I want to sing the praises of Trattoria Cammillo, 57R Borgo San Jacopo in the Oltrarno, just a quick right turn and a short walk from the Ponte Vecchio.

I raise it both because it is an excellent example of a true Trattoria frequented by fiorentini, and because it's where I had the last meal my Dad and I ever ate in Italy. I was in Florence for work (rough life) and he was similarly at a Board meeting in Rome, but -- true to form -- took the train up to spend the day with me. It was a Sunday, which meant finding a restaurant open for lunch was tough. After a couple of strikeouts, we walked past Cammillo. I had eaten there once before about ten years earlier, and remembered it as very good, if a bit pricey.

After scanning the menu, we both settled on the questionably named tagliatelle fresca con sugo di castrato. It turned out it was a ragu made from a neutered lamb, and hence much sweeter than traditional lamb ragu. It was absolutely delicious. Man, did my dad love his pasta. So guys, if you're stuck for lunch this Sunday, try Camillo.

Happy birthday, pop.

Freedom Tower

2011-09-10T22:33:00.001-05:00

The Freedom Tower is red, white and blue tonight. It's quite moving.

Location:Ground Zero

Rao's part two

2011-06-25T19:01:00.003-05:00

I feel spoiled.

I got a call two weeks ago today:

"Would you like _______'s table at Rao's next Wednesday?".

I said yes without checking my calendar, without calling my wife to see if we could get a babysitter. When asked that question, there's only one possible answer.

I knew I had four seats, so we had room for one other couple. Lots of contenders, but only one Obvious choice if he was in town. My brother and his wife. A treat like this has to shared first with family.

I didn't tell him where we were going until that morning. Awesome.

We got there promptly at 7, and sat down. A round of cocktails at the table from Nick the Vest, and then we started eating. The food, as you'll see from last review, was good to great the last time. I'd say almost the same this time, except more of it was truly great. The seafood salad and the mixed salad didn't disappoint. The mixed salad in particular was exactly how my grandmother's used to taste. We followed this with penne a la vodka, and lingune with white clam sauce. Now, I have to tell you that the ONLY kind of pasta I generally don't like is linguine -- the texture just doesn't work for me. But this linguine was stupendous. As I remembered From my last visit, their dried pasta dishes were perfectly al dente. The vodka sauce was the savory, tomatoey, vaguely cheesy way that vodka sauce is supposed to be. The clam sauce was garlicky with some pepperoncino, the perfect amount of heat, and a combination of whole and chopped clams. It was awesome. This course came with the requisite four meatballs. I ate two of them. Even better than last time. You can taste the percorino in them. They manage to be crusty on the outside and medium rare on the inside. They are divine.

For entrees we ended up randomly ordering the same two as my last visit. This time, I had the opposite reaction. The chicken scarpariello which was the most memorable part of my first visit, was good, but the chicken was a little bit dry and the peppers weren't hot enough. The shrimp oreganata, however, was superb. Large, moist shrimp in an intensely garlic and oregano sauce. Unbelievable. We also had a side on sauteed escarole, in honor of my Dad. He loved escarole, and used o always say that the Romans called it the "green of life." He might have made that up. The escarole was not very popular at our table, though I liked it.

This time we had dessert, the famous cheesecake and the coffee ice cream, both of which were unusually delicious for staple items. Three bottles of really excellnt chianti, and some after dinner drinks, and we rolled out full and happy, as the photo below documents.

I can't say enough about this place. The hype about the exclusivity aside, they do everything right. The service was great, as was the atmosphere. Less sceney this visit, it felt like every table were old time regulars, not celebrities. Maybe it's so good because with only a clientele of regulars, they can't ever let anything slip. I think it probably has more to do with the perfectionism of the hosts, who really make you feel at home.

What a special place.

Lightning Strikes, Not Once, But Twice...

2011-06-15T05:56:00.006-05:00

The end of a fantastic evening, courtesy of Mr. Pellegrino and the crew at 455 East 114th.

A quick San Francisco post

2011-06-15T05:34:00.005-05:00

I found myself recently in San Francisco for two meals with very little time for planning. The first was breakfast, and the spot chosen by my host, my old friend was Brenda's French Soul Food at 652 Polk Street in the Tenderloin. It was jammed for breakfast, even on a Friday morning. We started with a "flight" of four beignets: Chocolate (molten ghiardelli chocolate center), Apple and cinnamon, plain, and crawfish with cheddar and scallion. After half of each one, I was full. Each one was perfectly crisp on the outside, and perfectly balanced and delicious on the inside. Even the plain one had a deliciously airy center.

Of course, the meal did not end there. I had to continue with an andouille and cheddar omelette with mushroom, potato hash and a fresh, enormous southern biscuit with butter and homemade jam. I practically needed to be rolled out by the end of the meal, but man! What a delicious meal.

Not surprisingly, i didn't feel the need to eat again until dinner, where I found myself downtown, alone and with time to kill until my redeye home. A quick ipad Zagat search (the wonders of modern technology) confirmed the hunch I had walking by Tadich Grill on California street and peering in the window. It claims to be California's oldest restaurant with the strapline: "the original cold day restaurant 1849." I have no idea what that means, but The place oozes character and tradition. The long cavernous room is largely occupied by a huge rectangular bar - one of my favorite ways to eat solo. There are some tables nestled into cubilcle-like nooks built into the left wall. Also, the seven or eight seats at the bar facing the front window are reserved for those drinking only.

At the eating portion of the bar, old world waiters with eastern european accents, white coats, and a familiar surliness greet you and offer suggestions as requested. Cold beer is plentiful. I started with the suggested dungeness crab cake which was not over fried, With a healthy amount of meat to filler. It appeared to have roe in it. Two sauces, one tomato based (like a thousand island) the other akin to a tartar sauce. While it was tasty, it was not particularly notable. That was in stark contrast to the main course, the Cioppino.

They apparently are famous for it, and it's easy to see why. A huge bowl of pungent vinegary broth accented with tarragon and loaded with fresh seafood, garlic bread perfectly saturated with oil and garlic right amount of crunch. The scallops in particular, which are notoriously easy to overcook, were firm and plentiful. It was nothing short of superb. There was an upsell side of steamed asparagus that was average and should be missed. I'd get the Cioppino and a salad if I did it over again. And I undoubtedly will.

My new favorite hotel room

2010-12-05T06:28:00.002-05:00

I'm been spending a bit of time in Washington, DC again of late - it's amazing how much the city has changed since I lived here seven years ago. Collections of sparkling new high rises dot formerly blighted areas everywhere, loads of new restaurants (including the second US outpost of my friends Gianni and Stefano's beloved Acqua al 2 from Florence which has replicated the amazing convivial atmosphere and delicious food of the original perfectly. Bravo to Ari and Ralph).

But the purpose of this post is to sing the praises of something that hasn't changed -- the reliablity of the St. Regis Hotel on the southwest corner of 16th and K. It is still a relatively quiet part of town. It's near the White House, and there's now a P.J. Clarke's across the street (which is good and reliable). The hotel is everything a hotel should be. It is not too big, so you never feel overwhelmed with other guests. It is elegant, the design is that of an Italian Renaissance palazzo. The Staff is extremely professional, friendly and attentive. The rooms are very well kept, cleaned and comfortable. In particular the x25 line is quite spacious and quiet. While it faces an internal courtyard, it has southern views so it gets plenty of light. The perfect room for a business trip. My new home away from home in DC.

Rao's, yes, Rao's

2010-02-21T15:50:00.002-05:00

Ask 10 New York foodies what table they'd love to try once, and I'll bet you get more than three Rao's. The old-school Italian-American restaurant on the corner of East 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue is a highly coveted meal first and foremost because most people can never eat there. You see, the 10 tables are "owned" on an annual basis by particular patrons, who have the right to occupy the table one night a month (or more) for the whole night. Rao's is only open for dinner, and only Monday through Friday. The "owners" of these tables, it is said, run the gamut from long-time neighborhood regulars (the neighborhood used to be Italian Harlem), to New York political honchos, celebrities, law enforcement, and the like. There's also the unfortunate and ubiquitous speculation that, as all things popular and Italian-American, there are men with "connections."

Interestingly, despite the exclusive hype, the food has always been reputed to be excellent, not always a sure thing for a celebrity hot-spot. The one indication most of us have is Rao's jarred tomato sauce. Growing up in an Italian-American home a jar of tomato sauce was sacrilige, but I will confess gladly that I have Rao's in my kitchen because it is truly excellent, and we don't always feel like cooking.

And Rao's sauce was as close as I had gotten until last Wednesday.

It turns out a long-time friend of mine has had a table for 10 years. I didn't know this until about a week and a half ago, though if I told you who it is, you'd say "of course he does. " In any event, he invited me for dinner with his son and a colleague late the week before. I must admit that I could think of little else from the moment he said it. It was a bit like looking forward to Christmas morning, as a kid. I spent a lot of time reading posts about the place, trying to figure out what to order, as this might be my only trip to Rao's.

Having read that the neighborhood could be a little rough, I took a cab. When you pull up, Rao's is the brightly lit, shiny Red and white corner beacon on an otherwise dark and drab Harlem block. People were huddled outside smoking and talking loudly. You can see most of the restaurant through the windows in the front. It was actually bigger than I expected, with more room between tables. The bar is long, and actually open to the public - though I don't believe you can eat there.

The place has an incredible festive energy. Everyone there seems to be enjoying it as a treat. The Negroni I had at the bar was very well made, for starters. We sat at our booth, and I surveyed the room. There were some notable, but low-key people there. The walls are covered with framed celebrity pictures. A man in a suit jacket came and pulled up a chair and explained what he had for dinner that night - he was the menu. He explained that the food is served family-style. I surrendered to my host - the only thing I knew I would chime in was if he didn't order meatballs.

We started with Rao's famous seafood salad, their home roasted red peppers, baked clams oreganata, and a simple tossed salad. The seafood salad had big chunks of lobster meat and squid, shrimp and crab in a light olive oil dressing. It was excellent. The roasted peppers were good. The baked clams acceptable but not memorable (to be fair, I had chosen them), and the salad was surprisingly tasty. I reminded me of the salads that my grandmother used to make, with oregano and red wine vinegar on chopped iceberg lettuce and tomatoes.

For pasta we had rigatoni with broccoli rabe and sausage and ravioli in marinara sauce. The rigatoni was cooked perfectly al dente, with plenty of broccoli rabe and pork sausage, but the sauce was a little thin. The marinara is excellent, and the ravioli were good (a little soft to my taste). Accompanying the pasta came the meatballs - one big one each. They're about the size of a baseball. They are incredibly moist, and indeed, medium rare on the inside. They have this excellent, garlicky, romano cheesey flavor. I fully understood the hype on these meatballs from the first bite.

It would have been easy to quit there, but we weren't finished. Jumbo shrimp oreganata and chicken scarpariello, chicken braised in white wine with hot and sweet sausage, and hot and sweet peppers. The shrimp may have been great, I couldn't honestly tell you because the chicken was absolutely delicious. It had exactly the right mix of salty, savoury and hot. I could've eaten another full tray.

By the time we were done, the place was really jumping. A notable celebrity had taken the table next to us, all the other tables were full, and the famous juke box had been turned up. The owners were making the rounds of the room - it was truly delightful. I didn't want to go home (and the difficulty finding a cab up there almost ensured I didn't).

Bottom line: the food runs the gamut from B+ to A+ - and there really is some A+. When coupled with the atmosphere, it is an unparalleled New York experience. If you have a chance, you should definitely go. With any luck, I'll have an opportunity to post on it again some day. P.S. they take only cash, and I have no idea what the bill was, though my sense is that it ain't cheap.

Remembering Nonno

2009-10-28T05:56:00.002-05:00

The first time Nick met Nonno. They were both impressed. Understandably.

Florence update

2009-07-05T04:38:00.002-05:00

I'm just finishing a quick weekend in Florence (one lunch to go!) and I hit a lot of the standards so updates are warranted.

I've been staying at the Westin Excelsior, which I quite like. The rooms are big and well furnished, many of the rooms have Arno views, it's on a great, relatively quiet piazza (Ognisanti) a bit off the beaten path, and it's part of the Starwood chain so I get points. It's not cheap, but deals are available (particularly with points). Room 250, which I've had before is particularly nice, as it's in a corner and is very quiet.

Onto the food!

I arrived late Friday night so I headed over to Acqua al 2 as their kitchen is open quite late. They, as usual, did not disappoint. The fusilli lunghi marscapone e funghi may be my favorite dish of pasta in the world. The tagliato di rucola was very good, though after eating it I was reminded that I should simply have two dishes of the fusilli when I eat at Acqua. Gianni and Stefano are both still there, wonderful hosts as always. Gianni confirmed that they are opening an Acqua in Washington DC in Eastern Market with massive outdoor seating. A much shorter plane ride from New York, I'm very much looking forward to it.

Next day came lunch at, where else, Trattoria Cibreo. Feeling particularly uninventive, I ordered my standards again: Pomodoro in gelatina, sformato di ricotta e patate and calamari inzimino with a half bottle of chianti di fonteruoli 2004. Friends, alas, something has changed at Cibreo. Don't get me wrong, it was very good. But something in the kitchen has mellowed - it is no longer mind-blowing. For example, the Pomodoro historically had a bite - a combination of raw garlic and hot pepper. Neither was present. It was still silky smooth with great olive oil, but it didn't have the kick that makes it so addictive. The Inzimino similarly had no heat, one of its signatures in the past. Also, it was soupier than usual, with less calamari and more greens (that seemed to by spinach rather than cavolo nero). The sformato was delicious (I still wish I could get a recipe...).

For dinner, hold onto your hats, I tried something new. I had run across the name La Vecchia Bettola numerous times before, and had driven past it on a number of occasions while looking for a gas station to refuel rental cars. I decided to branch out last night and eat there. I reserved for 9:15, arrived promptly to a very long "line" spilling out into the small piazza in front. It took 15 or 20 minutes to be seated at one of the long, marble topped communal tables. The crowd was overwhelmingly Italian (a good sign). We ordered an antipasto a la Bettola con funghi (afettati - prosciutto, salame, finochianna; crostini di fegato; and marinated porcini) but our primi came first. The waiter, who appeared to be handling the entire interior himself (there's a small outside as well) had forgotten, so we decided to have it after our primi. I had paccheri a rottanculo (not a particularly appetizing name), a meat sauce with beef, pork and chicken livers, that was delicious. My friend had penne a la Bettola, a spicy, incredibly rich penne a la vodka that was similarly fantastic. The antipasto arrived (without the funghi) and was fairly standard, I'd probably try something else next time. They had an insalata di ovoli (amazing mushrooms sliced thinly and raw) that tempted me when I saw it on the menu (they're unbelievably good) and I finally ordered it once my secondi arrived, but they'd run out. For secondi, I had braciole con caperi e acciughe (a breaded, thin veal cutlet sauced with a wonderful tomato sauce made with capers and anchovies). It was incredibly flavorful and moist. My friend had Coniglio Arrosto Morto (rabbit roasted to death), which was very moist and flavorful, but far too bony. Red wine della casa came in a large, straw wrapped jug and cost 4 euro per person no matter how much you drank. It was remarkably potable. Desserts, particularly the fresh fruit, looked great, but we were far too full. The place is great, try not to tell too many people...

And now, off to lunch.

Eulogy for my father

2008-11-02T12:28:00.002-05:00

Tragically, my father died this past Tuesday, the 28th, after a 19 month battle with cancer. He was an extraordinary man. His memorial service was held in South Philadelphia, his boyhood home, yesterday. I was asked by several attendees to share the text of the eulogy I gave. Here it is. There were some deviations from the orginal text that I have tried to capture in this version, and some I already have forgotten.
_________________________________

Thank you for joining us here today on behalf of my family: my mother, my siblings, myself, and my dad. I had thought I would begin by describing my father, but as I look around the room, it is clear to me that virtually everyone in this room knew him. Nonetheless, my father, as you know, was a remarkable man. He was brilliant, he was dignified, he was elegant, he was selfless, generous, he had a great sense of humor, he was passionate. The assembly of such a personally and professionally remarkable group of family and friends -- and the condolences of hundreds more from across the world who wished they could be here to join us in paying respects to my father says more about my his accomplishments as a human being than I could hope to in words.

Indeed, as I thought about the daunting task of paying appropriate tribute to my father this morning, I was at times overwhelmed at where to begin. To chronicle and praise my father’s achievements would be impossible: he quite simply did everything and excelled at all of it. And he wouldn’t have liked that anyway, he would have viewed it as boastful. I also thought about my fondest memories of my father, but knew immediately that I had no hope of getting through those without sobbing incomprehensibly.

I thought about what my father would have wanted me to do today, and it quickly became clear. Life, for my dad, was always about lessons – lessons taught and learned. He looked for the lesson in everything he did, and he relished the opportunity to share them. Anyone who has eaten with him is familiar with what one of my friends aptly dubbed “lunch and lecture.”
And while he certainly could make any setting feel like a classroom – I suspect that is why the Socratic method of law school seemed so familiar to me – it was always clear that he did it out of an intense curiosity, a joy for human interaction and a belief in constantly trying to make the world a better place through mutual understanding.

So today, it seems most appropriate that, on my father’s behalf I share with you three essential lessons that he imparted to me over the last 40 years.

The first one is deceptively simple, but it was his overriding mantra:

Family First

My father was an incredibly busy man. He never had fewer than three full-time avocations: physician, writer, Chairman of the National Italian American Foundation, pundit, restauranteur, political advocate – and that leaves many out. As we reflected this week on all that he accomplished in only 65 years, my brother Greg wondered aloud whether there had been three of him. Indeed, each of you undoubtedly feels like my father spent a significant amount of his time speaking to you, and yet he had time for all the people in this room, and more. I have no idea how he did it.

And yet, no matter what my father was doing – from seeing patients to meeting with Presidents of the United States – he made unambiguous to everyone that he would drop anything for his family. For my dad, any success he achieved in his life was a direct result of the complete dedication and self-sacrifice of his parents, and he wanted his family to have no less advantage. And we didn’t.

His dedication to and love for my Mom is the stuff of fairy tales. We each can only hope to have that kind of true love in our lives. She was his inspiration and his rock, and he was hers.

For the five of us, his children, he was always there. He worked tirelessly to provide for us, and raise us to be strong, moral and self-sufficient people. He coached our baseball teams, edited (or in some cases wrote) our college admission essays, and advised and opened doors for us as we each pursued our careers. He gloried in our personal victories and assuaged our defeats.

And when his seven grandchildren came along, my father was a grandfather in the model of his father. And for those of you who knew my grandfather, you know there is no higher compliment.

And then there was his extended “family.” I remember when I was about 8 or 9 and it suddenly dawned on me that I had a lot of “aunts” and “uncles” given that my dad was an only child. But that’s because my father defined family broadly to include all of those that he loved. And for those who became his family, you know the same awesome sense of total security he provided. There is nothing like it.

The confidence that my father’s total selflessness to us provided was essential to that which we have acheived. I truly believe, as he did, that if each of us put our families first – before career, before personal fulfillment, certainly before politics -- each of us would be happier, and it would solve most of the world’s problems.

Second,

Don't Ever Forget Where You Came From

As an Italian kid from a modest beginning in this very neighborhood, my dad went on to do things that few people do. And yet he never forgot, and indeed trumpeted where he came from. As I’ve already said, he never received any honor or notice without using it as an opportunity to extol his parents and the tenets of their Italian-American culture.

He constantly said that life is not a single-generation race to collect the most toys or “tickle your hypothalamus” in the most ways. The key to life, for my father, was to remember that it is multi-generational. That you are where you are because of the sacrifices and lessons of those who came before you.

It is this approach that informed so much that was inspirational about my dad: his wisdom, his humility, his selflessness, and in particular his strength when facing adversity.

Each day I remember, and am thankful for where I came from because of him.

Third,

Do It Now

It is an understatement to say that my father's life was tragically short in time. I find solace, however, in the fact that my father did not waste any of it. He devoured life. He always had a project, a conference, an article, a trip, an idea. If there was a subject that interested him, he would study and master it, seeking out the experts in the field to hone his understanding. And I used to marvel at both his capacity for learning information, and the confidence and ease with which he would strike up friendships with highly talented people he didn’t know at all. Even more extraordinary was his ability to tell these experts that they were wrong about something on which they were the expert.

When he became interested in architecture, he sought out noted architect Robert Venturi. When he became interested in law, he befriended Justices Alito and Scalia. When he was interested in politics, it was Rudy Giuliani, Mario Cuomo, and Congressman Guarini. With literature it was Gay Talese and Jay Parini.

Getting sick didn’t change any of this. In the last year and a half, my father approached life the same way he always had – living every day to its fullest. He traveled to Italy for conferences, went to Alaska because he had always wanted to go, though exhausted from a 25 day cycle of radiation, he attended and spoke at my brother Tonio’s wedding. Indeed, just two weeks ago, though wheelchair bound and visibly affected by his sickness my father attended the annual gala of the National Italian American Foundation in Washington to be honored and celebrate the end of his four year term as its chairman.
Carpe Diem doesn’t do it justice. My father’s example always reminded me that each of us does not know when we will leave this earth, so if you want to do something, do it now.

***

Shortly after my father was first diagnosed last year, he sat down and wrote each of us – my mom and my brothers and sisters – letters for the time when he wouldn’t be with us anymore. It was his way of providing lessons he knew we would need for the future. In the letter to my mother, he noted that you achieve immortality through your children. What he meant by that was that if you do your job as a parent right, your children learn the lessons of how to live life, and they try to make the world the kind of place that you spent your life working towards. The best honor I can give to my dad is to live my life according to these lessons: Family First, Don't Forget Where You Came From, Do It Now. To teach them to my son, Nicholas, and to share them with you today, that you might help me make my father’s life continue in its most important ways. Thank you.

A Quick Paris Post

2008-07-21T03:24:00.003-05:00

This will need to be filled out more, but I've just been asked for Paris recc's for the second time in a week (must be the season), so I'm posting a quick list. As you know, I foreswore haute cuisine after back-to-back unmemorable meals at Alain Ducasse New York and Per Se a few years ago.

This resolve is particularly underscored by the quality of the bistrots in Paris led by such haute-trained, but local-focused chefs as Yves Camdebord who made his fame (and led the local cuisine shift) at his own La Regalade (49 av Jean-Moulin, 14 th, Tel: 01 45 45 68 58) for many years starting in 1991 on the back of local, traditional cuisine of the highest order. It's a bit off the beaten path in the 14th, but it's worth the trek, even though Camdeborde sold it several years ago. Every meal starts with a huge terrine of house made pork pate passed to your table with cornichons and bread as a welcoming gesture of hospitality. The food is delicious and very reasonable.

Camdeborde sold La Regalade to buy the Hotel Relais Saint Germain, a very centrally located and charming hotel just off the main shopping drag in St. Germain du Pres where I spent the weekend after my wedding. Fear not, as Camdebord did not convert entirely to a hotelier, but opened the bustling Le Comptoir du Relais (9, Carrefour de l’Odeon, +33 (0)1 44 27 07 97) - an even tinier eatery fronting the hotel and spilling out onto the tiny carrefour du L'Odeon a triangular plaza in St. Germain du Pres. Camdeborde continues to create fantastic, traditional local food. His hospitality this time manifests itself in the complimentary cheese tray - enormous in size and selection - that makes the rounds after your meal. A normal menu during the week at lunch and on weekends, and a 5 course, no-choices prix fixe on weeknights. Reservations for dinner are a must and are difficult to come by unless you book far in advance, or are a guest at the Hotel. Another special by-product of staying at the Hotel is breakfast for guests only in Le Comptoir.

Le Reminet (3 Rue des Grands Degrés , Paris +33 (0)1 44070424) is also a fantastic tiny little place on a small alley just off the Seine across from Notre Dame. It has an excellent wine list, a great cellar in which you can dine, and a very cozy ambience. It has the advantage of being open Sundays and Mondays, and the disadvantage of not being air-conditioned, which one hot June night was unbearable even by the open front French Doors. That said, its stellar food and very reasonable prices make it a staple stop for me in Paris.

L' Os au Moelle (3 rue Vasco-de-Gama, Phone: 01-45-57-27-27 ) vaguely near the Eiffel Tower is another fantastic bargain, which has been more than discovered by American and Japanese tourists. Chef Thierry Faucher nonetheless continues to please with a multi-course prix-fixe and an excellent wine list. Reservations, again, are essential.

There are others (L'Epi Dupin, Violin D'Ingres - which is admittedly more haute and expensive, to name a couple) that I'll expand upon later.

New Orleans...The Big Easy is not the easiest place to eat well

2007-03-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

Last October, The noted food critic Alan Richman published a fairly scathing article in GQ about the quality of food in New Orleans post-Katrina. His point was, interestingly, not that the quality had failed to return after the hurricane, but that quality actually had long since disappeared pre-Katrina, and that New Orleans cuisine had become a mediocre, tourist-focused charicature of itself for years now. This understandably prompted a lot of outrage from New Orleaneans, who felt kicked when they were down.

The article happened to coincide with my first ever trip to New Orleans, so I read it with interest, and a bit of skepticism. Unfortunately, after two trips in short succession (one in early November and one in February) and more than a dozen meals in the Big Easy, I have to conclude that he was mostly right about the current quality of many of the places that had come highly recommended (I can't comment on what the food was like pre-Katrina, of course). There were several wonderful exceptions, however, so i'll start with those. You'll note that my first two choices happen to be Richman's recommendations. I would note that I ate at them on my second trip, after finding the other places so lackluster.

Great
Liuzza's by the Track at 1518 North Lopez Street is the only meal I had in New Orleans that was I would call extraordinary. And by extraordinary, I mean one that was so good that I asked what time they closed that night so I could come back and have the same meal for dinner. That meal, by the way, was a bowl of their piquant gumbo and their famous barbequed shrimp po' boy. The latter is not barbequed in any traditional sense. It is small, shelless shrimp, seemingly braised in a sauce of extraordinary amounts of butter, black pepper and other spices, and then generously ladled (sauce and all) into a hollowed out roll. The roll, by the way, is unique in my experiences in New Orleans, in that it is good. The overwhelming majority of po' boys I've had are served on a light facsimile of a baguette with the internal consistency of a cotton ball and a thin skin of stale, papery crust. When I say that the Liuzza's po' boy was divine, I am understating the taste of this heavenly sandwich. The proportions are all perfect: the spices, the consistencies. This is a meal I would fly in just to eat.

August - at 301 Tchoupitoulos is a sophisticated restaurant that has blended traditional Lousiana cooking with modern restaurant technique and presentation. The menu had a large number of interesting choices, pushing me toward the house degustation menu - a promised three-hour meal with wine pairings. It was an excellent way to sample the kitchen's capabilities, with no course less than very good. The most memorable item was a crawfish boil with black truffles. The only disappointment of the meal was that the wines, though copious, were quite average compared both to the food, and to the quality implied by the menu and server in advance. This is an excellent place for an important meal, business or personal, or a splurge. It has the advantage of being directly across the street from one of the W hotels in town, which is an excellent place to stay.

Stewart's Diner - at the corner of North Claiborne Avenue and Desire. We stumbled on this place because it was the only place open for lunch post-Katrina (or open at all, actually) in the 9th Ward where we were working. Little did we know that it's where President Bush ate when he came visited the area. A very simple, clean place with a lunch counter and about eight tables, this family-run diner is excellent. Fried shrimp po-boys (dressed, of course) come loaded with an abundance of good-sized, crisp shrimp. The daily specials include a fried pork chop in a secret seasoning that is delectible. Prices are extremely reasonable, and co-owner Kim Stewart is a pleasure to speak with. We ate there three days in a row.

Good

Lola's 3312 Esplanade Avenue (504) 488-6946. This was another stumble-upon. A neighborhood Spanish place with a very loyal clientele. The garlic shrimp appetizer was fantastic. So good, in fact, that it overshadowed everything else we tried by a significant margin. We all agreed it would be a good place to go simply to drink wine and eat garlic shrimp. (one caveat, they tried to serve us a cheaper wine than we'd ordered).

Napoleon House 500 Chatres Street. Still recovering from Katrina, it is only open for lunch, and with their still-limited staff, waits can be long. We sat in the courtyard, which is both comfortable and very atmospheric. We tried a variety of items, but the standout was the gumbo. Thick and packed with seafood and rice, it was the best I've tasted in New Orleans. That said, everything else was fairly average. One observation worth making, this is the first and last time I had a muffaletta. The muffaletta is a famous New Orleans cold-cut sandwhich on a large round loaf, slathered with a tapanade of olives and vegetables. It never sounded particularly interesting to me, I but I figured I'd try one. Sadly, it was precisely what I'd feared a muffaletta to be: a terrible riff on a traditional italian hoagie. This is not specific to Napoleon House. The problem with these sandwiches is that the proportions are off. There's way too much bread, a particular problem in a city that doesn't seem to know how to make very good bread. I'm told that Central Grocery is the king of muffaletta's, but I resisted, convinced that it would just be another sandwhich. Maybe I'll relent on my next trip.

Cafe du Monde - While they've become a chain, the orginal at the French Market, 800 Decatur Street, New Orleans, La, 70116 is pen 24 hours a day, closed 6pm December 24, opens 6am December 26 504-525-4544 is a delightful place to drink their delicious proprietary blend of chicory and coffee, and gorge on freshly fried beignets. One word of advice as to the latter, they are markedly better hot, so eat them as quickly as you can.

Dick and Jenny's 4501 Tchoupitoulas Street (504) 894-9880 a long cab ride from downtown, this creative, friendly cajun restaurant is known for long waits. We had none, however, as we opted to eat at the bar. The winelist is pocked with reasonably-priced gems (including a Seavey cabernet). The appetizer sampler was a good start, and the scallops were very good, though a bit on the small side.

Undistinguished

Acme oyster 724 Iberville Street is as generic as its name. Sitting at the oyster bar the fresh-shucked oysters were ok, and everything else was similarly unmemorable.

Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas Street in the Warehouse district is a restaurant dedicated to the joys of pork. What could be wrong with this, you ask? Lots, actually. Starting with a wine of a different vintage that they tried to pass off as the same, and then an argument when we raised it, the experience went down from there. The food was ok, but again, the fact that I remember nothing in a joint serving my favorite flavor of flesh speaks volumes.

Mother's 401 Poydras StNew Orleans, LA 70130(504) 523-9656 is famous for breakfast and for its "debris" po' boys -- the remainders of cut roast beef. The portions are huge, but nothing is particularly stand-out.

Don't bother
Deanie's Seafood 1713 Lake Avenue in Metairie promised a real crawfish boil, which is remarkably hard to find in New Orleans. When we got there, we discovered that the crawfish were out of season and therefore only frozen. We opted instead for a fried seafood sampler. The portions are enormous, but the food was average at best.

K-Paul's Lousiana Kitchen 416 Chartres Street Paul Prudhomme's Cajun flagship was dull, hackneyed and terribly overpriced.

The best meal of my life

2007-03-23T22:43:00.000-05:00

Those of you reading will start to get the impression that I only eat Italian food, which actually couldn't be farther from the truth. That said, I recently was asked about the best meal I've ever had, and I answered both immediately and unequivocally. Gambero Rosso, in the tiny Tuscan fishing town of San Vincenzo easily takes the prize. I ate there in June 2000 with one of my two best friends in the world - driving three hours from Florence in a torrential downpour just for lunch. The restaurant had been described as casual, so I showed up in jeans and a (damp) black t-shirt. After a couple of wrong turns, we ended up entering what clearly was not a casual restaurant. The incredibly sophisticated by tiny, multi-tiered dining room was guarded at the entrance by chef-owner Fulvio Pierangelini. Earlier photos I had seen had cast him as a warm, soft mensch-type. In person, he was tall, huge and foreboding - and not at all pleased at my casual garb. I apologized profusely in stilted Italian, and we were forgiven and seated. Thank god.

The lunch was prix fixe with the only option being two additional courses, bringing the lunch to eight courses which we happily accepted. As we munched the home baked crescent and multi-grain rolls with an exquisite salted butter, I perused the incredible wine list. Pierangelini has a separate 45,000+ bottle cellar across the street from his restaurant with remarkable allocations at even more remarkable prices. We began with a split of 1997 Gaja Gaya & Rey for $32.50 to accompany a warm octopus terrine with potato, followed by a fish mousse with a pungent pesto sauce. We then had a red snapper salad, also warm, with cous-cous and greens. Next was a chickpea puree with extraordinary olive oil and a generous portion of poached shrimp. This dish had been adopted in many Tuscan restaurants, but is credited to Pierangelini, who executes it in an incredibly memorable manner. As we paused to catch our breath, a beautiful plate of extremely delicate ravioli arrived. The pasta was a fascinating rolled checker board of egg and squid ink, filled with mixed seafood in a very light tomato sauce. At this point, the Gaja was long gone and we moved to a 1996 Argiano Solengo for an incredible $40 (granted this was pre-Euro, but still). We scarfed the sea bass with deep fried tiny baby artichokes and whipped potatoes, followed by squab breast seared with rosemary with spinach and garlic, and crispy squab leg and a fried dumpling of squab confit. Dessert was a chocolate terrine with zabaglione and whie custard, and then coffee with two different trays of petit-fours.

We marveled at each dish, and even now, almost seven years later, I can still taste them as I describe them. When we rose to leave, and nodded our approval and gratitude to Pierangelini, I realized the full extent of his generosity for letting me eat that meal despite my wholly inappropriate attire.

We sat on a bench outside, looking at the sea afterwards for an hour before we could muster the energy to get back in the car and drive the three hours home to Florence. I'd do it again tomorrow.

When in Rome

2007-03-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

Rome is unusual for an Italian city, in that it is actually quite possible to have a bad meal. As a general rule, the farther away from tourist neighborhoods, the better the food. The problem is that most of Rome is a tourist neighborhood. I generally break Rome down into lunch places and dinner places.

For starters, for lunch go to Sora Margherita in the Ghetto. It is literally a door in a wall in the Piazza Cinque Scuole. In order to get around some arcane Italian regulation they are a "cultural organization," so you need to be a "member" to eat there. What that means in practice is ther you'll need to fill out a "membership card" when you arrive, it's free and takes about two minutes. Once you have, you're a member for life. The place has no decor, the menu changes daily, but it is family run and the food is delicious. I recommend the tagliatelle cacio e pepe con ricotta, the lamb scottaditto, and the carciofi a la giudia (fried whole artichokes). In fact, you're generally safe with those two things everywhere good in Rome.

Also in the ghetto are Vecchia Roma (formal, starched white table cloths, good for dinner) and Giggetto, both of which are very good. But Sora Margherita is THE place in the ghetto. Unfortunately, it's been discovered, so you'll find more than a few tourists there these days, but it hasn't seemed to effect the food yet.

A similar now-discovered secret that I love is Pierluigi - a fantastic fish place that's a little higher end but not super expensive - still mostly Italians. If you're facing the Palazzo Farnese, walk to your right down via Monserrato until you get to Piazza Ricci, the restaurant is on your left on the corner. The octopus Sopresatta is unique and wonderful, the spaghetti a la vongole always fresh and the grilled whole fish is simple and divine. There's another fish restaurant on via Monserrato on your right side just before you get to Pierluigi, at which I've never eaten but which is supposed to be excellent.

When I have one lunch in Rome because I'm using it as a transit spot in or out of Italy, I go to Taverna Romana. It's at 79 Via Madonna dei Monte which is one block to the left (parallel) to the Via Cavour if your back is to the Forum (making it an excellent lunch spot for sight-seeing). It's run by a cantankerous old Roman couple that don't really speak English. The menu is tipica Romana, and the standards are good, particularly the scottaditto, the cacio e pepe, and the carbonara. The house wine is very tasty as well.

Osteria Romanesca in the Campo dei Fiori was a decent trattoria 4 or 5 years ago, very simple and very cheap. The food was super salty, but I like that.

Dal Bolognese near the Piazza del Popolo is a power dinner place, very good food, a bit more formal. not cheap (but not crazy). reservations likely required.

Il Matriciano off the Collo di Rienzo is a big Italian movie industry hangout. The food is excellent, you'll need reservations. The marinated sardines and the bucatini amatriciana are a must.

In the Testaccio district you could try Checchino dal 1887 (they have a website and take reservations by email). It's very, very famous for organ meat, so be careful what you order, but it's a true Roman institution. Not cheap at all, but an experience, and they have a fantastic wine cellar.

There's also a place called Tram Tram that I liked, near the basillica of San Lorenzo, which is out of the way. Not touristy, trendy with locals. The menu is fish-focused. I'd take a cab there and back, as some of the side streets are a bit sketchy at night.

Finally, there's this place Alfredeo e Ada on Banchi Nuovi, 14, Near Castel St. Angelo, that I've been dying to try - little hole in the wall, a bunch of old italian ladies. It doesn't seem to be open all the time and it's hard to find (no sign).

And of course, don't forget gelateria Giolitti near the Pantheon. It's simply fantastic.

My standard Florence recommendations

2007-03-02T05:23:00.000-05:00

I've been lucky enought to live in Florence, Italy twice - and as a result have spent a lot of time vacationing there. While it is susceptible to lots of fair criticisms: too many tourists, too many restaurants catering to tourists, etc., it is a wonderfully accessible city, particularly when visited in late fall or winter.

There are a number of places I frequent whenever I go back. Most are mentioned in reliable guidebooks -- which is often the kiss of death for an Italian restaurant. These nonetheless have maintained a high level of food quality, service and atmosphere.

My first stop is always Cibreo Trattoria, located in a residential neighborhood behind the Duomo about 10-15 minutes near the Sant' Ambrogio market. Chef-owner Fabio Picchi has a bit of a dynasty going in this neighborhood, with a trattoria, ristorante, bar, and dinner theater all next to one another. The food is creative Tuscan, you're unlikely to recognize anything on the menu and much of it looks underwhelmingly simple when it arrives. But wait until you taste... The intensity of flavors is extraordinary. The more formal restaurant requires reservations, and the trattoria next door (literally) with the same menu from the same kitchen at less than half the price (the portions are slightly smaller, more limited wine list and no reservations - plenty of food and by far the better deal). The pomodoro in gelatina (spicy tomato aspic) is outstanding, as is the sformato di ricotta e patate (think a gnocchi flan), and the calamari inzimino (squid and black cabbage cooked with hot peppers and squid's ink). I adore this place.

Aqua al 2 (Via Vigna Vecchia 40/r - 055 28 41 70) is a very lively, inexpensive restaurant right behind the Bargello (sculpture museum) popular with locals and students. Most nights these days it's packed with Americans until the late night Italian crowd wanders in, but don't let that scare you. The menu is not particularly Tuscan: Excellent pasta dishes - particularly the fusilli with porcini mushrooms and marscapone. They do an assagi di primi, a tasting of 5 different pastas that come out separately as each is made to order. The tagliata (sliced steak with arugula) is quite good as is the chicken curry believe it or not, and I love the tiramisu here. Wine list is limited but reasonably priced. I've been eating here since I was a student almost 20 years ago, and the owners, Gianni, Stefano and Lucia have always remembered me and treated me like family.

Quattri Leoni – Via de dé Vellutini 1R in the Piazza della Passera Tel 055/218562, has a number of wonderful dishes and a good wine list. The fiochetti a la pera - pasta stuffed with taleggio cheese and pears in an asparagus cream sauce - is marvelous. The tagliata di pollo is thin slices of marinated grilled chicken that are intensely flavored, and the torta di pera e ciocollato (pear and chocolate cake) keeps the pear theme going perfectly.

La Giostra – Via Borgo Pinti 12/r (Behind the Duomo on a small side street off Via del Oriouolo) tel. 055 241341 – is very romantic, though overrun with tourists and expensive. The food is very good, and the wine list is pricey but voluminous. One side note, they perform an extensive ritual when serving the wine, that includes taking a glass from your bottle, presumably to be served to the owner.

Borgo Antico Noe, Volta di San Piero, 6r, Phone: 055.2340838, just across Via del Oriouolo (in a scary little covered alley between it and Borgo degli Albizi) is a slow food spot that is very good, simple and cheap food. They have a take out sandwich place next door that is also excellent.

Though I used to be fond of Gelateria Vivoli, I think they've suffered from a good reputation. Instead, I now return to Perche No? (Why not?), notably the location of a gelato eating contest my mother won when she studied in Florence in college (which is where she met my dad). Very centrally located and delicious.

If you're thirsty rather than hungry, Florence has some very fun bars. The trendy spot changes at any given moment, but some reliable stand-bys are: Slowly – near the leather market is a dark, lively bar with DJ's, booths and a VIP section upstairs. Rose’s just off via Tornabuoni is much quieter and serves food. It's a good place for a quiet, intimate conversation. La Dolce Vita, is an almost exclusively Italian crowd in the Oltrarno with a huge section of outdoor tables and a great appertivo. A great place to sit, drink and people watch.

In terms of hotels, one of the best deals is Torre Guelfa on Borgo Appostoli. Clean, simple, reasonable very, very central (a block from the Ponte Vecchio and the Piazza della Signoria). Rates include breakfast and there is great roof deck. The only caveat is not to get a room facing the left side alley (facing the building), as the push carts for the leather market are stored in garages there and start moving with significant noise at 5am. For old-world style and luxury, the Grand Hotel and the Excelsior are both Starwood hotels on the Piazza Ognisanti on the Arno. Rooms with wonderful views of the Arno in a convenient neighborhood that is a bit quieter, these places are not cheap. For hip, modern accomodations, the Hotel Gallery Art and Hotel Continental are both across the street from one another and from Torre Guelfa. The style comes at a high price. If you want CHEAP – Hotel Locanda Orchidea (11r Borgo degli Albizi) is about $50 us a night, clean, shared bathrooms, no frills but acceptable. Very central. The owner, Miranda Cook, is English and is very friendly.

The best trattoria in Manhattan

2007-03-02T04:47:00.000-05:00

If you know me well, you've been to Il Bagatto with me. Located at 192 East 2nd Street in the East Village, this wonderful little trattoria is going on 12 years - making it a pioneer in what was once a fairly gritty neighborhood. The owners, husband Julio and wife Bea, have created a haven - the perfect communal Italian kitchen for their ever-expanding extended family of clientele. Bea is from Rome, and the food is therefore not surprisingly Roman and Roman inspired. Indeed, all of the food is inspired. The basic menu consists of antipasti, pasta, and secondi which are excellent. However, the real treats at Bagatto are in the specials, 4 antipasti, 3 pasta, and 3 secondi that are created fresh by Bea every day. Salads are always incredibly fresh and flavorful. Cheeses and salumi are imported from Italy, or homemade. The grilled calamari is amazingly delicate. Pastas sauced with homemade ragus, handmade pastas with seafood, and the Sunday lasagna that is invariably sold out by 7:30 pm are mouth-watering. Simple grilled fish, spicy pork chops, saltimboca a la Romana for secondi couldn't be better. And the dessert list provides too many options, all of which are wonderful. Add to this an all-Italian wine list that is fairly-priced and includes some remarkable, rare selections (and the bonus of an even more extensive wine list availablefrom the enoteca next-door, Il Posto Accanto, also owned by Julio and Bea), and you have the perfect site for a weekly meal, particularly because the prices are incredibly reasonable.

The atmosphere is lively on any night, rising to chaotic on Fridays and Saturdays. The decor is warm and inviting, romantic enough for a serious date while fun enough for a first date or a casual dinner. There is an unbelievably dedicated following of regulars who all seem to know one another because they actually do know each other due to Julio and Bea's incredible ability to introduce everyone to everyone. Reservations are a must, particularly Fridays and Saturdays, though prepare to wait those nights even with a reservation. Fortunately, the bar downstairs is well-stocked and the bar tenders are able and extremely friendly. This place is the best.

Frasca comes to Florida!

2007-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

The owners of Il Bagatto in New York City - an unbelievable Italian restaurant in the East Village, and the subject of another post shortly, introduced me a couple of years ago to a wonderful friend of theirs, Luciano "Frasca" Maddii in Levane, Italy, just outside of the the town of Montevarchi (best known as the home of the Prada outlet). Tucked away on a winding rustic road is an idyllic compound on the Ambra river that houses Frasca's refined and sterling ristorante and inn, "La Valle dell'inferno da I' Frasca." The food is Tuscan using the highest quality ingredients and outstanding technique. Bistecca Fiorentina is enormous and possibly the best I've ever had - the perfect marriage of momentarily seared beef, olive oil, and salt. Fish dinners involve plate after plate of the freshest seafood in simple, exquisitely flavored preparations. Pastas are sumptuous and copious. The wine cellar is packed with gems. If you find yourself in Tuscany, you simply have to make the trek. 055 9180031.

And here's the good news:

If you don't get to Montevarchi quarterly (ah, that we all could) Frasca has now opened his first North American outpost near Miami in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ristorante Da I' Frasca is located at 3145 Commodore Plaza (305 443 3142) in the main commercial section of the Grove. I was lucky enough to get there twice over a recent long weekend, and was thrilled to find that the food is (not surprisingly) up to Frasca's same fantastic standards. Frasca happened to be in the U.S. at the time we were there, and he has a partner here, Marco, who is from Pisa. Antipasti of crostini and salumi were excellent. Spaghetti was cooked true al dente, reminding me how overcooked almost all American pasta is, and serve amatriciana -- delicious. The tagliata di manzo was perfectly seared (almost still kicking) and drizzled with Lussini olive oil. It couldn't have been more tender. The second dinner was fish, starting with an warm octopus and potato salad that was delicate and wonderful, and a tuna tartare with finely minced carrot, celery and lettuce. Fusilli with lobster and fresh tomato was again delicious, followed by steamed Alaskan king crab legs with a touch of the same wonderful Lussini olive oil. Wines included a recent Brolio chianti that was perfect. Desserts were also outstanding. Tiramisu, panna cotta, chocolate mousse and zuppa inglese all done wonderfully. The restaurant is casually elegant, a place appropriate for a romantic meal or for business. In short, this is one of those rare places that takes you to Italy without needing a passport. I can't wait to go back.

Milan and Venice Restaurants

2007-02-20T12:26:00.000-05:00

A long overdue post from some honeymoon dining. I haven't spent that much time in Milan, not that much to see and the euro has killed it as a shopping destination. Both times I've been there as an adult, I've eaten at the same restaurant, which is excellent.

Da Giacomo (via Pasquale Sottocorno 6 - tel. 02 760 23313) - reservations required, closed Mondays. It is very fish-focused, and really, really delicious. They have a great wine list that is well-priced. The spaghetti a la vongole and the shrimp and squid brochette were particularly good, and the desserts rock (get the profiteroles).

In Venice much of the food is not very good and is absurdly over-priced. Wine also tends to be very mediocre. The best food, given the location is fresh fish. In particular, the scallops, (capesante in Italian) are big and have a bright reddish-orange appendage on the side I've never seen in America, that is the best part of the scallop. Their famous "spider crab" is ubiquitous, pricey, and totally uninspiring. Nonetheless, there are a couple of gems we found:

Altanella (Giudecca 268, Rio de Ponte Longo tel. 041 522 7780) - reservations essential, not a lot of english spoken and it is very hard to find but totally worth it (closed Monday and Tuesday). You need to take one of the vaporetti (mass water taxis) to the Giudecca which is across the Grand Canal. The restaurant is down a dark alley-like street just before the Ponte Lungo. They're famous for gnocchi cooked in squid ink, which is worth trying, though a bit odd and incredibly rich.

The other great dinner we had was at La Furatola (Dorsoduro 2870, Calle Lunga Banaba tel. 041 520-8594) Closed Wednesday and Thursday. - also out of the way but on the regular side of the Grand Canal. Again, reservations are a must. It is reputed that if the fish at the market isn't fresh enough, they won't open. The spaghetti vongole was great, as were the simple grilled fish.

Da Fiore (San Poli 2202, Calle del Scaleter tel. 041 721 308) came highly recommended, but we didn't get there. It looked very good and is fairly central. mostly Americans, in contrast to the other two places. they're closed Sunday and Monday.

There are also a number of wine bars serving food that seem good and frequented by lots of locals near the fish market. If you're walking away from the Rialto Bridge towards the fish market, stay all the way to the right by the canal and you'll find it. There are tables set out and people standing everywhere drinking from wine glasses. I had some good risotto there.

Welcome to EDSW

2006-11-18T01:23:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me recently (on my honeymoon, no less) that I spend a significant amount of time and energy finding special places to eat. What I mean by that are the real finds - not chains or trendy places, but local haunts that create truly memorable meals using the highest quality ingredients, and a dedication to the joy of eating.

Of course, once having found a real gem, a huge part of my joy is sharing the find with those who you know will appreciate it. Because friends and family know this about me, I often have had requests over the years for lists of places to eat, drink, and stay in cities that I frequent (New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, London, Florence, Rome to name a few) . This blog is an attempt to move past the hastily-emailed Word documents that I've used in such circumstances. My hope is that those who seek great, local food, drink and accomodations will use this as an ever-present resource in their travels. So, welcome and enjoy!