Food

The people of New Orleans take their food seriously.  They love food. They love to eat. They love to fry. And when it comes to frying, they do it better than anyone! It is just as easy to eat your way through New Orleans as it is to drink your way through it. And eat our way through it, we did!  Here are some food highlights.
27 September, 2012
Nothing tastes better than food that is fresh off the farm. The colors and flavors are like nothing you get at a supermarket. So, while on a recent trip up the coast of California, we spent a couple days at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. While there, Sean Eastwood, chef de cuisine of Navio Restaurant, invited us for a Farm-to-Table day. In the morning, we visited the Coastside Farmers Market, a farmer-directed Certifed Market designed to link Coastside residents with the Coastside farmers, ranchers, fishermen and culinary artisans for the past 10 years. All products are from within 20 miles of the market and many of these local farms are recovering varieties of fruits and vegetables which are disappearing.
13 September, 2012

IN A MID-SUMMER BARBECUE, SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY GOES WHOLE HOG Over a hot August weekend, wine and barbecue lovers joined vintner Doug Margerum for three days of food...

09 September, 2012

Paso Robles Inn Steakhouse has been a favorite place for locals and visitors for more than 50 years, but their history dates even further back. Sitting on top...

03 September, 2012
A brand new Mexican restaurant opened a few months ago on 4th St. and the Santa Monica dining scene is heating up.  Named Mercado in homage to the fresh ingredients regularly ordered from the Farmer’s Market, the food and drinks are fresh takes on authentic Mexican cuisine. Owner Jesse Gomez grew up in the restaurant business. Almost 50 years ago his grandparents opened El Arco Iris Mexican restaurant in Highland Park in 1964. Jesse began working in the family restaurant and was responsible for modernizing El Arco Iris  and reintroducing the restaurant to the neighborhood. In 2009 he opened his own restaurant Yxta Cocina Mexicana in downtown LA.  Now Mercado is his third venture with partner Chef Jose Acevedo.
23 July, 2012

A visit to San Francisco isn't complete without a meal at the popular modern Vietnamese Slanted Door. Opened in 1995 on Valencia Street, the famous restaurant moved in 2004 to their current location in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. The restaurant may not be new but this foodie haven is still in high demand and advanced reservations are highly recommended.

The space at Slanted Door is vast and yet always full.  The large lounge and glass bar is where to go without reservations. If you can find a seat, you can order from the full menu. There is an outside patio for those rare warm San Francisco days.  The dining area has boothes and tables and you will regularly see large groups of both locals and tourists seated around them. To start off a meal at Slanted Door, grab a cocktail at the bar.  The Cocktail progam is managed by Bar Manager Erik Adkins.  Erik is one of the top talents in San Francisco and his cocktails are refined and executed with precision.  He ultilizes fresh, local ingredients to create cocktails that demonstrate a link to agriculture.
09 July, 2012

The 2011 hottest new restaurant in LA still holds the title one year from the date of opening.  Picca, which means “to nibble,” is home to Chef Ricardo Zarate's modern Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese flair.  Picca is about the food and the flavors; it is traditional Peruvian street food elevated to fine dining.  With the menu written on the walls, the restaurant is modern, vibrant and casual.  From the chefs working at the ceviche bar to the bartenders mixing fresh cocktails at the bar to the full room of diners, the energy is electric and a great dining experience.

               

Let's start with the cocktails, created by award winning mixologist Julian Cox who oversees the bar programs at Picca, Sotto, Playa and Rivera.  The bar is filled only with spirits from South and Latin Americas, such as Rum, Tequila and Pisco (the national spirit of Peru).  The cocktail menu includes a description of the ingredients in each cocktail so that you know how they are made.
25 June, 2012

A friend recently invited me to join him at his favorite local restaurant in Culver City. As I drove down Sepulveda Blvd to Washington Place, I didn't...

06 June, 2012
While working harvest at Mountford Estate in Waipara, New Zealand we ate well everyday.  All the meat and vegetables that we ate on a daily basis came from the farm, straight to the table. There was fresh veal and lamb that had been killed prior to my arrival. And, the venison was planned for after my departure.  I was okay with this and thought I had gotten off easy until they announced that it was time to kill the geese. There were 25 loud squawking geese that we heard every morning, day after day. Despite their being annoying, they were well-fed, happy geese who lived a good life on the farm.  But, on a calm Sunday, while waiting for the grapes to ripen, the harvest team took a trip for a couple of hours only to come back to 20 dead (decapitated) geese.
23 May, 2012
After a visit from Chef Thomas Hishon to Mountford Estate during my stay in New Zealand, I decided that a visit to Clooney Restaurant in Auckland was not to be missed. Considered one of the best restaurants in Auckland, Clooney has been a Restaurant Finalist in the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Awards and the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards for 5 years running. Clooney is a partnership between restaurateur Tony Stewart and Chef Des Harris, one of New Zealand's most prolific chefs. Chef Thomas Hishon, who had cooked for us at Mountford Estate, joined Clooney as Sous Chef  1-1/2 years ago, after training in the UK and Canada and today at the age of 25 oversees a staff of 12.
10 May, 2012
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