SaltShaker

New York - Past history has an influence on your point of view. It’s unavoidable. So, how do you give a fair look at the newest restaurant from someone you used to work for? Especially if that person “let you go” for reasons you disagree with? It comes down to, life is too short to [...]

New York - One of the things I do miss about NYC is the Greenmarket. While Buenos Aires has numerous farm stands and the various Mercados I’ve reviewed, it has nothing like the open air gathering that is the weekend greenmarket at Union Square, in particular. A lot of the fun of the greenmarket is [...]

New York - Okay, I know what these folks are trying to say. And they make a good product. Bobolink Dairy makes some excellent cheeses and breads. But sometimes, in the push for political correctness, green-ness, and just trying to be the bee’s knees of products, folk overdo it. For me, “Grass Fed Cheese” is [...]

New York - Despite the continiuing rain yesterday (apparently five days straight and counting, though it finally stopped last night), I decided to forge forth into the streets and get myself some cultcha. If you spend a bit of time wandering around the Upper East Side, one of the first things you’re reminded of is [...]

New York - No, that’s not the infrared signature of a creme brulée. It’s Buenos Aires from the air moments after take off. It’s time for another little break in the north country, and the twinkling lights, well, just looked pretty. Tuesday was an interesting day getting ready to leave. I got a call from [...]

Buenos Aires - It’s a beautiful room to walk into. Draped fabrics everywhere, comfortable tables and booths - close to each other but not too close, good lighting, friendly greetings, even a coat check - a rarity here. Several friends have, more or less, raved about the place. It gets amazing writeups in food magazines [...]

Buenos Aires - Sometimes you know you’re making the wrong choice. It’s just in your gut feelings. Yesterday we set out for one of our favorite weekend afternoon haunts, Sabor Norteño, where we pop in for a bit of Peruvian food and some music. When we arrived, around 2:15, the place was jam-packed, with a [...]

Buenos Aires - My first, and longest, cooking job was working at The Side Door restaurant in my hometown of Ann Arbor. It was a small, family-run Italian place, where I learned to make dough, sauces, and pizzas. One of the two owners was a Weight Watchers fanatic at the time and every dish that [...]