The first honest-to-goodness Philadelphian I ever met greeted me from behind a plainly planted table at 30th St. Station. Girlfriend and I had just gotten off the bus and circled the terminal in search of assurance. Spotting the phrase “Travelers Assistance,” I approached the man, who nursed a stack of unfolded maps and a nonchalant [...]

Fact: Delis and butchers serve good cold cut sandwiches. Fact: Produce markets serve good vegetarian sandwiches. Probably. They should. Fact: Smoothie shops that are next door to produce markets serve good sandwiches. Confirmed. Senor Mango’s may not look like much, but success in the smoothie game is a simple recipe, simply stated: Keep it simple [...]

There’s an entire world of restaurants within the borders of New York City. Frankly, I find it hard to give a shit about the newest opening, ambitious concept, or chef’s achievement when virtually the entire world also exists within the borders of New York City. It exists in the form of a bowl of Xi’an [...]

My latest pieces for Serious Eats explore the medium-rare delight of Maryland’s Pit Beef sandwich and plumb the full menu at this year’s Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. New York’s Annual Moment in Barbecue Maryland Pit Beef: Barbecue in Rare Form

I grew up knowing that I was on the very edge of Los Angeles. My proof was Colima Road, a stretch of smoggy two-way lanes dominated by Mandarin and Korean print, save the occassional taco truck and L.A.’s easternmost branch of Tommy’s. As the years have gone by, this and other satellites of Southern California’s [...]

For the next week, I’ll be writing short posts on the meals I enjoyed during a two-week vacation in my native California. There’s a bar in Long Beach that recognizes what every pickled egg in this country is missing: chilies. Rather than submerging its hard boiled eggs in beet-tinted brine, Joe Jost’s imbues them with [...]

We’re already 10 days into Western civilization’s latest year, but I’m still working on the backlog of eats that’s been on my mind since October. To kick things off after my winter break from food blogging, I’m happy to carry on our tradition of recounting our most memorable meals of the previous year. Stephen My [...]

When I was young, sandwiches signified failure. Aside from the Vietnamese banh mi and Mexican tortas that dot the outer rim of Los Angeles and Orange County, the deli of Southern California was a dining destination of last resort, an overpriced and under-qualified meal at the ubiquitous feet of In-N-Out, bargain sushi, Indian buffets and [...]

Robert F. Moss’ Barbecue: The History of an American Institution The Serious Eats Barbecue Style Guide, Part I My newest barbecue columns for Serious Eats review some essential barbecue reading and set out the first part of what will become a fairly epic guide to barbecue styles in the United States of America. Yyyabba Dabba [...]

My newest barbecue column for Serious Eats is the first of four stories I’ll be writing on my recent trip through the Carolinas. First up: An examination of the Lexington style in west-central North Carolina. Is the barbecue there as good as my nostalgia wants it to be? Click here to find out!