Baseball season is back. That means I’m going to eat some hot dogs soon. And I’m excited. I shouldn’t be, not considering the cost. Those between-inning lines are a bitch, standing in front of angry fans looking for beer number three, and behind slow dads buying meals for big families. The condiment dispensers never work [...]
I moved from Los Angeles to San Diego, then to Los Angeles, then to San Francisco, and I drove into this city with a promise to myself: when it came to Mexican comida, I would keep an open mind. I would allow for the possibility that Mexican food in the Mission style is every bit [...]
Indian food enthusiasts in Berkeley, Albany and El Cerrito have a new go-to in Hamro Aangan, a relatively new Indo-Nepalese restaurant separated from the U.C. campus by several miles of the actual city of Berkeley. A meal here is worth the trip, by bus or by car, for pretty much anyone interested in serious flavor. [...]
I have never seen a Michoacan ice cream parlor off of Interstate 5. Now that I know of one that sits in the shadow of US-101, I see little reason to drive along the 5 again. There are, of course, other reasons for choosing US-101 over I-5 if a trip calls for traversing the 400 [...]
Plenty of people move to New York with the full intent of conquering the big city. Whatever they believe happens next, conquest is not it. Agreement on this sentiment is a bond I share with Mike, the daytime cook at Kuti’s Place. As he carves slices of fatty lamb from the glistening, heavily stacked spit [...]
Chicago is Heaven on Earth for people who love dated signage, and quite possibly Hell in neon for those who don’t. Every self-respecting bar in Chicago seems to be the victim of some kind of small business moratorium on renovation, disallowed from admitting that America made it through the ’70s and convinced that the people [...]
Sunita Apte is a writer, children’s book author and food blogger, living in Brooklyn and corresponding from Thailand. You can learn more about her kitchen culture at missmasala.com. The first time I came to Thailand, I swore I would never come back. I had been traveling around South Asia for six months when I flew [...]
Do Japanese kids ever beg their parents for a six-piece takoyaki meal? I suppose this question begs another: How often do Japanese kids beg their parents? McChildhood culture aside, Otafuku‘s takoyaki beckon the cravings center of my brain anytime I’m within a few blocks from E. 9th St. At this Japanese take-out counter, these fluffy, [...]
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 [...]
A recent conversation in the comments on this blog called into question the worth of a burrito, even at its best. The dichotomy drawn was one of convenience and choice: While a burrito embodies comfort and convenience, almost anything else offered over a taqueria’s counter will offer greater variety, manageable portions, and minimal filler. Underscoring [...]
