microscope wasn’t a problem. Are you so thorough when you visit a friend’s house. Do you check all their specific ingredients and go through the specific processes they use to assure that all food is kosher? Or do you...

This is a very difficult area. I’ll relate a terrible experiance I had six weeks or so again in Paris. I should have just asked to be moved but we were just finishing our main course. The restaurant was a one star Michelin...

Ihave lived here for 18 years and am almost invariably disappointed in the quality of food here. The so-called “great” restaurants are often wildly overpriced, snobby, and with food that looks like art, but tastes...

As an avid reader (and very occasional participant) of these boards I am sad that I missed the event. Regardless, I wanted to relate a story about those bean pods from a recent visit with a friend from San Diego: We approached a...

While off the initial topic, my biggest pet peeve is related to yours. I go nuts when, as usually happens, the waitperson begins clearing the plates of those at the table who have finished, while others are STILL EATING. Most of...

When I was a young boy, living in Barcelona, I used to buy bread for the family every day at the local panaderia. It was a medium blonde crust with a relatively light and airy interior that had a nice bite without being the least...

of places I could get it done better. Now it seems like no one around me can put together even the simplest thing, so I’ve been learning to do it myself. It’s really fun, it saves money, and this way I know exactly...

choices, one has no right to demand a wine or even a food that one likes or enjoys. Never ordered anything it turned out you didn’t like? Not everyone enjoys sea urchin, but as the old saying goes “you bite it, you...

Publishers are not responsible for the accuracy and testing of cookbooks. Their responsibility is to manage publishing the book; the authors are responsible for the content. One of the big secrets in the food profession is that...

Chinatown has always been a different experience than other neighborhoods in the city. Yes, it is more crowded and smellier – because of the tight streets. intense commerce and crowds, the trash piles up more than...

One and a half hours north of Paso Robles on 101 will put you in the cool of Salinas. That’s south of the geography covered by this board, but if you like Mexican food, you’ll find a number of recs for Salinas on the...

I’ve been getting my beans from Whole Foods down at Crenshaw and PCH. They have a roaster in the store and usually mark the roast date, however sometimes they mark a “freshly filled date” on the bin which makes...

Mexican beans from the skillet (Frijoles Refritos): I adjusted his recipe since there were just two of us. Heated a cast-iron pan and added a couple of tablespoons of bacon drippings (enough to coat the bottom). I STILL...

't ordered them or eaten them, we were told its part of the meal. So I reached over to grab a pretzel, and it disintigrated in my hand. Was probably on the table for months. We also got charged for condiments (in plastic...

to generally avoid non-stick cookware without my food sticking to the pan. Until recently, I haven’t used stainless either, preferring more specialized conductive materials. My interest in stainless now is its relative...