I was all geared up to wax poetic about Scott Conant’s new place on 14th street that’s been garnering all kinds of praise. I dined there prior to the Bruni three stars and Platt’s exclamation of the food as “almost priestly.” And I cannot deny that the food at Scarpetta made an impression on me. [...]

The Icebox cake recipe dates back to 1930, when it was first printed on Nabisco Chocolate Wafer boxes—classic cookies that are difficult to find now. Any old chocolate wafer is fine to use, but it’s important to use fresh whipped cream in my opinion, sweetened with plenty of sugar and vanilla. August is my birthday [...]

It all seemed like a dream. The Greenpoint restaurant emerged like an oasis on a relatively deserted neighborhood block. High ceilings, walls of rotating artwork, a projector showing an old movie, and lively music invites diners to take a seat at Top Chef Season Three contestant Camilla Becerra’s Paloma. We started out our meal with [...]

Dining out in Charleston was a seafood lovers dream. From crab dip to she-crab soup to thick rings of calamari… anything from the ocean ended up on our plates. We did our best not to overeat at every meal and had to resort to ordering mostly appetizers at each restaurant because we knew we wouldn’t [...]