What’s a Fair Price for Restaurant Wine?...

By Robert Paul. Have you ever looked at a wine list in a restaurant and thought, “you’ve got to be kidding.” Suppose you go to a restaurant and find a familiar bottle listed on the menu, say a Ravenswood Vintner’s Blend Zinfandel, which you regularly purchase for $7-$9 a bottle. This restaurant offers it for (a mere) $32. And the correct response is: “You’ve got to be kidding.” Since customers assume that...

Santa Fe as a Dining Destination...

By Judi Gallagher While some marvel at Santa Fe’s art galleries, heritage architecture and abundance of silver and turquoise jewelry, the true art form and real jewel in this New Mexico city is the culinary scene. Chefs from all over trek to Santa Fe, known for its hanging clusters of dried red chile peppers (called ristras) and fiery seasoning. I assumed that most of the regional cuisine would be too spicy for my palate...

It’s Sandwich Time...

By Judi Gallagher. Most of us foodies judge the time of year by the flavors of the seasons. Spring brings tender stalks of asparagus, summer boasts sweet Georgia peaches and New Jersey tomatoes. Autumn bring hot mulled apple cider. August for foodies in my part of the country, southwest Florida, can be somewhat of a tease. It’s that in-between time when local produce is nearly non-existent and seasonal cooking means...

Chef Judi’s Flavors of the Month...

Grilled grouper tacos at Siesta Key Oyster Bar. Served with flour tortillas, it is the cilantro sauce that sets this one apart. A cold Rolling Rock and sunset and you are in Baja heaven. The new 8-ounce Prime Burger at Fleming’s Steak House seriously, could be the BEST burger ever- the hand made Hallah roll, buttery and soft sets the stage for the flavorful crisp sugar-cured bacon, aged cheddar (or blue cheese) and,...

The Aji Amarillo Buzz...

By Marsha Fottler. More food trends get started by ambitious chefs than you probably realize. The latest culinary fad is aji amarillo, which is slated to become the new chipotle of the food world. And none too soon; I was just getting the hang of pronouncing chipotle, now I’ll have a new challenge for the mouth in both shaping the words aji amarillo and adjusting to the flavor. Aji amarillo is a yellow Peruvian pepper....

The Doughnut Factor and Olive Kitteridge...

By Marsha Fottler. In Elizabeth Strout’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize winning novel called Olive Kitteridge and composed of 13 interrelated short stories, the words ‘doughnut’ or ‘Dunkin Donuts’ are used no fewer than 35 times in this book of 270 pages (paperback edition). The doughnut references begin on page 67 and continue to drop enticing crumbs right through to the last chapter of this perceptive and achingly honest...

Gardening as a Contact Sport...

By Herb Gardener. My neighbor’s domesticated rabbits, sprung from their hutch and loose in my yard, bounded for the parsley. Like a pair of animated bedroom slippers these impossibly cute critters transformed into terrorists threatening my container garden’s herbal order. The accidental invasion proved surprisingly upsetting. I thought of the incident as I read “The $64 Tomato,” one man’s tale of...

Grilled Caesar with Masa Croutons...

Recipe. (Serves 8, with dressing left over) For the Masa Croutons: 1 lb masa flour (harina) (plus 1 lb for dredging) 2 qts vegetable stock or water 2 tsp salt 4 cups corn oil for frying For the Dressing: 5 eggs, boiled in their shells for 12 minutes; yolk only, discard the white after cooking ½ cup Dijon mustard 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 4 lemons, juiced 20 anchovy filets 20 garlic cloves 1/4 cup warm water 4 cups pure...

Tempura Apple Donuts with Caramel Sauce...

Recipe. (serves 6) For the apples: 6 small apples (Jonathan, McIntosh), peeled 1 cinnamon stick 3 whole cloves ½ cup agave 4 cups water Zest of one lemon For the Caramel Sauce: 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 cup heavy cream For the Tempura batter: 1 cup cake flour ¼ cup cornstarch 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 1 cup water (scant) 4 cups vegetable oil for frying Powdered sugar for dusting Vanilla Ice Cream or whipped cream...