I get asked quite a bit about sushi recommendations in New York, and Yasuda is one of my go-tos in NYC. A sushi restaurant only, the trio behind this traditional spot hold very dearly to the clean aesthetic of the Japanese in ambiance and technique. Please don’t ask for Dragon rolls. Sushi Yasuda 204 E … Continued
Eric Ripert can do no wrong at the 20 year-old Le Bernardin, originally opened by Brittany-born Maguy le Coze with her brother, Chef Gilbert le Coze. When Gilbert passed away, Ripert took over and has only elevated the cuisine even more. This is one of the best places in New York City to go for … Continued
Pretty much every ramen shop that opens in Chicago features the decidedly murky, creamy-white, tongue-coating broth known as tonkotsu, made from boiling pork bones for hours. But Ramen Takeya – from the same family who owns Wasabi in Logan Square – is going with a more unique, slightly lighter version, called paiten, which features chicken.
A lot of gyros joints in Chicago claim they make everything from scratch. That’s doubtful, since most just by a frozen cone from Grecian Delight or Kronos, thaw it, and plop it on the vertical spit. If you want a place making everything – and by that I mean the fries and the tzatziki and … Continued
Chicago was the third city Tom Sietsema tackled in his Washington Post series on America’s great food cities this year. Not only did he completely capture the zeitgeist of what’s going on right now, he also had one of the Post’s videographers shoot and edit this great video (of which I’m honored to be a … Continued
There’s nothing quite like enjoying seafood on the coast, plucked straight from the water and eaten with your bare hands. Chicago may be in the middle of the country, but you can now get your hands dirty – deliciously – in a new seafood shack on the Northwest Side of the city.
Rob Gentile is one of Toronto’s brightest stars. He cooks with vigor and passion and is on the road several times a year, always learning and expanding his repertoire. A night at Buca Yorkville, adjacent to the Four Seasons in the toniest of Toronto’s neighborhoods, is a night to let the kitchen cook for you. … Continued
An appetizing store, in Toronto? Yep. If you miss Russ & Daughters, and you just have to visit a friend’s house in Toronto on a Sunday morning, I highly recommend you stop here (behind Fat Pasha) and pick up some Canadian smoked salmon, sturgeon, cod or whitefish salad. I had the hardest time ever deciding … Continued
I spent the better part of a week driving from New Brunswick, Canada, down to Portland, Maine, going in search of the best lobster rolls. Tough work, I know. My story appeared in The Chicago Tribune’s Sunday Travel section. Click here to read it.
Click on the article below to read my review of the very first Virgin Hotel (in Chicago) for The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper.