This week I asked my elementary school creative writing students to compose a haiku about their favorite food. I explained to them that because haiku are so short — three-line poems with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third — every word…
After dining at the month-old Chinese restaurant Wok & Roll, I’ve spent an agonizing week. Not that the fresh fare prepared by two-time Chaine des Rotisseurs (the French culinary society) award-winning chef Michael Choi wasn’t delicious, the service solicitous — they were. Not that the geometric walls (each sponged a…
I often write about my mother, who passed on to me the fine points of fine dining. But I’ve neglected to mention the impression my father made upon me early in my childhood, which molded me into the good eater I am today. My father is a practical man, realistic,…
I’ve been irresponsible. For the past few years I’ve been throwing around the term pan-Asian to label trendier restaurants that utilize Far Eastern ingredients (usually a combination of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese). You’ve probably figured out what I meant from the context — my comments about the menu, specific…
As I see it, women and restaurants are alike in exactly one way: Once they earn a reputation, they’ve got it for life. Only it’s usually “bad” women who can’t shake public disdain, and “good” restaurants that never fall out of public favor even if they should. This month, in…
“The thing I miss most about waitressing,” I told a friend not too long ago, “is the exercise.” Having spent her fair share of time dishing the fish, my friend heartily agreed. She never needed to go to the gym or watch what she ate while she was on the…
In a previous life, when I wrote for a travel magazine, I kept up a running argument with one of the advertising sales representatives. “Without the revenue I bring in, you wouldn’t have a job,” she’d tease after locking up an account such as American Express. “Without the text I…
I’m a sucker for reunions, and this summer I attended a rather offbeat one — the get-together celebrating the 60th anniversary of the New England Music Camp. I spent three consecutive summers of my adolescence there on the shores of Lake Messalonskee, warming the silver of my flute under the…
I was born into a family of suburban fishermen. On weekends, vacations, and holidays while I was growing up, my father, brother, and sister liked nothing better than to drop a line into the water. They were pretty good at it, too. Show them a fast-running stream and they’d show…
I phoned Las Pampas Argentinian Steak and Pasta House, a two-month-old restaurant on Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami. “Are you open?” I inquired. A reasonable question: It was a Monday night, and some restaurants in that neighborhood of strip malls and business offices find it more practical not to open…
In the movie Big, Tom Hanks plays a young boy who is granted his fervent wish to be a grownup, treating the audience to scene after scene of a twentysomething man scouting out toy stores, engaging in food fights, and decorating his apartment with pinball tables and soda machines. My…
I’ve been accused of writing this column out of spite. She harbors a secret, unfulfilled wish to own a restaurant, some gossips whisper, and that’s why she can be so hypercritical. She’s jealous. Truth is, I would like to own a restaurant. But it’s no secret. My friends (who open…
July is the month for celebrating the existence of America, and I’m all for it. I like where I live. I like the principles on which the United States was founded. I’ve always believed in the strength of diversity and individualism, and though some of our constitutional rights fail us…
Writing about food is a lot like writing about fashion: You know a new trend is going to be unveiled in the fall, but you can’t always predict what it will be. As an observer, you can comment on it, note its good points and bad. As a consumer, you’re…
“All of our restaurants are casual,” the owner of the Seaside Inn on Sanibel Island told us, “and none of them is great.” On a brief weekend getaway from Miami, I had only a few chances to experience local flavor, so I did something I hardly ever do when I’m…
Every night at about ten o’clock, my phone rings just once, as if someone had pinged the bell with a forefinger. If I answer it, I hear only the dial tone. “Power surge,” my husband suggests. But I know better, and my psychic agrees: My grandmother passed away last year,…
I love summer projects, and this year I’ve taken on a doozy: overhauling our restaurant capsules. Revisiting restaurants I haven’t been to lately, checking out places that have undergone alterations in chef, menu, or management. I can’t rewrite the capsule on every restaurant — that would take years — but…
“It’s all about balance,” my dinner companion, a fellow writer, said to me over cocktails a few evenings ago. She paused to sip her Cuda Red Ale thoughtfully. “Yes,” she said, swallowing appreciatively, holding up her pint glass as if to catch and drink the setting sun. “Balance.” My friend…
When I got married, my mother-in-law gave me the family bible –the cookbook her temple had put together as a community fundraiser one year. All of her son’s favorite childhood dishes were in there. I thanked her and assured her I’d never let him starve. I didn’t have the heart…
I have a love/hate relationship with high-priced brunches, buffets, salad bars — virtually any all-you-can-eat meal. I adore the endless variety, and the idea of sampling, taking little tastes of dishes without being obliged to order or consume an entire portion, appeals to me. I’m also a big fan of…
In the Eighties, when consumerism was at an all-time high, Americans became adventurous, willing to try anything without thought of the consequences. Extreme sports. Junk bonds. And food: sushi. Steak tartare topped with raw egg. In the Nineties, we’re still bungee jumping and whitewater rafting. The stock market thrives. But…
In order to maintain my anonymity, I caution my guests about being obvious. Don’t call me Jen, I warn them. Don’t mention New Times. Don’t be too enthusiastic about the food. Talk about something — anything — else. I’ve yet to be found out in a restaurant while I’m working…
