Macaroons are not Italian but maccarone is. Like many things French, macaroons inspiration came from the Italians. This post isn’t sparking a debate about the inception of modern cuisine although read “Food In History“, then let’s talk. My intro was simply a snarky preface to...
On day two in Rome I visited Trastevere, a cool but still touristy neighborhood across the Tiber. To my surprise our visit coincided with the Chocolate Fair. Lines of tents filled the piazza with chocolate in all forms. From bars, bon bon and bites to crafted shapes like stiletto heels, wrenches and...
Kind of a Roman thing I came to realize. What’s different than most you’ve seen in the states is they use the whole damn pig. That’s why they are so damn big. I think these are closest to a Shwarma joint in that they start the day with a giant piece of meat and slowly slice it back...
I realized that the stories from Italy can take months to properly explain. In the crunch of the Holidays and my burning need to share all the Italian goodies before the Italian-American goodies hit the holiday table, I am going to post my highlights in short order this week allowing you all a quick...
Hence the seven days of silence, tight pants and cured meat withdrawals. There is plenty to discuss and review so expect tons of Italian posts in the next few weeks as we slide right into our Italian-American Christmas. For now be satiated by this bowl of spaghetti carbonara I had just a few steps...
I bet yesterday was a rough day back. I hope you all had as amazing and as restful a Thanksgiving weekend as I did. I clocked in with an average of 8.5 hours of sleep per night. That’s unheard of in this family. Well rested and well fed I share with you a few of the delicious, authentic, fresh...
This past Sunday was our third annual Thanksbringing meal. Those not familiar with the ritual can brush up here. As the name implies, Thanksbringing is the yearly potluck in which I open my kitchen up to my wonderful friends who take turns cooking and heating up their contribution to the feast. This...
For three months this summer I was cruising through the Mediterranean experiencing life in Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, France and Monaco. I’m sure you have caught a couple of my posts while I was there. I could have done a lot more posts but there was so much food I encountered...
Last week I had the unique opportunity to partake in an ancient ritual that in modern days has come under quite a lot of scrutiny. I’ll let the video speak for itself, mostly. I will say, I love meat. I think our industrial food chain is a disturbing mess but at the root, eating meat is a...
It sucks in New York right now. Dark at 5:30 is a total mind screwball. All the more reason to get a 5pm coffee. Which is exactly what I did. As I waited for my indulgent and spontaneously ordered lemon square, I wondered what was taking an extra minute. New Yorkers are so impatient. Seconds later...
My buddy Sean Bell and I sent out to explore Venice. Sean had been there before and I asked him for the Sean Bell Tour of Venice. We set out in the morning and had a lot of walking to do that day. Sean, (not a morning person fyi, typical musician) needed a quick fix before we get into the heart...
Are you kidding me? For those of you not in NYC, it snowed today. It’s not January. Not even December. Barely November. It’s just not right. Rather than harp on the disastrous outdoor weather, I combated it with a little hibernation vaccination. Nothing cures the abnormally bitter,...
photo credit: Kun Kim Ariba! Ole! and Amigos! The season 3 finally of REEL TASTY went off better than we could have ever expected. Again we bit off a little more than we could chew. In the end the Mexican fiesta, with our favorite three amigos, was a pinata smash hit. Although we didn’t have an...
The past two weeks I’ve been a bit busy to say the least. Those of you eagerly awaiting the REEL TASTY season finally recap, I promise it will be up next week. The delay is not without good excuse. Another example of how my Manifold world overlaps with my food world, I was called out to Vegas...
Not exactly. I just couldn’t bring myself to whack down a chicken and waffles plate at 9am on a Thursday. Although the rainy New York morning gave me a good excuse, the Bikram Yoga class planned for tonight won the short synapse battle. There could be nothing worse than trying to sweat out...
It’s been hectic this week to say the least. Between ramping up for this Saturday’s REEL TASTY and next weeks special Vegas dinners there has not been much time to breath let alone eat. Before I jump back into the fray I wanted to share a little home cooked goodness I prepared 2 weeks...
