Articles

Burmese Tea Leaf Salad Photo by leesean  by Mary Elizabeth Williams Most of us enjoy our tea with a splash of milk or a dribble of honey, and maybe a few cookies on the side. But in Burmese cuisine, it’s served up with garlic, green chiles, and nuts — and it isn’t sipped, it’s chewed. Burmese […]

The Chinese Zodiac Story In the distant past, Time was an illusion and chaos reigned among the animals of the earth. Every creature from the cunning rat to the arrogant tiger proclaimed that he alone was the most virtuous and unique. The Jade Emperor, Lord of Heaven, needed to restore order. He would hold a […]

Photo by DariuszSankowski Ladies Who Lunch: The Champagne Exchange in San Francisco by Courtney Weaver Behind rows of neatly folded sweaters, just past overflowing racks of winter coats, and beyond the legions of polyester and rayon blends of Misses’ Coordinates lies San Francisco’s best kept secret. It’s the Champagne Exchange at Nordstrom, tucked away on the […]

A Restaurant Timeline There is an age-old hospitality industry in western culture. After all, as long as people have had to travel so far from home that they couldn’t sleep in their own beds or eat at their own tables, there have been entrepreneurs making a living by providing bed and board in exchange for […]

Photo by Kent Wang Axoa A specialty of Gascony made with seasoned ground veal, onions, and plenty of sweet and hot red peppers. Blanquette de veau This classic French stew is made from veal, mushrooms, and onions. The stew is first simmered in a white stock, then served in a velouté sauce finished with egg […]

The Michelin Guide awards restaurants between one and three stars, and they are coveted. Getting one, or one more, can create a legend; losing one can result in significant heartbreak. The Guide itself says that “certain establishments deserve to be brought to your attention” because of the quality of the cuisine served. Since the Michelin […]

A list of the most commonly used terms that you will most-often see in a menu. These terms are usually exact words or derivations from their originating country’s cuisine, so the country of origin is listed along with the term. Ahi Ahi is the Hawaiian name for yellowfin and bigeye tuna. Aioli (France) Aioli is […]

One upon a time, a customer simply had to eat what the Chef was cooking that day in any given restaurant. That all changed with the introduction of the Brigade System by Georges Auguste Escoffier. His experience as a French Army Chef led him to develop the Brigade system of chef hierarchy. This way he was […]

An Interview with Maury Rubin Maury Rubin, the chef/owner of Manhattan’s The City Bakery and author of Book of Tarts, first put hot chocolate on his menu in the winter of 1992. At the time, the only other upscale venue that offered the beverage served it frozen (this was pre-Starbuck’s). Now, City Bakery, with its […]

by Melissa Clark While growing up, I never much liked chocolate. My birthday cakes were always made from strawberry-pink ice cream, and my candy preferences tended toward caramels, candy corns, and sugared nuts. Aside from the occasional bite sized bar of Hershey’s special dark, or a marshmallow-topped cup of Nestle’s Quik, chocolate was just not […]