Articles

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 Timeline of The Restaurant The hospitality industry has existed since the beginning of Western culture. People have always been forced to travel for one reason or another, which means there has always been someone there to make money from travelers. Food, a bed, shelter from the storm – these are things people have always […]

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 […]

Our guide to the Michelin Guide. This annual guidebook rates the best restaurants and hotels worldwide, using a rigorous evaluation process and anonymous inspectors. From one-star gems to three-star culinary masterpieces, the Michelin Guide is a must-read for any food lover looking for their next dining adventure. So, whether you’re a seasoned food critic or just looking for a new restaurant to try, the Michelin Guide has got you covered.

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 […]

Photo by jules:stonesoup Sauces are, of course, a crucial element of French cuisine, and the French cook can recreate the canon of sauces from a limited set of techniques and ingredients. Here’s a quick run down of some very basic sauce-stuff: Basic French Sauce Descriptions Béarnaise: A relative of hollandaise, béarnaise is a reduction of […]

Photo by Kevin Spencer The Role of Manners? There is not much call for a complete working knowledge of table manners in America today. Many families only gather all at once around the dinner table at holiday feasts, and most restaurants are too casual to require, or even to allow for, more than basic good […]