Features Archive

FEELING MY OATS / funny and serious facts about oatmeal

By Larry Sheingold – This is about oat groats. Not haute groats, which sounds the same but connotes groats more chic than just oats. This is groats vs. grotesque. The difference between one of nature’s perfect foods and the junk food McDonalds and others make from it. What set me off are groat quotes by [...]
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CHEFS, NOT BABES / how we sell cars in the 21st century

By Larry Levine – While in college, Joyce earned spending money as a model at car shows. Manufacturers and dealers hired her to stand beside their cars in a swim suit and heels. Her job was to look lovely, smile and hand literature about the cars to men who stopped by. We dated a few [...]
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A VEGAN IN A WORLD OF OMNIVORES

By Pam Giarrizzo - Eating in restaurants used to be so much simpler. Back in the day, I’d look at the menu and try to decide between the rib-eye steak and the grilled pork chop, between the linguine with prawns and the lasagna with Italian sausage. But about nine and a half years ago, I [...]
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LOUVAR – a fish you may never taste, or even see

By Larry Levine – “Perhaps one of the most prized and sought after fish on the West Coast, a fish shrouded in much mystery …” “… the best fish I ever tasted.” “Buttery, but not rich … A slight crunch like halibut fin … Smooth texture, no gristle …” These quotes rained down on my inbox [...]
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THE AGE OF COMMENTARYUS / strange happenings from the world of food blogs

By Larry Sheingold - (This is one of an occasional series by Larry Sheingold exploring the world of volunteer internet dining reviews.) With apologies to the musical, Hair. This is the dawning of the Age of Commentaryus. We’ve always had opinions. Always shared them. But thanks to the internet, never has so much commentary been offered for [...]
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FUSION WITHOUT CONFUSION / from youthful necessity to Hawaiian sophistication

By Larry Sheingold - I was a fusion food pioneer. Didn’t intend to be. But surviving the 1960’s on dollars a day meant recipes-of-necessity. And that often called for blending culinary cultures. So blend I did. Spaghetti topped with canned chili. Tortillas and peanut butter. Or my staple: “idiot’s delight,” an inspired sauté of cabbage, [...]
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IRKS, PEEVES AND IRRITANTS FROM THE WORLD OF RESTAURANT DINING / what really bothers you?

By Larry Levine – At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon, I want to devote a few paragraphs to a discussion of some of the things that can and do go wrong in a restaurant and things that become either pet peeves, major irritants, or just downright unacceptable. Call it an invitation to [...]
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IT STARTED WITH TAPAS / how small plates swept the nation

By Larry Levine – It started with tapas. About 10 or 11 years ago the Spanish appetizers hit the shores of the U.S. in a big way and quickly spread across the nation. First it was a spate of tapas restaurants. They did so well that other restaurants felt pressure to include tapas sections on [...]
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FROM ACROSS THE POND / a travel journal

(Jennifer and I spent two weeks in the south of England and then in Paris in the fall of 2011. This journal, posted on a daily basis, followed our travels, with a definite emphasis on the culinary.) By Larry Levine - November 4-5, 2011 The real hero of this trip is Jennifer Levine, my wife. She did this whole [...]
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A PRODUCT DISCOVERY – How to get that pot luck from here to there

By Larry Dietz - If you love to cook, you probably have friends who invite you to dinner at their place. So you almost certainly have been in a situation where you’ve offered to make something and once you’ve made it you have to figure out how to get the dish to their house. Easy [...]
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