Who knew there was a cheese aging cave in bustling New York City? New York City is known for a lot of things, but aging cheese isn’t one of them. At least I didn’t think so. Crown Finish Caves is in a former Budweiser brewery, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The building had been dormant since 1914 (the railroad tracks that brought ingredients to the brewery,…
A number of people have asked me if it’s okay to come to Paris due to the demonstrations that have been taking place. The news media around the world has been reporting on the situation and some of the photos have certainly been startling, even to us in the city. [I posted similar thoughts on Instagram, although there is a word limit, so I’ve reposted some…
To celebrate the release of the paperback edition of L’Appart, I’ll be at Shakespeare & Co. at 939 Lexington Avenue (between 68th and 69th Streets) in New York City on Tuesday, November 13th, from 6:30 to 8pm. I’ll be in conversation with Justin Spring, author of The Gourmands’ Way: Six Americans in Paris and the Birth of a New Gastronomy. We’ll be taking questions, as…
A few months ago, I started following an interesting-looking Instagram account of a bakery in Paris that was making all their breads using natural leavenings, rather than commercial yeast. I didn’t know anything about it, but not only were they showing impressive loaves of just-baked breads, but they were also experimenting with croissants made with levain (sourdough). The results looked promising. After they opened, I…
{UPDATE: Bistro Pierre Lapin has closed.] People are impressed with (and a little envious of) the French and their relationship to food, especially a meal. So much so that UNESCO added the gastronomic meal of the French to their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage designations. The gathering around the table to eat is something most cultures engage in, of course, but it seems to carry special…
I’m always interested in ice cream, no matter where it’s from. But probably the most intriguing one I’ve ever come across was booza, an ice cream thickened, not with eggs or cornstarch, but with sahleb and mastic. Republic of Booza was opened by Jilbert El-Zmetr and Michael Sadler, along with two business partners, in Brooklyn, New York, bringing this ice cream stateside. Jilbert owned a booza…
I’m not sure if I just returned from lunch, or if I was privy to a top-secret breeding ground for a race of super lovely people, that also happen to be amazing cooks. When I walked into the home of Rachel Allen, who’d invited a few of us traveling through Ireland for lunch, I was stunned by A) The stunning kitchen, b) The stunning view,…
It’s not every day, or every year (or every decade, unfortunately) that I get to spend some time with my family in Los Angeles. So I was excited by the chance to join them, not in L.A., but in Hawaii. Europeans don’t generally go to Hawaii because of the distance, I suspect, and because there are other tropical islands closer to home that don’t require…
If you haven’t been to Bordeaux in a while, you might be in for a shock, although it’s more like, you’ll be in for a treat. Previously considered a staid city, Bordeaux has rebooted itself, partially thanks to a tram system that makes getting around the formerly congested city a breeze, but also because the TGV now can get you there in around two hours,…
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