Category Archives: Techniques and tools

Amateur status.

Posted on February 20, 2012 by

I am not a professional. Don’t pretend to be one, no real aspirations to be one. Those who cook for a living impress me. The hours, the conditions, the repetition — and the hazards. About a year ago I came … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Ingredients, Lawrenceville, Meta, Neighborhoods, North Side, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Oven ribs with chocolate rosemary sauce.

Posted on February 19, 2012 by

Unexpected inspiration is often a good thing. A chocolate party is a perfect example. My friends Gwen and Derrick have a chocolate party every year at their place on the South Side. Chocolate beer, chocolate chili, chocolate cookies, chocolate ice … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Beer, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Nontraditional, Presentation, Recipes, South Side, Strip District, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Homebrew.

Posted on August 11, 2011 by

If you see one of these bad boys, pick it up. Read it. Check out the advertisers. Sure, I have a piece in it on the TRASH homebrew competition and what goes into entering these things and the long slog … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Beer, Ingredients, Presentation, Recipes, Service, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Berries in white-wine syrup with mint and jalapeño.

Posted on June 6, 2011 by

One of the most versatile things I tend to make in the summer goes as well with cheesecake or ice cream as it does with grilled or roasted meat like lamb or chicken or turkey. The warm syrup macerates the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheap eats, Ingredients, Lawrenceville, Nontraditional, Recipes, Seasonal, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wilson’s.

Posted on June 2, 2011 by

Publishing can be a strange beast. I wrote a piece on the North Side barbecue joint Wilson’s in January for a magazine in Arkansas. It finally hit print — yesterday. (Flip to page 17 and zoom in if you’re so … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Family, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, North Side, Recipes, Techniques and tools, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Roasted-corn and tomato summer salad.

Posted on May 31, 2011 by

I forget what the inspiration was the first time I made this. I know I took it to someone’s house for a summer party, but the rest is lost to me. The last few years, it’s become a summer staple … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheap eats, Family, Ingredients, Presentation, Recipes, Seasonal, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Winghart’s.

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

Brie, white-truffle aioli, arugula, caramelized onions and bacon. On a burger. In case you were wondering: And the fries were good. Seasoned, crispy — I think I liked them better than the ones at D’s in Regent Square. Maybe that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Service, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Make your own stock.

Posted on January 21, 2011 by

I beg you. Chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, clam, mushroom — whatever. It makes everything better. Funny thing: I couldn’t tell you why I did it the first time. I think I was just curious. Now it’s one of those things … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, North Side, Recipes, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Tim.

Posted on January 21, 2011 by

It seems a lot of things that strike me as interesting come from people trying something new, often on their own. That’s true with Salt of the Earth, Crested Duck Charcuterie, Azul, 21st Street Coffee, etc. It’s also true with … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Ingredients, Nontraditional, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Dean Supply.

Posted on November 17, 2010 by

There’s a place, easy to miss, practically underneath an old railroad line at Penn Ave. and 33rd. It’s the kind of place that can make your life easier. Restaurant-supply store. Open to the public. Which not all of them are. … Continue reading →

Posted in Neighborhoods, Nontraditional, Presentation, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More than coffee.

Posted on November 7, 2010 by

It looks like coffee. I get it. Still looks like coffee. Yeah. I — I know. But this is why there are such things as $11,000 Clover coffee machines. And baristas who describe coffee like Jancis Robinson talks about wine, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Coffee, Neighborhoods, Nontraditional, Presentation, Service, Strip District, Techniques and tools | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments