Posts in restaurants
Sex, Drugs, and Sommeliers: Making a Safe Wine World

When sommelier Anthony Cailan was named one of the rising stars of the wine world by Wine & Spirits magazine, four women came forward with sexual assault allegations he has since denied. What can be changed about our rape and drinking cultures to make the food and beverage industry safer and more inclusive for women?

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What it Means to be the Best: The Quandary of Restaurant Awards

What kind of establishment earns a spot on the World’s 50 Best or stars from the Michelin Guide? How does it influence our perception of food and restaurants as it interacts with culture, media, and travel? The perceived notoriety of these awards seems to reinforce a collective belief of what a world-class restaurant should be. This, however, may ultimately hinder both diners and chefs from enjoying the act exploration and moments of spontaneity in cooking and eating. Are guides and rankings worth all the fuss?

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A Night Under the Hay Moon: Beckon Presents a New Way to Dine in Denver

Beckon is the 8-month old sister restaurant to Denver’s popular day and night hotspot, Call. While Duncan Holmes maintains his vision to provide food that is fresh, vibrant, and craveable, Beckon’s seasonally-adatping menu challenges Coloradians’ to experience a restaurant as an artful and intelligent performance of food. In just eight courses, the team at Beckon may convince the people of the Mile-High that fine dining doesn’t have to be so stuffy, formal, or unrecognizable.

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You Should Take Some Notes From A Young Black Chef Named Kwame Onwuachi

Chef Kwame Onwuachi has won the James Beard award for Rising Star Chef of the Year. His memoir “Notes From a Young Black Chef” documents his journey around the world—from Nigeria as a young boy to D.C. as a young man. He is vulnerable and authentic as he discloses both his failures and triumphs with humor and grace. At Kith/Kin, these stories manifest in a complex and tasty expression of cooking his African cuisine . Did I mention he’s only 29 years old?

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Hearth: Revisited, Revised, Renewed

In honor of the approaching NYC Restaurant Week (July 22nd-August 16) I decided to revisit the first restaurant piece I published on the blog. Writing is a constant exercise in which there is always room for growth, and I want to share my process with as many people as possible. Thus I present a very much new and improved analysis of one of the east village’s staple restaurants.

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Lessons Learned at Shoji

Shoji, an omakase-only sushi endeavor, has just earned three stars from Pete Wells in. The New York Times. The chef is a white guy from Virginia. So, is this a genuine edomae experience? Read to see why authenticity in what and how we eat makes fish and rice that much better.

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