San Francisco’s Little Italy might not have the notoriety of New York’s. Within the city, it takes a backseat to SF’s more famous Chinatown. But newcomer Il Casaro is one example that proves it is worthy of the neighborhood monicker. It has added more youthful vibrance to a neighborhood steeped both in tradition and the…
Category: Vegetarian cuisine
Keeping cool and carrying on with chilled cucumber-avocado soup
Sometimes, salads get to be a bit mundane in the middle of a summer heat wave. That’s when a chilled gazpacho or other cold soup variant is a nice change of pace. My adaptation of a Martha Stewart Living recipe is a summer must-try: Summer-fresh English cucumbers add lightness and volume to the richness and…
Salt and Straw: Portland’s haute ice creamery
Lines stretching far beyond the door are commonplace at each of Portland, Oregon’s Salt and Straw ice cream shops. Locals and visitors alike flock to them – and for good reason. Salt and Straw is an ice cream innovator, concocting dairy and non-dairy ice cream varieties you won’t find anywhere else. By now, you know…
A tale of two cities’ taquerias: Portland vs. San Francisco
Within a week, I visited two taquerias in two American West Coast cities. Both specialize in delicious street style tacos, and both allow for a fast casual order/pay first and tacos are delivered by number to the table. Yet they each bore little resemblance to one another in all other areas. Which wins? Read on…
Stella Tacos – “Austin-style” Street tacos in Portland
Stella Tacos, a new storefront on eclectic Alberta Street in northeast Portland, is a great example of Portland’s vibrant food scene. Fresh ingredients, artful execution, and accessible prices make this Mexican an authentic Portland – if not Mexican – experience. Portland has an amazing food scene. But try to define Portland’s truly “local” or native…
The CD is entertained: Home-cooked South Indian food in the USA
A special night of home-cooked dishes from southern India brought back memories of a past trip to Karnataka. If you’ve never traveled to India, you likely have eaten more dishes from northern India than from its south. But Indian is so much more than what most of us know. Take a culinary jaunt to the state of Karnataka…
Impress your friends with truffled red pepper coulis!
Have you ever experienced the smoky sweetness of a roasted red pepper coulis accenting a restaurant entree? Ever wondered what effort goes into producing this deliciousness? Refined restaurant flavors are easier to create in your own kitchen than you might think! This luxurious condiment is easy to make and versatile to use – not to…
Having fun with harissa, Part II: Spicy harissa hummus
Give that tired, mass-produced hummus a run for the money with a hearty homemade hummus with the smoky red pepper and chili kick of North African Harissa. Hummus will never be the same! After a few weeks in Tunisia, I was inspired to find several ways to use harissa. In my last post, I discussed…
Having fun with harissa, Part I: The harissa omelet
Whether you’re a harissa fan or harissa what?, learn about this spicy North African condiment and try out a few recipes – you’ll be hooked! Today, I’ll share a habit I started while in Tunisia on the #wholelifechallenge – limiting starches, sugars, and dairy – by incorporating harissa into an omelet for a spicy, satisfying,…
The best grits you’ll ever eat – and make yourself
Often in life, the best ideas are the simplest. The best dishes are not necessarily the most complex – like molecular gastronomy, for example. Nice to look at, but really? These grits, quite the opposite, are insanely good. I promise you that you will never taste grits as good as this recipe. I also bet…
The Culinary Diplomat 