The Culinary Diplomat

Playa del Rey: Go fancy or dive at the best LA beach town you’ve never heard of

Check out both decades-old local haunts and trendy new food boutiques alike in Los Angeles’ most underrated beach town. No doubt you’ll find yourself wondering why it’s the best little beach you’ve never heard of! Thanks to Hollywood (and even the food television world), the city and county of Los Angeles capture the imaginations of…

The CD Road Trips down California’s Historic El Camino Real

How does The CD road trip? Join us for our first – food filled – drive down the historic El Camino Real (U.S. Highway 101) from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I was born to road trip. At a young age, I stayed alert and curious of my surroundings on our many family road…

Happy New Year from The Culinary Diplomat!

Happy New Year and a thank you to all who have helped the CD to hit a major milestone today – its one year anniversary! The CD would like to thank each of you readers for stopping by over the past year. Over 2800 of you have checked out the site, and many others have…

Cotogna: Escaping El Nino with cozy, boutique Italian

There are memorable meals, and there are those meals that give us the sensory equivalent of a photographic memory. Every flavor, every texture is etched into vivid memory. The latter was my experience with Cotogna, one of San Francisco’s outstanding boutique Italian cafes. I realize that saying “one of” doesn’t exactly sound like an overwhelming…

Betty’s Old World Raspberry Pecan Bars

Just in time for the holidays comes this buttery shortbread bar with a bold ribbon of fruit preserves, straight from (sort of!) my grandmother’s kitchen. Betty is my grandmother and is arguably my favorite person on the planet. Growing up as a picky eater, she was my culinary hero. Her traditional recipes were predictable…

Chai Pani: “Evolved” Indian street food seduces American taste buds in Decatur and Asheville

If you enjoy Indian cuisine and live or travel near Atlanta, Georgia or Asheville, North Carolina, you must sample the street food tour of India that is Chai Pani. From pakora to Pani puri to thali that will satisfy the heartiest appetites, your palate might never want to leave! (North) Indian restaurants are as plentiful…

Warm butternut squash and spinach salad with Stilton and cranberries

Thanksgiving may have come and gone, but this warm salad is packed full of autumn flavors to brighten your table this holiday season. The sweetness of maple roasted butternut squash and tart cranberries is balanced with spinach and red onions, while the mild tang of Stilton cheese adds some richness and a hint of unami….

Rethinking the nutritional value of cheese: Is it really so bad?

In my last post, I raved about cheese and how we attach such strong memories – and a sense of culture and place, or terroir to each variety. But we often look at cheese as an indulgent treat or topping, often as a guilty pleasure. But is it really so bad? Does cheese have its…

The diplomatic power of cheese

Though certainly the world has many regions and cultures that don’t relish cheese, for many of us, cheese can give us a sense of place and culture. Here, I wax poetic about cheese. Cheese is often seen as an indulgent additive to other foods, the rich topping that enhances the main or side dish, or…

Honoring France with Boeuf Bourguignon

This post is a dedication to the people of France, Lebanon, and Iraq in the wake of the tragic attacks of November 13, 2015. Lest Beirut and Baghdad’s losses be dwarfed, the CD will post future Lebanese and Iraqi recipes; stay tuned! May we all stand firm against hate and fear. May we all show…

The Culinary Diplomat

Wedel chocolate cafe: Polish confections for a chocoholic

Peru: More than ceviche, Pisco, and Machu Picchu

A tour of Belgium’s chocolatiers

Healthy Diplomat: Chocolate superfood cookies – paleo, vegan, and packed with chocolate

Extreme chocolates in the Baltic States

You, too, can make French macarons – trois façons