Barbecue Rising

It’s gooey and delicious, and foodies can take it seriously

Published on 7/19/10

For decades, barbecue was something sold out of tumbledown roadside stands lurking on the edges of small Southern towns. The wood smoke curling up from rusting half-barrels and interesting smells being pulled inside our cars by the AC as we sped by—they were the kind of places that only the locals who wore bib overalls and perhaps food adventurers such as Calvin Trillin would actually stop to eat at. Read More »

Caputo’s Kitchen

Espuma's top chef shares secrets on YouTube

Published on 6/22/10

My father used to say that good food makes for a good life. It’s true. The subtlest flavor in the proper context alters the very perception of not only the meal, but also the entire day. Read More »

Chocoluxurious!

Chocolate is the affordable luxury

Published on 11/09/09

Chocolate is one of the few luxury foods that can be savored either by itself or used as an ingredient in cooking. By comparison, wood truffles and caviar, both of which are delightful and wonderful, are much more limited in scope. Better still, as one of life’s luxuries, chocolate is relatively cheap, even when you’re buying the best stuff. Read More »

Taking The Spice Route

Chefs search for the right stuff

Published on 6/01/09

While many chefs and home cooks are enjoying the trend toward the simpler life—eating fresh and sourcing locally—they are at the same time preparing dishes that are more complex, especially while employing such cooking techniques as rubs, drizzles, emulsions, and infused oils that provide new possibilities for sides and mains. Read More »

Eating By The Numbers

Twelves Grill & Café

Published on 3/01/09

It’s easy to guess what Tim and Kristin Smith’s lucky number is. The husband-and-wife team own and operate Twelves Grill & Café (10 Exchange Place, West Grove, Pa., 610.869.4020; www.twelvesgrill.com, BYOB) in the former Sovereign Bank Building. Their first date was on November 12th; later, they chose November 12th for their wedding day. Tim’s birthday is January 12th, and Kristin’s is the 12th of February. Read More »

Cheers

Christmas cocktails come but once a year

Published on 12/01/08

Like many rural men who came of age during the Great Depression, my father gave up drinking alcohol when he married my mother, partly as a commitment to settling down, partly because there wasn’t any money left over for drink once the bills were paid. Read More »

Fresh Air And Fine Fare

Savor the scents

Published on 12/01/08

Inhale deeply, dining public: Pennsylvania has finally caught up with neighboring states to enact a law that bans smoking in restaurants. Now we can savor the wonderful aromas wafting from area kitchens without choking on cigarette fumes. Starting with this column, all restaurants listed are smoke-free (indoors, at least; if patios and terraces allow smoking, I’ll alert you). Read More »

MMMMain Line

Published on 9/01/08

Want to get rich? Stand at the entrance to the second-floor dining room at Maia Restaurant and Market, smoke-free) and collect a dollar from everyone who says, “Wow!” In a few minutes, your wallet will be bulging. Maia serves up a visual feast that injects a powerful jolt of Eurostyle electricity into the Main Line restaurant scene. Even better, the food lives up to the atmosphere. Read More »

Fish On The Flames

It doesn’t get better than summer and seafood

Published on 7/01/08

Philip DiFebo, Jr., paints a mouth-watering word picture: A large slab of fresh tuna, skinned and with a skewer through it, over hot coals. The temperature on the meat thermometer creeps to just over 125 degrees—rare. “Then you take it to the table,” DiFebo says, “and slice it with an electric knife in front of the guests like filet mignon.” Read More »

Spinoff City

Expansion can be sweet

Published on 7/01/08

The essential question pondered by successful restaurateurs is as much Hamlet as omelet: To expand, or not to expand? Substantial opportunities for income and creativity can come from opening additional restaurants, but the risks are also considerable. In the worst case scenario, so much money, time, and personnel are siphoned from the flagship site that both places fail. Read More »