The last Saturday of my November New York trip, we headed to Brooklyn for a tour of Mast Brothers Chocolate. You might recognize the graphic, patterned papers that encase Mast Brothers’ chocolate bars. Every single bar comes from this very Brooklyn factory. This is my only photo of the actual “tour” part, as they don’t allow…
I headed toward the freezing cold chill of New York to celebrate Jesse’s birthday back in November. During the week, I made small excursions around his ‘new’ neighborhood in Midtown (my last visit, Jesse was still living downtown). And of course at night and on the weekends, we had plenty of foodie adventures all around Manhattan…
Back in June of last year, a group of twelve of us had an incredible experience dining at The French Laundry in Napa Valley. Immediately afterwards, we started plotting our next group dining experience and set our sights on Alinea in Chicago. I really liked the idea of dining with a group, but after my inquiry returned a quote of $36,500…
July started with a bang as we headed to Atelier Crenn, recently remodeled with brand new interiors and an expanded tasting menu. Chef Dominique Crenn is oft cited as the only female chef in the country who has two Michelin stars, and she very memorably writes her menus as poems, with each line representing one…
After three beautiful days in Barcelona, we took a plane to the north and landed in San Sebastian, a city often lauded as a culinary center in Spain. Our destination was Arzak, a famous family-run restaurant owned by Juan-Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena. Arzak has three Michelin stars and has gained worldwide acclaim for its…
My boyfriend is quite the sweetheart. For my birthday, Jesse took me out to Quince, a newly-minted two-star Michelin restaurant in San Francisco (upgraded from one star last year). The service was impeccable, the food of course delightful, but most notably, the atmosphere was warm and inviting, and not overly pretentious. Jesse even had them…
Sushi Nakazawa was poised for fame from the start. Its namesake chef, Daisuke Nakazawa, is prominently featured in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi as the apprentice who recounts his struggles to perfect his tamago-yaki. Once restaurateur Alessandro Borgognone successfully brought Nakazawa to New York City, the rising star chef and the city that adores sushi would…
I spent Christmas Day lounging around at home until it was time to head to the airport. Overnight, I flew cross-country to New York City, and there I arrived, dark and early, at 6am. This was my first time spending the holidays in New York, and with all the crazy snowstorms this year, it was…