The Portly Chef

When I began this blog, I promised myself that I would post regularly on weekdays, giving myself the weekends off. However, this week I’ll be out of town on Monday and Tuesday, preventing me from writing.
But it is for good cause: Monday I’ll fly to to Norfolk, Virginia, to get ready for my first court […]

While I’m not as big of a fan of The Lord of the Rings as some people, I do like the story. I saw the first Peter Jackson film while living in London, then read the trilogy, and then saw each of the subsequent films as they were released.
My wife, an avid reader, had never read […]

Following up on yesterday’s post on romesco sauce, as promised I experimented in the kitchen last night and came up with my own recipe. Because the particulars of romesco sauce are posted below, I only include my recipe. Enjoy!!
Ingredients

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled
2 shallots, diced
1 and 1/2 cup […]

I’ll have to admit that it wasn’t until the finale of Top Chef 2, when Ilan served braised and grilled shortrib with mushrooms and romesco sauce, that I had paid any attention to romesco. However, along with many other things served that episode, it quickly flitted out of my head.
When I received this month’s copy […]

Last week Restaurant Girl wrote about “Off the Menu” secrets at various eateries in New York. As she put it, off the menu items seem “so much sexier than anything actually in fine print” but also might cause one to feel “like you’re dining in coach while in-the-know regulars are feasting in first class.”
I don’t understand […]

Last night, as I explain in comments to my last post, the wife and I successfully cooked together. The chicken chili was delicious, but dessert was the best.
I used Emeril’s recipe for Devil’s Food Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Icing. The cake could not be easier to make. If you think like me, you’ll protest that […]

The New York Times ran this piece entitled “He Cooks. She Stews. It’s Love.” on Valentine’s Day. As I was depressed by my complicit (or explicit) role in the article, I couldn’t bring myself to write about it on Valentine’s Day, and then it got bumped for the Bourdain post below. Since it ran, at least […]

Both David Lebovitz and Simply Recipes (among others) have covered this story, but I thought I’d provide the link for you as well, in case you don’t read those sites (as you should).
Anthony Bourdain (whose D.C. Les Halles is one of my favorite lunch places) was a guest blogger over at Michael Ruhlman’s blog and offered his […]

For my first review, I start close to home. Two blocks from home, in Lincoln, Nebraska, at Phreddy’s Phillies. According to the Journal Star’s review of Phreddy’s, the new downtown lunch shop is owned by Rob Burns, who currently owns soon-to-be-moved-or-defunct Wasabi!. Being that I eat downtown nearly every day, and that I’m a self-proclaimed connoisseur of […]

Restaurant Girl has this interview with Josh DeChellis of New York’s West Village restaurant Sumile and it’s new sushi bar Sumile Sushi. The entire piece is a great read, but the following really piqued my interest:
Restaurant Girl: What culinary trend do you most detest?
DeChellis: None of them, there must be sin in order to appreciate virtue.
This is […]