Topic

gastronome

A collection of 135 issues

For the love of good farmers.

Apples, cherries, grapes, and hops. I am fascinated with agriculture. Wonder worked its way down my spine while I looked out across the verdant Yakima River Valley from a rental RV, the fruits of some of Washington state’s almost 40,000 farmers on awesome display. Ice-edged mountain tops of

On design, food, and French-kissing porcelain.

The Italians would never serve espresso in anything but beautiful porcelain. Sant’Eustachio, Rome. Photo by Callie Neylan, 2005. Clink. Clink. Clang. Tinkle. Ping. Chunky diner coffee mugs that return your grasp with a firm handshake and a hearty hello. A happy silver fork, declaring its position in melodic tone

I want one! No, wait! I want 20!!

So, here it is, September. I have lived in DC for almost one year and I have finally found a culinary treat that surpasses anything in this category that Seattle has to offer. Which is just shocking to me since in my opinion (and the opinions of lots of reviewers

Slow foodie.

I've been on a Michael Pollan kick lately, having just finished reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. I love his guide to eating: 01 Pay more, eat less. Good food is not cheap. Like most other things, you get what you pay for.

On Christmas lights and warehouse smoke.

Bring yourself. Take your time. The food will bring the minds together, as foreign as they might be. Friends will be found in a shared experience. Without need of history or gestures known. If you have a bit of hunger, bring that as well. We will not wear our masks

La Marzocco. J'en veux un!

See this amazing work of industrial design? It is the La Marzocco home espresso machine. It is beautiful and I’m sure it produces a wonderful, delicious thing, even though I’ve never used one. When Will and I have our sustainable, architected prefab home on a few secluded acres

Not your average chocolate chips.

In my efforts to act like a true gastronomist, I saw these chips at Whole Foods and decided to try them. See the ingredients? Dutch cocoa, cane sugar, sea salt (not to mention the key ingredient of stone ground white corn). Now, I don’t know about you, but I

A photographic ode to the Seattle barista.

All the baristas I’ve loved (i.e., a portrait of each barista who pulled shots for me during my last trip to Seattle, minus a couple – when watching the slideshow, make sure to click on “Show Info” to view the captions). In case you don’t know, I’m

Espresso. Ristretto. Con panna, per favore.

., originally uploaded by Neylano. This weekend I was in New York and was there long enough to try out a couple of new espresso bars. I’m obsessed, I know. Above is Ninth Street Espresso’s Tompkins Square location. Very, very good. Except that they looked at me funny when

Dulce de Leche.

And more designer Weims in ads. Dulce de Leche (from the New York Times Magazine): 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (containing only milk, sugar, glucose and sodium bicarbonate), label removed. Place the can in a saucepan and cover with water by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil