Topic

gastronome

A collection of 135 issues

I design, therefore I cook.

One of the things I really love about cooking is the design of culinary tools. In my honest opinion, the Kitchen Aid stand mixer deserves a place at MoMA. It’s a design classic, an icon of American design and mechanical engineering. Consequently, I find excuses to spend money at

Notes from a beer tasting.

Beer tastings are awesome. We will definitely be doing another one soon. Here are Will’s notes from our menu planning session. And for a great book on beer, check out this one. Oh, and there are also great pairing guidelines from Wegman’s.

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

On the undesigned vs the aesthetic.

I’ve been trying to perfect my latté art for months. Like anything that looks really easy, it’s not. In this interview, David Schomer of Seattle’s Vivace talks about espresso, aesthetics, and precise measurements. Before becoming arguably the Emerald City’s most respected purveyor of artisanal espresso, he

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

With friends and crême brulée.

Last night, Will and I had his friend Glotz (aka Chris Glotzbach) over for dinner. Glotz is an old friend of Will’s. They met at the University of Maryland. He’s been Will’s financial advisor since before I met him and our dogsitter every once in a while.

An apiary, a city, and beautiful cinematography.

Made by Hand / No 3 The Beekeeper. Via Made by Hand on Vimeo. First I wanted chickens. Now I want bees. I don’t have either yet, but…maybe this summer. Will and I have been learning about wonderful things in our research on sustainable agriculture. Things about biodynamic farming,

On artisanal food and artisanal technology.

I don’t know what it is about the Pacific Northwest and food, but I’m really glad to be going back to it (I’m seriously considering writing a book about it someday, though – what do you think?). One of the things I’ve missed the most while living

On fizz and fog.

Oslo, Mies, and me. Seattle’s Discovery Park, December 2012. Only the head of a Dublin pint froths like that. Milky white density; super foam. Unless you count the merinque of that baked Alaska I made one time. One time when I was young and married and living in a

On what software designers can learn from Japanese knife makers.

From Kinfolk, Volume Eight: The Cutting Edge, by Ethan Kawasaki. The knife is unequivocally the most important tool in the kitchen: It is an icon in the culinary arts. Cooks get them tattooed on their bodies. You don’t touch another cook’s knives. A knife is one of the