Category Archives: California

Sunday Photo – RIP Judy Rodgers

Posted on December 8, 2013 by John Sconzo in California, Culinary Personalities, Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Health, Regional, Restaurants, Slow Food

Judy Rodgers, the chef/owner of one of San Francisco’s most beloved and most iconic restaurants died this past week from cancer. She was one of the major driving forces behind the development and popularization of what has come to be [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , ,     |     Leave a comment

Aubergine – Carmel Cool

Posted on December 3, 2013 by John Sconzo in California, Cheese, Culinary Blogs, Culinary Personalities, Fine Dining, Food and Drink, Hotels, Pastry, Restaurants, Slow Food, Top Restaurant Meals, Travel, Wine

While by no means exclusive to the West Coast, cool jazz is the style of jazz most closely associated with it, especially the sounds of Dave Brubeck, Chico Hamilton and Gerry Mulligan amongst others. Cool is a more laid back, [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,     |     1 Comment

Saison – Sublime Sensuality

Posted on November 13, 2013 by John Sconzo in California, Cocktails & Libations, Culinary Personalities, Fine Dining, Food and Drink, Pastry, Restaurants, Slow Food, Top Restaurant Meals, Top Tastes, Travel, Wine

Sensuality is oft equated with erotic sexuality and while they tend to go hand in hand, not all sensuality is sexual, or at least not overtly so. Sensuality is a state of pleasure due to stimulation of the corporeal senses. [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,     |     6 Comments

Some Serious Food in Sunny San Francisco

Posted on October 30, 2013 by John Sconzo in At the Market, Bistronomic, California, Cheese, Cocktails & Libations, Culinary Personalities, Culinary Shopping, Fine Dining, Food and Drink, Hotels, Pastry, Regional, Restaurants, Science, Slow Food, Starchefs, Top Restaurant Meals, Traditional Ethnic, Travel, Wine

Sunny? San Francisco? Yes! My recent week in San Francisco and the Bay Area was marked by absolutely perfect weather. The clear blue cerulean skies and balmy, but not too hot temperatures certainly don’t hurt the pleasures of dining and [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,     |     7 Comments

Sunday Photo – Ocean Pacific

Posted on October 27, 2013 by John Sconzo in Art, California, Photo Posts, Travel

There is something primal and atavistic about the beach and the ocean. It’s allure for me is perpetual. I’m certainly not the only one for whom that is true. Surf was up at Carmel-by-the-Sea’s beach and these surfers took advantage of [...]

Tagged , , ,     |     Leave a comment

Sunday Photo – Salt and Pepper Crab

Posted on October 20, 2013 by John Sconzo in California, Food and Drink, Photo Posts, Restaurants, Slow Food, Traditional Ethnic, Travel

I love to eat crabs, but I had never eaten one quite like this one at R&G Lounge on Kearny Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Chopped up, battered and fried, this bundle of joy weighed in at around two pounds. A [...]

Tagged , , ,     |     1 Comment

Sunday Photo – The City by the Bay

Posted on October 13, 2013 by John Sconzo in Architecture, California, Photo Posts, Travel

There are few cities in the world as alluring as San Francisco on a beautiful, clear day.
Tweet

Tagged ,     |     Leave a comment

Cocktails With Scents

Posted on August 6, 2013 by John Sconzo in California, Cocktails & Libations, Cooking, Culinary Personalities, Culinary Shopping, Food and Drink, Photo Posts, Recipes, Slow Food, Top Tastes, Upstate NY

Aroma is an important component of any worthwhile culinary experience. One cannot fully appreciate a meal without a sense of smell. Mandy Aftel, a Berkeley, California based perfumer and friend of such culinary luminaries as Daniel Patterson, Harold McGee, David [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,     |     2 Comments

Fermented Elements – Dinner With Matthias Merges and Kevin Farley (The Cultured Pickle)

Posted on May 24, 2013 by John Sconzo in California, Chicago, Cocktails & Libations, Cooking, Culinary Blogs, Culinary Personalities, Culinary Shopping, Fermentation, Fine Dining, Food and Drink, Food Events, New Jersey, Pastry, Restaurants, Slow Food, Travel, Wine

Fermentation has been around for as long as humans have been eating food and drinking beverages other than water. Many cultures have used it to create their most iconic foods. It is only recently, however, that the techniques of fermentation have gained [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,     |     Leave a comment

Musings – Where Are The Destination Restaurants of North America?

Posted on March 11, 2013 by John Sconzo in BeNeLux, California, Fine Dining, Food and Drink, France, Germany, Hotels, Musings, Pacific Northwest, Restaurants, Scandinavia, Slow Food, Spain, The Southern USA, Traditional Ethnic, Travel, Virginia

Three stars reward exceptional cuisine where diners eat extremely well, often superbly. Distinctive dishes are precisely executed, using superlative ingredients. Worth a special journey. – the Michelin Guide
Restaurants don’t need to be difficult to get to to be “worth a [...]

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,     |     1 Comment