Have you ever gotten disapproving looks at parties for eagerly scooping up too much of the caviar? That’s never happened to me per se (I’m much too sneaky to get caught), but if you have then you will enjoy this scoop-worthy roe.

Tarama is cod or carp roe that is salted, dried and sometimes smoked. [...]

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I have a deep love for cheese. Actually, it borders on an addiction, but (so far) I am able to live my life normally.
Does flying to Argentina for cheese count as normal?
A couple of years ago Barnaby I went to Argentina to visit friends. Really, it was to visit friends, the cheese (and wine, meat, [...]

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I was reminiscing today about one of my favorite destinations in Tokyo. Mecca for the culinary connoisseur. Nirvana for the “kitsch-en” collector. A place where the Yen in my purse would start to shake and quiver the minute I was within spitting distance. Kappabashi market.
Marked by a giant statue of a chef’s head, Kappabashi [...]

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I don’t like chicken liver. Not at all. But when cooked up with sinful ingredients such as Cognac and heavy cream that artery clogging offal is a whole other thing. Oh, oui, oiu!

Last night I stuffed myself on Le Pichet’s house gateau au foie de folaille like a foie gras goose. It’s my duty, really, [...]

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I love Mexican food. So much so that I think I was Mexicana in a previous life. Actually, I say that when I eat just about any food, really. I’ve been Japanese, French, Italian…you get the picture.
My newest love is mole. You’re probably saying, “Well, what took you so long?” Honestly, I had a bit [...]

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If you are like me, you may have assumed that the French Dip sandwich has it’s origins in, well, France. Non! Eeet ees actually from…Los Angeles. Despite my images of Gallic housewives stewing bones in ancient stone farmhouses to render the dipping broth, or Au Jus, that makes this dish unique, it’s generally accepted that [...]

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Well…sorta…
During our recent trip to Mexico, we discovered a new product: Agave Syrup. As our loyal readers will remember, tequila is distilled from fermented sugars of the Agave plant. This syrup is made from the very same plant by boiling down the sap or nectar. It is very similar in consistency to maple syrup, so [...]

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After graduating from high school I went to Madrid, Spain. I’d studied Spanish for 4 years and spent a summer living with a family in Mexico. When I arrived to attend the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, I had a great language base, but was totally unprepared for a whole new food world that greeted me. [...]

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Takoyaki is one of many Japanese foods that make average Americans cringe. Literally translated as “fried octopus,” I love these little snacks that hail from Osaka. Made primarily of eggs, flour and octopus, Takoyaki are cooked in a specially designed pan and resemble Dunkin Donuts’ Munchkins. Covered in a sweetish sauce, mayonnaise and typically served [...]

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I’m not talking Rice-A-Roni here, the San Francisco treat I’m referring to is IT’S-IT Ice Cream. When I was a kid we’d often pass the IT’S-IT factory perched on the edge of Highway 101 near the San Francisco airport. I would beg my parents to stop, but alas, it never happened. I still threaten to [...]

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