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A Tale of Two Restaurants: Austin, Texas

How do you know if a restaurant is great even if you can’t eat there? Last weekend in Austin we went to Barley Swine, where Chef Bryce Gilmore has created an astonishing food palace. We met him a few weeks ago in New York City when Food and Wine had him shooting a...

Mercato: Perfection in Red Hook, New York

Beyond Brooklyn, there is another Red Hook. Red Hook Village is nestled in Dutches country among berries and apple trees. East of the Hudson, you can see the Catskills a dozen miles away, without being buried by the snow. There is only one stoplight in Red Hook. And...
Fort Definance in Red Hook

Fort Definance in Red Hook

  This is not a trick question: where is Red Hook? Oh, and, part two, where would you eat in Red Hook? If you are in Manhattan, you might, just might, get an answer about “in Brooklyn.” If you are in Brooklyn, they’ll point and say “over there.” Kinda. There is a Red...

Eleven Madison Park: World Class Cuisine

Culinary greatness, true greatness, is actually not hard to achieve. You just need perfect ingredients, perfect kitchen staff, perfect techniques, perfect serving staff, a mega wine cellar, an elegant setting. On second thought, I understand why greatness is so rare....

Where Not to Eat in Chinatown, Part 1

Cooking by the Book is a short fifteen minute walk from Chinatown in New York City. Chinatown is just what you might imagine: a maze of winding streets lined with shops and restaurants. Except it is more. Because those shops and restaurants aren’t just Chinese...