I have to admit, I wasn’t too thrilled to go here when my local dinner companion recommended it. It has a painfully tacky lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) running through it, complete with the masks, the fake gold trophies, signed photos of fighters and a hot pink wall, all of which reminded me of that horrible little movie…
Chef/Owner Michael Schwaertz clearly had a mission in mind when opening Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in 2007 – to source local as often as possible and establish enduring partnerships with suppliers, to visit the origins of his ingredients and keep track of their seasonal variations (even if from out-of-state), to have a life story ready…
During my stay in Nanhui, a suburban district of Shanghai, I had to get used to the fact that there simply was no good coffee accessible to me for days. Really, the only option would have been to search for a dust-coated jar of old Nescafé at the local supermarket, and pay an outrageous price for…
In honor of the first Shake Shack opening in Boston tomorrow, on Chestnut Hill – goddamnit, those spoiled B.C. kids get everything… first El Pelon 2 after EP 1 next to my place burned down, and now this! – I decided to publish an article I had been saving for later about an experience I…
One pretty gentrified (now) but super lively little neighborhood in San Diego is Little Italy, where I was staying during my trip out there. The place has been largely polished up and, with the exception of a few old timer nonno’s and nonna’s left over from the tuna-fishing days and the occasional grandchildren who are eager to…
I was feeling lazy and lonely one night in San Diego, so I decided to order a delivery from a place nearby to where I was staying. I had had a sufficient amount of tacos by this time, so I went for something new – a Mexican torta – which a friend had recommended I…
This past weekend found me in Miami, for the first time in a long time, walking under an overcast but bright sky and reminding every little previously hibernating part of my body of the existence of palm trees, of warm humidity, of sea breezes and of the magnificence of a warm hand around your own,…
A work-related trip to Nanhui (a suburban region of Shanghai province) last week lent itself to the opportunity to try some traditional Sichuan dishes, an opportunity that I was particularly excited about. Having lived in Hong Kong, I’ve sampled mostly the oh-so-delicate Cantonese cuisine, along with some Fujian and Taiwanese, but not too much of…
Desperate for warm rays of sunshine and the sound of crashing waves, my first day in San Diego found me walking around Ocean Beach, looking for a bite to eat. My guide and lunch companion had a few too many recommendations to choose from – some famous taco shacks, an over-hyped and Fieri-frequented burger joint,…
Compared to the trendy and scattered valet-chic dining culture of L.A. or the locavore, cage-free, organic, food-nerd scene of the Bay Area, San Diego is not really known to be one of the culinary capitals of the West Coast. From what I’ve gathered, it has some real Mexican taco and torta shacks, gourmet burgers, a…
That Best Bite 