Tri-flavor Crispy Fish

Yumm....

Summer Cocktail Series: The Cucumber Tonic

Cheers to summer! I've got a refreshing cocktail for you, so it can be "happy hour" any time of day. So long as the weather is hot and you've got a thirst.

There is something interesting about cucmber juice. It is very striking in flavor. One taste and you know exactly what it is you're tasting. However, the words to describe it are more difficult. It tastes "clean." it tastes "fresh." It tastes "cool."

Chickpea Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Fennel & Pea Shoots

Whew! When's it hot outside, sometimes I just can't work up the gaul to fire up the stove or turn on the oven. I just need to give my little 1200w AC unit a break.

I know it's a long way off from tomato season, but the little guys are popping up all over in stores. I couldn't resist. It took me about 17 years, but I learned to love tomatoes. And, the cherry-sized heirlooms are some of my favorite.

This salad combines a lot of fresh, warm weather friendly flavors: fennel, cucumber and one of my favorites, pea shoots.

Frisee Aux Lardons

This is one of my favorite things to get when eating out at a nice neighborhood bistro.

Look, it might be a salad, but there is nothing light or delicate about this dish. Look at those chunks of bacon for god sakes.

Mmmm... bacon. In French gastro-speak the term lardons means any large piece of cooked, crispy bacon. In my own gastro-speak is means delicious.

Sunday Brunch: French Toast Muffins

My grand-pappy instilled in me two very important things. One, don't let anything come between you and a beautiful lady. Two, never trust anyone who doesn't like French toast. 

I like his priorities. 

Summer Cocktail Series: The Persian Persuader

I've got to thank my Aussie friend Michael for this one. 


Now, I'm not sure where the legend started, but a long, long time ago in a hotel lobby far, far away the saga begins. (I didn't know it was possible to be in the middle-of-nowhere yet somehow be close to the second biggest mall in the country). 

"It looks like a half-finished Bennigan’s in there, all brick face and wood and half-filled bookshelves, with room on the walls for flair. ...

This is a good restaurant?

Against heavy odds, it is. This place has all the charm of a lobby bar in Albany, and produces a similar mood. "

The sage-like words of critic Sam Sifton, giving Tenpenny a star in yesterday's Dining & Wine.