Bad food

I've eaten a lot of bad food lately. I'm not talking about food that's bad for you, like fast food; I'm talking about what could be good food but is just plain bad. Bad because it's poorly prepared, or overcooked, or not fresh to begin with. And I've paid for those meals, both in cash and in stomach upset. And I'm cranky about it. It's times like this that I think maybe it's time to retire from restaurant reviewing and food critiquing.

Farewell, Italian Garden (and a rant)

I heard that the Italian Garden has closed. Sure, it opened on the corner of Spring Garden and South Park, a notorious restaurant-killing location. But it was great, great, great. Did I mention great? So great.
It hardly seems fair that the city is littered with deplorable restaurants with indifferent cooking that manage to hang on, yet an Italian Garden should close. I know, there are all kinds of reasons to which we are not privy that may contribute to a resto closure (finances being key), but I will continue to pout and throw tantrums over the loss of IG.
Arrivederci!

Am I a food snob?

I am definitely going to blog daily. Well, at least weekly. Maybe.
I was eating my dinner the other night, pondering the fact that I had been called a food snob, via an email, yet again. I don't know why that is--having knowledge of food is not snobby in any way, and I certainly don't limit myself to high end dining.
I decided to put it out of my mind and finish my dinner. I'm an accomplished cook, I have Journeymens' certification and have worked in fine dining restaurants. I regularly host elaborate, multi course meals for friends and family, and love to try new ingredients, and challenge myself regularly. Starting to sound like a food snob? Not if you could see what I was eating for dinner!
Ground beef with green peas in and tomato soup, over toast. Comfort food, gotta love it.

End of NED

I can't believe it...the diner I reviewed last week, the North End Diner, burned down today. It's been a food place since the 1950's, has more history than you could ever imagined and now it's gone...unbelievable.

Too much time

Since I returned to writing, I've worked full time jobs of no less than 50-60 hours a week along with writing 20-30 hours. Combine that all the other things that make life go round and that didn't leave a lot of time. Since December, I've been writing full time, working from home and you know what? I don't have any more time. Where does it go? Jerry Seinfeld was right. What's the point of saving time, it's not like you can bank it and use it later...

Anthony Bourdain

Boy, did he start a firestorm when he dared criticize the Food Network.
http://blog.ruhlman.com/2007/02/guest_blogging_.html
I'm a big Bourdain fan; sure, he comes across as abrasive and rough, but it's clear he's passionate about food.

Weather and Food

Weird weather has totally messed up winter eating--the time for gut-warming stews and spicy chilies is currently barbecue and salad weather. Not that snow would prevent us barbecuing--as long as we can get to the grill, we're going to throw something on there.