The Wednesday Chef

Month: March 2007

  • Jill Santopietro’s Braised Fennel with Meyer Lemon and Parmesan

    I was smitten by the close relationship that I witnessed between farmers and chefs in Los Angeles last week, and I wonder if that feeling wasn't underlined by an article I'd read a month earlier in the New York Times Magazine. The Lee Bros wrote a profile of Ben Friedman, one of the men who…

  • Sweet Reverie

    Last Wednesday might have been the highlight of my year thus far, but that doesn't mean that the rest of my week in Los Angeles was a faded blur. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the rest of the week was pretty fine, indeed. So fine that when the time came…

  • The Best Kind of Wednesday

    I have decided that I'd like to start every Wednesday with a stroll around the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. This is an entirely better way to start the day than sitting hunched in front of my computer. Furthermore, I would like to note that kumquats have now entirely supplanted honey dates as the foodstuff I…

  • Things I Am Learning

    If I could visit Loteria Grill and eat this pepper (people, what kind of pepper is it?) stuffed with beans every day for lunch, life could never be blue. The little hash of almonds, raisins, beef, and cubed vegetables served alongside it would help, too. Southern Californian drivers are kind, kind people. They make the…

  • Craig Strong’s Raisin-Filled Sugar and Spice Cookies

    It's a good thing I'll be in Pasadena next week – I have half a mind to track down Craig Strong of the Ritz-Carlton, toting my little Ziploc bag filled with a few buttery crumbs and the lingering scent of ginger and lemons, to tell him that despite the utter unwillingness of that wondrous cookie…

  • Coming Into Los Angeles

    The last time I went to LA, I didn't mention the trip until it was over, missing out on all of your suggestions and tips on where to go and, more importantly, what to eat. This time it's going to be different. I'm flying back to Los Angeles in a week. Where should I go?…

  • Russ Parsons’ Lamb-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

    When I get to thinking about the state of school lunches in this country, it makes me despair, just a bit. I know it's a well-worn subject, but lately I've been thinking that it all boils down to one simple question. Why do we serve our children the kind of food that none of us…