01.26.10 · 1:05 AM

The non-exact science of spice

So you know what I hate? I hate it when a guest orders a dish at spice level five, which is our maximum level of spiciness, then sends it back saying it was too spicy. Dude, it’s five out of five meaning it’s going to be frickin’ spicy! What did you expect, that I was only teasing that day because we were kind of slow? Or sometimes you get the yahoos that want to be all hardass and order a ... Read more...

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01.18.10 · 1:27 PM

The right way to Raku

Let’s go back a year and a half, pre-buzz, before the “all the chefs eat here, so you have to go” word had hit the street. After I got the offer to head up Wazuzu at Encore, I found one of the best sushi chefs I’ve ever worked with and asked him to help with our sushi program. So Matsu (aka Masaru Matsuura) comes on board and, in traditional manner, takes me out to dinner at his favorite Japanese resto-pub ... Read more...

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01.14.10 · 1 PM

A (scathing) critique of the online restaurant critic

So if a group of people who know nothing about food can jump on the Internet and become instant food critics just because they can form sentences, well screw it! It’s time for a chef/restaurateur to respond. My writing skills probably don’t match up to a lot of the Chowhound-Yelping haters of the world, but I challenge any one of you to stand on my line and expo a service and see how you do. Or simply, come and prep ... Read more...

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01.11.10 · 5:16 PM

The real kitchen chain of command

Today’s restaurant kitchen is such a unique place, and today’s chefs have to do a lot more than just cook. If you had to rank the top 10 qualities of a successful chef, his cooking ability would probably close to the bottom. Shocked? Don’t be. A great chef needs to know how to recognize great flavors, but he can hire talented cooks to execute them. That guy with the fancy title probably isn’t seasoning your sauce, anyway. C’mon…cooking? That’s what ... Read more...

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01.5.10 · 2:55 PM

The tao of papaya

It sounds like the latest and greatest kung fu movie, but the Tao of Som Tam really is just a no-BS explanation of the different types of papaya salad and how to order and eat them like an expert. Though more than one region of Southeast Asia enjoys this simple-yet-explosive dish, the country that is credited with exposing the world to papaya salad definitely is Thailand. Northern and eastern Thais eat papaya salad on a daily basis, but as we ... Read more...

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Featured Cocktail

Cocktail of the Week May 15, 2013
by Sabrina Chapman

The Golden Pillar: An architectural cocktail built for XS

This Sunday, XS nightclub celebrates the grand reopening of its after-dark pool party, Night Swim. Along with the bash comes a new offering of signature cocktails served by the pitcher, ...
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