True story: I once called an Uber at 2:30 a.m. from City Donuts that never came. The next morning, I woke up with a slight headache, a few donut crumbs around the left corner of my mouth and a $78 charge for an Uber ride to Long Beach. The tale is unrelated but also related…
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I first met Chef Elyssa Fournier months ago at the Pacific Wine and Food Classic. Her pastry display was in the VIP section and by the time I made it over there, I had already eaten half my weight in just-seared tacos and those one-bite swirls of sesame spaghetti. Enter: Elyssa’s meringues. Yep, my stomach…
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As usual, I was late. Not because I’m usually late but because whenever there’s food hanging in the balance, time seems to swivel uncontrollably and with offbeat measure, no outfit is ever cool enough for the meal I’m about to consume, (as if the shrimp tempura is really judging my vintage James Dean tee). Early evening last Thursday, sun…
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“5:30.” “In the morning?” “Yes. And everyone showed up.” I was sitting in the corner booth at Newport Beach’s latest bay-side dining experience, Lido Bottle Works, about to dive into an expertly seared halibut set before me moments before by Executive Chef Joel Harrington. From what I could already tell, the chef commands his kitchen with…
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It’s not every day you stand on the lawn outside your local library and next to you, dressed casually in a pastel collared shirt and beige slacks, is Hubert Keller, James Beard Foundation winner and chef extraordinaire. He’s laughing about a joke you couldn’t hear. What does Hubert find so funny?
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