Posted in agriculture, boiled, Brooklyn, capers, fish, hearty, London, New York City, octopus, olives, Park Slope, peppers, Peru, Potato, restaurant, sauce, South America, tradition, vegetables on Oct 9th, 2014
Of all the miracles of modern science that we have witnessed over recent years, few have received as little attention as the 2009 announcement by the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru, that it had successfully sequenced the potato genome. It is a sad reflection on the state of our priorities as a species that […]
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Posted in America, appetizer, cheap meal, chives, easy, lower fat, peppers, Philadelphia, pistachios, restaurant, shrimp, soup, Spain, tomato, vegetables, vinegar on Aug 13th, 2014
The longer we live, the more we understand that our lives, especially now that we have two children, are about compromises. These are often in the form of compromising what we want to do, more or less completely, because our children are either unwilling or unable to do it. Recently though, a new kind of […]
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Posted in appetizer, Barcelona, blood, boudin, chick peas, Chorizo, hearty, Meat, morcilla, pork, Portuguese, racione, restaurant, sausage, Spain, tapas, tourism, travel, watercress on Apr 15th, 2014
Barcelona’s La Boqueria is perhaps the most famous food market in the world, and the most famous of its bar/restaurants is undoubtedly Pinotxo (pee-not-cho), run by the equally famous Juanito Bayen. His immaculate sense of dress and reputation for treating his guests like family have made him and his 14-stool establishment legendary. Indeed, such is […]
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Posted in America, Beach, Caribbean, cilantro, fish, fried, fritters, history, octopus, patriotism, Puerto Rican, pulpo, restaurant, Restaurant Review, South America, tourism, tradition, travel on Mar 20th, 2012
Conventional wisdom dictates that one should never eat at an empty restaurant, especially early in the week, but if there is absolutely nowhere else open and you have no choice, do yourself a favor and avoid the seafood. Happily, Vieques, a 55-square mile island off the east end of Puerto Rico, and former bombing range […]
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Posted in ale, beer, British, culture, England, Europe, family, holidays, pork, Pub, restaurant, Restaurant Review, sausage, suet, tourism, tradition, travel on Jul 16th, 2011
“A journey is a fragment of hell.” – Prophet Mohammed Regular readers will most likely know a handful of factoids about us WANF-ers and our proclivities, among them: one of us is English, the other Italian-American; we enjoy making a wide variety of dishes, many of which we’ve sampled on our travels; and we have […]
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Posted in adobo, alcaparrado, Argentina, avocado, beans, Brooklyn, chicharron, chicken, cilantro, crispy, culture, diversity, fried, New York City, oil, plantains, Puerto Rican, restaurant, Restaurant Review, rice, spices, tostones, unhealthy on May 25th, 2011
While Queens may have the reputation for being the most ethnically diverse area in the United States, our very own borough of Brooklyn is certainly not bereft of global flavors. From the side-by-side Mexican and Chinese neighborhoods of Sunset Park to the century-old Italian areas of Carroll Gardens and Bay Ridge, to the more recently […]
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Posted in America, Argentina, Beach, beef, blogging, Buenos Aires, Chorizo, kidneys, Montevideo, morcilla, Naples, restaurant, Restaurant Review, sausage, South America, sweetbreads, tourism, tripe, Uruguay, yucca on Apr 27th, 2011
“A little of what you fancy does you good.” – British saying The hardworking folks behind this non-award winning blog are enjoying a deserved warm weather break on Florida’s Gulf Coast right now. No offense to the locals, but we did not pick this particular destination for its well-known and highly prized food culture. Instead, […]
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Posted in America, Brooklyn, cafe, history, Italian, Italian-American, meatballs, octopus, offal, Park Slope, pulpo, restaurant, Restaurant Review, ricotta, tradition on Mar 18th, 2011
When you think of old-style Italian-American restaurants does red sauce spring to mind? Red check wax table cloths, family-style servings, a free salad with your entree, rotund red-faced guys with their sleeves rolled-up, going “ey!” and slapping each other on the back? Sure, it’s a cliché, but it’s also close to the truth in a […]
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Posted in America, Argentina, brandy, Buenos Aires, butter, chives, cream, England, grilled, grilling, indulgent meal, Italian-American, Meat, mushroom, mushrooms, New Jersey, porcini, restaurant, rosemary, sauce, travel, turnip, vegetables on Sep 24th, 2009
New Jersey, it’s like a cross-section of the entire United States stuffed into a very small area — fenced-in by heavy industry, ugly sub-divisions, peaceful tidal bays and relaxing shore towns — but with its own very distinct character. And, if you drive around it long enough, you’re bound to see some pretty interesting stuff. This goes […]
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Posted in anchovies, Argentina, Buenos Aires, chick peas, crispy, Easter, eating, Food Commentary, Genoa, Genovese, history, Italian, Italy, language, Liguria, onions, Piemonte, Pizza, restaurant, Restaurant Review, South America, tourism, tradition, travel on Apr 24th, 2009
It’s fairly safe to say that no group, with the exception of the enigmatic gaucho, played as significant a role in defining Argentine national character as the Italians. Primarily (and principally, numerically-speaking) from Liguria (particularly Genoa), Piemonte and Tuscany, but latterly also from Naples and other areas of southern Italy, these Italian immigrants, literally by […]
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Posted in Madrid, pepper, peppers, Potato, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, Spain, vegetables, vegetarian on Feb 19th, 2009
Over a year ago when we were in Madrid, Spain we had two dining experiences that were particularly memorable. They were memorable because these were the spots we ended up just doing an eenie-meenie-minee-moe way to pick it. Sometimes those restaurants, the type that involve zero research or reading of reviews, that end up being the best. The first experience […]
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Posted in America, arepas, caldo, chicharron, Chorizo, Colombian, diversity, eating, empanadas, indulgent meal, podcast, red beans, restaurant, Restaurant Review, rice on Feb 5th, 2009
This podcast is an interview with our friend and native Colombian Juan Camilo Osorio covering not just the Colombian restaurant – Cositas Ricas – we visited together, but also some background on Colombian food and how it is eaten.
Some readers may remember back in the early fall when we posted about Bandeja Paisa, […]
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Posted in animals, British, dining, duck, eating, England, family, Fergus Henderson, Food Commentary, Gabrielle Hamilton, holiday, London, lunch, mutton, parsley, pigs, podcast, Prune, restaurant, Restaurant Review, tourism, travel, trotter on Dec 3rd, 2008
Since Amy and I have been together I think we’ve only spent two Thanksgivings in America – not because we don’t enjoy turkey, but because it is often the cheapest time of the year to leave the country as many expat Americans are returning home. And true to form, this year, despite a sizable delay […]
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Posted in Canada, Food Commentary, French, French-ness, Montreal, photographs, photography, restaurant, tourism, travel on Oct 13th, 2008
We’ve been in Montreal all weekend and just recorded a podcast from our hotel. Luckily for you this isn’t a video or else you’d see us in all our morning-breath, non-brushed hair glory! Check out this fun podcast touching on a few of the great things we’ve been up to during our few days north […]
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Posted in restaurant, Restaurant Review on Sep 22nd, 2008
Last month, on August 21st to be exact, we were surprised by our family with the best anniversary present ever – a trip to the beautiful, fabulous, famous and highly-priced restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California (near Napa). Here we enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime-meal (although we hope to make it at least a twice-in-a-lifetime meal), […]
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Posted in bunny, culture, dining, Europe, game, hearty, Italian, Italy, Pasta, rabbit, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, slow cooking, spices, stew, tourism, travel, Tuscan, tuscany, wine on Jul 8th, 2008
Remember way back yonder, when the weather was still cool, we were on the search for some rabbit to make? We ended up calling around to butchers around Brooklyn and found a place that had them and asked them to save two for us. When we arrived, the butcher handed us our babies and, with […]
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Posted in beets, Brooklyn, butter, cheap meal, healthy, Italian, Italy, Potato, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, vegetarian on Jun 6th, 2008
The first time I ate a version of this very old Venetian meal was at a very popular restaurant in my neighborhood in Brooklyn called Al Di La. The restaurant serves simple Italian food at it’s best and this is precisely why it is so popular. But since that dinner, a few years ago, I […]
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Posted in anchovies, basil, cream, eating, Genoa, Genovese, herbs, Italian, lunch, mushroom, mushrooms, nuts, Olive Oil, Pasta, pine nuts, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, sauce, tourism, travel, walnuts on May 10th, 2008
There are a handful of things that have made Genoa famous, amongst them pesto and Christopher Columbus. Interestingly, in all the many, many stories told by Scheherazade (to persuade the emir not to have her killed) in the Arabian Nights, the only European city to be mentioned is Genoa. And, when you visit the city […]
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Posted in calamari, Clams, easy, fish, healthy, lemon, Madrid, meal, peppers, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, rice, soup, Spain, spices, Squid, tomato, vegetarian on May 5th, 2008
On our final day in Madrid, it was pissing down with rain. We spent about 4 hours walking around the Reina Sofia drooling over Picasso’s Guernica (the size of a giant museum wall) and the large amount of Dali and Miro works. We’re not really artsy-fartsy folks, but that museum made me wet myself with […]
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Posted in butter, Cacio e Pepe, cheap meal, cheese, culture, easy, Europe, Food Commentary, Italian, Italy, language, meal, noodles, Olive Oil, Pasta, pepper, quick meal, Rachel Ray, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, Roman, Rome, savory, spicy, tourism, tradition, travel, vegetarian on Apr 29th, 2008
I think the title of this post says it all about my feelings (and others) about this famous Roman dish of pasta, traditionally spaghetti, with pecorino cheese and a good amount of freshly ground pepper. The name says is all – cacio, meaning cheese, and pepe meaning pepper. We’re not breaking any new ground here […]
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Posted in alcohol, America, batter, bone-marrow, Bourdain, butter, celebrity, chefs, cornichons, delicacy, dining, diversity, eating, England, Fergus Henderson, Food Commentary, Gabrielle Hamilton, game, gherkins, indulgent meal, London, Mark Bittman, offal, philosophy, podcast, Prune, quail, rabbit, restaurant, Restaurant Review, squab, sweetbreads on Apr 24th, 2008
Normally, when I think of prunes my first thought is the familiar TV commercial showing the side-by-side comparison of someone experiencing “bloating and discomfort” and someone enjoying the verve and gaiety brought on by just one bowlful of California prunes. However, since last Thursday, my first thought is now “when can I have some more?”. […]
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Posted in Asturias, cheap meal, easy, Europe, fabada, french fries, fried, meal, offal, onions, paprika, parsley, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, sauce, Spain, thyme, tradition, travel on Apr 18th, 2008
If you are a regular reader of our blog, perhaps you remember this post on my husband’s near-death by gluttony as he ate his way through a giant Asturian meal – fabada. While I had to listen to his groans and watch the thick beads of sweat roll down the side of his head as […]
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Posted in anchovies, basil, Brooklyn, capers, cheap meal, cheese, cornmeal, culture, delicacy, easy, Europe, Food Commentary, Garlic, important details, Italian, Italy, mushrooms, Olive Oil, onions, Park Slope, pie, Pizza, rant, Recipe, Recipes, restaurant, Roman, sauce, technique, tourism, tradition, travel, truffles, vegetarian, vinaigrette on Apr 14th, 2008
We love pizza. We LOVE pizza. If we could eat one thing for the rest of our lives it would be pizza. During our seven weeks spent in Italy over the past two years, we collectively ate over sixty pizzas. This is not a lie, an exaggeration or a pipe dream. We were not force-fed, […]
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Posted in advertising, commercial, dining, eating, Fast Food, filthy chain stores, fish, Food Commentary, fried, important details, news, philosophy, public health, restaurant, safety, sandwiches, television show, unhealthy, Wendy's on Mar 18th, 2008
Ok, this post isn’t as timely as I wanted it to be (I actually wrote it about 4 weeks ago), but it got buried under other things. Basically, in a “new” commercial for Wendy’s (you know Wendy’s, right? It’s a fast food joint) they try to tell us that “it’s waaaaaay better than fast food, […]
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A few weeks ago, Mario Batali’s ridiculously famous and popular New York City restaurant, Babbo, was named the #1 Italian restaurant in the whole city. Whoa… that’s pretty much an honor considering the amount of Italian restaurants here. I believe there are more Italian restaurants in the 5 boroughs than any other type of cuisine. […]
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Posted in ban, cafe, culture, drink, Europe, Food Commentary, France, French, French-ness, healthy, news, restaurant, safety, smoking, tourism, tradition, travel on Feb 6th, 2008
You may have heard that France, like much of the rest of western Europe and the United States, has recently banned indoor smoking in public places – restaurants and the like. Clearly, for the bon sante of the French this is a good thing, but for us, the occasional tourists, seeking the most exquisite and […]
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Posted in beans, black beans, Brooklyn, cheap meal, chicken, chile, chili, chilli, drink, easy, fried, Garlic, Los Pollitos, Meat, Mexican, New York City, Park Slope, pinto beans, red beans, restaurant, Restaurant Review, salad, soup, spicy on Dec 20th, 2007
Many a New Yorker has been heard to complain that the cost of living in the city is spiralling out of control, but there are very few residents who have complained that something is too cheap or that they get too good value for money. Well, this blog post is not a complaint, but it […]
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Posted in bread, British, butter, culture, England, Food Commentary, France, French, restaurant, tradition on Dec 19th, 2007
According to an exceedingly poorly written article on MSN UK today, the UK’s favorite food (as voted by 50,000 members of the public) is, guess what? No, not bangers, not mash, not fish, chips, or mushy peas. Neither is it roast beef or Yorkshire pudding, spotted dick or trifle, nor is it, to my great […]
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I felt majorly bloated after an over-indulgent food week, eating out 5 out of 7 nights a few weeks ago. This was totally abnormal for us poor folks – usually we are only able to grab dinner out of the house an average of once a week. That specific week was different – we had guests from […]
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Posted in England, Europe, Food Commentary, indulgent meal, Manchester, Pub, restaurant, Restaurant Review, tourism, tradition, travel, unhealthy on Nov 27th, 2007
We’re back from our quick, 5-day trip to Northern England to visit Jonny’s family and I may just go to bed at 9PM like I did last night! The problem with these quick trips home (I feel like it’s kind of my home these days) is that by the time you’re over the jet lag, […]
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