Rome, Italy (The Joy of Food) — Visitors to Italy seeking traditional Roman dishes will enjoy Roma Sparita, but it comes with a serving of dislike toward Americans. And not just a small serving, but a huge, heaping, palpable side of burning hatred, over-sized like everything else in Rome. This […]
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San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — In San Diego, there may be more places to eat tacos than there are fast-food stops. Taco stands; food trucks; guys on the corner with a grill and meats in their trunk; places that specialize in Baja-style fish tacos or street tacos; […]
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San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — I’m not well-versed in many things Cuban, unless you count my fangirl crush on the late, great Desi Arnaz. Those of you under 30 probably don’t even know who that is, in which case I have one word for you: Babalú. The […]
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Miami, FL (The Joy of Food) — In this no-name strip mall in Miami, you can drop off your dry cleaning, hawk your jewelry, get your checks cashed, or bathe in a lather of fried foods all within a few feet. El Rey De Las Fritas is the fried food […]
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San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — For the record people, it’s CHES-arina. Not SEZ-arina or, even worse, KES-arina. A “c” in Italian almost always comes out as a soft “ch” sound when it’s followed by an “e” or an “i.” This is the rule 99% of the time. […]
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San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — If this were 1980’s sitcom television, Sagmani’s would be that place where everybody knows your name, a low-key, no-frills local joint serving some of the best homemade Iraqi food in San Diego to a dedicated and loyal clientele. Your GPS will route […]
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Paris, France (The Joy of Food) — Founded in 1864, Bofinger is reputedly Paris’ oldest brasserie. Inside, it’s all Belle Epoque elegance and chaotic activity, a sprawling, ornate space filled with vested waiters and beautifully prepared food. The ceiling is like the colorful glass and steel dome at the Galleries […]
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Vienna, Austria (The Joy of Food) — In Austria, one cannot live on strudel alone. To mix it up a little, there’s Sachertorte. Sachertorte is a chocolatey little sponge cake, or torte, with thin layers of apricot jam. Those who love fruity flavors mixed with chocolate will love this classic […]
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San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Picture it. COVID 2020. After months of quasi-convalescence at my own version of Shady Pines during the apocalypse, here I sat in a cordoned-off parking lane over hot asphalt with cars whizzing by ten inches from my arm. I was only half-focused […]
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Paris, France (The Joy of Food) — Of all the grand food emporiums and legendary patisseries of Paris, none is more grand or legendary than Fauchon. Fauchon is glam gourmet at its Parisian hot-pink finest. It might not look it today, but this all began in the 1800’s as a […]
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