Articles by Joy

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood - shoyu ahi/spicy salmon

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — San Diego is primarily littered with trendy Chipotle-style poke food culture, sleek places where huge mashups of clumpy rice, stringy toppings, and low-grade fish get layered together before your very eyes. Properly executed, fresh tuna shouldn’t be hot pink like a lollipop.  […]

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Mamaleh's Delicatessen - everything bagel with cream cheese

Mamaleh’s Delicatessen

Cambridge, MA (The Joy of Food) — Mamaleh’s is a modern delicatessen reborn into a civic space that lacks the chubby neon sign, battered counter, and leather booths of other delis with which you’re probably familiar. And yet, as a working Jewish deli, all the classic hits are served here: […]

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Birrieria Don Rafa - tacos con birria de chivo (left) y res (right)

Birrieria Don Rafa

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — For every street taco joint or fish taco truck in San Diego’s many South Bay neighborhoods, there will be at least one birrieria to soak up the alcohol. Birria — a Mexican dish of shredded goat or beef, stewed in a broth […]

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All’Antico Vinaio - prosciutto sandwich

All’antico Vinaio

Florence, Italy (The Joy of Food) — An All’antico Vinaio experience usually comes with a line, thanks to the tourists who pencil in the place right after the Uffizi on their Florence must-see list, the foodies for whom a hefty meat sandwich and some first-rate wine is just as life-changing […]

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Uovo - tonnarelli all’Arrabiata

Uovo

Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — To better understand the Italian restaurant Uovo, you need to look at the Japanese restaurant Sugarfish.  Sugarfish is the west coast’s Shake Shack of sushi, a beloved chain of restaurants that deliver a mid-level omakase experience at a reasonable price.  Like many […]

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The Salt Lick - brisket, ribs, beans, potato salad, and slaw

The Salt Lick

Austin, TX (The Joy of Food) — The Salt Lick is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. If after miles and miles of heading down a pitch-black road through Texas Hill Country you, like me, begin to wonder if your $40 Uber ride is taking you out into the […]

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Azuki Sushi - chirashi bowl

Azuki Sushi

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Azuki Sushi Lounge is a mid-range sushi option in San Diego, tucked somewhere between the higher-end omakase purveyors (Nobu, Sushi Ota) and progressive small plate places that emphasize both style and substance (Cloak & Petal comes to mind).  Incidentally, Hane Sushi — […]

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Curry ’n Kabab - chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and rice

Curry ’n Kabab

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — From the outside, Curry ‘n Kabab looks not unlike every other strip mall Indian purveyor in San Diego, to its left a Mexican food joint and to its right a shop specializing in martial arts. In this part of town, samosas might […]

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Terminal Bar - assorted drinks

Terminal Bar

Denver, CO (The Joy of Food) — Union Station’s recent renovation has returned an old-world feeling to the transit center. It’s once again a place where you can relax, shop, eat, and drink in trendy style, whether you’re a local or just traveling through.  Terminal Bar anchors one side of […]

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Spago - sweet corn agnolotti

Spago – Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV (The Joy of Food) — Anyone recalling the old Spago in Caesar’s Palace will remember kitsch at its finest: a blue painted sky, a glistening fake pebbled floor, and a metal barrier on the ‘outdoor’ patio separating you from the passersby like a zoo enclosure. This location […]

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