About the Joy of Food

Articles by: Joy

Steve’s Prince of Steaks

in American, Comfort, Greasy Stuff, Meaty Goodness, United States, Philadelphia, PA 4 comments

Philadelphia, PA (The Joy of Food) — In the lexicon of great American sandwiches, Chicago has the Italian beef, New Orleans has the muffaletta, and Philadelphia has the cheesesteak. These are American icons that are often imitated, but never duplicated. When the secret history of cheesesteak greatness is finally written, […]

La Gallina Bianca

in Carbapalooza, Comfort, Rome, Italy, Italian 4 comments

Rome, Italy (The Joy of Food) — La Gallina Bianca is Italian for ‘The White Hen’ and the restaurant’s logo — you guessed it, a white hen — is stamped on everything except the actual food. You’ll spend lunch surrounded by chicken stuff including egg-shaped menus, oval business cards, and […]

Sushi Katsu-Ya

in Gone Fishing, Los Angeles, CA, United States, Vegetarian, Japanese 2 comments

Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — Ventura Boulevard in Studio City is a wonderful place to be if you love sushi. Nicknamed Sushi Row, this part of the Valley is home to a parade of fine sushi purveyors, including the original Sushi Katsu-Ya. In L.A, your next great […]

Mike’s Pastry

in Breakfast and Pastry, Carbapalooza, Boston, MA, Dessert, United States, Italian 9 comments

Boston, MA (The Joy of Food) — Mike’s Pastry may not be on your radar until you spot 10,000 branded Mike’s Pastry boxes being carried around the greater Boston area. These folks have got their marketing down to a T. I have never seen so many cannoli flavors in my […]

Donut Bar

in American, Breakfast and Pastry, United States, San Diego, CA 2 comments

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — If you, like me, enjoy yeasty donut goodness, Donut Bar will be your kryptonite. In theory, Donut Bar represents most of what I rail against when it comes to the un-balanced American diet: too many calories, too much fat, too much sugar, […]

St-Viateur Bagel

in Breakfast and Pastry, Montreal, Carbapalooza, Canada, Comfort, Quebecois 4 comments

Montreal, Canada (The Joy of Food) — A legend in its own right in a city that’s famous for its food, St-Viateur is a premier bagel purveyor in Montreal. Comparisons between the Montreal bagel and the American bagel [*] abound. A Montreal-style bagel is smaller and has a larger hole, […]

L’antica Pizzeria da Michele

in Carbapalooza, Comfort, United States, Los Angeles, CA, Italian, Vegetarian 2 comments

Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — Like many things in Hollywood, all that glitters is not gold. Symbols carry both denotative and connotative meanings. Take, for example, pizza as a symbol of interest. To some, pizza is a quintessential Italian meal, a popular, desirable, and personalized thing served […]

Bolton’s Spicy Chicken & Fish

in American, Carbapalooza, Greasy Stuff, United States, Meaty Goodness, Nashville, TN 2 comments

Nashville, TN (The Joy of Food) — Nashville is famous for the twang of its country music, the neon lights of its honky-tonk bars, and its hot chicken, the city’s potentially fatal (or, at least, not for the faint of heart) spicy fried specialty. It hurts, but it is oh […]

Silverlake Ramen

in Carbapalooza, Comfort, United States, Vegetarian, Japanese, San Diego, CA 2 comments

San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — There may not be a better bowl of noodles in San Diego right now than the one at the newly arrived Silverlake Ramen, an off-shoot of the uber-popular original L.A. ramen shop where people wait for hours to see god. What’s called […]

Myung In Dumplings

in Carbapalooza, Comfort, Meaty Goodness, United States, Los Angeles, CA, Korean 4 comments

Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — I first heard about Myung In Dumplings in a Koreatown episode of Parts Unknown, where guest buddy David Choe describes the wang mandu (king dumplings) here as ‘prolapsed buttholes.’ Just the image you want in your head during dinner. On that show, […]