Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — Ah, Pink’s. I’ve been here exactly twice, both times with people whose goal in life it was to eat here even though it means waiting in line for two hours for a freaking hot dog. For those uninitiated to the tourist trap […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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