San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Once a small neighborhood place, Pizzeria Luigi came to be known by a wider audience thanks to a segment on the Food Network by that spiky-haired bleached blond dude, the self-proclaimed Mayor of Flavortown who says things like ‘donkey sauce’ and ‘bomb-dot-com […]
Read MoreComfort
Comfort food posts on The Joy of Food blog.
Zankou Chicken
Orange County, CA (The Joy of Food) — Zankou, you had me at “garlic sauce,” the Holy Grail in a little plastic container. Known officially as toum, it’s a whipped, thick, white paste that packs a potent garlic punch to start and then finishes with a lemon sting, a happy […]
Read MoreRistorante Del Fagioli
Florence, Italy (The Joy of Food) — When I’ve thought about what my last meal on earth would be, something I ponder with alarming regularity, my eternal answer involves dinner at Ristorante Del Fagioli, a traditional trattoria right in the heart of Florence. You eat pretty well in Tuscany, even […]
Read MoreSuperdawg
Chicago, IL (The Joy of Food) — If you grew up in the midwest in the 1980s, your family probably had allegiances to all sorts of food places that bordered on cult-level. Everybody had their favorite in the pantheon: the best beef sandwich, best burger, best pizza, and best hot […]
Read MoreMajordōmo
Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — Majordōmo’s location in a warehouse district north of downtown L.A. is recognizably Changish, designed to screw with you before you even walk in the door. Spot the peach You’ll undoubtably ask yourself if you’re in the right place as you meander down […]
Read MoreMom’s Pie House
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — For many flip flop-wearing San Diego tweens born into a life without weather or seasons, a trip to Julian in ‘winter’ is the first time they see snow. A favorite pastime of locals is to drive up to Julian, stop on the […]
Read MoreMomofuku
Las Vegas, NV (The Joy of Food) — Sin City, once known for cheap buffet troughs and 99-cent shrimp cocktails, now has one of the most formidable and sophisticated dining scenes in the world. If you worship at the altar of the pig, a lunch or dinner at east-coast icon […]
Read MoreEl Brazo Fuerte
Miami, FL (The Joy of Food) — A Cuban bakery may be the most overwhelming place you can visit in Little Havana, a plethora of carb-laden choices staring you in the face and people swarming to get at them. You’re quickly reminded that Miami’s Cuban population is second only to […]
Read MoreThe Smoking Goat
San Diego, CA (The Joy of Food) — Across the street from trendy ramen joint Underbelly and next door to a degenerate day-drinking bar sits the Smoking Goat, possibly San Diego’s very best French restaurant, and certainly my favorite of the bunch. Of course, when you say “French restaurant” in […]
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