On a recent sweltering midweek night this past April, I made my way to Donald Link's highly regarded shrine to rustic and real Cajun cooking, Cochon.  I had seen Link's food stand at the Jazz Fest that previous Sunday afternoon but opted against the long lines and settled for the always stellar but simple red beans, rice and andouille sausage plate coupled with a tall can of Miller Lite. Tonight, it would be Cochon, a short cab ride or a 15 minute walk from my base in the French Quarter on Royal.  Dining solo, I was escorted to a seat at the kitchen bar overlooking the line and the wood burning oven - pure theatre and ample entertainment for the evening as it turned out. The restaurant features clean lines with wood paneling and subtle lighting offset by an exposed brick wall on the opposite side.  After surveying the crowd, I noticed none other than Peter Buck and some comrades at a nearby table; R.E.M. were supposedly holed up in New Orleans recording their follow up to Accelerate this spring.  A Kentucky Bourbon and soda seemed to be in order and was shortly dispatched to my place setting. While chatting with the couple ...

Being allowed to order a burger grilled rare in a restaurant these days is indeed a rarity.  Happily, I encountered an old stalwart in Denver's upscale Cherry Creek north neighborhood that was happy to grill mine up rare and even provided a nifty little burger temperature guideline inside their menu.  Oh, and did I mention it was one of the best burgers I've had in years? The Cherry Cricket has been around for at least 60 years and has withstood the changes that time brings in the best way.  The changes that they've made are by and large welcome: multiple large LCD TVs to watch the sports event du jour while devouring a juicy burger, air conditioning and an assortment of fine cheeses to place on top of your burger.  Several local micro-brews are available on tap and world class shopping for the yuppies are just steps away from this neighborhood anchor. Unfortunately, this isn't a 'sleeper' establishment, it's gaining a national following after a recent Man vs. Food episode and the burgers here regularly place in the top two burgers in Denver between the two competing city mags, 5280 and Westword.  It's just a perfect pit stop for a weekend day ...

And we're back after a fairly long hiatus; I managed to squeeze in a cross country move, a week in New Orleans, several micro brews in Fort Collins, Colorado and even more fun and games since the last post. Osteria Marco is a winner in Denver.  I've hit this place three times in the last month and I'm hooked.  They do everything well - from house cured meats and in house aged cheeses to outstanding pizzas and a great casual downstairs room and bar.  Under the guidance of Frank Bonnano, this restaurant hits the sweet spot between sophistication and unpretentious fine dining.  The user friendly menu begins with formaggi & salumi selections, both house crafted and imported and then branches out to include ample small plates, salads, creative paninis and the previously mentioned pizzas - the Rapini Za is out of this world BTW. Looking for unique cocktails incorporating ginger beer or bacon infused bourbon?  Check.   How about some cured meats and home made sausages?  Check.  Some type of Pork Belly presentation?  Check. Word has it that Bonnano is preparing to open a fourth Denver restaurant this summer; this time we'll get his take on casual French/American country fare.  I'll be there.

A French country kitchen par excellence.  This famous restaurant, a stone's throw from one of  Bordeaux city's old city gates, Porte de la Monnaie, has been serving southwestern France regional specialties since 1968.  It was on my hit list for my September 2007 Bordeaux wine country visit and it should be a must stop for anyone visiting the Bordeaux region. As you enter the restaurant you'll immediately see a country kitchen with wood burning fireplace straight ahead of you.  Laid upon a red checked wood display table are baskets of fresh cherry tomatoes, radishes and generous slabs of beautifully marbled cote de boeuf.  You'll also likely see one or more whole ducks or chickens being spit roasted over the fire with a large iron kettle of duck fat also bubbling away; they fry their signature chunky fries in this kettle.  It's a perfect Bordeaux tableaux and sets the scene for a fabulous experience. Specialties of the house include duck and foie gras, grilled cote de boeuf, the herb spit-roasted chicken, duck rillettes, the crispy & insanely flavorful duck fat fried potatoe chunks and for good measure, heritage black pigs and farm fresh lamb from the region. After being seated I was presented with a basket of the aforementioned ...

A taste sensation and satisfying lunch on the run, just a short hop from Washington Square Park.  Following a tip from a buddy, I headed to Mamoun's for one of their legendary Falafel sandwiches.   It had been a busy and warm morning, I had just finished the East Village Rock & Punk walking tour, an entertaining and illuminating 2 hr. jaunt through the Lower East Side, finally ending at the fabled former site of CBGB's.  But I digress.. Mamoun's Falafel 119 MacDougal St. (between Third and Bleecker) New York, NY 10014 212-674-8685 119 MacDougal St New York, NY 10012 212-674-8685 Open 365 Days A Year Open 11am - 5am Everyday

Heard about the Shake Shack through Fred Wilson's blog and decided to drop in for a much needed refreshing shake after a long walk through Central Park on my last visit to NYC.  I had already walked past this UWS  Shake Shack outpost several times as my hotel was only about 2 blocks to the north.  Whenever I walked by I had noticed the lines out the door and staff members handing out menus to try and expedite the process.   Something must have been right about Shake Shack I noted to myself the previous day. I was in between meals and really went in for curiosity's sake and also due to the lack of a line on this early Sunday afternoon.  I proceeded to try the Black and White Frozen Custard Shake and patiently waited for my electronic hokey puck to vibrate while I checked out the swag available for sale off to the side of the menu. The shake was fantastic, creamy cold goodness on a very humid day in New York!  There are two Shake Shack's in Manhatten with a third planned for early 2010.  There are also plans in the works to take Shake Shack to Dubai and Saudi ...

We needed to check this out after the slow burn hype this establishment continued to receive in the Charlotte press and especially after being featured on Guy Fieri's  Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  Two colleagues and myself decided to hit the Penguin for lunch on a mild mid-week late August day in Charlotte.  The restaurant is situated in the middle of the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, a recently gentrified hip enclave of Charlotte with your usual mix of tattoo parlors, organic leaning restaurants and the odd used LP record store.  Our first glimpse was the vintage Penguin Drive-in sign which definitely lent an air of authenticity to this restaurant.  The Penguin originally opened as an ice cream parlor back in 1954 and the restaurant features the original pine paneled walls and cozy atmosphere. Upon entering, we encountered several tattooed hipsters disguised as wait staff and were told that the current wait list was approximately 20 minutes.  Inside seating is pretty limited, I'd say an assortment of about 15 booths and of course the upfront diner/bar area with about 10 bar stools available.  We put our name on the list and were pleasantly surprised to be seated in a prime corner booth with minutes. We were faced with a ...

After browsing the forums on eGullet for Richmond I finally settled on checking out Comfort, a hip take on classic southern cooking located in the heart of town on Broad Street.   Conveniently situated less than a 5 minute walk from my hotel I made my way to the restaurant just before 7Pm.  This was my first time in Richmond and I had spent the afternoon walking and exploring different historical areas of the city and touring the Museum of the Confederacy along with the neighboring Confederate White House. Settling into my table after a 5 minute wait I was excited to see a list of over 75 small barrel American Bourbons available for sampling.  I immediately ordered one up and began to try and decide on dinner options.   A large chalkboard above the bar listed the evenings entrees, appetizers and a mouthwatering long list of side dishes available.  Entree prices included 2 accompanying sides of your choice or you could opt for 3 if you were up for it for a modestly higher price.  After considering the fried catfish, roasted chicken and grilled pork chop I ultimately opted for the pulled BBQ pork and went with braised greens and creamy macaroni and cheese as ...

The evening got off to a very rough start following a 6 hour delay at Charlotte before finally arriving at JFK at 9pm followed by a tortuously long Blue Van trip to my upper west side hotel.  Taking a previous recommendation and determined to still enjoy what was left of the evening, I set off west to Broadway and then down to Lincoln Center to find an available table at Daniel  Bar Boulud, just across the street.  What a fantastic place; the interior resembled a wine cellar/cavern with white tiled walls and a handsome long  blond wood bar along one side.  As it was nearing Midnight, I quickly perused the menu and ordered the Escargot as an appetizer followed by the Boudin Blanc & Noir combination entree.   In a word, fantastic! I will try and hit Daniel's latest NYC creation, DBGB Kitchen & Bar the next time I'm in the city. Bar Boulud 1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023 nr. 64th St.  212-595-0303

After reading various write ups and reviews I thought I would try this out for a late Sunday afternoon lunch before heading back to JFK to catch my flight.  The morning had been rain soaked and I had managed to kill a couple of hours touring the Frank Lloyd Wright installation at the Guggenheim. From there, I hit the subway and made my way back down into the Village to try Keste, one of  a handful of new, Napoli-esque pizzerias that had recently opened in the city.   After wandering down Bleecker and checking out the various literature posted outside the Bitter End, I made my way down the street.   Upon entering I learned that I had just missed the lunch hour and decided to venture up north to Chelsea to try Co. instead. After about 20 minutes, I found Co. on the corner of 9th Ave. and 24th Street and immediately liked the clean, minimalistic look of the main room - blond hardwood tables and poured concrete floors.  The big windows offered tons of light and people watching opps throughout lunch. I settled on the Boscaiola, ordered a glass of white and enjoyed almost all of side one of Abbey Road that was on the restaurant's ...