In Japan, I was told that there are three things that you must eat in Tokyo: Sushi, Wagyu beef and tempura. In less than 24 hours there, I managed to consume two out of three. First, beef. We had spent our first few days in the country being served gorgeous, but often inedible, kaiseki meals that contained...

Picking the most memorable meal, out of a year in which I ate very well, is difficult.The Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine Festival in Mendoza, Argentina stands out for sheer decadence (by the end of my long weekend, I felt like a goose with an enlarged liver, fattened up for slaughter).Our Mardi...

I grew up in Minnesota, so I knew a bit about the good – and bad – aspects of Scandinavian cuisine (lutefisk, never again!). But I was surprised to discover that the simple flavors and natural ingredients of Finnish food suited me, and we ate well on our visit, particularly in Helsinki and...

I’m a huge food fanatic, mostly living vicariously though the likes of Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern. Not only do they get to eat some of the world’s most interesting foods, but they get to travel to places that are just as interesting.  So it’s not surprising that when I travel,...

 Where: Voodoo Doughnuts has several locations in Portland, as well as one in Eugene. We lined up at the one downtown, on SW 3rd Avenue, which has recently undergone renovations.Why we went: A 24-hour punk rock donut house that offers a signature Voodoo Doll doughnut? What’s not to love?...

Where: Grüner, 527 SW 12th St., Portland. 503-241-7163 Why we went: After our amazing meal at Pok Pok, we thought we’d spend our last night in Portland eating at food trucks downtown. But many of them were closed and others were packed, in anticipation of the Rose Festival parade that was going...

Where: Pok Pok, 3226 E. Division St., Portland, OR, 503-232-1387 Why we went: I heard raves about Pok Pok from friends in Seattle and fellow Pacific Northwest travel bloggers. In fact, it seemed like a travel blogger rarely went to Portland without visiting Pok Pok. Then I did some research and found...

Where: JoLe: Farm to Table, Calistoga in Napa Valley Why we went: Napa Valley may be Michelin-star central, but JoLe caught our eye because its chef owners - Matt and Sonjia Spector – ran the insanely popular Matyson Restaurant back in Philadelphia. Since the husband-wife team moved to Calistoga,...

Even during the times in my life when I didn’t have much money, I made sacrifices for good food. I remember crashing on a friend’s couch outside NYC during a Restaurant Week when I was in graduate school, solely so I could come into the city and eat a fixed price lunch at Nobu. The signature...

Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file gumbo….I think we ate them all. Besides my cocktail-fueled costume lunch at Commander’s Palace and luxe Saturday night dinner at Stella! in the French Quarter, our forays into New Orleans cuisine kept on going, with two visits into the Carrollton neighborhood.   Photo...