Curtis Stone's Los Angeles City Guide

courtesy of Curtis StoneChef Curtis Stone has seen a lot of the world. He was born in Melbourne, spent ten years in London, and has lived in Los Angeles for the last decade. Though regardless of where Stone hangs his knives, food is the lens through which he sees the world. So where does the TV personality and chef of Maude and Gwen (named after Stone's grandmothers) eat? I got to chat with Stone for an LA city guide for Saveur. [SAVEUR]

The Cresting Wave of Filipino Food in L.A.

[charles olalia jazzed about the cheap buffet at nanay gloria's]I sort of stumbled upon this story in L.A. back in January. I was curious about Filipino food there, as L.A. County is home to the most Filipinos outside the Philippines. But I never could have anticipated the dedication, kindness, and generosity from the community of Filipino chefs that took me in and gave me all the time I needed to write this. There is a very interesting and culturally fascinating shift in Filipino food happening there, and the progress the food has made from one generation to the next is, to me, a beautiful case for the way we humans evolve, and a study in the power and significance of cuisine. Thanks to all who helped make this one happen. I'm over the moon about it. [SAVEUR]

A Fridge Full of Charcuterie

I am psyched to have penned another story for Serious Eats. This go round is a dive into the world of French charcuterie, the sometimes-confusing-always-delicious foodstuff born from ingenuity, efficiency, and bygone laws that once prevented the sale of uncooked pork. Now I get the reap the benefits of a fridge full of leftovers, so contact me if you'd like ideas with what to do with pâté, rillettes, and saucisson. I'm keeping track. [Serious Eats]

The Cider Making Ghost of Wurtsboro

[andy brennan in the field]Andy Brennan bought an 18th-Century homestead in Wurtsboro, NY and started making cider. But it didn't happen overnight. His journey began 25 years ago in a fishing shack on the Chesapeake Bay. I spent a day on Andy's farm, walked through his trees, and learned how he went back in time to make some of today's best cider. [TRUE]

Summer, Salmon, and Fishing the Prince William Sound

[wild-alaskan.com]Josh Saul is a crime reporter for the New York Post. He's from Alaska, and he spent a summer in the early aughts there fishing for dog salmon on the Prince William Sound. I met him at a diner on the edge of Chinatown to talk with him about that experience over coffee and hash. Read the story over at True.ink, the online version of a men's magazine that ran from 1937 to 1974 that bestselling Times author and New York Magazine editor Geoff Gray has brought back to life. [TRUE]

A Fried Chicken Evolution

[A plate of fried chicken at Willie Mae's Scotch House in New Orleans]I wrote an article for Serious Eats about fried chicken's evolution in the States. How it went from a Southern, bone-in wonderfood to a boneless McNugget that helped McDonald's grow to over 35,000 locations. But there's so much more. I talked to historians and linchpins in the industry and peeled back the lid on a world I never knew existed. I hope the article is as much fun to read as it was to write.

Dear Eagle Provisions, We Miss You

The music was louder than usual inside. But no one had tampered with the volume knob. That hadn’t changed since December 13^th 1979, when John Zawisny, along with his dad and brother, opened Eagle Provisions at 628 5th Avenue. Real estate agencies have come to call the neighborhood South Slope, but 35 years ago, the area on and around 18^th Street in Brooklyn was just another enclave of city dwellers paying cheap rent. And like most pockets of urban environments, this one was comprised of folks from like heritage. In this case, Polish. The Zawisnys setup shop and began selling provisions to sustain this community.

Click to read more ...

Tacos vs Tortas, Sort Of

My friend Max at Serious Eats has long felt NYC's tortas and cemitas are better than its tacos. His argument, and now mine, is that the bread game in NYC is better than the tortilla game. That's not to say tortas are better than tacos, but because of the great bread here, there are more bad tacos than there are bad tortas.

I spent some time at a few panaderias talking to bakers to find out what makes New York's bread culture, and the pan tradicional of Mexico, so good. Read what I found over at Serious Eats.