Working With Mexican Cooks Taught Me Real Hospitality
What I learned from a decade alongside Mexican line cooks in New York City restaurant kitchens. The food was the vehicle. The hospitality was the lesson.
Section
Eat
Restaurants, dishes, and where to go.
Skip Mother's Day Brunch: 4 Better Alternatives From a Chef
Mother's Day brunch is a chaotic ordeal. I worked dozens of them, and sat through more than a few. Here's why to skip it, and four better alternatives.
I Took New York City's Food Scene for Granted
I grew up in New York City and trained as a chef there. I didn't see what made NYC's food scene special until I left, and most American cities aren't even close.
Why I Still Walk Into Bars, Even Though I Barely Drink
My drinking years are behind me. I still walk into bars. Here's what survives the alcohol, and why some cities have a real bar culture and others don't.
The Best Time to Arrive at a Restaurant Is Before the Rush
I cooked the line for years. The best time to eat out isn't peak hour, and it isn't late — it's the hour before the rush, when the kitchen and floor are ready for you.
Why a Table for Two Is the Best Dining Experience
Big group dinners are great for unity. They're not great for the food. Here's why a table for two is the best dining experience you can have at a restaurant.
How to Read a Restaurant Menu
What menu structure, pricing, and category order tell you about the kitchen — and how to spot the dishes a restaurant actually wants you to order.
How to Order Wine Without Knowing Wine
Practical scripts for asking for a wine recommendation, deciding how much to spend, and working with a sommelier — without pretending to know more than you do.
What 'Bistro,' 'Brasserie,' and 'Restaurant' Actually Mean in France
The actual differences between French dining-room types — what to expect at each, how to read the menu, and where the lines have blurred.
How to Spot a Restaurant That's Past Its Prime
The visible signs — menu shrinkage, staff turnover, lighting changes, music shifts — that a restaurant is declining before the closing announcement makes it official.
The Real Difference Between a Café and a Restaurant
What separates a café from a restaurant — across cultures, across price points, and where the line has gotten increasingly blurred.
Why Mexico City's Restaurants Got So Loud
Mexico City's restaurant boom has produced a generation of dining rooms calibrated for energy and Instagram, not conversation. A look at what changed — and the design choices that produce a room you can hear in.
Why Every New Restaurant Looks the Same
Subway tile, brass fixtures, bentwood chairs, Edison bulbs. A short field guide to the global sameness epidemic in restaurant design — and what it costs.
A Case Against the Tasting Menu
Twelve courses, three hours, one growing suspicion that nobody at the table has eaten enough — and that the format quietly serves the kitchen at the diner's expense.