The Atlantic or the Pacific. Who knew that taters along the shores of one country could produce such different types of fish? Call it naivete, or maybe it was just lack of thought, but it wasn’t until I arrived in New York that I realized the immense variety. Citarella, a lovely market, not far from where I live, has shown me the way. Citarella is known for it’s seafood, and as I gazed at the vast array of countless fish and shellfish, I could see why.
Sure, Citarella had the basics, tuna, sea bass, swordfish, and salmon, but there were fish I had only read about: sablefish, bluefish, pompano, not only red snapper but a glossy pink snapper, scales iridescent and shining brightly. Each lay on slabs of ice, waiting to be filleted. I breathed in deeply and smelled…nothing– just what you want from a fish market, no fishy smell, no [...]

Seared ahi. It may have you thinking back to the days in the early 90’s when it seemed that every restaurant was going avant and serving a thick slice of almost raw tuna. We were all so amazed to be served this supremely rare piece of fish at a non-Japanese restaurant. Well the phenomenon has cooled a bit, but it seems that seared ahi is here to stay. Now home chefs, and restaurants of a lower caliber are serving up pieces of tuna, the breath barely being taken from the gills. And of course, I have something to say about it.
I have eaten one too many dry, overly meaty tuna steaks to let this behavior go on. It’s the typical story: I order seared ahi and out comes a beautiful, thick steak, grill marks dark and emblazoned. But then I cut into it. It is desiccated, parched of any moisture, [...]

I have always had a rather tumultuous relationship with chorizo sausage. It is not that I don’t love the spicy flavor, the gentle kick you get from cooking it in any dish. Because I do. What I don’t love is the grease, that slick of orange oil that seeps out of the chorizo and onto, say, your huevos rancheros, giving them a gleaming orange cast. Not good. But when I saw celebrity chef Rick Bayless, use chorizo sausage meat as a robust filling for tacos, I knew that I would have to give it a try– grease be gone!
It turns out the taco filling was not greasy at all, and there were a few reasons for this. It wasn’t simply chorizo that I was frying up for the tacos, it was a myriad of other things as well, giving the grease a purpose for being there. There were [...]

How much do I love imported, canned tuna in olive oil? I will tell you, it’s a lot. No single, other food that I can think of brings a meal to glowing, bourgie status with just a can opener and a little bit of creativity. But what do you do when confronted with the aforementioned can, a basket of new spring groceries, and a baguette that has seen its better days? Make a panzanella, or a nicoise, no– a panzanella. Well which ever it was, it was delicious.
I had gone a little ga-ga at the market. With so much beautiful produce, how could I not? Peppery, bright green baby arugula, no plucking necessary, acted as my base. Juicy, red-ripe tomatoes, no larger than a golf ball, screaming for me to cook (or not to cook, as the case may be) with them. Shavings of crisp bulbs of fennel, their anisette [...]

Each summer in Oakland there is a large carnival that comes to town a few times during the season. Driving along the freeway you will see it in the distance; the outline of the rickety Ferris wheel, neon lights a-glow; the tilt-a-whirl spinning around at breakneck speeds. Each year I squeal with joy at its arrival, and remark to Brian that we will have to return when we have ample time to experience the three C’s. What are the three C’s you ask, scratching your chin inquisitively? They are Corn Dogs, Carnies, and Cotton Candy, of course.
And each year, no matter how much I diligently swear to make it over to the Alameda County Fair, I inevitably miss it. I can merely reflect on the halo of the ferris wheel, never having experienced it first-hand. (In fact, I don’t think I would even go on the rides; there is [...]