storm king solarium william lamson

Storm King’s Sugar House

Storm King is one of my favorite arty-zen places in upstate New York, and it’s as good a place as any to chill out and search for one’s photography mojo. The outdoor museum, located about an hour’s drive north of…

nicoletta pizza salsiccia

Nicoletta

Reading the New York Times‘ review of Nicoletta was a little like watching a particularly nasty football tackle. I mean, the guy had it coming, since he was all mandexed out, helmeted, and running into a wall of eleven other…

saison dupont sorachi ace

The Best Saison Beers For Summer Drinking

When I drink a saison beer I feel like my mouth is having a very dry and witty and natural conversation that I wish could keep going forever, without resulting in hungover self-hatred the next day. But, seeing as this…

heirloom tomatoes

Why Tomatoes Suck (When They’re Not Awesome)

Bad tomatoes are everywhere. They’re the bland, wet layer on your $12 burger and the mealy red crescents in your otherwise sprightly salad. They’re on grocery store shelves puffed up like water balloons, and at your higher-end chains, they’re laquered…

The Scuttlebutt from Saltie

The Scuttlebutt from Saltie

I never fell hard for a vegetarian sandwich until I met the Scuttlebutt from Saltie. Two of my most hated ingredients–black olives and capers–lurk within this sandwich and I don’t even care because it’s that good. In fact, I wouldn’t…

the hog xe may bahn mi

The Hog from Xe May Sandwich Shop

Unfortunately I never really acquired a taste for banh mi. Which is a shame, because these Vietnamese sandwiches are probably the best bang for your buck when it comes to a flavorful under-$5 meal. I’ve had banh mi from Saigon…

Noble Tonic 01 Tuthilltown Bourbon Barrel Matured Maple Syrup

Noble Tonic 01: Tuthilltown Bourbon Barrel Matured Maple Syrup

While we’ve all been tossing aside our jackets and admiring blooming trees, maple syrup producers have been cursing this freakishly early spring. Maple trees need cold nights and warm days for the sap to flow, and many in the syrup…

old fashioned cocktail recipe

Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe

The old fashioned’s recent resurgence may have something to do with Don Draper hopping behind the bar to mix a couple in season three of Mad Men. But this cocktail has been kicking around since at least 1806, when the…

Dark and Stormy recipe

Dark and Stormy Cocktail Recipe

After-work cocktailing should be as easy as possible and I can’t think of an easier, more refreshing beverage for this sudden spell of warm weather than a dark and stormy. This concoction originated in Bermuda after World War I, but…

forcella montanara pizza

Forcella’s Montanara Pizza

Deep fried pizza. The words made me think of regrettable trips to street fairs, of zeppole hangovers and cheesestick mistakes. But when New York Magazine crowned the montanara sarita at Don Antonio the best pizza in New York, I started…