Tag: seafood

Postcard from Nice, France: Keep diving for pearls of flavor

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A postage stamp depicting an open oyster with a blue background, labeled 'Les huîtres' and marked with a value of 0.50€ from La Poste 2004.

Above: A no. 2 oyster, probably a Charente Maritime, dressed with a dash of vinegar at Le Gambetta

And I had my first oyster. Now, this was a truly significant event. I remember it like I remember losing my virginity – and in many ways, more fondly….

I took it in my hand, tilted the shell back into my mouth as instructed by the now beaming Monsieur Saint-Jour and with one bite and a slurp, wolfed it down. It tasted of seawater…of brine and flesh…and somehow…of the future. Everything was different now. Everything. I’d not only survived – I’d enjoyed.”

Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, 2000

Anthony Bourdain credits an oyster tasted in France when he was ten years old for propelling him toward a lifetime obsession with flavor. While this Virginia Beach native loves oysters now, it certainly was not love at first swallow. I didn’t learn to enjoy them un-fried or un-Rockefellowed until late in high school.

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Postcard from Puebla, Mexico: Sprouting a new crop of enthusiastic chefs

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A green and yellow stamp featuring a corn plant and flower, labeled 'FLORA DE MEXICO' and 'maiz' with a moon in the background.

Above: Seafood soup at Mucho Bueno Pesca y Pisto

Our prior trip to Puebla was a decade ago, and the food scene has changed dramatically since then. You will find only one revisited restaurant represented in this alphabetical summary of places we enjoyed. While you might be expecting photos loaded with plates of the region’s famed chiles en nogada, we were not there during their season, which is now.

A bunch of fresh huauzontle, a green herb with small flowering buds, displayed against a white background.
Above: Fresh huauzontles

Chefs’ elevation and celebration of herbs and vegetables native to the Americas has increased, often corn-centric. Several places introduced us to huauzontles, a bushy, wild herb related to quinoa and amaranth.

Augurio compressed huauzontles into breaded patties filled with fresh goat cheese afloat in a pool of chile pasilla mole. The restaurant manages to combine an upscale contemporary feel with traditional ingredients and recipes of “baroque” Puebla.

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Postcard from Florence, Italy: Restaurant musings from month of meals

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An Italian postage stamp featuring a painting of various types of bread, including loaves and rolls, displayed on a white cloth.

Above: Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori

We hate both jet lag and the expense of flying to Europe, so when we go, we stay. When we hit Florence this past fall, we already had been in Italy for a month. This means our restaurant quests vary greatly from someone who only has a few nights in Florence. Don’t expect a listing of the top 10 restaurants according to Michelin or TripAdvisor on this blog. This is a personalized list of places we found. Hopefully, the photos will help you decide if any fit your palate.

First, following the so-called healthy Mediterranean diet in Florence would present challenges. That’s not what Florentine cooking is about. Florentines like meat from head to tail, and many restaurants possess a butter-is-better attitude. Market stalls overflow with gorgeous produce, yet locating restaurants reflecting that bounty requires major excavation. With an absurd number of visitors, restaurants tend to cater to their demands to the point that menu after menu almost identical offerings. Here are our finds, mentioned alphabetically.

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