BITE will keep you in touch with what I’m eating and what I love and what I left on my plate. I’ll share dialogues I have with heroes and divas, princes and barracudas and what I overhear from the next table. Not every day will I have a meal worth writing about, I suspect, not good enough, not bad enough. Dear friends have asked me if I could try to be meaner so I fit in better on the net. I intend to try. As any man who has lived with me will tell you, I was born to be a critic. Of course, isn’t it the critic who has the thinnest skin of all? I must admit to a certain anxiety. It’s been a long time since I wrote without an editor, a fact checker and a copy-reader to catch my errors, misspellings and typos. I apologize in advance. I’m left-handed and that can sometimes be confusing. I might have stopped reviewing restaurants twenty-five years ago when my first novel, Blue Skies, No Candy lingered on the best seller list. But I am addicted to instant gratification. So I’m still here. On my death bed, I am sure my last words will echo those of the sister of Brillat Savarin:
“Bring on dessert.”
December 9, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
The Fulton
We pass a parking lot. Rick swerves toward the blue building…
December 2, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
The Milling Room
Dino’s Foodshow was a glamorous interlude in what had originally been built in 1890 as the Endicott Hotel…
November 25, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Alfred’s World
I explain to the waiter that offering means “it’s on the house…”
November 10, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Capital Asset
What is most welcoming is the very good food...
November 4, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
City Kitchen
It was a scary hunger, like a passion for young boys or hot fudge sundaes…
October 21, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
State Grill and Bar
I try to think of a place that’s quiet and not wildly expensive…
October 10, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Tacombi UWS
“Born on the balmy beaches of the Yucatan..."
September 23, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Autumn Break
Some of my best times in the Hamptons have come after the high season ends…
September 16, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Redeye Grill
It reopened in July after a year-long rehab...
September 9, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Turkish Gambit
Chef Oktay delivers rousing flavors to
the Turkish classics...
September 2, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Hanging Out at the Harbor
I envision cozy bed and breakfast spots, abundant lobster rolls…
August 25, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Hampton Feasting
Silver Lining’s bow-tie pasta in a melt of many cheeses – is a standout of delicious excess…
August 14, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Seaside Escape
It’s Nice to Have Someone Along with the Same Accent in a Foreign Country...
August 5, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Shun
The lush summer taste of my chilled corn veloute comes rushing back...
July 29, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
River Café
Occasionally dinner is a rare and
delicious indulgence...
July 22, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Unforgettable Chanterelle
A stylish Sally Bowles gets up from a handsome writing desk to greet you…
July 16, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Not so Innocent Times
I was asked to choose the ten most important restaurants of the four decades…
July 8, 2019 | BITE: My Journal
Best So Far 2019
Here are places that I discovered this year where I’m sending my pals…