In the Spring 2023 print issue (Vol. 19, Issue 4) of Distiller Magazine, my interview with Robert Dawson of Kō Hana Distillers, Oahu, Hawai’i. My video in the fields with owners/founders Robert Dawson and Jason Brand the first day they were using their new John Deere harvester after years of hand-harvesting in April 2022: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Mg20wFth4&t=6s. ARTICLE HERE: My Distiller Magazine features… Read more →
Though I have been to Charleston over four times the past 16 years, I hadn’t been back to North Carolina in 16 years, when I took my first (of multiple) two week road trip across the Deep South to study my barbecue styles. North Carolina is famed for BBQ and I include a couple stops here, along with 10 other standout restaurants and bars in Raleigh and Durham. It was good to be back and I only wish I had more time, but as you can see, I packed in a lot of tastes in two and a half short days. The region is unrecognizable foodwise since I was last here. Read more →
From its iconic Gateway Arch, the tallest manmade monument in the Western hemisphere, to its rich blues music history, St. Louis can be easy nationally to miss.
There is plenty of mediocrity on the food front, to be sure… But over two visits in 2022, I visited over 40 STL restaurants, food stops and bars, with these 13 holding the strongest highlights: Read more →
Exploring 10 of the best spots for drams and drinks in the capital of South Korea… Read more →
This past year I was back twice: in September 2022 and again over Christmas 2022. Over recent visits, I explore the ins-and-outs of 12 places to eat in and around Oklahoma City. Read more →
You may think you know Korean barbecue. Unless you’re Korean, live in the U.S.’ heaviest Korean communities, namely across California, Honolulu and New York, or have dug into Korean BBQ in Seoul, you likely have just scratched the surface of the category’s range. Read more →
In the Winter 2022-2023 print issue of Distiller Magazine:
—My article on 10 of Vancouver’s best bars
—My interviews with bar manager Satoshi Yonemori of Grapes & Soda here; Alayne & Jason MacIsaac of Sheringham Distillery
— Bars reviewed: Bar Susu, Grapes & Soda, Bar Chickadee, Published on Main, Laowai, Botanist at Fairmont Pacific Rim, L’Abattoir, Como Taperia, Lobby Lounge at Fairmont Pacific Rim, Acquafarina Read more →
As I am the W50 Academy Chairperson for W. North America, I was back in London July 2022 for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, hosted by the one and only Stanley Tucci. In addition to all the special events and meals surrounding W50B awards, I did the usual: packed in a number of restaurants and bars for research. I’ll outline top bars in another publication this year, but here, the 7 restaurant standouts this return to London. Read more →
In 2022 I went to Nola twice a week at a time, to judge in Nola Spirits Competition and Tales of the Cocktail in the blistering, muggy heat of July, and back for a rousing Halloween week.
When it comes to restaurants — and bars (stay tuned for my updated Nola cocktail bar guide in 2023) — there are plenty of new places to love and pandemic survivors that are better than ever. Some restaurants are uneven, but each place here has standout dishes or elements. Journey with me through 18 New Orleans spots that have opened or greatly evolved since pandemic and what stands out (or doesn’t) at each: Read more →
In addition to the great Born & Bred and Byeokje Galbi, which I write about in my upcoming article on the not widely understood world of Korean barbecue, here are eight standout Seoul restaurants, fine dining to casual, and two recommended hotels (stay tuned for my Seoul cocktail bar guide in 2023): Read more →