PDT... please don't tell

Costa Rica, staying in Mal Pais on Santa Teresa Beach

2012-01-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

Enter into Annas' world...

so cool and comfortable

parties for 16 at thgis table most nights and lovely bedrooms

Cara's horse available for riding..

a stroll to the beach
surfing at your doorstep

local beauty

we drive through crocodile infested rivers on an adventure and we need rescuing by our local hero

this is one local style and then Annas smaller house in another, using beautiful hardwoods

a lot of color,

cocteles anyone??

tightrope walking

beachside restaurants

the house lit up at night

heading to the fair

riding in the hills looking out to the sea to get to the local fair

where we taste the local specialities..

Cicerones!!

local butcher sign..

at the fair the boys double up

rock pools or white sandy private coves

inland river leads to waterfalls and cool places to swim

zip line through the jungle

or take long walks down the serenading sandy beach

if you prefer a gallop at sunset...

fancy some watermelon anyone?

surfing for all ages

cheeky

and brave

Anna also rents these Super Vista cabins right on the beach a stones throw from the waves

the beach seen from waterfront or from high above with it's never-ending white sand

check out the deep sea fishing with the local fishermen in Mal Pais

our host...with Cleo

This is the smaller of the two houses for rent...it still sleeps 6-8

sunset

surfers hang

beautifully decorated

chill in the shade

pool to beach through palm shaded walkway

ahhhh....

fresh from the garden

unusual wildlife

great restaurants like this one abound with delicious food and cool ambiance..

the local beer is yummy

or have an organic salad with local goats cheese and a glass of chilled chilean white

runn along the beach at sunset

or surf until it's dark

check out the catch of fresh tuna..the pelicans certainly are...

New York Fall 2011

2011-12-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

New York ...New York...

It's Christmas in New York when you see a 1000 Santas cruising the streets Bar hopping for charity...Piers and friends!!!

Check out the Boom Boom Room on the top of the Standard Hotel where you could stay but beware the paparazzi have cameras trained on all rooms at night because the stars do it publicly...and not even they can hide on the top floors....the Standard Grill is great too and all right on the Highline...the place to be seen these days!!

cool architecture a high prairie....the highline in autumn

My new favorite restaurant is Buco Alimentari an offshoot of eponymous il Buco....

chef Jason Jones I think is the BEST chef in New York..bar none!!

check out the menu

Spit roasted shortribs Seared Vermont Quail

whole roasted chicken

Dovetail on the Upper West Side was another great find this trip...

here is their baked onion

check out Shawan Mushi ar Yasuda sushi on 43rd street...

i Sodi is where we have the best food memories...

here is the most perfect porcini risotto ever eaten out of Italy.. and then the ragu...aaahhh!!

We tried Ma Peche, the latest in David Chang's Momoland ...

WD-50, Wylie Dufresne's restaurant on Clinton street, I'm not sure ...I think my food was over-handled!!! ...

but Frank Bruni of the New York Times awarded him 3 stars!!

I ordered the tasting menu.... too much to record with anything but photos...not much looks like what was in it!

this is the famous ice cream shaped to look like a bagel

here the lobster sausage and sesame flat bread..

the maple old fashioned was the best cocktail

If you like cupcakes go to Magnolia bakery on Bleeker for The Original fashionista cupcake

and check out Marc Jacobs nearby...

I stopped for a pick me up at old favorite Cuban haunt Cafe Habana ....

for corn on the cob with chile and lime and an iced shot of tequila...

Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel...

Just beware even though chef Markus Glocker does a fine job as chef de cuisine of the famed Gordon Ramsay restaurant at The London Hotel in New York...when we booked a private room for a special dinner during the Christmas Holidays we definitely didn't get his personal touch for the preparation of our dinner.. No comparison which was strange because I was invited into his kitchen after we ate to view him plating food for diners in the restaurant!!!

lamb en croute sea bass..somewhere in there

The Gramercy Tavern ...

is still very special for a birthday celebration or festive holiday parties because

they do such beautiful and elaborate decorations.

and the food is delicious.. carpaccio followed by fish then a wonderful selection of American cheeses and a plate of birthday cookies...ooooh

The best restaurant for brunch in New York

is Red Rooster it's in the heart of Harlem and

fried yardbird with grits are to die for...

Shop at Obscura for cool and unusual rarities...

Check out The Breslin in the Ace Hotel for a great atmosphere and it has fantastic french fries served with homemade mayo and pickles...interesting..

or The John Dory for cocktails and the best seafood in town right under the same roof...so stay at the Ace and never leave?

The highlight of this visit was the new Islamic rooms in the Metropolitan museum where I put together a wish list of bowls I would like to use to serve my dinners in....

Do not miss Momofuku Noodle bar for steamed pork or shitake buns..

arrive to line up at 12.15 to guarantee a first sitting spot when they open at 12.30!!

Check out The New Museum before..it's a block away...

Pork belly and a glass of riesling, so tasty...but wait until you try the shitake version..

try the famous Momofuku Ramen or brussel sprouts a la vietnamese with rice cake

...........then new york does do it differently

New York for Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Cris Oblenis brings us a turkey from Stone Hill Farm where he does the animal husbandry...they send all their meat to Blue Hill Restaurant and other top New York restaurants..

Daisy Nichols, who most recently cooked at Buco Alimentari with Jason Jones cooked the bird to perfection,

Fishing eating and seeing some skirt in Scotland

2011-09-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Highland games in Ardross, very serious

I could eat one of those bacon baps too...

Head to Sutherland game to pick up lunch for one day...

The mushrooms are picked that morning and grilled for lunch with sausages from the butcher in Bonar Bridge on the fire pit at the bothy by the river..

May skip the cullen skink!!

Provence and St. Remy market

2011-08-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

St Remy Market with white prayer flags over the square and colour, colour everywhere. Baskets of fruit or just baskets?

a Stella in the cafe or do you prefer Campari soda?

The perfect baguette

I always love returning to dinner under the pergola

We went to the local 'Cave' to buy our wine in Eygaliere

South of France summer 2011

2011-08-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Lamb cooked on the BBQ Provencal style with aubergine and rosemary pick from the hillside.

The magnificent view to the village of St. Cezaire in the hills above Mougin.

Staying near Antibe

2011-08-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

A swim before lunch off the shores of the Cap D'Antibe

Lunch looking out over the hillside town of Biot

after picking all the produce in the garden

a quiche and tomatoe salad

beetroot sliced so thin you can see through it

Reschio, Umbria for concert by www.diecicantabile.org

2011-08-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.diecicantabile.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=4

the party for the Dieci Cantabile at Reschio was a wonderful evening with full moon to accompany the stunning performance of jazz and classical music.

kitchen design by Count Benedict Bolza

Umbria at http://slowcooking.homestead.com/

2011-08-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Fried zuchini flowers...wish you were here..

this is the most blissfull place on earth, with Jenny's sublime cooking, long walks in the Umbrian Hills and listening to crickets by the pool.

the outdoor fireplace and table under the oak tree

my favorite wine served with stuffed zuchini

we have thick cut Florentine Bistecca sliced thin on a bed of chanterelles

and white beans with tomatoes..

another night rabbit and pidgeon fried with pancetta and sage..

Jackson Hole July 2011

2011-08-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

View of the Grand Tetons

from Moosehead Ranch

hiking to Phelps lake on the Death Canyon trail

Polo at Melody Ranch

Melody Ranch barn where all Marlborough adds were once shot

Salad at Shooting Star home grown by chef Jeff Weskamp

fishing on the Snake river

Slow food in the Po Valley, near Parma, Italy

2011-08-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Still life at Antica Corte Pallavicina

50 leaf salad from the organic 'orto' with bantam poached egg on top...courgette flower stuffed with ricotta and parmesan mousse..so delicate...,

all salumi is made on the property..chef Massimo Spigaroli is travelling next week to visit Anya Fernald, of Live Culture Company in San Francisco, to advice some slow food friends on the art of 'piggery'.

We drank wine from

The Tasca D'Almerita

a Estate in Sicily...a place I would like to visit.

Bay area Bliss!!

2011-08-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

Bi- Rite market sells them but my friend Julie PICKS them ...chanterelles ahhh!!!

Nancy Oakes

http://www.boulevardrestaurant.com/chef.html

and my friend Beth Strakian

http://www.sonic.net/beths/about_beth.htm

...2 of the best chefs in San Francisco..here beth does rolls

and Beth and Rob make Paella in Bolinas...

4th of July in Bolinas and the next morning Robs eggs with tortillas

Crab Feast to raise money for Marin Organic "Bring forth the New Year Party"

best bar in San Francisco...Alembic on Haight Street

Delfina in the Mission serves 'fries with eyes'

Zuni Cafe's roast chicken with fried bread and sultanas and greens is the best dish in SF bar none

Best Pizza in San Francisco ...a very tough decision.... at Pizetta 211..their Marguerita with anchovies and dollops of Pistou!!!

Delarosa has the best root salad and cocktails

Cafe Fanny in Berkeley is a favorite..

.but nothing beats the view

and BBQing at home!!

Venice for the opening of the Bienalle 2011

2011-08-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

Opening party for Julian Schnabel

at Museo Correr

and after a dinner so beautiful in a private palace lit at night,

next to the Academia bridge..

Corte Sconto in Calle Pestrine in Venice serves the local fish

and my favorite is Moeca the soft shelled crab from the lagoon...

the week after the opening in Venice Ai Wei Wei WAS released

St. Moritz in summer

2011-08-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Switzerland is pure heaven..

does anyone recognize Piz Buin?

eat drink and hike!!!

Champagne risottowines to die for..so many rarely seen
The Engadine Valley, Soglia, Susauna, Guarda, Chamanna es'cha, Hanensee, Trupchun....Hanselman..the staff and chefs at The Badrutt Palace Hotel...ahhh..MAGIC

Cooking in London with friends

2011-08-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

green beans with new potatoes and pesto, risotto with seafood..seabass with red pepper coulis...then the table setting..so beautiful!!

here we have tadik ..crispy rice and preserved lemon chicken

cumin yogurt and pomegranite seeds sprinkled on grilled eggplant a la ottolenghi

Petersham Nursery, Richmond England

2011-08-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone must go

Summer in England

2011-08-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

means gardens of pure delight

and Summer pudding

summer dinner around the pool..

2011-08-08T01:02:00.001-07:00

fishing anyone??

summery salad with nectarines and nasturtiums and .....slow cooked egg on polenta and mushroom ragu

In London... fresh cracked crab and a bit of New British!!

2011-08-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

Paris in summer

2011-08-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

the beach in Paris by the Seine! La tour Eiffel...shopping in 'la puce' for louis vuiton..then moules frite or steak tartar for lunch...

we dined that night on the terrace of George on top of the Pomidou where the menu of beautiful fresh colorful food inspired us on that hot July evening...

dinner a la italienne...

Dim Sum in San Francisco

2010-10-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Check out Yank Sing forShanghai dumplings..they are the best in town..

The dim sum is the freshest and most refined I think of anywhere in this city.

I love the peking duck slices they serve with plum sauce too.

Trolleys piled high with baskets troll the isles of tables..what a feast.

Zero Zero in San Francisco...Best Pizza in town

2010-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ok it wins..hands down best pizza in town...that town being San Francisco of course...new best pizza mecca of the world..New York eat your tomatoe red heart out...

I take my friend Anna to check it out for lunch today..Bruce Hill joins us at the table... just so that we could let him know how brilliant he was..as if he didn't know..he took the trophy in Napoli for best "pizzista".

So check out these pictures..they speak for themselves..Margherita with anchovies, squid and white beans to start, arancini ..little rice balls stuffed with fontina and chard..ooooh ...

My friend Anna sitting in front of the custom-built Mugnaini oven and Bruce himself..big smile..big success.

Back to Borough Market at the end of September

2010-10-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

I went back to Borough Market on this trip on a windy and cold Friday lunchtime and the place was abuzz with people and stalls selling all the most wonderful of very English fare..anything from Stilton cheese to freshly shot Pheasant, partridge or grouse. Skate and cockles in bright blue tubs next to huge rounds of cheshire cheeses.

There is a stall with foie gras and another of sausages. French pastries next to a lady making raclette under a hot grill. Sliding her bubbling toasted cheese onto potatoes and served with pickles.

Sausages or bacon baps served with grainy mustard or crunchy pork crackling with a dollop of apple sauce.

It was impossibly tempting but in the end we chose to have lunch in the oyster bar and washed yummy Irish oysters down with black and foamy guinness. We ate a few potted shrimp and some herring roes on toast ..this made a perfect lunch in the cosy warm and crowded atmosphere and we decided what we would buy in the market to take home for dinner.

2010-10-05T10:59:00.001-07:00

Our new favorite vegetarian Indian restaurant in London's Marylebone Lane called Woodlands..

Eating in Scotland

2010-10-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

Dinner in Scotland We ate Grouse shot on the moor north of Inverness, wild salmon caught that day on the River Caron and a bit of Haggis to go with it.. and of course whiskey from the local distillery to wash it down...

chez http://slowcooking.homestead.com/

2010-09-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Umbria, fried zuchini flowers stuffed with mozeralla and anchovy, Jenny Nichols cooking lesson

have a pickled egg with your fish and chips

2010-05-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

Is there a gold fish in this bag???

have a pickled egg with your fish and chips

or a pickled onion

the Porchetta man

2010-05-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

London's Borough Market is quite the happening foodies heaven,...moved onto this tasty morsel of porchetta sandwich slathered in applesauce!!!

Borough Market London

2010-05-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Near London Bridge and Tower tube station is this fantastic covered market in Londons' old east end. I found this wonderful stall selling varieties of paella...

outdoor cooking our favorite

2010-05-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

paella on my new outdoor grill

chez george

2010-05-04T03:15:00.000-07:00

this is my favorite of all restaurants in Paris

Meshwi a Moroccan speciality

2010-05-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

You cannot believe the day we watched the prepation of this feast. A traditional Clay oven sealed to roast the sheep whole..as they have done for centuries.

Making shanghai dumplings

2010-05-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Very labor intensive but so delicious...

In Oz for a bite

2010-04-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

Tie your kangaroo down sport....

Oceanside Sydney beyond Bondi The Icebreaker in sea swimming pool is so cool

Nielsen Park: UBD Map 237 Ref L1. Greycliffe Avenue, Vaucluse. A well used family recreational area which, in 1975, became one of the first inclusions in the Sydney Harbour National Park.
Facilities: sheltered harbour beach with shark net, kiosk, toilets, change rooms, showers, picnic facilities.
Public transport: Bus No. 325 from Circular Quay, alight at Nielsen Park.

amazing to have a flat white in the morning after a refreshing swim

check out http://www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/attr_syd_beaches4.htm for other beaches

sydney harbor to Double Bay on the ferry...

stop in the ferry dock sailing club for a cocktail

Head out to Rose Bay to Catalina for a delicious lunch looking out over the harbor

and have some fries with eyes and let the egg drool!!

Nothing like a pure blond to wash it down..

Check out Victor Churchill in Woollahra the Butcher from meat heaven!!

Miso eggplant at Toyo in Surrey Hills, Sydney is a work of art...it's sweet and delicious

We flew onto Melborne , First stop Madame Brussells http://www.madamebrussels.com/

at little skillet street food fair noon -2 nov. 4th

2009-11-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

slow food @ fort mason june 21st/09

2009-06-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

amazing event ...$20 bought a ticket in and all the wine pours you wanted...silent auction..i won a tasting at drakes bay oysters for 25 people...craig stole was serving his own pizza at delfina stand, framani salamis and delicious mortadella...fine wines from italy and around the world..no crowds!! a most pleasurable slow afternoon.

Science, Sous Vide, Harold Mcgee and Bruno Goussault

2009-04-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

A visit to Cuisine Solutions in Alexandria, Virginia to attend a training with the man who invented SousVide, Bruno Gaussault. He is the man who perfected the technique and provides precision testing for many of the recipes of top chefs around the world like Thomas Keller.

see

http://www.cuisinesolutions.com/professionals/chef-profiles/

http://www.sousvidecooking.org/bruno-goussault-dvd-about-sous-vide-technique-and-recipes/

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/14/magazine/14CRYOVAC.html?pagewanted=all

So seeing as we are talking food Science I went to hear Harold Mcgee, science and food writer talk at a book signing.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/harold_mcgee/index.html

http://curiouscook.com/

http://curiouscook.typepad.com/site/keys-to-good-cooking.html

Welcome to PDT-pleasedontell Just remember only one T

2009-01-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

I went to this bar in New York, it's name PDT "Please don't Tell" and I thought what a great name even though the bar sucks!!! You had to walk through a fried hotdog restaurant and climb into the smallest telephone booth and then pick up the phone and ask to be let in...oh so pretentious!!

Now meet my friends

I like to think there are a few discerning people out there who would like to find out where I go and what I like to eat and where I like to eat, maybe you will follow in my footsteps...so off we go