Monday, June 4, 2007
Food for Thought - My column for May 30, 2007
My newspaper food column for May 30, 2007, includes a recipe for Lemonade Chicken, along with a discussion about the best diet plans, and other tasty topics. Go to www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/May/30/style/stories/01style.htm
Whining and Dining - Favorite restaurants?
When people learn I'm a food writer, invariably they ask about my favorite restaurants. But that's like asking for a favorite movie. What am I in the mood for? Which geography? What day is it? I like most kinds of restaurants, though I have to admit that German and other northern European cuisines don't often turn me on. I tend to prefer the creations from areas of the world that have plenty of sun and a long growing season.
That means my preferences tend to be Mediterranean (including North Africa), Mideastern, Indian, Caribbean, Mexican, Thai, and other flavorful types. I also like regional American cooking, especially Southern and Tex-Mex. As for specific restaurants, I've had really memorable meals at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Calif., at Dish-Dash in Sunnyvale, Calif., at an inspired downtown grill in Pittsburgh, at a street fair in Merida, Yucatan (Mexico), at Mamma's on Maui, Hawaii, at Orazio in Rome, Italy, and even at my mother's dining room table.
Given the choice between great food in a poor atmosphere, and mediocre food with great atmosphere, I'll take the latter. Which is probably why I fondly recall a dish of ordinary red beans and rice at a rowdy Cajun pub in New Orleans. Topped off with a bottle of Dixie Blackened Voodoo beer, it was a perfect late-night supper.
Donna
That means my preferences tend to be Mediterranean (including North Africa), Mideastern, Indian, Caribbean, Mexican, Thai, and other flavorful types. I also like regional American cooking, especially Southern and Tex-Mex. As for specific restaurants, I've had really memorable meals at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Calif., at Dish-Dash in Sunnyvale, Calif., at an inspired downtown grill in Pittsburgh, at a street fair in Merida, Yucatan (Mexico), at Mamma's on Maui, Hawaii, at Orazio in Rome, Italy, and even at my mother's dining room table.
Given the choice between great food in a poor atmosphere, and mediocre food with great atmosphere, I'll take the latter. Which is probably why I fondly recall a dish of ordinary red beans and rice at a rowdy Cajun pub in New Orleans. Topped off with a bottle of Dixie Blackened Voodoo beer, it was a perfect late-night supper.
Donna
Food for Thought - My column for May 23, 2007
My newspaper column for May 23, 2007, has a wonderful cherry pie recipe, along with other topics. Go to www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/May/23/style/stories/01style.htm
Whining and Dining - Being a food writer
People often ask what it's like to be a food writer. Actually, they call me a critic, which I am not. Critics, in my opinion, really know food and are qualified to give an educated thumbs up or down. I just know what I like, so I call myself a food reviewer or writer. It's a small distinction to most people, but in the inner circles, it does make a difference.
I really enjoy doing my weekly column because I come from a family of foodies. Almost every communication includes a recipe or a discussion of the latest and greatest restaurant meal or party. The men in my family are not exempt. Everyone knows that in Italian households, it isn't just the women who cook. They may prepare most of the meals, but the men are no slouches when it comes to knowing their way around a stove. My Dad could make an excellent pasta with broccoli and garlic, and my son has created recipes that are better than my own.
My column isn't an exposition about the rarified atmosphere of culinary greatness. I write for people who enjoy cooking, gadgets, nutrition, kitchen design, and decent restaurant meals. That means I write for the rest of us. Even if you can't find the can opener, I believe you can turn out a good meal with some convenience foods, a few basic skills, and the desire to spend 20 or 30 minutes pulling it all together.
Ciao...
Donna
(To read my weekly food column, go to www.santacruzsentinel.com and use Donna Maurillo as the search term.)
I really enjoy doing my weekly column because I come from a family of foodies. Almost every communication includes a recipe or a discussion of the latest and greatest restaurant meal or party. The men in my family are not exempt. Everyone knows that in Italian households, it isn't just the women who cook. They may prepare most of the meals, but the men are no slouches when it comes to knowing their way around a stove. My Dad could make an excellent pasta with broccoli and garlic, and my son has created recipes that are better than my own.
My column isn't an exposition about the rarified atmosphere of culinary greatness. I write for people who enjoy cooking, gadgets, nutrition, kitchen design, and decent restaurant meals. That means I write for the rest of us. Even if you can't find the can opener, I believe you can turn out a good meal with some convenience foods, a few basic skills, and the desire to spend 20 or 30 minutes pulling it all together.
Ciao...
Donna
(To read my weekly food column, go to www.santacruzsentinel.com and use Donna Maurillo as the search term.)
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Whining and Dining - Out on the Town
These past two months have been a whirl of dinners, banquets and parties. Mamma mia! I really have to keep the dining in check so I don't have to move up a size. Good thing I go to the gym five times a week, but sometimes I feel like I'm running just to stay even.
Last week I attended a dinner to honor five outstanding "people of character." The food was edible but not remarkable - the usual chicken with rice, plus a limp salad and a dessert I can't even recall. But previous to that, I attended a black-tie ball - the Medici Ball at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Banquet meals are hard to pull off, but this was great. The salad included a timbale of herbed cream cheese wrapped with lox and topped with creme fraiche, caviar and capers. Totally indulgent! The double-cut lamb chops were wonderfully mild and juicy. But unfortunately, I didn't get to sample the dessert. We got up from the table briefly for the silent auction, and when we returned, we found that desserts were given only to people who were still sitting at their tables. Everyone else - including those on the dance floor - were skipped over. It was fine for my waistline, but the tart did look wonderful, so I was sorry to miss it.
Donna
Last week I attended a dinner to honor five outstanding "people of character." The food was edible but not remarkable - the usual chicken with rice, plus a limp salad and a dessert I can't even recall. But previous to that, I attended a black-tie ball - the Medici Ball at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Banquet meals are hard to pull off, but this was great. The salad included a timbale of herbed cream cheese wrapped with lox and topped with creme fraiche, caviar and capers. Totally indulgent! The double-cut lamb chops were wonderfully mild and juicy. But unfortunately, I didn't get to sample the dessert. We got up from the table briefly for the silent auction, and when we returned, we found that desserts were given only to people who were still sitting at their tables. Everyone else - including those on the dance floor - were skipped over. It was fine for my waistline, but the tart did look wonderful, so I was sorry to miss it.
Donna
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