The fly-by-night benefits of pop-up restaurants

As the economy limps along, restaurant trends embrace informality with a shift from the stationary to the mobile. In 2011, the food truck business exploded, with owners in search of more flexibility and less overhead. 2012’s the year of the pop-up—a temporary eatery that gives chefs or restaurateurs a chance to dip their toes into […]

Raring for rhubarb: 10 ways to stalk the spring treat

Rhubarb, that ruby-stalked rhizome that adds a tantalizing tartness to dishes both sweet and savory, is among the handful of spring produce that, just like the blossoming flowers and trees, seem to vanish in the blink of an eye. That’s why we’re practicing scorpacciata, or the act of consuming large amounts of a particular local […]

Fossett’s cellar at the touch of a screen

A 100-year-old estate with a croquet lawn and a snooker room isn’t where you’d expect to be handed an iPad when being seated for dinner, but Keswick Hall’s gone new school, taking Fossett’s leather-bound tome of a wine list digital. Sommelier Richard Hewitt and his team started the project last September to “innovate and expand […]

Hand me my spears: Asparagus is in for spring

Hand me my spears! Nothing heralds the arrival of spring like asparagus. Fat or thin, the spears rise obediently with the season, perishing long before a tomato might make its acquaintance on a plate. Sure, you can buy asparagus year-round now, but why defy nature? These dishes from around town honor the beauties during their […]

Farmers first, winemakers second

What’s struck me more than anything over the past three years as I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know our area winemakers through this column, is how they consider themselves farmers above all else. No matter how skilled they are at making up for a bad vintage in the cellar, they all seem to […]

From our farms to our tables

  Farm to table eating isn’t new. In fact, it’s as old as the farm day is long. But when it became cheaper and easier to produce and distribute processed foods, we went from a farm-to-table nation to a factory-to-drive-through one. In the past decade or so, as we’ve become more concerned with the safety, […]