roll with jen

My favorite food writers include the usual suspects:  Mark Bittman and Jonathan Gold.  But in the same vein which the Surly Gourmand makes me giggle and squirm with his candor, my friend Jorge’s food commentary always has me laughing hysterically while vehemently nodding my head in agreement. Here is what Jorge has to say about [...]

When I tell people I am heading to Austin for a long weekend, they often ask:  Do you have relatives in Austin?  Are you going for work? Nope.  In fact, I venture on an annual fall pilgrimage to this gem in the Lone Star state because it is essentially a larger, warmer version of Seattle’s [...]

Sometimes you crave a bit of ambiance to go along with your meal, but you don’t want to break the piggy bank. This is the second of a 3-part series on Whistler eats:  On a tight budget, in 25 loonies or less, and I don’t mind throwing down some bones. Araxi’s Happy Hour:  Fondue from [...]

I head to Franklin Barbecue, the 2009 food truck turned brick and mortar, wondering if it will live up to all of the local, regional and national buzz.  More importantly, will it topple my favorite activities in Austin which include laying in a hammock at the Kimber Modern, vintage clothes shopping in the South Congress [...]

Santouka:  Motomachi’s neighbor has a global ramen presence with longstanding roots in Japan’s northern island Hokkaido (where the first store modestly set up shop in 1988) and now a well-established franchise with numerous outposts throughout Tokyo, Kyoto, Hong Kong and select parts of the US. The usual “full house” scene at Santouka, but rest assured, the [...]

I am not embarrassed to admit part of my motivation in planning a recent trip to Whistler was to make a food pit stop in Vancouver. This time, my target was a ramen-off (which sounds far more grand than what it really is – pretty much just me eating a bunch of ramen) and my [...]

There is no denying Whistler, British Columbia is a premier winter destination with world class slopes (did you know every Blackcomb run was designed on a computer so there would be less flat spots for snowboarders), extensive cross country ski trails, and now even an ice rink. Unfortunately, Whistler gets a bad rap from hard core [...]

Located in a well-traveled section of Whistler Village, I naturally assume Araxi is just like its neighboring establishments – either dated, overpriced, over-hyped, divey or just plain average. But this first class dining establishment is different and it is because executive chef James Walt is different. (I should have known better after eating and drinking myself silly at last summer’s [...]

As we get off the 16th Street BART stop and make our way to Mission Chinese, we initially walk right past this much talked about restaurant in the Mission as it is hidden under the guise of a bright and not-so-nice looking yellow awning that says “Lung Shan Restaurant – Food to Go;  Free Delivery.” With all [...]

The Wall Street Journal has pegged Benu as the next big restaurant, Momofuku extraordinaire David Chang says it is the best restaurant in the US, Michelin recently awarded it two stars for 2012, and chef/owner Corey Lee has received years of accolades from his tenure at The French Laundry. So, did it live up to all of the hype? Sort of. [...]