The History of the Half Moon / Black and White Cookie

The History of the Half Moon / Black and White Cookie

I grew up eating Half Moon cookies. But I had never had a NYC-style Half Moon cookie (OK, OK: a Black and White cookie) until last weekend. NYC is so good at so many things: bagels, pizza, overwhelming crowds of people. How could it get the 

United States of Hot Sauce: Frank’s, Tapatio, and Tabasco

United States of Hot Sauce: Frank’s, Tapatio, and Tabasco

Two regional food things surprised me on the trip: beer and hot sauce. Beer is much more regionally varied than the Bud Light commercials suggest — try getting Kokanee in South Carolina … or Yuengling in Yosemite … or Dixie anywhere outside New Orleans. Same with hot sauces. 

Mexican Food Update: The Piggery, La Fiesta Brava, Viva Taqueria

Mexican Food Update: The Piggery, La Fiesta Brava, Viva Taqueria

The long and arduous search for chorizo in Ithaca is over. They make their own at The Piggery and it’s pretty damn good. It’s just artisanal, expensive stuff, not the cheapo, authentico stuff you get in California. But it’s satisfying our cravings. We miss chorizo 

The 6 Best Burgers in America: Middle-of-Nowhere Edition

The 6 Best Burgers in America: Middle-of-Nowhere Edition

Finding a good burger in a city is easy. There’s Dick’s in Seattle, Kopp’s in Milwaukee, In-N-Out across the Southwest, and Culver’s everywhere in the Midwest. But there’s something about being in the middle of nowhere and finding a great burger place. A cheeseburger in 

Small town living is good for my cooking

Small town living is good for my cooking

I’ve been pretty down on small town living so far. I thought I was ready for a small town after Chicago, but going from a city of 3 million to a town of 1,700…it’s been a bit of an adjustment (even when you forget all 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

Well, this is the blog’s second Thanksgiving. Last year, we jumped on a plane in Phoenix and flew to Wisconsin. This year, we’re doing the drive from Trumansburg to Wisconsin. We’ve got CoCoVan filled with bottles of our local, Finger Lakes wine (and some French 

The Best Chinese Place in Trumansburg, New York

The Best Chinese Place in Trumansburg, New York

On one of our first nights in our new place, Lisa met one of the staff from the local Chinese place on the street. It “served the best Chinese food in town,” the woman promised Lisa. We ordered take-out a few days later — they 

Ithaca Food, Ten Years Later

Ithaca Food, Ten Years Later

This weekend, we were at Just a Taste in Ithaca and we thought we recognized our waitress. “Have you worked here for a while,” I asked. “Yeah. A loooooong time,” she said. “Like ten years? We haven’t been here for ten years and you look 

barVino: The Coolest Place North of I-90 in New York

barVino: The Coolest Place North of I-90 in New York

In the sleepy Adirondack town of North Creek, there’s a new restaurant. It’s called barVino (lowercase ‘b’ and uppercase ‘V’ and all one word). They have live music every Wednesday, a great wine list, and a tasty beer list. They also serve delicious food. After visiting one 

“Montreal Style” Pizza at Ottawa’s Big Rig Brewery

“Montreal Style” Pizza at Ottawa’s Big Rig Brewery

After an afternoon at our local IKEA … in Ontario, Canada (Ottawa, to be exact), we were in need of a beer and a bite. Big Rig Brewery promised both. First: the beer. I got the sampler (Golden, Red, IPA, Stout). Lisa ordered a pint 

Chicken Riggies

Chicken Riggies

I really love discovering regional dishes (like the Sonoran hot dog and Binghamton Spiedie), what’s wonderful is that we’re STILL discovering fun, regional dishes, like chicken riggies, in places that we’ve been countless times. Well, I am at least. Lisa’s had this one. Chicken riggies is from 

Britain’s Greatest Culinary Tradition: Sunday Roast

Britain’s Greatest Culinary Tradition: Sunday Roast

I love the idea of Sunday roast. No, not the kind where you berate your supposed friend and mock his achievements (that only happens on Comedy Central), the one where you make a delicious meal with friends and family. That kind of roast. Sunday roast is