the_maestro
Sommelier Studies: Toscana
The Maestro has decided he can't quit his love of learning, and I'm going "back to school," as it were––toward the end of this year, I'll...
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MUSINGS
the_maestro
- Apr 27
- 9 min
Clues for the Clueless: Wine FAQs, Part 1
For the next few installments of the Maestro's "Clues for the Clueless," allow me to answer some of your most pressing wine questions.
26 views
the_maestro
- Oct 21, 2023
- 19 min
Eleven Madison Park – New York, NY
Pre-disclaimer: At the risk of making it seem like this blog is only about restaurants granted three Michelin stars, this blog completes...
502 views
the_maestro
- Sep 15, 2023
- 8 min
Noz 17 (and Depression) – New York, NY
Both of y'all loyal readers will have to forgive my spotty (i.e., completely absent) blogging for the better part of the last year. I...
48 views
the_maestro
- May 5, 2022
- 10 min
Sonoma County and an Exercise in Wine Adjectives
People rightfully make fun of the highfalutin nature of descriptors for wine that wineries, critics, tasting room staff, sommeliers,...
34 views
the_maestro
- Jan 12, 2022
- 8 min
The quiet perniciousness of cashless restaurants
The pandemic has upended much of our lives, and the hospitality industry is one of the primary victims. In the process, many restaurants,...
43 views
the_maestro
- Dec 31, 2021
- 9 min
The 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay Awards
Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom resulting from waking up every day in this pandemic, now again in a terrible phase, that...
71 views
the_maestro
- Dec 5, 2021
- 21 min
Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
Years before I came to understand what fine dining really meant––or rather, what it really could mean––my attraction to the best...
1,033 views
the_maestro
- Nov 7, 2021
- 7 min
Table for One – The slight against solo diners
I have few particular complaints about my single lifestyle. It allows me to be nimble and spontaneous, easily adapt to new circumstances,...
64 views
the_maestro
- Mar 6, 2021
- 8 min
Unboxing the Farm: a week with Stone Barns' "resourcED" Grocery Box
My mini-crusade to improve my choices and shift my life toward a more ethical food trajectory has involved a multitude of little...
34 views
the_maestro
- Feb 24, 2021
- 8 min
Inspired Ingredients – Hakurei Turnips
Something I learned from my first visit to Stone Barns is how corporatized and streamlined our food experience has become. There are...
95 views
the_maestro
- Feb 22, 2021
- 4 min
Table X @ Home – Salt Lake City, UT
One of the cooler trends we've been seeing emerge during the pandemic from restaurants are take-home, heat-and-eat style dinners. These...
24 views
the_maestro
- Feb 20, 2021
- 7 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Xiao Long Bao
Despite writing it up, I'd never posted this gem from back in the depths of Iowa quarantine in March 2020, but figured no time like the...
60 views
the_maestro
- Jan 9, 2021
- 6 min
The Maestro's Big Drunk Gay Awards – 2020 Dumpster Fire Edition!
I really enjoyed issuing a series of absolutely meaningless "Big Drunk Gay" awards last year, highlighting the very best things I ate,...
31 views
the_maestro
- Sep 1, 2020
- 5 min
The Maestro moves to Charlotte
Well kids, what can I say? Life is crazy, and my dearth of posts this past month was due in part to my grand adventure in Alaska, yes,...
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the_maestro
- May 10, 2020
- 3 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Mother's Day Special
Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas and mama figures out there! It's been a wonderful day here in Cedar Rapids. Despite some really...
17 views
the_maestro
- Apr 20, 2020
- 5 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Pit Barrel Ribs
How are we lucky enough to have barbecue in our lives? I do not claim in the least to be a barbecue expert, so don't @ me, BBQ pros (very...
13 views
the_maestro
- Apr 17, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Greek Chicken Thighs
If you are like me, thirty-plus days of quarantine has begun to spark days of pronounced lethargy and depression––days where you stare...
27 views
the_maestro
- Apr 14, 2020
- 3 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
As long as we can't travel physically, we might as well travel culinarily! Korean food is having a real moment in the Unites States....
21 views
the_maestro
- Apr 13, 2020
- 3 min
The Quarantini Series: Margaritas
We have been drinking a not-very-small amount during this fiasco, and margaritas seem to form the backbone of the consumption. Magically,...
24 views
the_maestro
- Apr 11, 2020
- 5 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Turkish Lamb Loin Chops
I wasn't planning on creating anything transcendental with this meal, so the Quarantine Cuisine series was supposed to next travel to...
16 views
the_maestro
- Apr 8, 2020
- 6 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Surf and Turf
Apologies for the delay in posting this next installment! The Maestro's computer suffered an unfortunate cracked screen, so a new one had...
15 views
the_maestro
- Mar 27, 2020
- 4 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Octopus and Mole Amarillo
This week I present a double dose of seafood, because our Fulton Fish Market order was particularly large (so we could trigger the free...
23 views
the_maestro
- Mar 21, 2020
- 7 min
Quarantine Cuisine: Scallops
Well kiddos, as you may have noticed, the world has stopped moving. Restaurants and bars are closed, the stock market is crumbling, the...
21 views
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