the_maestro
Born and Bred – Seoul, South Korea
We've all heard of wagyu beef, Japan's absurdly marbled steaks that, according to urban legend, come from cows treated like kings––given...
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the_maestro
- Nov 10
- 10 min
Clues for the Clueless – Sushi in Japan
I like to think I am knowledgable about food and beverages. But sometimes one has an experience that reminds you just how little you...
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the_maestro
- Nov 3
- 13 min
Maz – Tokyo, Japan
Virgilio MartÃnez was just 31 when he took his Cordon Bleu training and line cooking experience back to his native Peru with a goal of...
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the_maestro
- Oct 28
- 4 min
Street Food in Omoide Yokocho – Tokyo, Japan
Tucked in the belly of the glistening skyscrapers of Shinjuku is Tokyo's own "Memory Lane," or Omoide Yokocho, a narrow alleyway housing...
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the_maestro
- Oct 21
- 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...
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the_maestro
- Oct 14
- 10 min
Benu – San Francisco, CA
The Bay Area is special to me––not only is it my birthplace, but it was the site of my first big foray into foodiedom. Back when I was...
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the_maestro
- Sep 19
- 13 min
SingleThread (2) – Healdsburg, CA
I've been lucky enough (before this meal) to enjoy Kyle Connaughton's cuisine from SingleThread twice––once at the restaurant in...
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the_maestro
- Sep 15
- 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...
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the_maestro
- Mar 7
- 3 min
The Charter Oak – St. Helena, CA
In 2020 the Glass Fire tore through northern Napa and Sonoma in an unprecedented disaster for California's epicenter of wine growing....
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the_maestro
- Dec 21, 2022
- 7 min
The Back(b)log: Tasting Wine on Colorado's Western Slope
It's a small obsession of mine to find places making wine where you'd never assume excellent grapes would grow. Most recently I visited...
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the_maestro
- Dec 17, 2022
- 6 min
Mom's 65th at Angler – San Francisco, CA
Since Josh Skenes stepped away from the kitchen at Saison, his new flagship project is the mini-chain of Angler restaurants in San...
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the_maestro
- Dec 14, 2022
- 6 min
Back(b)log: Roister and Aviary – Chicago, IL
One of the evenings I missed writing up in the shuffle of my big move out west was a combo dinner and cocktail night during Chicago Pride...
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the_maestro
- Dec 11, 2022
- 5 min
Nari – San Francisco, CA
Most often, the experience at eating at a Thai restaurant in any given city in America is largely predictable––inexpensive food in strip...
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the_maestro
- Nov 20, 2022
- 4 min
Boulevard – San Francisco, CA
Nothing could have made me happier than a visit from my mother and sister a few months after my move to northern California, even more...
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the_maestro
- Oct 11, 2022
- 5 min
The Maestro in California
I finally left academia after my rather disastrous and traumatic experience teaching at Davidson College. Making woefully little money,...
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the_maestro
- Jul 18, 2022
- 16 min
Blue Hill at Stone Barns (2) – Pocantico Hills, NY
Regular readers of the blog have doubtless come across at least one of the reviews of my meals at the Stone Barns Center for Food and...
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the_maestro
- Jul 13, 2022
- 6 min
Comparing Impossible and Beyond Burgers
I confess I was a shameless ridiculer of the new meat-substitute products that have flooded the market and taken even fast food...
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the_maestro
- Jul 4, 2022
- 11 min
The Inn at Little Washington – Washington, VA
Decades before the widespread propagation of the very idea of "fine dining" in America, DC native and self-taught chef Patrick O'Connell...
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the_maestro
- Jul 2, 2022
- 7 min
Albi – Washington, DC
As covered previously in the latest installment of the "Eat Like the Maestro" series, during my little road trip out east a multi-day...
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the_maestro
- Jun 29, 2022
- 4 min
Eat like the Maestro in DC
Car Talk, my very favorite old NPR show, took calls from all over the country, and whenever Tom and Ray got a call from DC, Tom always...
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