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    Sonoma County and an Exercise in Wine Adjectives
    the_maestro
    • May 5
    • 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,...
    18 views0 comments
    The quiet perniciousness of cashless restaurants
    the_maestro
    • Jan 12
    • 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,...
    33 views0 comments
    The 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay Awards
    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...
    30 views0 comments
    Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
    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...
    126 views0 comments
    Table for One – The slight against solo diners
    the_maestro
    • Nov 8, 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,...
    49 views0 comments
    Unboxing the Farm: a week with Stone Barns' "resourcED" Grocery Box
    the_maestro
    • Mar 7, 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...
    30 views0 comments
    Inspired Ingredients – Hakurei Turnips
    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...
    14 views0 comments
    Table X @ Home – Salt Lake City, UT
    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...
    17 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Xiao Long Bao
    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...
    13 views0 comments
    The Maestro's Big Drunk Gay Awards – 2020 Dumpster Fire Edition!
    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,...
    26 views0 comments
    The Maestro moves to Charlotte
    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,...
    27 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Mother's Day Special
    the_maestro
    • May 11, 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...
    13 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Pit Barrel Ribs
    the_maestro
    • Apr 21, 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...
    10 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Greek Chicken Thighs
    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...
    23 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
    the_maestro
    • Apr 15, 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....
    18 views0 comments
    The Quarantini Series: Margaritas
    the_maestro
    • Apr 14, 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,...
    21 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Turkish Lamb Loin Chops
    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...
    13 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Surf and Turf
    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...
    10 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Octopus and Mole Amarillo
    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...
    19 views0 comments
    Quarantine Cuisine: Scallops
    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...
    16 views0 comments

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