the_maestroJun 214 minEeva – Philadelphia, PAEater has been doing a pretty cool "Best New Restaurants in America" list of late, and since I found myself with a car and no real...
the_maestroJun 185 minThe best lobster roll in Maine, Part 2Once I'd dropped off my friend's new Bernedoodle puppy in Boston and enjoyed some culinary offerings in one of my favorite cities in the...
the_maestroMay 173 minEat Like the Maestro in AshevilleI'm on the cusp of bidding "adieu" to Charlotte for good but have many fond memories of the Queen City, particularly its many green...
the_maestroMay 77 minSushi|Bar at Scratch – Los Angeles, CAY'all already know the Maestro's first item on his to-do list when visiting Los Angeles––eat sushi. Because of LA's proximity to the...
the_maestroApr 297 minImmi at Turntable/Lord Stanley – San Francisco, CAMany restaurants made dramatic changes to their operations as a consequence of the pandemic. Lord Stanley, a one-Michelin-starred...
the_maestroApr 205 minPizza on Two Coasts – L'Industrie and Cheese BoardA little curveball today celebrating Spring Break Round 2 visits to two spots producing some of the best pizza in the country––one from...
the_maestroApr 93 minEat Like the Maestro in BostonOooo kiddos––it's been a busy time in the Maestro's life, and I have a backlog of blogs that resembles a California freeway at 4pm. So...
the_maestroMar 46 minSushi Note – Los Angeles, CAIf I'm in LA, I'm in the best sushi city in the United States. And that means I am almost certainly seeking out a new omakase to sample....
the_maestroFeb 2611 minUsu-Zan by SingleThread at Blue Sky Ranch – Wanship, UTIt was a frigid evening and I was about three cocktails deep when a well-agorithmed article found its way to my feed––"SingleThread...
the_maestroFeb 35 minProvisions + Dented Brick Distilling – Salt Lake City, UTProvisions reliably serves some of the best food in Salt Lake City. When Lugano, the previous occupant of the space, closed some ten or...
the_maestroDec 31, 20219 minThe 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay AwardsPerhaps it was the sense of impending doom resulting from waking up every day in this pandemic, now again in a terrible phase, that...
the_maestroDec 30, 20215 min36 hours of fantastic food and bev in AthensI am woefully behind on blog posts owing to the end of the semester at Davidson and the ensuing whirlwind travel schedule. I know both of...
the_maestroDec 5, 202121 minNoma – Copenhagen, DenmarkYears before I came to understand what fine dining really meant––or rather, what it really could mean––my attraction to the best...
the_maestroNov 27, 20215 minSt. John Bread and Wine – London, UKIt was wonderful to be back in London, the site of a brisk 36-hour layover en route to meet my sister's probably-future in-laws in...
the_maestroNov 24, 20216 minOmakase Room by Mitsu – New York, NYI can't stay away from omakase meals in New York City. My last NYC omakase at Nakazawa just reinforced what I already knew––an excellent...
the_maestroNov 20, 20214 minRezdôra – New York, NYI am bad at making reservations. I tend to wait to book trips until only a few weeks before, and at that point it's too late to get the...
the_maestroNov 18, 202110 minPrime Fish vs. O-Ku – Charlotte, NCCharlotte is a budding food city, and a particularly good locale for many varieties of Asian cuisine. The notable exception is...
the_maestroNov 10, 20213 minTaste of Shu – Charlotte, NCI am having a passionate love affair with Sichuan cuisine these days. This started with my exploration of one of the most classic Sichuan...
the_maestroNov 6, 20214 minFuto Buta – Charlotte, NCWhen I was first preparing to move to Charlotte, I heard all around that South End was the happening-est neighborhood in town. When I...
the_maestroOct 30, 20214 minLang Van – Charlotte, NCThere are some restaurants that are just too precious, wonderful, and important than can be believed––institutions of food that quietly...
the_maestroOct 27, 20213 minHaberdish – Charlotte, NCCertain areas of Charlotte experienced a mass migration of rural Appalachian and Carolina Piedmont populations, as well as formerly...
the_maestroOct 16, 20217 minLog Haven – Salt Lake City, UTIt's hard to pinpoint a seminal dining experience that made me into the insatiable food lover that I am today, but the closest thing I...
the_maestroOct 13, 20218 minAtoboy – New York, NYI've always been a staunch defender of northern California's food scene over New York City's, mostly because that's where I learned to...
the_maestroOct 9, 20218 minSushi Nakazawa – New York, NYSushi omakase meals are a dime a dozen in New York City (or, perhaps more accurately, three grand a dozen). The super-high-end sushi...
the_maestroOct 5, 20219 minFinding the Best Lobster Roll in Midcoast MaineThe Maine coast has approximately 24,398,423,876,323,907 restaurants serving lobster. This is the land of “lobstah,” especially this time...
the_maestroOct 3, 20216 minPammy's – Cambridge, MABoston is one of those cities I feel bad that I haven't spent more time visiting. I finally got up to Boston to see a dear friend's...
the_maestroSep 28, 20215 minKindred – Davidson, NCI must admit that I have been pretty bad about exploring my new city and environs and seeing what's on offer. When I had dinner with a...
the_maestroSep 24, 20214 minAn Overnight Layover in ChicagoI hadn't been back to Chicago since my last (brief) visit mid-summer of 2020, when almost everything was shuttered, but my sister and I...
the_maestroSep 12, 202111 minIs Las Vegas Undergoing a Culinary Revival? A Case StudyBack in the era of big name European celebrity chefs establishing outpost restaurants, in the heyday of places like the Bellagio, when...
the_maestroSep 2, 20214 minBazaar Meat – Las Vegas, NVBoth regular readers of my blog know that I adore José Andrés, the Spanish celebrity chef who is also the founder of World Central...
the_maestroAug 29, 20219 minMélisse – Los Angeles, CAWhen I lived in Los Angeles, I used to visit Mélisse, one of West LA's most storied fine dining destinations, with some regularity, since...
the_maestroAug 22, 20217 minThe Brothers Sushi – Los Angeles, CALos Angeles is probably the best sushi city in the United States. New Yorkers may @ me, but much of the better sushi in NYC, while world...
the_maestroAug 15, 20216 minRodina – Cedar Rapids, IABack when I was starting to realize I wouldn't get a teaching job for Fall 2019, fresh out of my doctorate and settled in Mom's guest...
the_maestroAug 8, 20219 minChef Jonathan Tam in Residence at Stone Barns – Pocantico Hills, NYStone Barns is starting to feel like a bit of a home. The people, the ethos, and the amazing food––everything about it makes me so joyful...
the_maestroAug 5, 202112 minCentral – Lima, PeruWhen I posted my first food photos from Lima to my Instagram story, a friend of mine who is a fellow lover of food and works in the...
the_maestroAug 1, 20216 minContra – New York, NYInstagram has figured out that most of my life is food/wine, airplanes, music, and cute guys. The algorithms are precise, y'all! Though,...
the_maestroJul 24, 20216 minFulgurances Laundromat with Victoria Blamey – New York, NYSo I think I might have had COVID at the tail end of my trip to Peru. I am vaccinated. I tested negative. I had a nagging, mild cough and...
the_maestroJul 22, 20213 minFonta Flora Brewery and Singlewyde Pizza at Whippoorwill Farm – Nebo, NCNorth Carolina is the land of beer. I have five breweries within a five minute walk of my apartment. Charlotte has dozens in its city...
the_maestroJul 17, 20219 minMaido – Lima, PeruOur weeklong visit to Lima was to culminate in two blockbuster meals at the two places seen as the very best restaurants in the city, two...
the_maestroJul 6, 202114 minOur Culinary Adventure in LimaLima, Peru, a vibrant city of nearly ten million people, has earned a reputation as one of the culinary epicenters of the Americas, if...
the_maestroJun 29, 20213 minCote – Miami, FLMiami, Miami, you've got style! And killer food! Deep in the Design District of the Magic City is an outpost of Michelin-starred Korean...
the_maestroJun 27, 20215 minThe Culinary Delights of SeattleSeattle is one of the best food cities in the US, if not the world! The combination of the incredible local seafood and west coast...
the_maestroJun 9, 20214 minCaucho – Cedar Rapids, IAIf I told you the best margarita I'd ever had was at a restaurant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, you would certainly accuse me of at least some...
the_maestroJun 7, 202112 minChef Jorge Vallejo in Residence at Stone Barns – Pocantico Hills, NY"What do Americans eat when they eat out for dinner? That’s the question that inspired us as we designed Season Two of Chef in Residence....
the_maestroJun 2, 20214 minCobble Hill (2) – Cedar Rapids, IACobble Hill was the restaurant that started my blogging journey. I'll never forget when I found Cobble Hill. Mom moved to Cedar Rapids...
the_maestroMay 22, 202114 minAtelier Crenn – San Francisco, CAWhen I was a budding foodie, I often turned to the Michelin Guide to figure out where to dine whenever I traveled hither or thither. It...
the_maestroMay 20, 20214 minTakashi – Salt Lake City, UTIt's hard for me to believe I have been blogging for a couple years and have not written up the restaurant that is probably the one place...
the_maestroMay 16, 202116 minChef Victoria Blamey in Residence at Stone Barns – Pocantico Hills, NY"Different cultures inspire me. Colors inspire me. Travel inspires me. That’s what really excited me when I left Chile the first time at...
the_maestroMay 10, 20215 minCotogna – San Francisco, CAI was thrilled to be coming back to San Francisco for my first time in over two years as a little celebration after completing my first...
the_maestroMay 6, 202114 minJohnny Ortiz in Residence at Stone Barns – Pocantico Hills, NY“At the other places I worked, it was always about the outcome . . . The ingredients were less the focus than the idea. Here, the...