Restaurant Review: Broders’ Pasta Bar & Deli

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In the late 1980s, my husband and I caught what I called “local wanderlust.” We didn’t have a lot of money to travel far; we were busy building our careers and loved our house too much to spend much time away from it. So we spent weekends exploring the upper Midwest.

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3 Hours in Boston’s North End

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My initial reaction to the prospect of moving from New York City to Boston was the sinking realization that I was about to bid farewell to all forms of “culture”; i.e. good food, sights and music.  I believed Boston didn’t have an identity, nothing to make it different or stand out from its northeast peers, and while this still holds partially true, it would be unfair to describe the North End this way.  The North End is anything but lacking in character.  Its Italian roots are enough to explain the friendly, boisterous and often rough-around-the-edges wait staff you’ll encounter while consuming delicious Italian or Italian-inspired cuisines. Continue Reading…

A Dream Foodie Travel Adventure? Piedmont October 2012

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Now everyone knows about the latest fashion to vacation with compassion. Socially and environmentally conscious ecotourism, sustainable travel, volunteering breaks and variations thereof are changing how we spend our precious time off abroad by helping us raise our own awareness of global issues and by making those breaks count.

If you live for food, I would bet that you take every opportunity to find out more about what it takes to produce wholesome, healthy and authentic produce. Continue Reading…

LA CHESA: A Surprising Mix of High End Taste, Authenticity and Sustainability in the Heart of Central America

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When you go to a place with no expectations whatsoever, it is amazing how much capacity it has to amaze you. This is exactly what happened to me last week when my boyfriend and I descended on Panama City on a short break. We were joining his parents on a 60^th Birthday celebration vacation, so all the planning was done by them, allowing us, for once, to simply tag along. Continue Reading…

A First Taste of LA at The Taste LA

I once had a dream, a marvelous dream that anyone who lives and eats in LA would appreciate. It starts out with me strolling down the city’s busy streets, moseying along and taking in all the unique sights, sounds and smells that only LA can produce when suddenly I am stopped dead in my tracks, caught by a most catching aroma. Fresh bread.

As an Italian, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York,  the epicenter of bakeries, the smell of fresh bread for me is unmistakable. It hits you like a big, fat hug from your nonna or favorite aunt Marie who’s trying to kiss you, wipe something off your cheek and get you to eat something because you’re too skinny all at the same time and no more than four seconds in the door. In short, warm, nostalgic and inviting. Continue Reading…

Frenchie and the Balagne Seafood

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Summer checklist: Eat local food - check! / Sleep - check! / Hike - check! / Picnic on top of a mountain - check! / Make jams - check! / Rest and sun in the mountains - check! / Drive with the windows down - check! / Walk barefoot in the grass - check!

Go to the beach… <gasp!> How did I forget about the coast? Busy beaches, fine white sand, seafood and blue waters… how?

Car loaded and packed for a beach day. The call of the sunny, beautiful and famous northwestern Corsican region of the Balagne already enchants and hypnotizes us like the song of a mermaid as we drive down the mountains, pass the undulating plains until the small hamlets full of artisans and olive orchards become visible with panoramic views of the deep blue Mediterranean Sea as a backdrop. Continue Reading…

Frenchie and the Magical Corsican Dessert

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Have I told you yet about a dessert called fiadone? No, of course not! I was too busy babbling about frittatas, roasted wild kid and nightly cows eating fresh figs. So I shall tell you about this baked tasty cake, which is by far the most famous and best-known Corsican dessert. But then, there’s also the fig jam I need to mention. Why, oh why must the produce here be so wonderful and unique? Pourquoi? I need a 6-month extension to this vacation so I can properly try everything and fully understand how the Italians, Greeks and Phoenicians influenced the superb Corsican cuisine. One can only dream…

I hear the prolific fig tree in front of the house is becoming an issue. The ripe figs fall and burst spreading their gooey sweet mess on the ground. During the night, the wild cows come down from the mountain to eat the plump fruits still attached to the tree leaving nothing for us but chewed up leaves and branches – and I heard them in the dark of the night with their clapping hooves and demure chewing! This can only mean one thing: fig jam! Continue Reading…

Livorno, A Tuscan Melting Pot

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At the hint of summer’s arrival, when the days grow longer but unbearably hotter, city-dwelling Tuscans flee to cooler places. Usually, the plan is an easy, breezy escape to the sea where working on a tan and eating copious amounts of fresh seafood are involved. One of the favourite areas is the Etruscan coast, a beautiful part of Tuscany with pretty beaches, untouched nature and, more importantly, fantastic food.

It begins at Livorno, a port city that is widely overlooked, and runs a good 60 miles to Piombino. While the rest of the coast is dotted with beaches, inviting coves, medieval villages, vineyards and olive groves, Livorno is one of those places with a rough-around-the-edges exterior but a down to earth interior. Continue Reading…

Frenchie and the Corsican Village Food

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6:30 am on the dot. Feeling so tired from yesterday’s drive on the Corsican mountain roads. The pale and transparent morning light comes through the shutters and brightens up the bedroom slightly. Surrounded by calmness while laying in bed. The rooster just crowed. The donkey just hee hawed. I open the shutters to discover for the first time a magnificent rugged view of the village rural roofs and discern the wonderful rebellious mountainous landscape in the background. And here’s the sun!—warming land and people. Today will be a slow day. Today will be a lazy day. Yes, today will be a Corsican food day!

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