Roasted Duck Breast (Big Sur Bakery, Big Sur CA)

Wood-Fired Duck Breast

Wood-Fired Duck Breast, Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant

The Dish: Wood-Fired Duck Breast

This is a near-perfect duck dish, and among top duck dishes I ate in  2008. Something about roasting a bird with a wood-fired oven or grill captures the real essence and flavors of meat exceptionally well, and chef Philip Wojtowicz has really [...]

Wood-Fired Pork Shoulder (Big Sur)

Wood-Fired Pork Shoulder

Wood-fired Pork Shoulder, Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant

The Dish: Pork Shoulder

Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant offers fantastic dishes of meat, wood-grilled and roasted to enhance each meat’s warm, rich, and natural flavors. Their roasted pork shoulder is an absolutely awesome plate, grilled with a smattering of whole-grain mustard aioli. You can [...]

Lamb Shank (Ralph's Bistro, Healdsburg CA)

Lamb Shank

On any given winter evening, I’m somewhat prone to order hearty things like ossobuco or lamb shank for dinner. It’s superb comfort food and, in most good Italian, Continental, or New American restaurants, it’s a safe bet. Ralph’s Bistro serves up a very good lamb shank, with well-integrated flavors and decent portions for the price. [...]

BBQ (Iron Works Barbecue, Austin TX)

The Dish: Barbecue Sampler Platter

BBQ Platter, Iron Works Barbecue, Austin TX

With industrial redneck pride, Iron Works BBQ doles out the best, most reasonably priced BBQ I found during a week visiting Austin. It’

s a good, cheap lunch plate if you find yourself in downtown Austin and want to avoid the weekend crowds of South Congress [...]

EMPANADAS, BUENOS AIRES

EMPANADAS, BUENOS AIRES
THE SPOT: LA PULPERIA, BUENOS AIRES ARGENTINA
THE DISH: EMPANADAS (BEEF & ONION and many others)

It’s probably impossible to have an empanada in Argentina that’s not muy delicioso. La Pulperia is a small chain (with numerous locations throughout Buenos Aires) with an extensive menu of empanadas. They’re cheap, perfectly crispy on the outside [...]

BBQ Ribs (Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Lambert's, Austin TX)

CRISPY WILD BOAR RIBS
THE SPOT: LAMBERT’S DOWNTOWN BARBECUE, AUSTIN TX

It’s surprising, nay shocking, that Austin, Texas isn’t double-barrel loaded with heaps of great barbecue. And in a town full of cheap, great Tex-Mex joints and thousands of students on student budgets, the thought of a pricier barbecue restaurant in Austin seems a bit daring. [...]