NY Gianni’s Bronx Style Pizza is already getting lots of rave reviews, both here and in numerous other websites like that of “the pizza geek.” So why write about it again? Because I took a little trip to heaven on the gossamer wings of something I had never eaten before: tomato pie. (more…)

When I first knew Dave about a dozen years ago, he didn’t know the difference between a tulip and a daffodil. Now he spends so much time in the garden, weeding and differentiating between leaves that used to look all the same to him, I call him Farmer Dave.  Last winter he chose the Poona Kheera, a cucumber from India, as “his” plant for the garden and today he harvested the first two of what looks to be a bountiful crop. (more…)

It doesn’t take much to figure out what that might be, right, Syracusans?

It’s the Dinosaur BBQ!  Manhattan’s award-winning Dinosaur is the best, but I’m willing to bet ours is better, if only because ambiance like that takes years to develop.

The best – and worst – smells in NYC
New York Daily News , July 11, 2010

Just found this good news:

US Supreme Court Rules Farmers May Sue Over Harms Caused by GMOs

It’s an easy-to-read blog post. Just read it. Then celebrate. There is hope.

Our English friend, Graham, visited recently and brought with him some Has Bean coffee beans, very freshly roasted.  I had picked up a bag of Santa Maria Cup of Excellence from Coffee Mania in Cortland. We did a taste test. (more…)

One of the first vegetables any child plants, and one of the first to mature in the garden, is the lovely radish. So round, so brightly colored red on the outside and so intensely white on the inside. What’s not to like?  The taste! I hate radishes. Always have. (more…)

All this gardening is really about losing the lawn. We simply both hate to mow. It’s loud, it’s stinky, and it’s thankless in wet Syracuse because, like dishes and dust, it just keeps coming back. On top of that, it’s not ecologically sound. Here’s what I found at this cool site, City Dirt: (more…)

And basil!  These are in abundance right now. Salad.

Greens (from the market)
Lots of basil leaves
Sliced fresh strawberries
Sliced jicama (or other crunchy veggie)
Crumbled gorgonzola
Chopped honey glazed cashews (or other nut)
Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

Yum!

We’ve been gone for the past twelve days. The day before we left, we stuck seeds and a few little plants in the ground. Our dear neighbor watered faithfully while we were gone. The weather was warm. And Oh – My  -  God! Look what happened! (more…)

Wouldn’t you know, the day we’ve been waiting for… when the first strawberry in the big patch we made last year is finally ripe enough to eat, and we’re in New York City! My neighbor kindly sent us a picture of the new baby berry: (more…)

Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows that we love good coffee and will go to some effort to find it in any city we visit. Given that we visit Rochester often and had a fairly disappointing experience the last time, we decided to check out a cafe that had been recommended to us by the friend of a friend: Cole & Parks in Victor, NY, some 20 minutes southeast of Rochester. (more…)

I know, this is stretching it a bit, but I couldn’t help but think what an honor it was for Syracuse’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que that, out of all the restaurants in New York City, Michelle Obama would take her daughters today to lunch at the Dinosaur in New York.  I mean, when we think of New York dining, it’s more like Jean Georges for lunch or Otto for pizza and red wine, or Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop for a lime rickey and pastrami sandwich. (more…)

Two weeks ago we decided to pay another visit to one of our favorite restaurants in Syracuse, Komachi. Stopping by their Adams Street location, we were devastated to see it had closed. (more…)

I’m going to spend a few days with my dear ol’ Mom and her equally dear ol’ boyfriend. They met a couple years ago, when he was about to turn 90, and they’ve been acting like teenagers ever since. I can’t wait to see them, but that doesn’t mean I have to like Yuban out of a can. So this morning I experimented with items to make my mornings as tasty as possible. (more…)

My wife and I are huge fans of going to cafes in any city we visit.  But there are exceptions.

We were enjoying a sunny day off last Monday in Rochester and were heading out for breakfast at the popular Highland Diner, but had talked about trying to find locally roasted coffee.  Purely by chance, I happened to notice the Boulder Cafe on Alexander St. as we drove by.  It looked as though it was good-sized, and its sign and decor seemed to indicate a good product and atmosphere, so we decided to stop.

(more…)