The Year in Food

Everything changed. New home. New subway stop. New slice. New Chinese. These are the facts of life in New York. You move a dozen blocks and your palate has to readjust. But we are NYers and we are tough and we survive. 

As I scrolled through the "Past 12 Months" on my iPhoto selecting my favorite shots for this column, I realized the food tells a story. It's about travel. And my kids. Family and friends. Work and play. The joys and the struggles. Plenty of both. I logged 86,000 air miles last year, made at least four 2,000 mile+ drives, and probably spent more time away, than at home. 

And yet I cooked. More than ever. Especially when it became apparent that I was going to have to move. People always seem surprised that I prepare full-blown meals for myself nearly every night of the week. Steak tartare and Rachel Maddow got me through more tough days than I can recount. In the end, those midnight meals fueled my passion and soothed my soul. And looking back, told a story. Here it is.

Old-fashioned guy still worships print. I save each issue for LGA-ORD. Puts me in a good mood every single time.

Three-oil scallop carpaccio. Seafood from Flatbush Ave. by the Q. Seasoning from a trip to South Africa.

"The Rosie" from Conte Di Savoia Italian grocery store near UIC. I plan my flights to Chicago based on arriving in time for lunch.

Seven dollars of pure joy from Sunac deli in Chelsea near my NY office. 

We got 12 amazing years out of a postage stamp-sized Brooklyn brownstone back yard and a Weber. I'll miss whipping up impromptu steak frites. 

Fairway mini moon pies. Impossible to eat just one.

Cafe Batavia in Capetown. Mobile office and birth of a new novel.

Summertime, dear friends, and of course the mandatory oyster stop on our annual Il de Re family bike ride.

Salt and pepper calamari. Ben's favorite. Recipe cribbed from Joe's Shanghai.

Kimironko day market in Kigali. The original farm to table.

Comfort food. Because diners are life and I still remember Schraffts.

Eggs and warthog at Arnold's on Kloof, because it's where I fell in love with my wife and it's just as good as the first day she took me there.

Fresh fish. From my day at sea working on a documentary about the death of the day boat fishermen.

Summertime!

Simplicity.

The joy of cooking.