liv bites

I’m trying to eat with the seasons in mind, but it just doesn’t come naturally. Unfortunately, my body doesn’t care what’s growing on the trees/vines when I get a craving for figs or strawberries. One thing that does help steer my mind in the right direction is going to the farmer’s market, which my assistant [...]

I know I’m officially old because I have more fun the morning after a big night out than during the night itself. A couple of friends from Santa Clara came up to the city for some “night-crawling” and ended up crashing on sofas in the neighborhood, and when we all woke up around 10 o’clock, [...]

I have a special place in my heart for Mardi Gras celebrations, having grown up just a three-hour drive away from New Orleans. It’s something, I’ve learned, that is not shared by most people I’ve met in the Bay Area — the dismayed looks on my co-workers’ faces when I brought a King Cake into [...]

Now that I’ve started cooking more, the contents of my pantry and refrigerator are slowly multiplying, and I started thinking it was time to use some leftovers for a good cause. An old box of instant couscous caught my eye since I’d never cooked it before, as did half of last week’s butternut squash.  I [...]

My assistant’s lovely mother Sharon joined us in San Francisco for the long President’s Day weekend, and after a couple of deliciously extravagant meals out (mmm, Mission Beach Cafe), we decided to eat in Saturday night. The menu? Mustard and Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon with Tomato Tart, Arugula and Pear Salad, and Mini Apple Cobblers [...]

While studying in Paris for a semester, I did as the French do: Ate whole baguettes smothered in Nutella for breakfast, enjoyed carafes of rose over lunch with a certain beloved roommate, and consumed regular dinners of bread and brie, washed down with a 99c bottle of Beaujolais from Monoprix. After two months of this [...]