Rachael Ray

Half the fun of discovering a new restaurant is sharing it with people you know will enjoy it. As Rachael Ray’s resident restaurant guru, here’s an inside look at what I report back to Rach about some of my favorite restaurant finds and food experiences! From: Kappy To: RR Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 9:37pm Subject: A Couple Quick Stops in L.A. Hey RR- I know you like your Sushi Wa when you’re in L.A., but I’ve got a couple places I popped into, and more to come tomorrow. Katy and I were heading to see family in Santa Barbara, but flew into L.A. From the airport, we drove to one of our favorite lunch spots, Jack n’ Jill’s. It’s that basic, casual L.A.-style lunch [...]...

…Half the fun of discovering a new restaurant is sharing it with people you know will enjoy it. As Rachael Ray’s resident restaurant guru, here’s an inside look at what I report back to Rach about some of my favorite restaurant finds and food experiences!… From: Kappy To: RR Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 11:42pm Subject: Just When You Thought You Couldn’t Miss Your Childhood Anymore… Hey Rachael - I usually like to keep my suggestions pretty affordable, but I just couldn’t NOT share this experience. Remember that restaurant in Chicago that I was talking about with you and John a month or so ago, called Next? I mentioned how they sell tickets for it and the theme and menu changes every [...]...

…Half the fun of discovering a new restaurant is sharing it with people you know will enjoy it. As Rachael Ray’s resident restaurant guru, here’s an inside look at what I report back to Rach about some of my favorite restaurant finds and food experiences!… From: Kappy To: RR Sent: Sunday, January 7, 2012 11:45am Subject: BBQ with Robert Duvall Hey Rach, Well, I didn’t really have BBQ with him, but you have to hear about this insane experience I had. I was in Austin at a friend’s house over New Year’s. I’ve done a lot of the BBQ circuit there…you know, Stubb’s, Iron Works, Salt Lick, Rudy’s, and the rest, but there was one outstanding place I heard about a few years back. It’s called [...]...

By now, if you’re even an occasional reader of my blog, you know that I reside in Chicago. You may also know that I have a fondness for the Chicago-style hot dog. That’s because when people say the word “hot dog” - or any reference about the encased meat - I usually go on to explain how I basically grew up in the Vienna Beef factory in Chicago, IL. Vienna Beef is the maker of the true Chicago-style hot dog. From a young age, my father owned his own food company through Vienna; today, my brother owns his own stand, Josh’s Hot Dogs. Without a doubt, I’ve consumed my fair share of dogs over the years. I’ve never liked my [...]...

To say that I am thrilled with the re-opening of Perennial is an understatement. The talented team behind Boka Restaurant Group had recently closed Perennial after Chef Ryan Poli’s departure, only to hold a LeBron James-esque media event announcing whom the new chef would be. After the hype and dust had settled, they were all business. The group brought in Chef Paul Virant, a past Food & Wine Best New Chef winner and current chef of his own Vie Restaurant in Western Springs, IL. Not only is Paul’s philosophy local and seasonal, he walks the talk in his daily life. There is no other geographic location that made more sense for his restaurant than this one, directly across the street [...]...

From the Cliffs of Jamaica to the Island of Manhattan Having seen the clear blue waters of Jamaica and eaten some fantastic jerk in the cliffs at the Rockhouse Hotel in Negril, I never pass up the opportunity to relive the experience when I find Jamaican cuisine closer to home. Back in New York City sits Miss Lily’s, a place to sample some Jamaican creations. Not only that, the folks from the Rockhouse have a hand in this Jamaica-esque establishment. It reminded me of a clean, old-school diner with dim lighting and that typical Jamaica-time service - take that as you please. I sat at the bar to sample a little food, but had to be in and out. Without hesitation I [...]...

Rick Spiros - although of Greek decent - can cook some serious Asian food. Caterer by day and restaurant chef by night, well, half of the week that is, this man approaches Asian cuisine with finesse. Spiros has a catering company called Artisan Catering, where he turns the front half of the space to a restaurant on Wednesday-Sunday called The Bento Box. With a limited chalkboard menu and a limited amount of seating, this place is no joke. I kicked off the meal with the Table Salad of red onion, shredded zucchini and carrot, complemented by fish sauce vinaigrette and toasted ground rice on top. I also tried the Spicy Potato Salad, which had a sriracha-like mayo base. His kimchi was [...]...

While not dining on flavored foams and meats prepared sous-vide by some of the best chefs in the country at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, I took it upon myself to drive around what some call paradise… and drive some more… and drive some more… and drive some more. Indeed, paradise is a pretty good description of the scenery you encounter at Pebble Beach. Upon arrival, my girlfriend and I sat for a quick lunch at Sticks Restaurant at Spanish Bay. The table of five chefs next to us all had the same thing in front of them: Fish Tacos. So how could I not?! I dove into beer-battered fish tacos on a corn tortilla with fresh avocado and [...]...

An Approachable Fish and Oyster House in River North I have known for quite some time that the crew behind the Boka Restaurant Group was getting their hands wet in a casual fish house. When chef Giuseppe Tentori was actually slapping his initials on the name, I knew they were serious. I have been waiting and waiting for this day to come and it was worth the wait. Personally, I’m a big fan of the chef and think he is one of the most talented chefs in Chicago and beyond, but that’s beside the point, kind of. I wandered over to GT Fish & Oyster with my father, an avid seafood fan, and dabbled in a handful of dishes. We started with [...]...