Category Archives: Restaurants

Places I’ve eaten in, worked in, or read about.

Living the good life: Lemon Panna Cotta

Posted on August 4, 2018 by warmkn

The Sweetie walks along Pacific Beach, I sit above on the palisades—our old Sunday morning routine. Cliffs crowded at 10:00, I join a French-speaking couple on their concrete banquette under a spiky patch of palm-tree shade.  Below on the white … Continue reading →

Posted in Family and friends, Restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments

Take onions, for example: Mother Hank’s Hot Sauce

Posted on July 21, 2018 by warmkn

Click on the post’s title to see the videos. Once again, the objective reality of this story is fuzzy. Accuracy, personal attributes, and specific details have been swapped around to suit my fancy. So if you’re looking for the absolute … Continue reading →

Posted in Chefs, Recipes, Restaurants | 1 Comment

Seeds, Sprouts, and Steak: Red Snapper Cozumel, French Onion Soup

Posted on July 14, 2018 by warmkn

I took considerable license in the telling of this story. Some (but not all) names have been changed, a few facts may have been exaggerated, several important dates might be wrong, and all memories have faded, but no animals were … Continue reading →

Posted in Family and friends, Recipes, Restaurants | 2 Comments

Flow: Chicken breasts with Port

Posted on June 16, 2018 by warmkn

Rest in peace, Anthony Bourdain. To watch the video featuring Bourdain at Les Halles, click on the post title to go to my blog’s website. I was watching a TED talk the other day about Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi (had to watch … Continue reading →

Posted in Chefs, Recipes, Restaurants | 1 Comment

Fat Tuesday, Paczki Day

Posted on February 17, 2018 by warmkn

  If you were with me in Houston, you may remember kolaches, those fruit and cream filled Czech pastries so popular in East Texas—here in Chicago, it’s paczki. Last Tuesday was Paczki Day—picture, if you will, a plump donut made … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipes, Restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments

Not me: Pear Tarts

Posted on February 10, 2018 by warmkn

Every day, the hosts and servers at Sound Food threatened to yank this tape out of the machine and throw it into the blender. The Me Too movement pointed a finger at politicians, TV hosts, the clergy, military personnel, restaurant … Continue reading →

Posted in Chefs, Recipes, Restaurants | 1 Comment

Saturday in Chicago: Okonomiyaki

Posted on January 20, 2018 by warmkn

If you received this new post as an email from Marla in the Kitchen, watch the video below by clicking on the post title, “Saturday in Chicago.” You’ll be redirected to the blog’s website where YouTube videos can be played. … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipes, Restaurants, Travel | 1 Comment

Trumps: Bread pudding, Sautéed chicken with Port

Posted on January 13, 2018 by warmkn

  In February 1983, the twenty-five hours a week I worked at Stratton’s Restaurant didn’t produce enough revenue from my side of the bed, so I answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times—“Line cook for busy, Beverly Hills restaurant.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Chefs, Recipes, Restaurants | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Molto Mario: Arancini

Posted on November 26, 2017 by warmkn

If you received this new post as an email from Marla in the Kitchen, watch the videos below by clicking on the post title, Molto Mario. You’ll be redirected to the blog’s website where YouTube videos can be played.  This? … Continue reading →

Posted in Chefs, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments

Me and the Blue Whale: Enchilada sauce

Posted on October 21, 2017 by warmkn

As soon as we got off the elevator, the smell was unmistakable—bad shrimp, old fish sticks, and rotten crab cakes, with just a hint of room-temperature lobster tails. As we walked into the restaurant’s kitchen, a murky leak coming from … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipes, Restaurants | 3 Comments