Category Archives: Uncategorized

To be successful in the restaurant business it takes total commitment and sacrifice. It’s a brutal way to earn a living. But for those of us who are bit by the bug, and are totally obsessed, we couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Bankers hate restaurants. The reason bankers hate restaurants is because of the highContinue reading “A Golden Opportunity”

“A party without cake is just a meeting” –Julia Child It started as a whim. It ended as a quest. A quest that probably added five percent to my total body mass index, an inch to my waistline, and almost put me in a diabetic coma. But it’s what I do. I eat for aContinue reading “It’s A Tough Job but Somebody’s Got to Chew It”

Many of the business books I am familiar with go into great detail about how successful people commit to a rigid routine in their workday. A specific time is set aside for checking emails, another period is devoted to text responses. Some of these experts allot time— down to the minute— for phone calls, meetings,Continue reading “Breakfast, Routines, and Bacon”

It is my belief that some people are born with their life’s mission already implanted deep in their DNA. Just as we are wired at birth to like certain foods, musical styles, and activities, I am of the school that believes that careers and interests are hardwired from the start. It’s better that way. We’dContinue reading “Restaurant People”

NEW ORLEANS— The practice of making New Year’s resolutions is something that has never interested me. I guess I have just always assumed that I could make a vow to myself on any day, and if it’s something that I really need to do, or a practice that I need to start implementing, then IContinue reading “Local Hopes”

For the 22 years I have written in this space, I have always reserved the final column inches of the year to list my top ten meals of the previous 12 months. Here’s this year’s list. 10. Trattoria Mario, Florence I first ate at Mario in 2011 with my wife, 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son.Continue reading “RSJ Top 10 Meals 2022”

Nothing quite matches the energy and excitement one experiences as a kid during the Christmas Eves of his or her youth. My family always ate a formal dinner the night before and my memories of those meals are so overwhelmingly positive. The food was great, sure. But my remembrances are partially slanted on the positiveContinue reading “RSJ’s Top 10 Christmas Movies”

Music has always been a huge part of my life. It surprises me that— in the 23 years I have occupied this weekly space— I have never written about music. I am such an ardent admirer of all genres of music I could have been writing a bi-weekly column for the past 23 years andContinue reading “My Top 20 Christmas Songs”

Appetizers are often the most interesting part of a restaurant menu. I could live in the appetizer section, alone, and often do. There are several reasons for this. Starters are easier to develop. Center-of-the-plate proteins need more focus, they cost more, and the gross profit is greater so more care needs to be taken whenContinue reading “Pass the Crackers (and the butter, and the slaw, and the comeback), Please”