Young boys dream. In my early years, while friends fantasized about being astronauts, soldiers, and firemen. I wanted to be Darren Stevens on the television show, Bewitched. The prospect of being married to a beautiful witch who could conjure up Benjamin Franklin in the middle of her living room with a twinkle of her noseContinue reading “Breadlike Dreams”
Author Archives: paul
Ice & Tweezers
My initial exposure to a fine dining restaurant was Galatoire’s in New Orleans. I was probably five or six when I first dined there. My mother took my brother and me to New Orleans every year in December. We went to the Maison Blanche department store, visited Mr. Bingle, had our photo taken with Santa,Continue reading “Ice & Tweezers”
Jubilee 2024!
When I was a kid, there always seemed to be chaos surrounding the scramble to get ready for Sunday School. It’s hard to recall exactly what created the disorder, but I remember always having a hard time finding my “Sunday shoes.” One would think that an item of clothing worn once a week would haveContinue reading “Jubilee 2024!”
Breakfast By the Bay
SAN FRANCISCO— Whenever I’m in a new city, I always go to the front desk of the hotel and ask, “Where is the best independent breakfast joint?” I tell them, “I want to go to the place where the old men sit around a table every morning talking about sports and politics.” It never fails,Continue reading “Breakfast By the Bay”
To the Morning
One of the more unique and unusual pleasures of my life is sitting in the stillness of one of our restaurant dining rooms at dawn before anyone arrives. I like to go in early, before anyone is there, and just “be” in the space. There is something about the solitude of that act in thoseContinue reading “To the Morning”
Location, Location, Location
The older I become the more I appreciate crossroads in life. All of us reach different crossroads at various times during our lives. I can look back over the course of my 62 years and clearly see where I made wise and healthy decisions that impacted my future, and other times when I made theContinue reading “Location, Location, Location”
RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2024
NEW ORLEANS— In a poll of national food critics I believe New Orleans would be listed among the top three food cities in America. To my taste— and I’ve eaten extensively in most of America’s top restaurant cities— New Orleans is number one. Period. No question. End of discussion. I consider myself fortunate to haveContinue reading “RSJ’s New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations 2024”
The Bear Truths
The third season of the Hulu original program, “The Bear” will air this week. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, it’s an intense, frenetic, high-paced show about disfunction, passion, commitment, growth, failure, and success. Or more succinctly, it’s about the restaurant business. “The Bear” tells the story of a Michelin-starred chef who returns home toContinue reading “The Bear Truths”
Father’s Day 2024
By the time this column is published Father’s Day will be several days in the rearview mirror. That may be the case when it comes to the calendar, but I’m still basking in the afterglow of that fine day. There was nothing monumental, or out of the ordinary, that happened this Father’s Day. At leastContinue reading “Father’s Day 2024”