Some people judge towns by their population. Others point to school systems, parks, water and air quality, or thriving local businesses. But to me, the character of a town is best measured by its small, independent restaurants and cafes—the places that stand the test of time. They’re more than just places to grab a meal—they’reContinue reading “End of an Era: The Last Chapter of Coney Island Café”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
My Kind of Town: RSJ’s Chicago Favorites
CHICAGO— This city has been a part of my life for the past thirty-five years. It’s a city that holds a special place in my heart, not only for the food but for the people and the memories that have shaped my career in hospitality. Since I started writing this weekly column 26 years ago,Continue reading “My Kind of Town: RSJ’s Chicago Favorites”
RSJ’s Most Memorable Meals of 2024
For the past 25 years, my final column of the year has always been a list of the top 10 most memorable meals I enjoyed in the previous year. The list isn’t about the fanciest, most exclusive, or faraway dining experiences I’ve had—it’s about meals that stuck with me for one reason or another. SideContinue reading “RSJ’s Most Memorable Meals of 2024”
The Yonderlust Spirit
PETROGNANO, TUSCANY—Bringing people together has become one of life’s greatest joys, and that’s exactly what these RSJ Yonderlust Tours are about. Traveling with a group wasn’t something I expected to hold such meaning, yet here I am, reflecting on more than 50 tours and over 1,200 guests since 2016 (with a two-year pause for Covid).Continue reading “The Yonderlust Spirit”
Sicily 2024
Palermo, Sicily— Travel has a way of opening the world, peeling back the layers of the familiar, and revealing the extraordinary. It’s something that grabbed hold of me 13 years ago when I first took my wife, my then 14-year-old daughter, and my 10-year-old son on an adventure of a lifetime. We flew to Sweden,Continue reading “Sicily 2024”
Labor Day at the Lake: A Family Affair
My iPhone read 8 a.m. when I woke up this morning. For anyone who knows me, that’s quite the feat. My days typically start well before the sun even thinks about rising, my internal clock drags me out of bed between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. on most mornings, whether I’m ready to wake up,Continue reading “Labor Day at the Lake: A Family Affair”
Core Values
This year has been the year for core values around here. One would think that New South Restaurant Group, a business that has been opening and operating restaurant and bar concepts for the past 37 years, would always have been an organization that eats, sleeps, and breathes, core values. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.Continue reading “Core Values”
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”
Simply the Best
For the 26-plus years this column has been in existence I have typed over 1,000 words a week, every week, never missing a week. That’s over 1,300,000 total words published in your newspaper. These days, in addition to newspapers, this column is also consumed online and through email subscriptions. In the early days I tookContinue reading “Simply the Best”