Neu FM

Location:

city of brotherly love

Best meal I ever ate:

As a child, I once ate at a restaurant in a grand hacienda atop a mountain in Taxco, Mexico (a town famous for its copious silver deposits and silver jewelry). The hacienda was owned by a Count from Italy and remains the best Italian meal I've ever had - impeccable service and perfect flavors. The sun was setting as I dined on lasagne made with spinach noodles, which was preceded by Caesar salad that was freshly prepared at our table. Caesar, as you may or may not know, was invented in Mexico, and it remains to this day the sharpest, most flavorful and beautifully presented rendition that I've ever tasted.

My current drink of choice:

citrus anything but especially gimlets, claras, and the tangerine soda from Trader Joe's (made with cane juice, not high fructose corn syrup)

I really wish I could:

have immediate satisfaction for my many cravings.

My "Go-to" dinner party dish:

hors d'oeuvre of toasted baguette slices with goat cheese, olive oil, black calamata olives, capers, dill, and crushed red pepper.

My favorite comfort food:

Summer food is already so jubilant. A simple bowl of strawberries makes me feel amazing. Or mango - I grew up eating them, and they can be so sublime. In February, I was craving Welsh Rarebit and a pint of Guinness.

My most tattered cookbooks:

Marcela Hazan