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From the category archives:
“Lil’ trees!” is what Julia said when she saw these on the kitchen counter. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but I’ve always loved the sight and scent of evergreens, and I’m eager to bring them indoors in the wintertime. I bought these lil trees in the plant and flower district [...]
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One of our purchases last week in Kappabashi-dori, Tokyo’s amazing kitchen supply district, was a small set of leaf shaped pasty cutters. Inspired by the beautifully crafted seasonal sweets we saw in Japan, I thought I would use them to bake some autumnal cookies to have around for our houseguest Craig this weekend. (Craig himself [...]
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I’ve spent nearly a week exploring this sprawling, crowded, orderly, clean and eminently civilized city, and I feel like I’ve barely begun to find what Tokyo has to offer. Every time I emerge from the city’s extensive (and amazingly clean and efficient) subway system it seems like there’s another delightful cultural, commercial or culinary surprise [...]
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We’re still exploring Tokyo, but, in the meantime, here’s a repost of a piece about a great way to keep the house cheerful as the weather gets gloomy. I’ve never been very enthusiastic about houseplants, by which I mean those species of plants meant to live indoors indefinitely. It’s just a matter of personal taste, [...]
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On Sunday, David and I are off to Tokyo for a week, and David’s mother will stay with Julia in New York. (They’re both looking forward to it –Julia asks for her nearly every morning.) David’s mom has a real flair for seasonal decor: in her home near New Orleans, beautiful and inventive displays of [...]
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We got lucky in San Francisco. Frances, an excellent new restaurant, opened right across the street from us, and it’s thriving. The space had seem doomed, hosting a series of financially and/or gastronomically unsuccessful ventures (the longest-lived of which was an odd Hawaiian-themed place with Spam on the menu) but Chef Melissa Perello has broken [...]
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The boxes arrived yesterday. Last week my college roommate John and I spent a few days in Palm Springs –an annual tradition going back more than 10 years now. Our agenda isn’t ambitions (lounge by the pool, cocktails, dinner, sleep, repeat), but I usually also manage to rouse myself to do a little shopping. Besides [...]
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Many years ago, when I was returning from a business trip to London, my luggage was loaded into the taxi, I got in, and we just sat there at the curb. After a while, I asked the driver why we weren’t leaving for the airport. He replied, embarrassed, “Oh, Sir, I’m so sorry. With all [...]
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Last week Julia walked into our bedroom wearing a plastic kitchen funnel on her head and singing “Happy Birthday.” Two of her buddies have had their second birthdays in the last couple of weeks, hers is just around the corner, and she’s way into the concept. The party hats seem to have made a particularly [...]
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I recently bonded with my new friend Visnja over the issue of candlelight, or rather the lack of it on a restaurant table. We were dining with our partners at a small, lovely place in the West Village –excellent food, great service, a pretty room with crisp yet cozy decor, and, well, bare tables. Visnja [...]
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Here’s a fresh take on cooking, entertaining, decorating and other domestic arts and sciences from a real daddy living in New York and San Francisco. I’ve always had a strong domestic streak, but since my partner and I had our daughter Julia last year, I’ve learned to keep my projects simpler, faster and more fun. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned, and I’d love to hear your ideas too.
An Homage to Hospital Jello: Minted Pomegranate Lime Jelly
Chicken Breasts with Mint, Capers and White Wine
Cow Hollow Cooler
Painting Stripes
Sunny Bedcover for Julia's Room
Turkish Coffee Chocolate Creams