“A crew of innovator chefs and entrepreneurs have turned Washington into a hub of plant-forward dining. But they have all kinds of competing ideas about what meat-free fare should be.”
restaurants
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘We’re at the Crossroads’
“Chefs Russell Jackson and Ian Boden struggled to reconcile their visions of fine dining with their communities’ desires. Now, as they forge a sustainable path beyond the pandemic, one of them is ready to double down, and the other is ready to walk away.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Lesson in Acceptance
In Houston, Texas, Bryan Washington explores what it means to be a regular at a restaurant — and how this type of relationship has evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted inFood, Highlight, Quotes
The Tyranny of Chairs
Pro tip: your fat friend (read: me) doesn’t want to sit in the booth.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Server, Busser, Manager, Spy: Inside the High-Stakes World of Restaurant Oppo Research
When a famous critic enters a restaurant, they become the most scrutinized item on the menu.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Spies, Dossiers, and the Insane Lengths Restaurants Go to Track and Influence Food Critics
When a glowing review can catapult a restaurant into stardom and a bad one can spell its doom, owners increasingly resort to a mainstay of political campaigns: opposition research.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Japanese Origins of Modern Fine Dining
How kaiseki — Japan’s formal dining tradition — became a major (though often unacknowledged) influence on modern haute cuisine.
Posted inFood, Nonfiction, Quotes
Grist for the Celebrity Food Mill
Did Rocco DiSpirito sell his culinary soul for a paycheck and some Bertoli frozen pasta?
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Chef Who Wouldn’t Cook
Rocco DiSpirito was once the next great American chef — so why hasn’t he been in the kitchen for the last 13 years?
Posted inEditor's Pick, Food, Nonfiction, Quotes
To Be an Instagram-Ready Restaurant, Don’t Forget Your Selfie-Optimized Lamps
Sleek-kitschy idiosyncrasy is all the rage.