The Skinny Girls Roadshow LIVE from Venice — The Rialto Fish Market

08 Jul 2016 3 Comments

by scolgin in Eating Out, Humor, On the Road, Video Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I first came to Venice, the most magical city on earth, more than two decades ago. And every time I have returned, I’ve always wandered through the spectacular Rialto fish market with one thought in my head: “I wish I had a kitchen.”

This time, I have a kitchen.

The Rialto fish market

The Rialto fish market

We met up with our friends, the Schneiders, at the fish market to get stuff for dinner. As much as I wanted to purchase everything I saw, I nearly had to physically restrain my pal, Donnie, from cleaning the market out. More

Skinny Girls Roadshow LIVE from Tuscany — Sean vs. the Fiorentina

05 Jul 2016 8 Comments

by scolgin in Eating Out, Humor, On the Road Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Every region of Italy has its own specialties. In Rome, for example, it’s pastas like cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana and spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and pepper flakes. In Tuscany, where I am now writing, it’s more hearty fare — white beans, sausages, chicken liver crostini. And the most famous Tuscan dish of all, bistecca all fiorentina.

The fiorentina

The fiorentina at Trattoria l’Oriuolo

The most famous statue in Florence, capital of Tuscany where I am also now writing, is of course Michelangelo’s “David”. It is a representation of the biblical David, stone in sling, preparing to take on Goliath. This is how I felt preparing to take on the fiorentina. More

Burn Mitzvah!

17 Jun 2016 8 Comments

by scolgin in Humor Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Our pals the Schneiders had planned a Sunday bat mitzvah for their 12-year-old daughter, Naomi, at their house. Problem was, a nearby mountain was on fire.

The neighborhood

The neighborhood

The canyon, besides our Zone 7 and the hilltop gated community where the Schneiders live, had been completely evacuated. The sheriffs had roadblocks at Pacific Coast Highway and Mulholland, and were not letting anyone into the canyon. The Schneiders had invited 150 people, reserved a taco stand for catering, rented a photo booth. More

Tacotopia, Episode #4: Air-Dried Pork?

15 Apr 2016 13 Comments

by scolgin in Humor, Pork, Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , ,

People — gringos, primarily — are often shocked when they order a taco in Mexico for the first time, and are presented with a tiny little affair with almost nothing on it.

“But where’s the cheese?” they say, their Baja Fresh faces in a glum state of disbelief, “Where’s the lettuce and the tomato and the sour cream and the six choices of salsa?”

Dried pork tacos

Dried pork tacos

It’s a similar conundrum to pastas in Italy, where oftentimes the best offerings are simple affairs (the famed cacio e pepe, for example) composed of just a few of the finest ingredients. I remember the first time I ordered a cheese sandwich as a boy in Paris, and was dumbfounded at the chunk of baguette that arrived with nothing more than a smear of camembert. And it was a revelation. More

Carbonara in the Clouds

08 Apr 2016 9 Comments

by scolgin in Humor, On the Road, Recipes Tags: , , , , , , ,

On a recent vacation to Lake Tahoe with our friends the Heins and the Pfaffs, I planned a post-ski carbonara — a perfect simple pasta to feed a large group.

For some reason, the pasta never got made — perhaps it was the Flintstone-esque beef short ribs or the opening of Dungeness crab season that distracted us, or the mellow lull of the tequila that met us first.

Through the Mojave Desert on the road to Tahoe

Through the Mojave Desert on the road to Tahoe

So the eggs, guanciale, parmesan and spaghetti that made the 8-hour drive into the high Sierras turned around and came back home again. And made the perfect post-ski-trip dinner when we got back. Just as well, pasta is a little tricky to nail at 8,000 feet.

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