http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog Romancing the Diner - Alison Arnett Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en My husband, who first dismisses the trendy -- Twitter, any music after 1970, any clothing past UnderArmour -- and then embraces it with a passion, has discovered food blogging.  It started with his new phone -- a Droid. He began taking photos of dishes I made. Then he started taking photos ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2010/03/07/oh-no-a-food-blogger-in-the-family/ Remember when the experts advised real foodies to eat out only in the middle of the week, avoiding the dreaded suburbanites on weekends? Remember when being a Special Occasion restaurant could brand a place as cluelessly old-fashioned? Remember when the chef's word ruled -- no substitutions, no questions, no mercy? ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2010/02/14/so-2008/ See you in the next decade, a restaurateur emailed me, and I had to stop and think: "Oh, yes, tomorrow's not just the new year but the 20teens." The last day of the year is always a time for remembering what we liked about the last, but I think looking ahead ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/12/31/a-new-decade-dawning/ We're just back from South Beach (and, yes, it was gloriously warm). I don't think the dining scene there matches Boston, SanFrancisco and certainly [caption id="attachment_361" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Chef Rodriguez"][/caption] not New York, but maybe the sun is too bright. However, we did happen to drop in on D. Rodriguez Cuba's second night. This ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/12/16/opening-night-jitters/ For those of us working in the world of food, the subject of hunger is vexing. That some seek out the most luxurious and rarest in comestibles, others consume much, too much, and yet so many never have enough to eat seems unreconcilable. Boston area restaurateurs and chefs are famously known for ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/12/06/hunger-always-with-us/ [caption id="attachment_343" align="alignleft" width="150" caption=""Fully Committed" the play"][/caption] Last week I made a restaurant reservation, and was bemused when the young woman told me that "We're fully committed" that night. It was the second or third time I'd heard it in a few weeks. It seemed so late '90s when the ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/11/22/still-working-on-that/ Last night we met friends at Il Casale in Belmont. Early, very early, because the di Magistris' brothers new restaurant in an old firehouse down from where they grew up is packed all night, every night. No wonder. It's warm, it's welcoming, the vibe is lively from the baby crawling ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/11/02/the-scenes-in-belmont-and-truffles-too/ [caption id="attachment_329" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Art in a cup"][/caption] After a long day-into-night of judging the first annual White Chrome Barista Throwdown put on by  Flat Black Coffee in Dorchester, here are a few things I remember: --About 2/3 of the way through tasting espressos and lattes made by 11 contestants, Annie Copps, of Yankee ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/10/25/crashing-after-coffee/ By now, everyone who's anyone in the food world has opined on the closing of Gourmet. It's sad, true. But that's almost more from an historical perspective -- 69 years is a pretty impressive run -- than its current standing in the world of food. In this Twitter-Food Network-Chowhound era, ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/10/06/why-gourmet-mattered/ A Mad Hatter feeling is coming over me. I seem to be rushing to catch up, and blogging is sliding farther and farther behind. But I just have to tell you about "Teach a Chef to Fish," an event being held in Boston, Chicago, and Toronto. The subject is saving ... http://www.alisonarnett.com/blog/2009/09/26/its-late-its-late-its-late/