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Ready, Set, Go: Make Italian Limoncello

For the moment, long distance travel to Italy, one of my favorite destinations, is not possible. To remind myself of my trip last fall to Milan and the Piedmont, I have been enjoying Italian treats. Charred red peppers topped with anchovies. Homemade pasta. And, limoncello.

From the scourges of the pandemic, we can learn that our good fortune is fragile and that our determination to overcome adversity is indomitable.

Staying safe at home, we're taking the long view.


The days are good. We do our work remotely. At dinner we watch the PBS NewsHour, then we stream episodes of the Swedish The Restaurant or the French The Bureau or the Israeli Shtisel.


We look forward to the time when we'll be able to have a meal at a restaurant, meet friends for a walk on the beach (even as we still observe social distancing), go to a movie theater and have a dinner party at our house.

To celebrate that time, I'm infusing spirits. Italian limoncello is made with vodka, a great number of lemon p…
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New York City Restaurant Recommendations for an LA Friend Who Is Visiting the City

Ever since I was a babe-in-arms, I have visited New York every year from my home in Los Angeles.I grew up visiting New York City because my grandmother lived on 110th close to Amsterdam, with a view of St. John the Divine. 

For several years I taught at RIC in Providence, R.I., so I visited more frequently. Since I am now LA-based, on average I visit the city at least twice a year. 

When I visit, it's only for a few days, which means I walk a lot (LA is a city-for-cars-only) and I revisit my favorites. 
New York City has thousands of restaurants and millions of residents and visitors. Everyone has their favorite restaurants. These are mine.
Downtown
Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese (you can see posts on Instagram - mr.manmade):

Nha Trang One Restaurant 87 Baxter Street, NYC 10013 212) 233-5948 #18 salt/pepper shrimp + order a plate of steamed rice The shrimp arrive on a mountain of shredded lettuce. Delicious. Add shrimp, lettuce and rice together for a tasty treat. The menu has all the Vie…
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Los Angeles Restaurant Recommendations for a Friend who Lives in New York

Sometimes out of town friends ask for restaurant recommendations. The restaurants I love in Los Angeles are spread all over town and they usually aren't ones that are famous. 

I thought I'd share the list with you.

Adana Restaurant 6918 San Fernando Road, Glendale 91201 818/843-6237 Delicious food. Written about by me, Mark Bittman and Jonathan Gold. We all love it. The chef, Edward Khechemyan, is a hard working, inventive man. The food is freshly made. Affordable. Delicious.

Here are links to reviews: Mark Bittman http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/magazine/this-armenian-life.html?_r=0 Jonathan Gold http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-0307-gold-adana-restaurant-20150307-story.html David Latt http://menwholiketocook.blogspot.com/search/label/Adana%20Restaurant





Yabu  11820 W. Pico Blvd LA CA 90064  (310) 473-9757 The best affordable sushi, tempura, udon and soba in LA. An intimate, cozy, friendly space. 

Here is my review: http://menwholiketocook.blogspot.com/2011/08/yabu-in-west-los-angeles-authen…
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Ready, Set, Go to Havana - But New Regulations Make That More Difficult to Do

The Trump Administration changed the regulations covering travel to Cuba. Travel is still legal though considerably more restrictive. 

Most dramatically, no U.S. citizen may engage in commercial transactions with Cuban military entities. Since all hotels and restaurants are government-owned, the only stays legally allowed are in private homes available for rent. 

Known as casa particular, these homes, like Air B&B, can be spartan or comfortable but they are far less available than rooms in hotels.  

With this change, the U.S. seeks to put a strangle-hold on the Cuban economy. The situation is similar to what it was during the height of the Cold War, which was when I first visited. 

If you find a way to visit Havana and I hope you do, here is my article about why you should want to go and tips to help you while you are there.
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Over almost twenty years, I visited Havana three times, accompanying my wife along with a d…
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