If you love a Negroni, you’ll be smitten by this Negroni panna cotta.
Have you ever wanted to drink your cocktail — and eat it, too?
You most certainly can with this playful “Negroni Panna Cotta.”
Made with gin, Campari, and vermouth just like the classic Italian cocktail, this is one panna cotta you’ll want to reserve only for grown-ups.
The recipe is from “Bar Menu” (Running Press, 2022), of which I received a review copy.
The book is by Andre Darlington, a food and beverage writer based in Philadelphia and North Carolina.
While a few specialty cocktail recipes are included, this is really a collection of recipes for food that pairs with various mixed drinks — from light bites to more substantial noshes to even desserts.
Honolulu, Oahu, HI — You know you’re in a cool spot when you spy a celebrity dining inconspicuously.
At least I’m pretty sure I spotted actress Lori Tan Chinn, who plays the scene-stealing cranky and crotchety grandma on “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens,” in a corner booth at Nami Kaze when I dined there recently with friends.
A 2023 James Beard semi-finalist for “Best New Restaurant,” the small plates or okazuya-style establishment is helmed by Chef-Owner Jason Peel, former executive chef of Roy’s Waikiki and culinary instructor at Kapiolani Community College.
Nami Kaze, which is Japanese for “wave” and “wind,” sits on the pier at Honolulu Harbor, where fishing boats pull up with their fresh catch daily.
The casual dining room with an industrial vibe.
This is the perfect place to gather with a small group, so you can sample many different dishes, all of which spotlight fresh ingredients, whose farms are listed prominently on the menu.
Executive Chef Nae Ogawa at the chef’s counter at natuRe Waikiki.
Honolulu, Oahu, HI — For a truly special experience, snag a seat at the chef’s counter at natuRe Waikiki — if you can.
The two-story restaurant opened in 2022 with plenty of outdoor seating on the first floor with an a la carte menu. But the best spot in the restaurant is definitely at the 10-seat chef’s counter, where Chef Nae Ogawa and her young team hold court in the open kitchen.
I had many wonderful meals on my trip to Hawaii last week. But by far, one of the most outstanding was the tasting menu at this gem that Honolulu Magazine named “Best New Restaurant” in 2022.
To be honest, natuRe (pronounced the French way, “nah-tur) was not even on my radar. On a sun-and-sand, sandals-and-shorts kind of vacation, I wasn’t necessarily even contemplating an upscale, fine-dining dinner.
A Kumamoto oyster is one of two supplements available to the tasting menu.
But friend Sarah Burchard deserves special thanks for steering me to it. The former chef at San Francisco’s Barbacco, Burchard moved to Honolulu more than six years ago to become a successful food writer. In fact, anyone planning a trip to Hawaii should check out her online site for tips on must-visit places. When she’s not writing or volunteering her time for all manner of community eco projects, she is a server at natuRe. So, when she recommended the chef’s counter there, I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong.
The unique ‘nduja, pineapple and anchovy Detroit-style pizza at Bookie’s.
When a fine-dining chef who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked at Michelin three-starred Manresa pivots to making pizza, you know those pies are going to be damn fine.
And at Bookie’s Pizza in Santa Cruz, they absolutely slay.
Tucked inside Sante Adairius Rustic Ales tasting room at 1315 Water St. in Santa Cruz, Chef Todd Parker has set up shop, turning out Detroit-style pizzas with California farm-to-table panache.
Parker was the chef at Manresa Bread’s Campbell location when it first opened, which is where I first met him. The plan was for him to become the head chef at sister business, Mentone, when it was to open in Aptos.
Chef Todd Parker.
But the pandemic had different ideas, delaying the debut of the pizza-centric Mentone, and leaving Parker to contemplate what the near future held.
A fun cocktail kit to make your own Moscow Mules at home, complete with snazzy copper mugs.
Habanero Moscow Mule Kit
Now, this is guaranteed to spice up Valentine’s Day.
Hanson of Sonoma Distillery has put together a fun DIY Moscow Mule Kit ($60) that comes complete with most everything you need to make the popular cocktail. All you need do is just add the final fresh wedge of lime. You can get two Hanson-embossed copper mugs (an additional $40) for the full effect.
I had a chance to try a sample of the full kit with my choice of Hanson’s Organic Habanero as the base. You get a full 750ml bottle of the vodka that’s made by steeping seven varieties of peppers, including habaneros in the neutral vodka. Tasted straight, it’s grassy, subtly sweet, and peppery with a pleasant kick of throat-warming heat that’s not overwhelming. In short, it’s wickedly good.
