Category Archives: Chocolate

Chicago Dining, Part II: Michelin Two-Starred Ever

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A showcase of morels -- part of the tasting menu at Ever.
A showcase of morels — part of the tasting menu at Ever.

Chicago, IL — If ever there was a chef to rise from the lowest of the lows to the highest of highs, it is Curtis Duffy.

His impoverished upbringing was not only marked by constant upheaval, but with the worst of tragedies.

If you don’t know his compelling story yet, do yourself a favor and watch his documentary, “For Grace.” Or better yet, read his recent memoir, “Fireproof: Memoir of A Chef” (Dead Sky Publishing, 2025)

Either way, you will come away marveling at someone who faced down so many demons, and persevered to first open the Michelin three-starred Grace, then the Michelin two-starred Ever and its appropriately named bar-lounge next door, After, all in Chicago.

If you are a fan of “The Bear,” you will also immediately recognize Ever as the inspiration for the Michelin three-starred restaurant in the series where cousin Ritchie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) stages under the helm of Olivia Coleman’s Chef Andrea Terry.

The understated entrance.
The understated entrance.
The kitchen.
The kitchen.
The familiar-looking expediter station in the kitchen.
The familiar-looking expediter station in the kitchen.

Admiration, fandom, and of course, the pursuit of great dining all steered me to Ever when I was planning my trip to Chicago.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies — But Make ‘Em with Miso-Glazed Walnuts

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Loads of dark chocolate plus miso-glazed walnuts make these cookies extra special.
Loads of dark chocolate plus miso-glazed walnuts make these cookies extra special.

Crisp or chewy. Brown sugar or granulated. Softened butter or browned. Chips or chopped chocolate. Baked immediately or from chilled dough.

Chocolate-chip cookies come in all sizes and manners, and we love each and every one.

Get ready to add another fabulous one to your repertoire — this one with miso.

As in miso-glazed walnuts.

“Miso Walnut Double-Thick Chocolate-Chip Cookies” is from “Sift: The Elements of Great Baking” (Clarkson Potter, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Nicola Lamb, a London-based recipe developer and pastry chef, who has trained with superstar chefs Dominique Ansel and Yotam Ottolenghi.

The first 100 or so pages are perfect for bakers who like to nerd out. They’re devoted to the science behind flour, sugar, eggs, and fat — and how they affect different types of dessert recipes.

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Family Is First and Foremost at George + Kin

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Fried chicken sandwich on house-made Japanese milk bread at George + Kin.
Fried chicken sandwich on house-made Japanese milk bread at George + Kin.

It’s easy to fall for a place where love of family is paramount in all that it does.

Such is the case at George + Kin, a new Japanese American-inflected diner in Napa.

When I found myself in the Napa Valley a few days after it opened, I knew I had to stop in. At 11:30 a.m. on a Friday, it was already humming with patrons.

Owner Ben Koenig named his restaurant in honor of his great aunt and uncle, Kinuko and George Sato, Japanese American farmers from Pocatello, Idaho, who helped raise his mother, Wendy, after she lost her own mother at a young age.

You order at the counter.
You order at the counter.
The dining room.
The dining room.

Although he partnered with hospitality professional Charles Whittaker and consulting chef Itamar Abramovitch to open the restaurant in the Bel Aire Plaza, Koenig is no stranger to opening businesses. He is already well known in the Napa Valley for his MOTHERS, Heritage Eats (now closed), Best Food Truck Ever, and Napa Valley Lobster Co.

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Prince Panettone Has The Royal Touch

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Prince Panettone's Triple Chocolate Raspberry flavor.
Prince Panettone’s Triple Chocolate Raspberry flavor.

While working at the fine-dining Honolulu restaurant, Senia, in 2018, C.K. Flannigan had his mind blown.

That was when Mimi Mendoza, the restaurant’s pastry chef, ordered a From Roy panettone from the Bay Area to share with colleagues, and insisted that Flannigan try it.

The exquisite pricey treat ($109) has built a reputation far and wide for its rich, buttery taste and its feathery, cotton candy-like ethereal texture. At a time when most off-the-shelf Italian panettone could be had for $20 to $30, Roy Shvartzapel elevated not only the price, but the standards for the specialty sweet bread. While a staple at Christmas and Easter, he dared to sell it year-round.

Flannigan, who’d spent his time on the savory and bread-making sides of a professional kitchen, was floored from the get-go by the quality of From Roy’s panettone.

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