Dining

By Jack Smith The daiquiri’s origin goes back to an actual cocktail recipe card signed by a “Jennings Cox” in 1896. This original recipe underwent an important transformation in the 1920s and 1930s when, with shaved ice and an electric blender, Constantino “Constante” Ribalaigua Vert, bartender and owner of a...

By Brittany Kirke We’ve all heard the saying “great minds think alike.” And when there’s a room full of great minds, good hearts, and even better food, the American experience is defined. Two of our favorite restaurant owners came together to form something classic and comfortable, and we know you’re...

By Jack Smith Man fished before written history using birds’ beaks and bones for hooks, with plant fiber for lines. Piles of cast-off shells - shell middens - have been found in caves in most of the world, including the United States, and date back thousands of years as well....

By Jack Smith Hamburgers may well be considered America’s favorite food, but the origins of the hamburger are fuzzy at best. The Germans claim it started in Hamburg (hence the name, hamburger), influenced in turn by the 12th century Mongolians’ steak tartare. In the 19th century, beef from German Hamburg cows...

The word dessert comes from the French word desservir, which translates to “to clear the table.” Sweets were fed to the gods in ancient Mesopotamia, ancient India and other ancient civilizations. Dried fruit and honey were likely the first sweeteners used in most of the world. It was the spread...

By Jack Smith Southern cooking has some international roots showing. Fried chicken, rice and gravy, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and spoon bread - all good, old fashioned, down home Southern foods, right? Wrong. The fried chicken and collard greens are African and the rice is from Madagascar. Southern cooking, as...

By Marta Rose-Thorpe Dining at The Grand Marlin always feels like a celebration. A trifecta of delicious food, great service, and a cozy, alluring atmosphere bustling with neighbors and friends abounds. On a recent Friday night, my husband and I enjoyed a multi-course dinner served by Hunter, a soft-spoken, very...

By Jack Smith The origin of the Bloody Mary revolves around two of the world’s greatest bars. The tale begins in the roaring twenties at the famous New York Bar in Paris (later known as Harry’s New York Bar), one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite haunts. There, bartender Fernand ‘Pete’ Petiot...

By Marta Rose-Thorpe When I enter a restaurant, even if not for the first time, I like to take in and savor the atmosphere. Some call it the “space” … the “vibe.” My son Leo and I arrived at Craft 850 a little before 5 p.m. on a Thursday evening....

By Jack Smith The French are known for their cuisine, the Italians for their fashion, the Scottish for frugality, and the Germans, well BEER. They make it, they sell it, they drink it, hell, they even celebrate it. Oktoberfest started a long time ago when some dude married some princess,...