The other night a buddy and I went down to Washington D.C. to check out Minibar, the acclaimed restaurant by Chef Jose Andres. It blew me away. Had popcorn that made me roar smoke from my nostrils like a dragon and red ravioli filled with peanut butter. Plus 24 other stunningly inventive courses. In this article I wrote for Barron’s, you’ll get a taste of what it’s like, and why I think it’s a bargain at $500 a head.
Photo credit: Fleming Meeks
Cape Cod Times/Christine Hochkep
In East Sandwich, a town in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Titcomb’s Bookshop and Momo’s Food Emporium are cleverly teaming up to start a “Food & Book” series. As the Cape Cod Times reports:
The first gathering is Jan. 25. Momo’s Food Emporium on Route 6A in East Sandwich will cook recipes from Richard Morais’ debut novel, “The Hundred-Foot Journey” (Scribner Book Company, $15). The book, rich in detail and well-researched anecdotes, is about a boy from India with lowly beginnings who ends up taking on some of France’s greatest chefs.
“We’re going to mimic the opening night meal described in the book,” says Neila Neary, owner of Momo’s.
The evening will feature passed hors d’oeuvres. Neary says attendees will have a chance to socialize, collect recipes and learn a bit about how spices are used in Indian cooking. Momo’s four chefs will also prepare Indian dishes to sell in the specialty shop’s takeout case.
Need to pour liberally for the hordes coming to your home over the holiday, but don’t want to break the bank? I asked the top buyer at Astor Wines & Spirits in New York City to tell me what were the reds and whites she served her own family. To read her hit list, click here.
Chef Simpson Wong
I convinced one of New York’s greatest food critics, Gael Greene, to take me to the restaurant she thought was one of the best buys in the City. Click here to see what happened.
Any of you heading to Spain any time soon?
If so, I have a hot restaurant tip in Barcelona for you.
Check it out here.
The James Beard-winning food writer, David Leite, happens to be of Portuguese descent, and has made an important contribution to modern Portuguese cuisine with his stunning cookbook – now on my shelf and on its way to my brother – called The New Portuguese Table. This is the book to have if you are in the market for “Seared Skate in Garlic-Pepper Oil.”
None of this I knew when Allison Parker, managing editor of David’s sophisticated foodie website, Leite’s Culinaria, first contacted me for an interview to run alongside an excerpt of The Hundred-Foot Journey. Here’s the piece Allison just posted.
Not a lot of Portuguese around with heavy-hitting food writing credentials. Funny how we serendipitously found each other. As the Hajis might say – this was destiny. Nah?
Looking for a seasonal gift?
Yvonne Zipp at The Washington Post has just given food-bloggers a run for their money with a short-and-sweet literary round-up of the best food books on the shelves leading up to Christmas. Here’s her take on The Hundred-Foot Journey:
‘Serious foodies will swoon over the meals in Richard C. Morais’s The Hundred-Foot Journey (Scribner, $23). Hassan Haji’s grandfather established a Tiffin Wallah empire in India, delivering lunches via bicycle, while his son turned what had been three tandoori ovens under a GI tent into a successful restaurant. After a tragedy, the Haji clan immigrates to France. There, they open a restaurant opposite one owned by the fearsome Madame Gertrude Mallory, who knows how to cook everything — even a rat. (Rub it “in olive oil and crushed shallots, grilling it over a wood fire made from smashed wine barrels, and serving it with a Bordelaise sauce.”) Morais throws himself into the kind of descriptive writing that makes reading a gastronomic event, whether it’s a 12-course meal or Hassan’s first egg-salad sandwich: “Never before had I experienced anything so determinedly tasteless, wet, and white.” ‘
Click here to read the full Washington Post column.
I have a thing for “women of style and substance.” My wife of 27 years is one. So imagine my delight when More, the sophisticated women’s magazine, listed The Hundred Foot Journey as a “book you’ll want to eat up” in the magazine’s list of 17 food-themed literary escapes. You can find their full list here.
Top drawer journalist, Steve Roberts, with his wife, Cokie.
At 9.45AM this morning my novel, The Hundred-Foot Journey, was ranked #5,746 in sales among all the books on Amazon.com. At 6.08PM this evening my book officially was among the top 100 books sold by Amazon. Precise tally:
The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #97 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#23 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
#64 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
What happened between nine this morning and six this evening? NPR’s Diane Rehm Show, guest-hosted by the consummate pro, Steve Roberts, had me on the air for an hour. It was an extraordinary experience. I was in particular moved by the depth of the questions, not just from the urbane Roberts, but also from fellow Americans all across the country who called in to ask me questions, and to share their own food and family and cultural experiences. My special thanks to the show’s producer, Nancy Robertson, who plucked me for the show and did all the heavy lifting behind the scenes. A huge radio talent.
Here is the podcast of the hour-long show. After the web page loads, hit the “listen” toggle to the left.
