Category Archives: Eat & Drink

Eat & Drink

Zagat London is Calling all Foodies

It’s late in the day, and you’re scrambling to finish a memo before meeting a friend for dinner. She keeps emailing you. Where are we going? She asks. She’s getting antsy; you’re getting desperate. A restaurant name, recently recommended by a colleague, is on the tip of your tongue but you can’t hone in on … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Mobile BBQ Heats up London this Summer

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Several months ago, I posted about London’s best American comfort food. Tex-Mex, Burgers & BBQ, although scarce in foreign metropolises, serve as integral antidotes to culinary nostalgia. This summer, another BBQ joint hit the scene: Pit Cue, a temporary mobile food cart located beneath the Hungerford Bridge, has garnered a cult following during its short stay … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Curries, Cobras and Inevitable Food Comas

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Early exposure to spicy Tex-Mex cuisine spoiled my taste-buds, curious little things that they were, already pushed to adventurous limits by parents who wouldn’t tolerate childish behavior at the dinner time. Or anywhere. Whether at our cozy kitchen table, dining at a local favorite, or experiencing novel cuisine on foreign soil, we were coerced into … Read more →

Eat & Drink

London’s Best American Comfort Food

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My San Antonio upbringing created a meat and grease-loving, gluttonous appetite that thrives on Tex-Mex, burgers and BBQ, three cuisines that spoiled and simultaneously ruined me, creating expectations that are rarely replicated outside of Texas. I struggled to find adequate TEX-MEX within the United States and barely imagined the uphill battle I would face after moving … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Survive Winter With These Indoor London Havens

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It’s that time of year again, time for the nominal English sun to slink behind ever-gray clouds and another frigid winter come early. Each day shorter than the next, as the December solstice approaches like an unwelcome storm rolling across the horizon. Savvy travelers jet off to the southern hemisphere for a bit of sun … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Booze Cruising in London

Albert Bridge

I’ve always considered myself part-mermaid, although my loyalty belongs to trout-filled mountain streams and emerald lakes rather than salty ocean water. I spent much of my youth in and under water, neighborhood pools providing the only reliable refuge from crippling Texas heat. I’m also hugely fond of the bath, which makes me better suited to … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Affordable Eats Around London

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Several weeks ago, a friend stopped through London on his virgin trip to Europe. Wanting to show him the highlights in a few short days, I began by asking him to prioritize several of the endless London sights. We flicked through Rick Stein’s guide to London, scrutinized my favorite London map and decided that we’d … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Barts Brings the Dive Bar Back

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Friends and guide books dispense advice on what to do in London: where to eat, where to stay, which sights to visit. With most activities, a handful of tailored recommendations can be thoughtfully doled out, but I have to pause when people ask about nightlife. In Kensington and Chelsea, nightlife is built upon exclusivity: winging … Read more →

Eat & Drink

Borough Market: London’s Oldest…and Best

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Like most ancient cities, London houses a wide range of open-air markets. Portobello Market is known for its collection of antique dealers, Camden for its edge, and Spitalfields is my go-to for fashion and accessories. The problem with these better known London markets is that among special antiques and burgeoning trends one finds an inordinate … Read more →

Eat & Drink

London Restaurant Week

Get out your diaries and prepare to gain a few pounds… London’s Restaurant Week approaches! This year’s culinary extravaganza runs from 16-29 March, and every participating restaurant makes a donation to Capital FM’s Help A London Child for each booking. I’ve been scouring the web, consulting my Zagat and Harden’s, and preparing for the ultimate … Read more →