We were seated at a quiet table in the corner of Cafe Boulud in the Four Seasons Toronto for a talk about New York, travel, and cooking. “I wish I did, but fortunately my partner does, which comes in handy during travel.” I replied.

“And he takes you there, to Paris?”

“Yes, we’ve spent time in Paris and also in Bordeaux and Provence, but I’d love to spend some time in Lyon.”

We went on to talk about Boulud’s hometown of Lyon, and his perfect day there — just published as a Fodor’s interview – but it was this small exchange that stuck with me. Boulud has a reputation for his generosity, both in the style of his cooking and in how he deals with the media. It was refreshing to sit down with a chef who was not only enthusiastic about answering my questions, but also has a strong curiosity about life and the people he meets.

As for me, I was curious to talk to Boulud about New York, the city he has chosen to make his home since 1982. I wanted to know if after all these years, Boulud thinks of New York as home, or if a piece of him always longs for Lyon.

J.C. After all these years, does New York feel like home? Why was the city a good fit for what you wanted to achieve?

D.B. I’m blessed to have made this city my life, to cook in an international city where my food has an audience. Other places didn’t give me that in the same way.

Describe your perfect meal from start to finish.

In the winter, I would want hot soup to start and Madeleines to finish. And some chocolate. In the summer, I crave more fresh and tangy flavors, but every meal should have fruit and chocolate.

How do you stay driven on a daily basis?

Building layers of support in all directions is important. A strong organization, a support system, will help you not to burn out. My incredible team motivates me every day.

What is your daughter’s favorite meal you cook at home?

It used to be pasta, but then she developed a gluten allergy. Now I make a lot of one pot meals. Start with the ingredients that take the longest to cook, and finish with the freshest ingredients last.

~

Boulud’s enthusiasm for food is infectious. We finished our chat with him taking out his phone to show pictures of a meal recently whipped up at home: linguini with saffron, lemon, king crab, spinach, and fresh mint. He flipped through to show me a couple shots of this creation, finishing with a satisfied smile and voila.

Then — right as my stomach started to grumble — it was time for dinner.

Photo Credit: Jessica Colley. 

Continuing along the same vein, here are some things I saw in Toronto at the St. Lawrence Market.

Kids lined up at a counter eating their lunches.

Sliders made from different types of game meat.

Fresh spinach pasta.

Piles of oysters on ice.

Even bigger piles of maple syrup.

Photo Credit: All photos from the personal collection of Jessica Colley.

I don’t know who’s idea it was first — how about we all get together one night for an gnocchi cooking competition? Everyone can make their own secret recipe at home, and then we gather for a contest, may the best gnocchi take the crown. Somehow we added judges — asking magazine food editors to judge our creations — and the Gnocchi Faceoff was born.

Hosting the evening was the lovely Anna Watson Carl, the writer and cook behind The Yellow Table, where I constantly nick ideas for healthy, simple, delicious recipes. Her Twitter feed alone will inspire you to get in the kitchen without fear and start cooking.

To really make gnocchi night official, Anna invited the very talented photographer, Eric Ryan Anderson, to snap away for the evening and capture the spirit of our little faceoff.

Preparations began long before we all began boiling away in Anna’s Nolita kitchen. Some participants practiced in the weeks beforehand, while I took the route of making gnocchi for breakfast on the day of the competition and tweaking the recipe throughout the day.

This past Sunday, we all climbed five flights of stairs with gnocchi, stock pots, sauce, butter, herbs, and wine in hand. One by one, we took the stove and brought our recipes to life.

There was butternut squash gnocchi with brown butter and sage, kimchi pancetta gnocchi, ricotta gnocchi with spicy sausage ragu (my entry), and a gluten-free sweet potato gnocchi with (more!) brown butter and sage. Every half hour or so another big bowl of gnocchi made its way out to the judges and tasters.

In the end, the judges spoke and the excellent kimchi-pancetta gnocchi from David Farley took the prize. Little did we know, the gnocchi was just an appetizer, and we all sat down to dig in to a meal of roasted pork and a big, fresh salad.

It had been a day of gnocchi from morning until night, but a rewarding one spent with good friends over good food. We’re thinking these cooking competition faceoffs should become a regular thing — the only question is: what genre to tackle next?

Photo Credit: all photos courtesy of the fantastic Eric Ryan Anderson

From March 4th through March 18th, 35 restaurants across the city will be serving meals inspired by this year’s theme: regional cuisines of Japan. Of special interest to travelers, many participating restaurants will be serving “Ekiben” bento boxes, a type of bento box traditionally served at railway stations throughout Japan.

Here’s how to win: pick a restaurant of your choice from the list. Snap a photo or two of the food and drinks you enjoy during your meal. This is where it gets interesting — instead of the contest being judged completely on the photo, you will have the chance to convince a panel of judges that you should be the winner through a short essay. Upload your photos to Facebook, share your convincing short essay, and wait for the good news.

The most inspiring essay wins a roundtrip ticket from New York to Tokyo. Get ready for your trip by sampling a variety of regional Japanese cuisines at all the restaurants participating in the 2013 Japanese Restaurant Week.

The answers were varied and strongly opinionated. In addition to the list of “Do’s and Don’ts” at the end of my Bon Appetit story, here are a few more common oyster mistakes you can easily avoid.

1. Ordering based on the name. Apparently, many people order solely based on “cute” or interesting names. Before you order that Naked Cowboy oyster, you might want to know something about it. Ask questions to order oysters that match your taste.

2. Thinking the same oyster, will always be the same. Once you’ve identified a type of oyster you like, you might expect it to be precisely the same on every slurp. This isn’t the case. Depending on season, weather, whether the oysters are spawning, all influence what reaches the plate.

3. Assuming oysters are best in the summer. Many people associate oysters with summer, as fresh seafood and a glass of rose is a lovely accompaniment to a summer’s day. Yet oysters are actually best during the winter months, when waters are coldest.

4. Pairing oysters with any white wine. If you want to really taste the oyster and learn to identify qualities that you like, don’t mask your taste buds with a heavy white wine. You want something clean and refreshing. Sparkling wines are a classic combo with oysters.

5. Covering oysters in cocktail sauce. Some of the experts I talked to actually used the word “cringe” when it comes to oysters and cocktail sauce. Some don’t serve it, unless expressly asked by the customer. Cocktail sauce covers up the flavor of the oyster, so if you want to really taste what you’re eating, skip it all together.

6. Dismissing oysters after one try. If tasting oysters is like tasting wine, think about how silly it would be to dismiss ever drinking wine again after you’ve had one bad glass. If your first oyster experience wasn’t a great one, give it another shot and ask your server for mild, smaller oysters to start.

7. Thinking oysters are a meal. Some people are disappointed when after slurping several oysters (and paying for each individual one) that the meal is only beginning. Chefs actually say that oysters whet your appetite for more, so be prepared for further cravings.

8. Being scared of shucking. One way to take the sting out of the price of oysters is to eat them at home. All you need is an oyster knife and a glove to protect your hand. Ask your fishmonger if one type is easier to open than another (this is often a significant difference). Once home, give yourself a few attempts to get the hang of it.

Photo Credits: 1. Photo Credit, Ed Anderson for Hog Island Oyster Co.  2. Photo Courtesy of Grand Central Oyster Bar. 

Instead of chatting with a travel companion while strolling the streets or sitting in a cafe, the focus shifts to observation. I was reminded of this recently during a winter trip to Amsterdam, when I found myself with two, cold, January days to fill however I pleased. I walked a lot. Drank too much coffee. Read newspapers from cover to final page. And opened my eyes. I watched how people interacted, what they did, where they went, what they ate. The result was a firm impression of local daily life.

These are things I saw in Amsterdam.

A mother riding a bike with a baby in front and a toddler in the back — wearing heels.

A couple riding bikes along a quiet canal at the same pace, and holding hands.

The canals almost frozen solid, almost ready for ice skaters.

Unplowed streets where people simply stomped down a couple inches of fluffy snow.

Cafes with tables full of newspapers and magazines — not a person fiddling with a device in sight.

Locals taking off their gloves to eat a hot bag of french fries.

Lone man at a bar with a small glass of jenever and a book.

People eating cheese for breakfast.

A grandmother feeding a toddler tiny bites of steaming croquette.

A couple having breakfast, comfortable enough to eat quietly while reading the paper.

Students stopping for a quick, cheap bite of stroopwafel, or two thin waffles stuffed with a cinnamon syrup.

These briny bivalves have been a favorite of mine for years, but until recently, I didn’t ask too many questions about them. As I navigated my way through New York oyster bars, I began to wonder. How long does it take for an oyster to mature? What makes some oysters flat, while others have a nice round cup that results in a more plump bite? After falling for the slightly sweet, wonderful oysters of Ireland, would I find a domestic one that could compare?

To answer these questions, I traveled recently to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Here I chatted with oyster farmers, climbed aboard oyster barges, plied open oyster cages, and sampled bites from all of Virginia’s seven oyster regions. I wrote about learning to shuck oysters recently for Fodors.com, in an article called: Virginia is For Oysters — Kayaking, Wine, and Oysters in the Eastern Shore.  

Here’s a sneak peak of that story: I stood with a shucking knife in one hand and an oyster in another, about to crack open one of the great pleasures of Virginia. After a couple clumsy stabs at the shell, I successfully nudged the oyster open, peeling back its lid to reveal the meat beneath. It was still cold from the river. I slurped the briny bivalve down, pausing for a couple good chews to bring out the flavor. I tossed the shell aside, immediately ready for another.

I was completely unaware of the history entangled around oysters in Virginia. One sunny afternoon as a boat glided along the quiet Lynnhaven River, I heard stories of oysters that were 10 to 12 inches long during the time with John Smith arrived on these shores. Today, for a full 12 months (or longer), Virginia oysters mature in the clear waters — literally absorbing the flavor and nuances of a precise location. This is why Virginia is home to seven different oyster regions, as in each location, the salinity of the water differs and a variety of flavors (from eelgrass to a distinct minerality) shine through in the meat. With each oyster, I was tasting a little piece of Virginia.

For oyster farmers, their creations are a labor of love. At the early stages, tiny oysters are about the size of your pinky nail, and placed in mesh bags. These bags are lowered into the water, organized in long rows that you would expect to see on a traditional farm. As the oysters grow, they are shifted to different mesh bags, and ultimately to cages.

One interesting fact is that farmed oysters are removed from the water during their growth and tumbled to encourage the development of a deep cup. This process results in meaty, plump oysters that are so desired by chefs and restaurants along the East Coast and beyond. Virginia oysters have found their way onto menus as far away as Hong Kong.

In the Eastern Shore of Virginia, oysters are on the plate the same day they are plucked from local waters. On my first night in Virginia, I sat down for a big plate of raw, unadorned oysters (local enthusiasts gasped at the idea of squeezing a lemon over these morsels). Shucking my oysters on request, the man behind the counter could tell I was from out of town. Placing the plate in front of me he said, “Welcome to the land of Pleasant Living.” When the first half dozen were gone, I wasn’t embarrassed to ask for more.

Hint: In New York City, oysters from Virginia are often found on the menu of Maison Premiere in Williamsburg. 

Photo Credit: All photos from the personal collection of Jessica Colley.

My best meals in 2012 all share a few common threads: the food was both delicious and a bit surprising, passionate servers/chefs enhanced the quality of the meal, and I’m still thinking about it in 2013. With Chinatown only a handful of blocks from my new apartment, a few jaunts to Europe, and some time spent exploring domestically, 2012 was one delicious year. Here are my best meals of the past year.

Manfreds, Copenhagen

When I dream of travel, that picture often includes a long midday meal with bottles of wine and lots of laughter. In 2012 I found this meal at Manfreds in Copenhagen. After working up an appetite exploring the city on foot, I arrived in Manfreds ready to eat whatever the chef put in front of me. The table filled with salads, addicting bread, “the world’s best anchovies”, beef tartare, roasted pork, and one fabulous egg dish. As each plate found its way to the table, we somehow found more room for just one more bite.

Babbo, New York City

It was a merry little Christmas this year at a New York classic restaurant, Babbo. Instead of fighting for reservations a month in advance, we arrived at 5pm on a Sunday night looking for two seats at the bar. Even this early, we nabbed the final two and after the perfect negroni, started to tuck into the tasting menu. Babbo may not be new, but the pappardelle with chanterelles and thyme is pasta perfection.

777, Dublin

During my multiple trips back to Dublin each year, I’m always excited to see what’s new and noteworthy in the dining scene. This year, my favorite meal was at 777, a sultry space inspired by vibrant Mexico City. After snagging a couple seats at the bar (complete with comfortable padded backs) we ordered a cocktail — 777 has Dublin’s widest selection of tequila. One of my favorite ways to eat, we nibbled our way through the menu, devouring carnitas tacos and tuna tostados.

Fort Reno, Brooklyn

On a spectacular spring day, I hopped the subway to interview Chef Jacques Gautier. Minutes after arrival, I was climbing a steep ladder to the rooftop garden on top of his restaurant, Palo Santo. Next we walked down Union Street to his new place, a casual barbeque spot called Fort Reno. Nothing could taste better on this sunny Friday afternoon than a slab of St. Louis-style ribs, collard greens, and cornbread.

Virginia Oysters, Eastern Shore

In November, I traveled to the Eastern Shore of Virginia in search of one thing: oysters. I tasted freshly shucked bivalves from all of Virginia’s 7 oyster regions, comparing each bite for its salinity, rich flavor, and hint of sweetness. Some of the best I tasted were at Chatham Vineyards, at an annual event called “Terroir and Merroir” where oyster farmers from the region serve up their oysters aside local wine. The oysters were served with tasting notes, helping guests to differentiate the flavors.

Forgione, New York City

In my new neighborhood of Tribeca, there are many things to love. There’s Zuckers bagels, burgers from Tiny’s, cocktails from Ward III, and for a nice occasion, Forgione. The warmly lit space with its exposed brick walls and buzz from the attached bar is perfect for a date spot. One of my single best bites of the entire year was the first taste of a thick, juicy pork chop from the kitchen at Forgione. Desserts here are wonderful too.

She was a patient cook, a true believer in the “low and slow” philosophy that results in deep, developed flavors. She loved the ritual of spending an entire Sunday in the kitchen, of sitting down at the table and taking the time to chop garlic by hand. My nonna would have been proud of me recently, getting in the kitchen for a “Make Your Own Neapolitan Pizza Night” at Forcella in its new Park Avenue South location.

Here, master pizzaiolo Guilio Adriani taught me the flick of the wrist used to shape dough for his light, addicting pies. I glanced into the 1,000 degree oven, hazy with heat, before stepping up to the flour-dusted counter. As flour flew in all directions from our inexperienced hands, I realized wearing all black to a pizza making party might not have been the wisest decision.

A round of dough was placed in front of me. With the kind of accent and enthusiasm that makes me want to drop everything and move to Italy, Chef Adriani demonstrated the delicate touch required to create the perfect pizza base. He gently pressed down on the dough, not forcing it to stretch. Next came the flick of the wrist action I will continue to attempt to master at home: folding the dough back over his wrist while simultaneously spinning it with the other hand, for just the right amount of stretch. Brushing excess flour aside, it was ready for toppings.

I went classic. A scoop of tomato sauce, a smattering of bufala mozzarella, a dusting of parmesan, some extra virgin olive oil and whole basil leaves. This “Margherita Extra” is one of the signature pizzas on Forcella’s menu, and after I clumsily plucked it onto a pizza peel, it was cooked with crispy, charred edges in minutes from the roaring hot oven.

Did it taste better because I got my hands dirty to make it? Maybe, but either way, it was exactly what Italian cooking should be — a simple combination of the best ingredients that results in something truly memorable. Throw in the expertly made cocktails (like the New York Negroni, made with vermouth from New York state) and craving-worthy bar bites like a Kobe slider on a pizza-dough bun with caramelized onions and Fontina cheese, and the result is a new staple for me in the Gramercy neighborhood.

Photo Credit: Jane Kratochvil Photography courtesy of Hanna Lee Communications

I was wearing a brand new pair of Keds, in a small town shoe store on Main Street. While my sisters were fitted for their new shoes, I held the binocular-like device and brought it to my eyes. Inside, a colorful 3-D image of a barn and farm leaped out at me. I clicked the button. In the next scene, a firefighter rescued a cat from a tree.

I was holding a 3-D View-Master, a device I had largely forgotten about until last week when a craving for the signature crispy Korean fried chicken of MONO+MONO lured me to the East Village. This restaurant is forward-thinking when it comes to food, but has a distinct vintage sensibility too. A total of 30,000 vinyl albums line one entire side of the restaurant–but they aren’t just for display. Through vintage tube amplifiers, the records are played and set the atmosphere for the space.

Owner M.J. Chung wanted to take this vintage style one step further. While some restaurants scramble for the latest technology such as iPads, Chung looked to the past for inspiration. Today, 3-D retro menu viewers officially premiere at MONO+MONO, setting the stage for guests to take a trip down memory lane. Before I raised the viewfinder to my eyes, I didn’t think it would be a nostalgic experience–in fact I was even a little skeptical–but the weight of it, the sound of the photo reel clicking between slides, it brought me right back to that shoe store, to grade school science class, to summer camp when these viewfinders were new and novel.

Chung smiled at the surprised looks on our faces after clicking through his custom photo reels. Not only do they showcase the restaurants signature dishes like soy garlic fried chicken, but they have an emotional impact too. According to Chung, MONO+MONO is “proudly old school” and took several years in acquiring the devices on eBay. This was the first time I appreciated seeing images of food before ordering. The retro presentation was a playful addition to a fine evening of Korean fried chicken and cocktails.

I’m told the fried chicken is even better for breakfast the next morning–but there was none leftover on my plate for me to bring home and find out.

All photos courtesy of Hanna Lee Communications.