Gourmet Guides

The craft of dining, decoded.

Recent Posts

• The Hospitality Paradox: Why 2026's Restaurants Are Automating Away the One Thing That Matters — The hospitality industry is caught in a contradiction: automating the back-of-house while implementing technology at the table that severs human connection. Here's why efficiency isn't hospitality.
• The Fishmonger's Patience: Why Dry-Aged Seafood Is the Most Honest Kitchen Technique — Why the best fish isn't the freshest—it's the one that's been allowed to age. A technical deep-dive into enzymatic breakdown, ikejime, and the quiet alchemy of controlled time.
• The Return of the Saucier: Why Sauce is Reclaiming the Plate in 2026 — After two decades of deconstruction and foams, 2026 marks the return of the saucier. Why sauce-forward dining is reclaiming the plate—and what it means for the future of restaurant technique.
• The Time Ingredient: Why 2026's Best Kitchens Are Slowing Down to Speed Up — The restaurant industry spent the last decade chasing speed. 2026 is proving that there's a ceiling to that strategy. The real trend isn't koji or dip flights—it's time itself as the scarcest ingredient.
• The Counter Seat Manifesto: Why the Best Seat in the House Isn't in the Dining Room — The counter seat isn't just a place to eat—it's a front-row ticket to the theater of craft. In an era of gold leaf theatrics and QR code menus, the counter remains the last honest space in dining. This is my manifesto on why the best seat in the house isn't in the dining room.