Author: Bryan Schaaf

Bryan is a modern-day Hamburglar, minus the mask and kitschy catch phrase. There’s not a burger on the planet he wouldn’t take on — even those token ones for customers with less-adventurous palates. In his spare time, he’s a soccer junkie, musician, husband and father of the most adorable little carnivores this side of Jurassic Park.

Tasty travels for St. Patrick’s Day favorites

What comes to mind when you think of St. Patrick's Day dining — corned beef? Irish Stew? A frosty green beverage? If you're like thousands of Americans, you may plan to spend the holiday in two of the largest cities in the Eastern U.S., where many Irish immigrants settled and have spawned generations of tried and true Irish traditions.  Continue Reading

Seeing RED this Valentine’s Day

For the latter half of the last decade, diners around East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland have enjoyed an embarrassment of riches when it came to their restaurant options. With one James Beard award winner and Iron Chef, another multiple-time James Beard finalist and a Food & Wine Best New Chef finalist all within a …   Continue Reading

Fine dining at Seattle’s El Gaucho

Celebrate love at first bite and join us on a journey to exquisite taste. Step inside the best restaurants in the country. Sharpen your chef knife and prepare an amazing meal at home. Whether your sweetheart prefers fine dining or homemade extravagance, you can make it a Valentine's Day to remember!   Continue Reading

Stirring things up in the Bayou

Dutch Vicknair has an appreciation for a variety of cuisine. A self-proclaimed “diehard carnivore,” the man behind the grill and namesake of Dutch’sSeafood & Steakhouse has traveled both coasts, and spaces in between, sampling the best the United States has to offer. But at the end of the day, for Vicknair, nothing beats some good, …   Continue Reading

Brined Eye of Round Roast

I remember the first time I saw a raw eye of round. “That’s a tenderloin!” I proudly spouted, like any good student who confidently knows his cuts of beef. Alas, ’twas not the case. While it’s true both cuts are similar in appearance due to their barrel shape, the eating quality differences between the tenderloin …   Continue Reading

Man made

Guys, let’s face it.When it comes to marriage, try as we may, we generally receive FAR more than we ever give. That’s not to say we don’t have valid reasons for it, though. Your neighbor can’t be expected to drink that beer around his backyard fire all by himself. How can the Browns possibly win …   Continue Reading

Peaceable assembly and tasty eats

If father-daughter tandem Mike and Kyle Barnes had their druthers, they would simply get paid to argue … err, hold civil discussions. Unfortunately, the job market for such a profession isn’t exactly flourishing. But for years, the father-daughter pair met daily for “debates” at a small breakfast place in their native Wooster, Ohio, and what started …   Continue Reading

Moore farm to table stories

At first blush, Joshua Moore appears more Anthony Munoz than Anthony Bourdain. With his shaved head, smattering of tattoos up both arms and a physique well-suited for chasing down rival quarterbacks, Moore’s chosen profession might raise a few eyebrows among those whom he’s not yet acquainted. But take a stroll through the kitchen at his …   Continue Reading

Meet Chuck Denver

I say “meet” because I’m working under the assumption that you’ve never met Chuck. Not many have, as a matter of fact.You can find him in the meat case at some grocery stores. Maybe even in the cooler at your favorite restaurant. And if you treat him well, Chuck Denver can be your best friend. Chuck …   Continue Reading

Twisted Farm Food

Before 1998, Anthony Vidal had barely set foot outside of his neighborhood in the Bronx. In the past eight months, he’s barely set foot inside his home in Las Vegas. Such is the life, however, when you’re the face and culinary inspiration behind one of the country’s hottest — and fastest growing — dining concepts. …   Continue Reading

Serving sizzle RingSide

As executive chef at one of the premier steakhouses in the country, Chris Turke deals with hundreds of huge cuts of succulent, tender beef on a daily basis. But ask the chef from Portland, Oregon’s acclaimed RingSide Steakhouse Eastside location about the best steak he’s ever eaten, and he’ll respond without hesitation. “It was last …   Continue Reading

Diner style with a modern twist

More than seven months since Hurricane Sandy unleashed her fury across the eastern seaboard, a sense of normalcy has slowly returned to metro New York City. The busy streets have resumed their bumper-to-bumper waltz, sidewalks are bustling and cash registers are ringing. This is where Darryl Harmon calls home. In late 2012, Harmon left his …   Continue Reading

Day In the Life of Chef Scott

Just for a moment, pretend you’re Chef Scott Popovic. You’ve cooked in some of the finest restaurants across the country. You’ve rubbed elbows with chefs so accomplished they’ve re-written the laws of taste. Your food has graced some of the most refined palates in the history of mankind. But that doesn’t make this task any …   Continue Reading

A day in the life of a Kansas City chef

The date had been circled on his calendar for some time: April 13. Bon Jovi. A sell-out crowd at the nearby Sprint Center is nothing Alft and his crews haven’t seen before. But Jon Bon Jovi, and the assumed age demographic he would bring to the district, would surely be a boon for business, particularly at Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge ...  Continue Reading

Day in the life of an Ohio meat cutter, part 2

Yesterday we left readers wondering … what problem could crop up during a seemingly normal day as a meat cutter? As it turns out, it wouldn’t be a normal day if there weren’t some challenges … It’s not often that problems arise in DiBiasio’s department, but when they do, it’s when he appreciates his team the …   Continue Reading

Day in the life of an Ohio meat cutter

Our Day in the Life series continues as we check in at early o’clock to follow a meat cutter through his routine. It’s just after 3 a.m. when Pat DiBiasio’s alarm clock lets out its morning tirade to an unwelcoming audience of two. After this many years, his wife has grown so used to the …   Continue Reading

Cindy Hutson’s surf, turf and trends

Cindy Hutson has been known for a lot of things during her more than two decades as one of the most influential chefs in Florida. Her penchant for utilizing tropical flavors and seasonings in an innovative style has made her a household name, with visitors flocking to her Ortanique on the Mile in Coral Gables, …   Continue Reading

Behold the trend-setting strip steak

One strip. Two strip. Dry strip. Rare strip. Wet strip. Grilled strip. Split strip. Bare strip. This one is a little nutty. This tender one is smooth as putty. This one’s raw and finely chopped. This one wee steak she’ll like a lot. Pan fry it in your neighbor’s house. Plate it next to boiled grouse. …   Continue Reading

Exquisite food a Stark reality

Chef Mark Stark opened his acclaimed Stark’s Steakhouse in one of the plummeting economy’s hardest-stricken areas in late 2007. Not far from the epicenter of where the technology boom’s bubble burst in Silicon Valley, Stark and his wife, Terri, chose to weather the storm. What has blossomed since those difficult early days is one of …   Continue Reading

Of vim and vinegar

What do you know about vinegar? How many varieties can you name? Where does it come from? Why does some give your food the perfect touch of … je ne sais quoi? Why do others snap your head back at first whiff? Make no mistake about it … vinegar – even if we know little …   Continue Reading

Finding perfection in beef bacon

A few months back, I received a note from a friend who spends his weekends dabbling in the kitchen when he’s not up to his ears with seminary work. He experiments — not just with beef, but with an assortment of meats, grains, vegetables, fruits and other caveman cuisine found at our local Buehler’s Fresh …   Continue Reading

Steak & Eggs from Bacon

Jeremiah Bacon spent 10 years away from his beloved Charleston, honing his craft and (literally) sharpening his knife in some of the toughest, most intense kitchens in New York City. But in 2010, Bacon had the opportunity to return to the city where he was raised, partnering with Steve Palmer’s Indigo Road Restaurant Group, to …   Continue Reading

‘Well Done’ means more to Texas chef

Brazen, quick-witted and honest, Ric Rosser is as Texas as Texas gets. He has to be. When he’s not on the ranch running livestock, hunting game or fishing, Rosser is the imaginative culinary mastermind who makes his nearly 50 Saltgrass Steak House locations across five states consistently exceptional — no matter which you visit. In short, …   Continue Reading

Classic Aspen

Glance down the list of featured chefs at this year’s FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen, and you’ll see a veritable who’s who of the finest chefs in the world. Everybody from the iconic Thomas Keller and Jose Andres, Spain’s unofficial ambassador to the U.S., to molecular gastronomy pioneer Grant Achatz and Iron Chef Michael …   Continue Reading

Two Rivers in Baltimore

Chef Mark Morgan has been around the culinary world long enough to recognize a good piece of meat when he cuts into it. But then he received a phone call from a farmer — nearly 1,000 miles away — who happened to be standing in the middle of his field. That’s when the culinary head and …   Continue Reading

Market District offers the rare and wonderful

If you’ve driven through the manufacturing belt of Cleveland, Akron, Pittsburgh, chances are you’ve seen the red and white overhead sign with block letters: GIANT EAGLE. Giant Eagle stores are common in this area, but what you may not have seen while traversing America’s heartland was another set of stores with the Giant Eagle moniker. Giant …   Continue Reading

Making his mark

Mention the name “Maker’s Mark,” and any seasoned post-21-year-old will divert their thoughts to smooth, full-flavored Kentucky bourbon that’s a staple on the shelf of their favorite watering hole. That is, of course, unless you’ve sampled Chef Zac Alft’s wares at the distillery’s fine dining Bourbon House & Lounge, located in Kansas City’s ultra hip …   Continue Reading

Five minutes with Chef Wilwore Jordan

Wherever you are, take a look around your office. What do you see? Walls … flowers … hanging portraits? No matter where you work — whether it’s a cubicle in a high rise office building, on a rolling golf course or farm, or somewhere in between, chances are what you see from your work space pales …   Continue Reading

Texas to the bone

Ask most chefs about the inspiration that led them to their chosen profession, and many will wax poetic about their childhood, spending time in the garden, cooking with mama or grandma, and reminiscing about the smells and tastes that take them home. Not Ric Rosser, though. No, the man who oversees the iconic Texas restaurant …   Continue Reading

Spotlight on Chef Howard Kleinberg

If you’re a foodie, you know that name from somewhere, don’t you? Here’s a hint: Let’s just say he’s a Top Chef — in every sense of the words. Chances are you’ll remember Kleinberg as the outspoken, brash, bald-headed culinarian from Season 3 of Top Chef, where his diverse cuisine and penchant for saying exactly what’s …   Continue Reading