How I Am Getting Myself to Cook More This Year
plus the scariest use of AI in food so far, how much is too much for a tasting menu, and more
Hello! As a retired restaurant editor, one of my goals for this year is to eat out with way more intention, which means ultimately less restaurant meals (i’m trying to limit this to 3 times a week) and definitely less Uber Eats deliveries (can I keep it to single digits for the whole year?) I’m only going to restaurants I am actually curious about or love and speaking up if I don’t actually want to go somewhere (even if it is new and supposedly cool!) I am also getting more comfortable just telling friends that I cannot meet them for a meal if I have hit my restaurant cap for the week that I can do coffee or tea instead.
This all feels very strange as someone who has spent the past 6 years diligently covering restaurants to now regularly feel “behind” on visiting new openings, but it’s a race I no longer want to run. I am excited to cook more — and plan on mastering on how to make a number of dishes this year, including tortellini en brodo, one of my top foods of all time. (More on that below.)
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I plan to launch a revamped version of this newsletter very soon and I am tinkering with some ideas, so thank you for bearing with me.
Today’s newsletter will cover:
How I am getting myself to cook more this year
The creepiest use of AI in food yet
Have we hit peak pickle?
The latest hurdle California restaurants are up against
The grocery store collab that I think is actually fun
How much is too much for a tasting menu?
The snack I cannot stop buying at Trader Joe’s