i have never come across a person who just does not like pizza. what is not to love? fresh baked dough topped with tasty tomato sauce, gooey cheese and your favorite toppings? thing is, there are so many different styles of pizza, and people seem to be pretty adamant about which is the best. seems to depend a lot on where you grew up and what you enjoyed throughout your childhood. though i was born in chicago, i grew up an east coast girl, and i am a fan of ny style pizza. there is nothing like those big greasy slices you can get in nyc after a night at the bar. really just hits the spot.
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just returned from walla walla for the second time and had an even better time than before. the main focus of the trip was to blend my new wines for the drunken goat, but we of course found plenty of time for eating, drinking and getting in to trouble as usual. our first night we went to one of the town's great restaurants, the whitehouse-crawford. chef jamie guerin (such a sweetheart!) has a new spring menu featuring some beautiful local produce. one of the salads was a mixture of greens and herbs that had been picked in the woods nearby. the fresh sorrel and lemon balm were so brightly flavored they just danced in my mouth. one of my favorite salads he makes has chunks of smoked trout along with some bacon. it is no secret how i feel about anything made with bacon....delish. to top it off we had some nice toasty ciabbatta, just out of the wood-burning oven, with foie tourchon that just melted in my mouth. when you get to walla walla, this place is a must.
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had a great time last week at the food and wine best new chefs event in nyc. lucky for me, lee anne wong from top chef season one is always a huge help! she used to work for the french culinary institute in the city and set me up with a kitchen to get prepped in.

featured recipe: seared scallops with goat cheese yukon puree, white and green asparagus, shredded ham and sorrel vinaigrette
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