Patience is indeed a virtue when it comes to making good bread. There are few aromas more comforting and enticing then that of freshly baking bread and in Portland, few places better to find that aroma than Ken’s Artisan Bakery. I’m not just saying this because I’ve heard that Ken’s is great but because I used to go there on Sundays for a fresh croissant that was the epitome ... Read More...
The Art of the Restaurateur
At age twenty-nine, Nicholas Lander became the proud owner of L’Escargot, a London restaurant that had fallen on hard times. So began his journey into a world he would come to love and a group of people he would grow to admire. Throughout the 1980s Lander built L’Escargot into a London restaurant of renown. When health reasons forced him to sell it in the 1988 he realized that, ... Read More...
Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible
For those who know me, my objectivity in reviewing Tim Gunn’s new book Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible, is likely to be called into question as I have made numerous not-so-subtle remarks about my deep admiration for the author (visit to Portland, summer reading). Think what you will, but I am not exaggerating to say that Fashion Bible will be a staple in any fashion lover’s book ... Read More...
Yes, Chef: A Memoir
The odds that Marcus Samuelsson would survive infancy were slim. That he would not only survive but would go on to become a world famous chef is almost beyond reckoning. And yet, he did. In his memoir Yes, Chef, he writes of his life, not just in the kitchen but from his childhood as the adoptee of a Swedish family to the pinnacle of his career, cooking at the White House for ... Read More...
Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride
Alyssa Harad is a 30-something, self-proclaimed feminist and scholar who finds herself at loose ends when a PhD in English and teaching do not work out the way she thought they would. She fills her time as a freelance writer until discovering a perfume blog that piques her interest. Soon, she is consumed by these blogs and anything to do with fragrance. Coming to My Senses is a ... Read More...
Planes, Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws
Laura Pederson’s book Planes, Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws is a catch-all of travel information, history lessons, etiquette guidelines, and all things India. The majority of the book covers her travels through the country with a plethora of statistics and useful information about modes of transportation, appropriate garb, and how to protect oneself from Delhi Belly. She also has ... Read More...
