tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51183308625637584462024-10-06T21:55:29.016-07:00where dinner takes all...Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-24430874867876440152010-06-13T16:37:00.000-07:002010-06-13T16:56:25.110-07:00

If there's one thing Caliban and I do well together, it's the Sydney Morning Herald crossword. If there's another, it's host dinner parties. I do the cooking, Caliban creates the playlist, keeps the wine glasses full and occasionally steps in as my sous chef.On Saturday night, our friends B and S came over for dinner. They too are excellent at hosting dinner parties - like me, B takes care of the

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-37717308048956984622010-05-28T21:20:00.000-07:002010-05-28T22:02:21.854-07:00

"Lauren is looking forward to ricotta hotcakes and champagne for breakfast!" read my Facebook status update, the day before my 25th birthday.To celebrate my quarter-century, Caliban took me to bills for breakfast. One of my favourite places to eat, bills is home to the best breakfast in Sydney. As you already know, I'm a huge fan of the morning meal, and bills is the best place to get it.

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-49593853403704168662010-05-04T15:13:00.000-07:002010-05-04T15:36:41.639-07:00

David Fishman is in the seventh grade. In the past year, he's been featured in GQ and The New York Times. Why? Because, unlike regular 13-year-olds, who read Sweet Valley High and obsess about having a "perfect size six figure and eyes the colour of the Pacific Ocean"*, David Fishman is a food critic.I chatted to David last week because I'm writing an article about tweens. He was polite to a

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-19839133738906387382010-04-09T16:14:00.000-07:002010-04-09T17:49:36.110-07:00

In the past few years, a lot has been written about food television, and our fascination with it. It really does seem to defy logic that cooking - an everyday activity that most of us have tried our hand at - has filled so many hours of television in the last 15 years or so. Sure, it takes skill to cook well. Most TV chefs have undeniable charisma that makes them easy and enjoyable to watch. But

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-56989144546022097492010-04-09T15:56:00.000-07:002010-04-09T16:13:33.106-07:00

This morning, I sat in bed, re-reading The Road. It's by far the most tragic, unrelenting book I've ever read - as you flick the pages, an overwhelming sense of dread fills you, and you scan the text for bad news. It's a terribly disturbing read, but for all its sadness, it's a wonderful book. I can't recommend it highly enough.That said, once I was done, I was in desperate need of some comfort

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-66638797346680996032010-03-22T19:52:00.000-07:002010-03-22T19:52:00.223-07:00

It's probably unnecessary to tell you that I love brunch. But I do. I know there are some people who just "don't do breakfast" but I am not one of them (and I don't understand people who are: I wake up positively starving).So brunch gets a thumbs up from me. And today - lucky me - I got to have two brunches, with three lovely ladies.The first was at The Cove, in Drummoyne. After D and I walked

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-48356433525303009992010-03-21T23:50:00.000-07:002010-03-21T23:50:00.768-07:00

...is an odd blog post title for a blog about food. But last week, Cleo published its annual list of Australia's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors, and not one - not two - but three foodies made the cut. It's official: women love men in the kitchen.The three foodies awarded Eligible Bachelor status were pastry chef Adriano Zumbo, who came to national prominence when he appeared on MasterChef last year,

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-85059647295469641212010-03-19T23:39:00.000-07:002010-03-19T23:50:04.517-07:00

For those of you who aren't part of the Gossip Girl generation - or have no interest in being part of it - "OMG" means "Oh my God." Variations include "OMFG" ("Oh my fucking God") and "ZOMG" (even I, a relative whippersnapper, don't know what this means).Anyway, today I created OMG Cookies. I've named them thus because when I tasted them, I thought, "Oh my God, these are GOOD." They are

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-74743303492519327302010-03-08T19:37:00.000-08:002010-03-08T19:37:00.192-08:00

Last week, my brother and I made lunch to celebrate my Dad's 50th birthday. This was an exercise in frustration for a few reasons...but mostly because my brother, Big Bird, is a wee bit hopeless when it comes to cooking. Oh, and he was dreadfully hungover.BB is three years younger than me, and while we get along really well, we don't have too much in common. For instance: there was no olive oil

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-61929067598863050752010-03-06T19:01:00.000-08:002010-03-06T19:33:56.250-08:00

I never knew how many restaurants had alcohol-fuelled titles until I ate in two of them in one week. While I was abstaining from booze. Hmm.My Mum and I decided, on January 31, that we'd attempt FebFast. No booze for 28 days. It seemed achievable until I realised Caliban and I were going on holidays for six days during Feb. OK, OK - 22 days without alcohol. That's reasonable. We were certain we

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-7480307885034294062010-02-13T15:40:00.000-08:002010-02-13T15:40:00.235-08:00

In preparation for our European honeymoon, I'm learning French. Here are some of the words I know: "Bonjour!"; "Merci!"; "Mon dieu!"; "Au revoir!"; "Croissant!". Are you impressed yet? I thought so.Last week, Caliban took me to The Little Snail (the French, if you're wondering, would refer to this as "Le Petit Escargot"...that's just a little something I picked up) in Pyrmont. He'd been before,

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-58264618031781392082010-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:002010-02-11T15:06:00.287-08:00

Bills, in Surry Hills, is one of my favourite places to eat. You always know you're going to get great food at Bills. Owned by celebrity chef Bill Granger, by day it's an amazing cafe, and at night, it moonlights as a great bistro-style restaurant. The waitstaff are friendly and chatty (but not creepy), and never, ever pretentious. The food isn't the most inventive or creative, but it's always

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-56348707685156925012010-02-09T14:58:00.000-08:002010-02-09T14:58:00.419-08:00

New York magazine's food blog, Grub Street, has a weekly column called N.Y Diet. It's a glimpse into the fridges, takeout containers and restaurant visits of New Yorkers - a week on their plates.I'd love for readers to get involved with DDS and send me their Sydney Diets. If you'd like to get involved, send me an email at lms2805@gmail.com.

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-18320195672487780232010-02-05T14:39:00.000-08:002010-02-05T14:58:33.301-08:00

Possibly. I'll keep this short, because I don't enjoy talking about bad food experiences. But this completely lacklustre meal must be talked about...so here goes.In my humble opinion, tourist trap restaurants ought to be good. Really good. They charge exorbitant amounts of cash for lattes and biscotti, so they'd better be serving something out of this world. More to the point, tourist traps serve

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-23146012857295484062010-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:002010-01-20T15:34:00.564-08:00

Continuing our quest to eat as many Fast Festival Feasts as possible this month, Caliban and I went to Crossroads at the Swissotel before seeing David Sedaris at the State Theatre (sidenote: David Sedaris is just the coolest person ever).Seated at 6.45, we had our meals (grilled Atlantic salmon on bean and citrus salad) by 6.55. To some, this might seem worrying, but we had to haul butt to the

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-84184007425347472822010-01-18T15:06:00.000-08:002010-01-18T15:06:00.185-08:00

I have been looking forward to eating at Subsolo since a work colleague raved about being invited to its opening night. She went on and on about the cocktails and tapas at this inner city, underground Spanish restaurant. As I've established, I do love cocktails and tapas, so it seemed like Subsolo and I were meant to be.I was wrong.Ready to try another Fast Festival Feast, my friend D and I went

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-65987444360483092042010-01-16T14:45:00.000-08:002010-01-16T15:06:02.514-08:00

January means a lot of things to people. In Australia, it might mean music festivals, days spent in cossies and thongs, barbecues and beer. In the Northern Hemisphere, it means pretty much the opposite. And in mine and Caliban's little world, it means the Sydney Festival is here.This is our third Sydney Festival together, and while we're not seeing as many shows this year, we're definitely

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-36446223880094560712010-01-06T21:30:00.000-08:002010-01-06T21:34:12.729-08:00

Last week, our friend John made bouillabaise for everyone at his New Year's Eve party. Paired with generous hunks of Vienna loaf and equally generous amounts of champagne, it was a hit.It inspired me to make my own bouillabaise. I searched the net for some recipes, and then adapted these to my own needs. I wanted a quick recipe (for a weeknight dinner) and I didn't want to use mussels, as I

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-73537873079453512262010-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:002010-01-04T15:20:11.847-08:00

Over at Good Living today, it's all about summer - and what says "summer" more than icecream? Matt Preston offers a lesson in "popsicology", explaining the history of icecream. (Who knew George Washington spent $200 on icecream in 1790? Not I.) Stephanie Clifford-Smith reckons she knows where to find the top ten gelato scoops in Sydney (my pick: Gelatomassi in Newtown, or just about anywhere on

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-59664050083165196542009-12-18T18:58:00.000-08:002009-12-18T19:34:54.502-08:00

Having people over for dinner parties is one of the chief joys of my life. I love everything about it: planning the menu, shopping for ingredients, "slaving" over the stove. I. Love. It. Lucky for me, Caliban and I have lots of willing dining companions to call on. Last week, I invited my best friend D over for an early Christmas dinner - and it was a triumph of epic culinary proportions. Truly!D

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-41929701498712040372009-12-17T18:32:00.000-08:002009-12-17T18:54:00.560-08:00

Last week, I blogged at Cosmo about wanting a wagyu beef burger from Plan B by Becasse for Christmas. Today, I got my wish!Miss C and I went to Plan B for lunch today. I was nursing a nasty hangover and she was nursing a bottle of champers for me for Christmas – how apt! We both ordered the 800-day grain fed wagyu beef burger, and guess what? It was the best freakin’ burger I’ve ever had. Better

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-36078227760048013392009-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-06T09:00:00.693-08:00

"Hey," says Caliban. "I have an idea. Why don't we go to the farmers' markets at Carriageworks this morning?"As someone who loves markets, food and Caliban (not necessarily in that order), I jump at the offer. Off to market we go!We scoot over to the markets, located at Redfern's awesome new-ish venue, Carriageworks. It's a theatre, art gallery, marketplace and festival space all in one. We

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-68309683023670521602009-12-05T15:43:00.000-08:002009-12-05T16:32:20.949-08:00

Apart from eating food, I also love reading about it. Restaurant reviews, cookbooks, food lovers' guides, foodie biographies, food-travel memoirs - I love it all. Jeffrey Steingarten, Ruth Reichl, Amanda Hesser, Jay Rayner, Julie Powell - all masters of the food-as-memoir genre, are all on my bookshelf. The most recent addition is Frank Bruni's Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-79783703301646177732009-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-03T09:00:02.702-08:00

Get this: some people actually eat two-and-five a day. You know, two serves of fruit, five serves of veggies. Seriously. I am one of those people.That is to say, I try very hard to be one of those people. As much as I truly believe that everything is better with butter, I also try pretty hard to be healthy (for the most part). So when I'm cooking for Caliban and I at home, I make an effort to use

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118330862563758446.post-43927488134180558262009-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-02T09:00:02.376-08:00

Do you live in Sydney? Great. Chances are, you have eaten Crust pizza. And chances are, you LOVE it.Caliban and I are pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to pizza. With our proximity to Sydney's real Little Italy, Haberfield, we could eat at a different pizza place every night if our waistlines and wallets allowed it. But we do hold a very special place in our hearts for Crust, the gourmet

Lauren Smelcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01168705974237787517noreply@blogger.com0