Gonzo Gastronomy

“You’re the first, the last, my everything…” My favorite taco will always be lengua (tongue). It will forever be the one that I judge a taco joint by. If they don’t offer it, I’m not even sure they deserve to be called an authentic taco joint. Lengua is the epitome of taking a throw-away part of the animal and turning into tender, juicy, flavorful bites that are a pleasure to wash down with some serious mezcal. My nephew is now asking Tia to make him tongue, and what he wants he’ll get…Tia K’s coming for ya, Jonathan!

“Black coffee in bed…” My carajillo trumps your ubiquitous espresso martini every…damn…time. Espresso, mezcal, and 43 with an orange twist.

“I’m your ice cream man, stop me when I’m passing by…” THIS is the way to knock it out of the park with the olive oil gelato I made. Served with strawberries that have been macerated in cask-aged balsamic (NOT the grocery store crap), drizzled with a little extra virgin from and a sprinkle of Himalayan salt.

“Oh, but I know, it’s gettin’ better every day…” Tweaking my frozen tomato idea to craft a twist on a Caprese salad with an identity crisis, unsure if it’s appetizer, palate cleanser, or dessert: Frozen, grated tomato granita, olive oil gelato, and frozen, grated basil. Drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled with smoked salt. Absolutely killer.

“'Cause I've got you in the sights of my love gun…” They may not call me the hunter, but I’m ever grateful for the ones who are generous with me. Venison loin with a coffee/spice rub. Served over arugula and topped with a cherry/habanero sauce. Mushroom and sage sauté to pair.

“I think I’m in love…” It looks like a simple bowl of popcorn, right? And you’re like, has she lost her mind? Newp. If you have my book by now, you’ve got my recipe for garlic confit. And in that recipe I tell you that the garlic-infused oil that results is just as much gold as the soft pillows of garlic. So I had this idea last night to put some in a spray bottle and make myself some garlic bread popcorn. This is what happens when I’m home alone with Covid and left to my own devices. Homemade popcorn topped with garlic-infused olive oil, grated pecorino, and some sea salt. The stuff of kings.

“Yeah, I’ve been a-waitin’ for my Sunday girl…” Sunday sauce with the most tender, flavorful meatballs around. But let’s talk about the wine—If Then from , made by the brilliant pair, Jared and Tracey. A “kitchen sink” red blend that manages to clock in at 12.9% while still maintaining all the personality in the world.

“I want a Sunday kind of love…” If you don’t yet have the book, I’m not sure what might convince you. Perhaps lamb shank mixiote tacos topped with dried cherries, pistachios, cilantro, mint, and cotija?! Yeah, it’s in there. They’re getting paired with a glorious Penedes wine that will never be made again: ‘s La Milana, a rich, earthy, dark red blend that goes toe to toe with the lamb.

“What’s in your head, in your head…” Absolutely in love with my new cup from It got broken in with an equally incredible tobalá mezcal from

“I want it all and I want it now…” Another meal crafted from the produce at the farmer’s market and it’s a flavor bomb:
- A base of roasted garlic mashed with roasted green onion stems
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Pan fried shiitakes
- Charred green onion bulbs
- Pan fried eggplant
- Serrano peppers, rosemary, mint
- You were hoping for more???

“I'm a market square hero, speeding the beat of the street pulse…” A long overdue trip to our Mexican farmer’s market yielded a ton of great produce for the week. Roasted poblanos stuffed with esquites and served over a cotija crema with black lime.

“Ain't nobody dope as me. I'm just so fresh, so clean…” One of my favorite combos for lunch in the sweltering heat: Tomato and watermelon tossed with torn basil, served on fresh ricotta, and topped with a drizzle of insanely good olive oil.

“Love child, take a look at me…” I had Lebanese food a few days ago and thought, man, if the Koreans can put a massive spin on tacos, why not the Lebanese? And here we are…spiced ground lamb, slivered almonds, dried cherries, labneh, and chopped cilantro/mint…all on a corn tortilla. Killer combo.

“Let me roll it…” Work’s been keeping me from the kitchen but tonight, the eggplant was begging to be rolled into involtini.

“I can’t seem to find the right line…” Too brain dead to come up with a decent song lyric and so this song lyric made perfect sense. Wahoo ceviche with an almost perfectly ripe avocado, drizzled with a bit of extra virgin.

“I am the god of hellfire, and I bring you…” Thinly shaved pork in a Sichuan “fiery sauce”. First time having rice in a couple of months but so worth it.

“I want the frim fram sauce…” Had leftover blackberries that had been macerated with a serrano in white balsamic, so they got made into a sauce to accompany cocoa/coffee-rubbed venison loin. Served with roasted sweet potatoes and vidalias.

“And the bell was ringing in the village square for the rabbits on the run…” Two classics from the Canary Islands: Rabbit (conejo) in Salmorejo and “wrinkled potatoes”.

“Here it comes, a better version of me…” Linguini with clam sauce gets a face lift. Bucatini with a creamy clam sauce that was hit with some key lime juice and a few crushed pistachios.

“And the lamb lies down on Broadway…” Assuming their’s a Broadway in Miami, of course. Lamb shanks slow roasted in a mole-inspired hot sauce. Served on nachos with a goat cheese crema.

NEW POST on Atlante Winery, the volcanic wines of the Canary Islands, and avoiding international snafus.

“Gonna keep on trying, ‘til I reach my highest ground…” “Smarties???” I’ve got two Canarians looking at me with furrowed brows as I take another sip of an enthralling white wine. They lean closer, tilt their heads sideways a bit like dogs do when they don’t know whether to lick you or bite your face off, and ...

“Try me, I know we can make it…” I’ve got three more sides of branzino that says I nail this thing. First pass at pan-seared branzino over chayote “noodles” with a creamy meunière sauce. More sauce next time. Always more sauce.

“She puts the sweetness in and stirs it with a spoon…” Miso-glazed roasted eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) is a meal unto itself. At least in this house.

“Whatever gets you through the night, ‘salright, ‘salright…” I wanted scallops on pasta. The rest was a matter of whatever was making a home in the fridge. Long fusilli (a favorite) tossed with a creamy roasted garlic sauce and baby spinach, topped with some crushed roasted walnuts and lime zest.

“Elevate me, take me higher…” Monkfish is a favorite in this house. Often called the “poor man’s lobster” but it needs no such moniker here. Pan seared and served on a spicy, creamy caramelized onion/serrano/lime sauce and topped with brown butter and flash-fried shallots.

“Guess who’s back, back again…” Two weeks of vacationing have gotten lots of wheels turning in this writer/cook/drinker’s brain but today it’s spice-crusted grouper tacos with pickled red onions, cilantro, and chili-roasted pumpkin seeds.

“Gonna keep on trying ‘til I reach my highest ground…” Deepest thanks to Juan Jesus of for the time, the hospitality, the knowledge, and most importantly the fabulous wines of Atlante. More to come on these volcanic wines of Tenerife.

Supreme hustle, I got supreme muscle…” Wanted mussels tonight and happened to have all the ingredients around for the recipe in the book called Chola’s Shrimp, so I ended with Chola’s Mussels. I think she’d dig it.

“I get a strange magic…” These flavors do a sort of culinary voodoo when they’re together. Pizza with caramelized onions, pecorino al tartufo (with truffles), figs, rosemary, prosciutto, and a drizzle of honey.

“Gonna get inside you…” Graffiti eggplant stuffed with Moroccan-spiced lamb.