An INDEX OF OUR ESSAYS

Before the Internet, looking stuff up was actual work.

--FOOD & COOKERY--

Recipes, history, sourcing, and more.

BEGGAR'S BANQUET, 1968... looks a lot like one of young DannyM.'s dinner parties.

(RE)CONSIDER THE OYSTER (01/05/22)

History, recipes, and more. Yes, you CAN eat oysters year-round.

POTATO HEAVEN (03/02/22)

Potato Casserole with Gruyère, garlic, & cream... oh, my!

A FANCY STEAKHOUSE DINNER AT HOME (02/10/22)

Fancy dinners can be better AND cheaper at home.

ONION JAM (06/21/22)

A long and labor-intensive simmer rids the lowly bulb of its tear gas and celebrates a soul-melting trio of sweetness, tang, and umami.

CRY, BABY, CRY-- THE WORLD OF ONIONS (07/27/2022)

Like the subtle thump of a rock’n’roll bass line, onions put the soul in soul food, the rave in the gravy, and the comfort in comfort food.

Chef Alfredo Himself.

IN SEARCH OF FETTUCINE ALFREDO (05/17/22)

Wherein a dish created for an anemic new mom became an exalted culinary classic.

FIVE EASY PIECES (08/31/22)

A dear friend asked me to work up a small handful of recipes worth mastering.

"Mind if I ask you a few questions?" DannyM. channels his inner Lt. Columbo to solve a mystery.

THE GREAT CRÈME FRAÎCHE MURDER MYSTERY OF 2024 (04/04/24)

The age-old recipe for homemade crème fraîche suddenly stopped working, and DannyM. wanted to know why.

THE IMMINENT BEEF REBELLION (04/16/24)

The price of top-quality beef is becoming prohibitive... what can replace a great steak?

(MUCH more to come.)

--SOUPS--

GAZPACHO! (07/11/22)

A quick and easy recipe for a hot-weather treat.

The perfect cure for hangovers and rainy days.

FRENCH ONION SOUP (06/21/22)

An ancient Parisian stable that fortified workingmen and soothed hangovers enjoyed newfound popularity after WWII.

A TRIO OF WINTER SOUPS (02/27/23)

A soup for your long-forgotten inner child, another for the amazing person you've become, and a third for your wider, more regal future self.

A TRIO OF SPRING SOUPS (05/01/23)

Winter soups are for warming us up. Spring soups should wake up our palates and guide us toward summer.

(MUCH more to come.)

--WINE--

Grapes-as-people, my local region, & more.

Heaven on Earth-- a Finger Lakes Region autumn sunset.

CHAMPAGNE (OR NOT) (01/01/22)

Buy high-quality (and French-inspired) American bubbly and save big bucks.

LISA, THE MERLOT GIRL (01/19/22)

A "one that got away" tale intertwined with the history of Merlot.

HOW TO BUY $60 WINE FOR $20 (03/16/22)

To me, buying wine at 67% off beats paying full price and being too rich to care.

Cabernet Sauvignon & Pinot Noir-- brothers equally gifted, but with VERY different styles.

THE ROYAL BROTHERS: CABERNET SAUVIGNON & PINOT NOIR (05/11/22)

Arguably the two greatest red varieties, and they couldn't be much more different.

THE ROYAL SISTERHOOD (06/13/22)

Chardonnay, Riesling, & Sauvignon Blanc... three sharply distinct sisters.

The Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier

WASHINGTON STATE WINES (11/02/22)

Longer & cooler ripening weather than Napa creates wines way too good to ignore.

THE PROM DRESS, by Norman Rockwell--

A Gewürztraminer girl goes on a date.

GEWÜRZTRAMINER! (A Love Story) (04/29/23)

A wine worth taking seriously... in spite of itself.

A (SURPRISINGLY) DELICIOUS CHARDONNAY (04/18/24)

Can a "mass-produced" wine be fabulous? YES!

Eagles Felder & Walsh welcoming us to the Hotel California;

their guitars deliciously blending like... Cabernet Franc & Merlot.

SATAN'S SWEET SYRUP (06/26/23)

Buying and tasting the œnological equivalent of HOTEL CALIFORNIA.

FINGER LAKES WINE, CONTINUED: A LITTLE HISTORY (08/27/23)

And a REGION now worth taking seriously.

(MUCH More to come.)

--SHOPPING--

How to buy great stuff cheap, new OR used.

The "Running of the Brides," Filene's Basement, Boston.

SHOP LIKE A PRO (04/04/22)

Restaurant Depot... go big or go home.

GOOD SWEATER HUNTING (01/20/22)

Sometimes "pre-owned" is cheaper AND better than new.

HOW TO BUY $60 WINE FOR $20 (03/16/22)

Buying wine at 67% off trumps paying full price because you're too rich to care.

GARAGE-YARD-TAG SALE SEASON (06/20/22)

The blood sport of neighborhood bargain hunting.

CAR SHOPPING WITH DANNYM. (07/18/22)

How to get the best possible price on your next ride.

(MUCH More to come.)

--PRIME RIB--

The king of home cookery; important enough for its own category.

PRIME RIB DEMYSTIFIED (12/07/22)

Through research and multiple trials, we cracked the code.

FAUX JUS-- $170 GRAVY?? (08/23/23)

Relax, folks... it's enough for 6-8 family feasts with 6 or more guests each.

THE BEST PRIME RIB EVER (11/29/23)

And then we made it even better.

CHARLIE DON'T SURF & TURF (02/28/24)

A belated birthday dinner borrows a menu from classic cinema.

PRIME RIB, CONT'D-- A BIZARRE HACK THAT WORKS WONDERFULLY (04/19/24)

On a whim, DannyM. thows a frozen prime rib in the oven at 170º to see what would happen.

--THE SUPER BOWL--

"America's Biggest Unofficial Holiday" requires special food and coverage.

Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Hank Stram, Super Bowl IV Winner

THE BIG BIRD BOWL (02/02/22)

What if PBS were to air the Super Bowl? We predict hilarity... and a healthier menu.

SUPER BOWL LVII (57) PREVIEW (02/06/23)

Game ON! Food & drink suggestions, and more.

SUPER BOWL LVIII (58) FOOD: (02/06/24)

Chili, guacamole, & more!

(MUCH More to come.)

--PRODUCT REVIEWS--

BREAKING SEVEN: TRAINING & RACING ON THE CONCEPT2 ERGOMETER (01/10/22)

DannyM.'s favorite exercise machine EVER.

PRODUCT REVIEW # 1-- Can a $7 Chef's Knife be any Good? (06/08/22)

(Yes, it can.)

PRODUCT REVIEW # 2-- BBQ SAUCE (06/29/22)

Commercial barbecue sauce that's actually worth buying.

PRODUCT REVIEW # 3-- A Reverse Rant about a VERY Old Fridge (04/04/22)

Whoever said, "They don't make'em like they used to!" was guilty of understatement.

PRODUCT REVIEWS # 4 & # 5-- SHOVEL & MATEUS FOLLOW-UP (04/06/22)

When one door closes, does another open? Sometimes.

--(NON-POLITICAL) POLITICS--

Political debate is not allowed at Danny's Table, but we occasionally mansplain the nuts & bolts of government.

NOTHING AGAINST CHEERLEADERS... (05/19/22)

Sadly, most people treat politics like high school basketball.

DECISION 2024: How (not WHAT) to Think about Politics ( 03/09/24)

MARBURY V. MADISON, 1803: (02/16/24)

The Cleverest Negotiating Trick in the History of the World.

(MUCH More to come.)

--RANTS--

Wherein DannyM. puts the "Grumpy" in "Grumpy Old Mansplainer."

THEY RUINED THE FREAKING SHOVEL (AND MATEUS "TRANSITIONED.") (02/28/22)

Perfectly good (or even GREAT) products regularly disappear from the store shelves, replaced by crap.

MY SEMI-ANNUAL (AND MAYBE FINAL) DAYLIGHT SAVING RANT (03/16/22)

When you think about it, our current system makes the best sense.

AN ODE TO WHITE HOTS (04/26/23)

Guest poet DavidF. waxes poetic on a topic well familiar to Rochesterians.

HOW TO FREAKING DRIVE (03/02/24)

Because cars and babies don't come with instructions.

THE RETURN OF DAVIDF., POET (03/18/24)

He's baaaack... and he's still brilliant.

THE WARREN COMMISSION REPORT TURNS 60 THIS YEAR (03/14/24)

And it is widely regarded as a work of fiction.

THE GREAT NOTHING-BURGER OF 2024 (04/10/24)

The eclipse happened; the predicted disruption of civilization never materialized.

(MUCH More to come.)