Michele Laudig is a writer, artist and editor eating up New York City’s deliciously diverse food scene. Currently senior editor at Zagat in Manhattan, she was the staff restaurant critic and food blogger at Phoenix New Times since 2006, where she wrote cover stories, a weekly column and daily blog posts. Michele co-authored 100 Years, 100 Chefs, 100 Recipes, an Arizona Centennial Legacy Project published in February 2012, and has also written for Phoenix Magazine, Edible Phoenix, The Arizona Republic, Sommelier Journal and Hemispheres.
In previous lives, she served as New Times’ music editor, styled fashion shoots, toured with a rock ‘n roll band and lived in Tokyo. She has a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Columbia.
When the weather gets extreme, I start justifying more splurges. Cold oysters on the half-shell and a glass of champagne? Mexican seafood cocktail? A margarita, or an icy milk tea with boba? The heat has me thinking my survival depends on such treats. I headed over to Tempe for a random lunch (really, I just wanted an excuse to check out doodads and accessories at Urban Outfitters) and discovered that ...
A squeeze of lemon, a dash of sea salt, and these beauties are ready to go. Inspiration starts with the ingredients. Grated parm is combined with ricotta and two kinds of mozz. It's like making ravioli out of flowers! [caption id="attachment_423" ...
Little things make me happy, like the delicate bamboo scoop I found in Japan a couple years ago -- I can't think of a better utensil for spooning up flakes of sea salt. Last night, the salt turned a bowl of crunchy radishes and soft, sweet butter into a simple luxury. Likewise, one plump, enormous heirloom tomato was the star of dinner. I sauteed it with garlic and fresh spinach, ...
I could nibble on you all day long. Who cares if I'm out of coffee beans? A frothy bowl of matcha is all the jolt I need. (Well, I actually had two.)