Barbara Hansen

  • Oregon Puts Its Wines On the Trail

    Sometimes things seem topsy turvy, as in Oregon wine. Southern Oregon may be the second largest growing region in the state, responsible for 22% of production, but when the Oregon Wine Trail made a stop in Los Angeles, most of the wineries pouring were from the Willamette Valley. Only a few were from the south....

  • Montrésor, Elegance and Good Food

    Montrésor is simply dazzling, what you see when you enter and what you get on the plate. This is why, only a few weeks after opening, the wait to get in can take 1 1/2 hours on a Saturday night....

  • An Almost Wine-less Trip to Turkey

    I drink wine often at home but gave it up while traveling in Turkey because alcoholic drinks are forbidden to Muslims, and I wanted to respect that. At a cocktail reception I attended, the cocktails were fruit juice, even though the hotel where this event took place had a beautiful bar....

  • Vegan, Gluten-Free–and Indian Too

    You’re vegan. You’re gluten-free. Or both. And you’re hungry for Indian food. Where to go? Masala Grill, an Indian fusion restaurant that has plenty of contemporary diet options....

  • Going to a Potluck? Get This Book

    You’re invited to a potluck. They want you to bring the very type of dish that you never make. Don’t panic, and don’t turn down the invitation. Instead, get a copy of “Bring It!” by Ali Rosen....

  • Harissa, the Place for Tunisian Food

    Got Kosher? Cafe has just changed its name to Harissa Restaurant, the better to indicate that its menu is laced with Tunisian flavors. Chef/Owner Alain Cohen was born in Tunisia, then moved with his family to Paris at the age of 6, starting in the restaurant business there. This explains French touches such as decorating [&helli...

  • The Five Top Tastes of March, 2018

    This month’s tastes span the globe from a Kosher/Tunisian burger to a traditional Mexican dessert. In between are stops at Azerbaijan, the Republic of Georgia and India, examples of the wonderful world of food we have today....

  • Fioretto–Cook It Indian Style

    There’s something different about this Indian cauliflower dish. The difference is, I’ve made it with tender sweet flowering cauliflower, called fioretto, instead of the usual clumpy florets....

  • “Not For You,” an Indian Food Novel

    Pick up the novel “Not For You” and you may not be able to put it down. That is if you want to learn what Indian village life is really like. The stories interwoven in the book tell of huts plastered with dung, days spent in hot fields, lives that are poor but rich and […]...

  • Lodi–Wines that Deserve Attention

    Lodi wines are lovely, and just right to pair with California food. If they aren’t better known, it’s because they’re not widely distributed. Small artisanal wineries turning out some of the most interesting wines don’t produce enough to appeal to large chain markets and liquor stores....