VIDEO: B-Side Blog Visits Elite Restaurant for KCET’s ‘Free Lunch’ Series

Local independent TV station KCET has recently launched a web series titled Free Lunch, which treats commenters on kcet.org to — you guessed it — a free lunch in the area. I was lucky enough to participate in the series, and since my ol’ college friend Leah was in town, I invited her to join …

ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Mapo Tofu

With the premiere of Big Brother last night, I wanted to cook myself a dinner that would honor the show in some way. I ultimately settled on a much lauded dish from Fuchsia Dunlop’s Sichuan cookbook Land of Plenty. The recipe in question: Ma Po Do Fu, or Mapo Tofu as it’s commonly known in …

ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: This Sandwich Actually Works

Back in junior year of high school, my friend Nicole once brought a most bizarre sandwich into History class. It was some concoction her mom had made, and it was so bizarre that I just had to take a bite. Much to my surprise (and to Nicole’s), the sandwich was actually really, really good. For …

Ep. 13: Banter With Ben and Lisa

We’re baaaaaack. After a two month hiatus, Lisa and I have convened once again to podcast, and this time around, the fun took place in my kitchen. Yes, while I made a dish for a dinner party, Lisa and I bantered away, discussing everything from vampires to zombies to Jersey Shore to German vocab. We’re …

ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Sichuan Bonanza Edition

About a year ago, I stumbled upon Fuchsia Dunlop’s Sichuan cook book Land of Plenty on some blog out there on the Interwebs. I was intrigued by whatever the dish was and did further research. It turns out the British-born Dunlop spent extensive time in the Sichuan province of China studying the local foods and …