Parla Food

A travel writer chases down the best food in Italy and elsewhere.

Carbs Archive


Nectarine tart with rose ice cream.

Earlier this month I traveled to the Bay Area for my friend Erin’s wedding. Her husband Chris is a cook at Chez Panisse and he set me up with a stage in the kitchen, one of the most incredible places on the planet. There is a mixture of permanent staff and (more…)

I just spent an incredible week eating my way across northern California. The short amount of time wasn’t enough to do justice to one of the world’s best food destinations, but that didn’t stop me from doing some serious damage. Check out some of the things I ate this week above or on Flickr and check back soon for posts on all the great food experiences I had.


Mamma Parla’s famous “Jersey Tom” sandwich.

I’m a week into my annual August trip home and I’ve already put a pretty serious dent into this month’s food goals. The feast started shortly after I landed in Philly and has continued unrelenting through New Jersey and NYC, with brief (more…)

Beef Taco @ Pinches Tacos, LA
Beef tacos at Pinches Tacos in LA.

Rome may be a world food capital, but for a voracious eater raised in the American northeast, its culinary offerings can feel stunningly homogenous. Sure, the native cuisine is great and there is some Indian, Ethiopian, and Korean food in Rome worth talking about (more…)


Tonarelli con bottarga at Le Mani in Pasta.

It has been a while since I updated the list of my favorite restaurants in Rome. Way back in May 2009 I published this post. A handful of these places are still valid, but others have closed or changed. Enjoy the new round up! (more…)


Pizza margherita with buffalo mozzarella at Sforno.

Spoiler alert! Stefano Callegari destroys Gabiele Bonci every time. And not by a little bit. In a head to head contest between Rome’s pizza heavyweights Callegari mops the floor with Bonci. To be fair, both pizzaioli start out on a level playing field with (more…)

Things started off innocently enough this morning. My friend Halliday and I woke up feeling the effects of yesterday’s truly impressive pizza binge–Forno Campo de’ Fiori for breakfast, 00100 for lunch and Sforno for dinner. We thought an intense (more…)

My apartment is midway between the Monti and Celio districts, so when I want a great meal close to home, I have a ridiculous number choices, ranging from inexpensive organic cafes to break-the-bank fish restaurants. In spite of the numerous (more…)

Church of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae, Santa Maria di Leuca
Church of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae, Santa Maria di Leuca.

I always hesitate to do these wrap ups because they force me to reflect on the obscene amount of food I am capable of eating. I especially overdid on a three day trip to Puglia recently. It is my favorite Italian region for food and it would be a shame to (more…)

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If there is one place on earth where eating copious amounts of fat all day long gives me no remorse, it’s Lecce. The whole place is swarming with sweet and savory temptations heavy on the olive oil (pizzi), besciamel (rustico), cream (more…)

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