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1 week ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
At the end of March, I threw a party with E.A.T. in New York, an Upper East Side fixture in the portfolio of businesses owned and operated by Eli Zabar and his family. The day before the party I ate lunch at E.A.T. - matzo ball soup. I’m not an aficionado, but I know good food, and this was the best version of the soup I’ve ever had. It is a comforting dish - simple and pure. What it lacks in culinary drama, it makes up for with good old-fashioned nourishment and, when done right: FLAVOR.
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2 weeks ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
We spring broked at Palm Heights this year. I have a friend associated with the project, which is what took me there the first time in 2024. I was skeptical about the place as it had been breathlesslycoveredinthepress, and it seemed (from afar) to be a bit of an Instagrammer haven. I pictured arriving to copious photoshoots and servile husbands trying to capture outfit pics on the beach during golden hour.
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2 weeks ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
I’m just home from Palm Heights, which I’ll write more about later this week. I covered the property for Yolo Journal last year and was anxious for a return visit. I was skeptical about it “holding up,” as I am about most things with an endless supply of buzz. It exceeded our expectations. I love a resort experience because it is basically a protracted people-watching opportunity - my favorite activity.
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3 weeks ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
After my college graduation ceremony, I went back to the house I shared with several friends and packed my things, stuffing my car with the remnants of a 4-year undergraduate education. That night, my roommates and I threw a party in our backyard. The next morning I got in my car and left town. I moved to Louisville, Kentucky where I applied for a job at a newly opened restaurant - restaurants being the main option for a young man with a BFA in English and Drama.
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3 weeks ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
I made this salad for my buddy Jay Carrol. Jay is the co-founder of Wonder Valley, along with this his wife, Allison. They are featuring this same recipe on their website among an already great collection of recipes using their products. Wonder Valley is one of my favorite brands - a celebration of olive oil in many forms. I love olive oil. Not only do they grow and mill their own oil, they also produce bath and body products using their oil.
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1 month ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
Since opening a restaurant in New Orleans, I’ve been getting a lot of requests from friends, customers, and readers about where to go in that fine city. Good news for anyone planning to visit The Big Easy: Yolo Journal just published their New Orleans Black Book, which is exhaustive. I’ve been writing for Yolo founder Yolanda Edwards for years, dating back to MomFilter, her early blog about parenting. I was honored to contribute my New Orleans favorites to this roundup. Check it out.
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1 month ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
At the market recently, there were signs of spring atop the tables - stacks of greens, bags of tender lettuces, spring onions, green garlic, and tight bunches of freshly dug radish, all bearing peppy, healthy greens that begged to be eaten. I stuffed several into my tote and carted them home. I love radish because it is a pedestrian vegetable, available in varying degrees of quality at any grocery store in America.
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1 month ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
I’ve been at home all week nursing my wounds from a trip to New York City - specifically, a nice fresh case of Flu A. To combat the situation, I sent my mother-in-law a grocery request. When the goods were deposited upon our back porch, I made rich chicken soup, fortified with vegetables and reduced until it was grippy and concentrated. When I pull the leftovers from the fridge, the soup resembles aspic with bits of chicken and carrot suspended in the concentrated stock.
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1 month ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
A meal at King, one of my favorite restaurants in New York, begins with an exclamation point. Once you’re settled, with cocktails in hand, a plate appears - a towering assemblage of paper-thin crackers dripping in very good olive oil and showered with chopped rosemary and crunchy sea salt. This is a sign of good things to come. And you’d be wise to bring this party trick into your own house.
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1 month ago | 
brooksreitz.substack.com | Brooks Reitz
Last week, the NY Times published a piece about men in white jeans. A few days later, Emily Sundberg of Feed Me put the issue to her readers, and the results were surprising - a lot of people think white jeans on men are no good. This chorus of feedback surprised me. I love white jeans and never considered them a bold fashion move. I’ve worn them for years in all seasons. Like any clothing, their success depends on the execution.
