Posted By bbinns on November 29, 2009
I’ve never required much motivation to hop into the car and drive toward wine, food, and fire. But when the lure includes soft, rolling hills bristling with closely-ranked vines, olive trees waving silvery foliage, and lavender puffs busy with visiting bees—why, then, I’m like a randy tom-cat with one simple agenda. Even after five years, […]
Posted By bbinns on October 17, 2009
Brentwood, California Twenty-four hours before arriving in Los Angeles I landed a book deal—welcome indeed, but brutal in its timeline. (Hey—be careful what you ask for, and when.) As soon as I calculated the number of recipes into the days remaining before deadline, unpacking the trusty, insect-flecked Toyota took a backseat to a trip to […]
Posted By bbinns on September 18, 2009
Catskill, NY to Erie, PA: 401 miles Two states: New York and Pennsylvania My heart is breaking. For the past few weeks, our hands have been like heat-seeking missiles, snaking out to find one another whenever the rest of us was close enough for access. Just like when the yellow pages required your fingers to […]
Posted By bbinns on May 7, 2009
I apologize for the break in this instructional series—it was crucially important that I go and get crazy with a bunch of duck-quoting, foie-eating chefs in a cavernous room behind Chelsea Market. It’s a tough job. But now, it’s back to fat-world: Once my lard has been strained and clarified, by removing the juices from […]
Posted By bbinns on March 27, 2009
* Miles Driven from Marfa: 2611 * Days on the Road: Seven (on the last day, I rested by eating oysters in Washington DC) * Tanks of Gas: Seven (Average price per gallon: $1.79) * Pig’s Ears Eaten by Stella: Eight * Pounds Lost: Three (This phenomenon has been noted on all of the nine […]
Posted By bbinns on March 18, 2009
Driving north from Austin, heading for Waco, I cross the Brazos river. Just saying Brazos out loud: “I crossed the Brazos,” makes me feel like a cowboy. On the right just before the bridge is the Texas Ranger museum. It’s shiny and new and very big. I note, once again, that it’s real nice for […]
Posted By bbinns on March 6, 2009
Marfa, 0 miles. Or, not so much right now, because I have truly settled in. After the first 8 days or so were spent studiously avoiding the work, the words suddenly began to flow. If they are, perhaps, not coming trippingly from my fingers, they are at least not falling flat. The weather has been […]
Posted By bbinns on February 19, 2009
2.17.09 Marfa The view out of my side door might not strike everyone as romantic. From my bungalow, I can see a host of wood, stucco, and stone buildings in various states of decay, a paved road that quickly peters out into a dirt road, and lots and lots of wrinkled and antique galvanized metal […]
Posted By bbinns on February 17, 2009
2.15.09. Las Cruces to Marfa, 240 miles. Two states: New Mexico and Texas. Dining alone is something I do quite often. I prefer to dine at the bar, because even if the bartender is too busy or not the friendly type, I feel engaged with another human. I’ve never felt the need to read a […]
Posted By bbinns on February 13, 2009
2.12.09 Fountain Hills, AZ to Las Cruces, 406 miles; two states: Arizona and New Mexico Butter doesn’t do well as a road snack. So when I am lucky enough to hunker down at (high-school roomie) Mary’s empty vacation home east of Scottsdale for six whole nights, I immediately get me a block of the Irish […]
