September 2005

Features

• It Takes a Tough Man to Make Tender Tofu

  Stylish restaurants in the U.S. are making tofu every hour or shipping in rarefied kinds from Japan. Henry Alford tries to replicate the best at home.

• Fine China

  F&W travel editor Salma Abdelnour skips the starfish skewers but devours pretty much everything else—including exquisite dan dan noodles and fiery shrimp—on a Beijing food tour with brilliant Philadelphia-based chef Susanna Foo.

• Tyler Takes on Chinatown

  Manhattan's Chinatown is home to frog butchers, dumpling dens...and Food Network star Tyler Florence. He invites friends to a dinner that explores the local flavors—from spicy, crispy chicken wings to steaks glazed with soy.

• Vietnam à la Cart

  How easy is it to find authentic Asian ingredients in America? Top San Francisco chef Charles Phan finds out when he trolls a Safeway supermarket, his kids in tow, to buy groceries for a lovely Vietnamese lunch.

• Sushi in America

  America is becoming a nation of sushi connoisseurs, able to discuss the difference between o-toro and chu-toro. Senior Editor Ray Isle looks at the stats, the buzzwords, the masters and mavericks, and the do's and don'ts.

• Tales of a Sumo Taster

  On a trip to Japan, renowned wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr., faces a paparazzo frenzy, tries the most promising local bottlings and is blown away by two of the most amazing French meals of his life.

• The Asian Spa Experience

  Miami's hotly anticipated Setai hotel is launching with an Asian-themed spa—complete with irresistible food.