A year into sobriety, a food writer in quarantine comes to terms with being a problem drinker. My friend, Jolene, brings over a canned artisan cocktail from a local restaurant. She leaves it in the planter at our front door. Social distancing and all that. She texts me to let me know.  I’m thinking about ... Read More about In the Come-Down The post In the Come-Down appeared first on Kim Foster ..read more

This piece originally appeared in the November 2020 issue of NPR’s Desert Companion Magazine. It is re-printed here for those who missed it.  Since the post went up and went semi-viral on Twitter, a GoFundMe was set up and Chris, Melinda and Ty received just shy of $5,000 to find a stable and safe apartment ... Read More about No Easy Answers: The struggles of one cook provide a deep look at an industry — and maybe a society — in crisis The post No Easy Answers: The struggles of one cook provide a deep look at an industry — and maybe a society — in crisis appeared first on Kim Foster ..read more

This piece originally appeared in NPR’s Desert Companion Magazine, May 2020, along with a collection of quarantine-related essays called, “Life on the Inside”. The pieces went into detail about how everyone was coping during the apex of the pandemic. I decided our existence was absurd and this piece was born. Other essays from Heidi Kyser, ... Read More about #PandemicLife The post #PandemicLife appeared first on Kim Foster ..read more

This is what lunch service looks like today at Vegas Hot Pot, a restaurant I found because a well-known Chinatown chef said their hot pot might be “even better” than Chubby Cattle. They are excited to have a bunch of us coming in for lunch on Friday. If you cannot make lunch with us, or ... Read More about Chinatown ChowDown: Vegas Hotpot The post Chinatown ChowDown: Vegas Hotpot appeared first on Kim Foster ..read more

“Everything’s fine, dudes – have some tofu.” – Kristy Totten Let’s eat together. Our Las Vegas Chinatown markets and restaurants are arguably as good as SF or NYC, possibly better. But right now, because of fears around COVID-19, some of our restaurants are seeing a swift downturn in customers. “The economic impact has already hit ... Read More about Chinatown ChowDown The post Chinatown ChowDown appeared first on Kim Foster ..read more

This essay appeared in a more condensed form in the Jan/Feb issue of Desert Companion, but I’m posting it here in its full form. This might be unfair. But I’m a fairly-adept homecook and you shouldn’t be a professional chef, if I can out-cook you. I’m not talking about tricks. Or feats of molecular gastronomy. ... Read More about Date Night in the Desert: When A Great Dish Sets the Tone for the Whole Evening The post Date Night in the Desert: When A Great Dish Sets the Tone for the Whole Evening appeared first on Kim Foster ..read more