The more things change, the more they stay the same. York has built its reputation on large elements of its attraction having remained unchanged for a great many years, but there’s part of the city that holds a mirror up to that and looks forward. The nature of the hospitality industry, whose operators are always…
York does rather well for wine these days. Since Pairings started blazing a trail for quality wine in relaxed surroundings, there have been a few others recently enter the fray with places such as Howl, 2ManyWines, The Wright Place and Jorvine all throwing their corks into the ring. The latest to join this group is…
If you read this site even semi-regularly then you’ll realise I tend to be quite the sociable type. Between review meals, helping organise food festivals, keeping Baby Fork socialised and being an active participant in the York Bar Billiards League, I tend to have quite a few demands on my time and I thoroughly enjoy…
There are many, many challenges associated with opening a new food business. The process can be a perfect storm of colossal public expectation, monstrous workload, huge capital expenditure and a massively competitive market. I’ve been to more restaurant launches that smell of wet paint than I can count and it’s not uncommon to be sat…
Sometimes it’s a struggle to decide what to feature on this site. I frequently receive offers of novelty crockery and dubious dietary supplements that are easily dismissed along with some of the invitations to less salubrious restaurants – if I wouldn’t be tempted to eat somewhere on my own money then why would I invest…
It’s a tough thing to build a reputation as a restaurant when you’re based in a hotel. For reasons that have always been slightly beyond my grasp, the challenge involved in convincing non-residents to make a few steps from their usual route is a significant one regardless of the quality of the restaurant in question.…
York can be a slightly backwards looking city, happy to rely on existing glories rather than pushing forward. This can be reflected in the restaurant scene. When places are established there’s an attachment, justified in many cases, that can last for some time after the place in question has disappeared which can become unwelcome baggage…
Wine and snack pairings at one of York’s most relaxing venues
An evening of matched wine and seafood with Melton’s in St Sampson’s Square
Picking up a couple of stars in Brussels