I don't normally write about food on this blog. But hear me out. Yesterday was Bianca's birthday and we had an incredible experience at Osteria Giulia. We sat at the bar, as we like to do, and everything was perfect: the food, the service, and the interiors.

First, let's talk about the food.

Anchovies, grilled sourdough, and a lot of delicious butter:

Endive, pear, burnt honey vinaigrette, toasted almonds, and ricotta:

Ricotta filled pasta, mushrooms, and artichokes:

Sea bass, leeks, artichokes, fava beans, and charred tomatoes:

Now, let's talk about the interiors. They were designed by Guido Costantino Projects. And to get a good feel for their approach, I suggest you first check out their Instagram and then move onto their website. They do really beautiful and calming work.

Design always matters.

And I'm pretty sure that the cream-colored stones and light-oak details made everything taste that much better last night. If you haven't been and you get a chance, I would highly recommend you try Osteria Giulia. It's now one of our favorites in the city.

Happy birthday, Bianca!

In 2017, the US restaurant industry generated about $560 billion in annual revenue. By comparison, the movie industry generates some $30 billion a year. Food, and eating out, is a big business.

A recent paper by Joel Waldgogel of the University of Minnesota has tried to estimate the "implicit cuisine trade" associated with this industry. To do this, he used restaurant data from TripAdvisor and sales figures from Euromonitor.

Domestic consumption of a foreign cuisine was considered an "import." And foreign consumption of a domestic cuisine was considered an "export." Here's what he discovered (graph from the Economist):

Italy is, by far, the biggest net "exporter." And the US is the biggest net "importer." If you exclude fast food, the US "deficit" balloons to approximately $140 billion.

I guess everybody does really love Italian food. For the full paper, click here.

I don't normally write about food on this blog. But hear me out. Yesterday was Bianca's birthday and we had an incredible experience at Osteria Giulia. We sat at the bar, as we like to do, and everything was perfect: the food, the service, and the interiors.

First, let's talk about the food.

Anchovies, grilled sourdough, and a lot of delicious butter:

Endive, pear, burnt honey vinaigrette, toasted almonds, and ricotta:

Ricotta filled pasta, mushrooms, and artichokes:

Sea bass, leeks, artichokes, fava beans, and charred tomatoes:

Now, let's talk about the interiors. They were designed by Guido Costantino Projects. And to get a good feel for their approach, I suggest you first check out their Instagram and then move onto their website. They do really beautiful and calming work.

Design always matters.

And I'm pretty sure that the cream-colored stones and light-oak details made everything taste that much better last night. If you haven't been and you get a chance, I would highly recommend you try Osteria Giulia. It's now one of our favorites in the city.

Happy birthday, Bianca!

In 2017, the US restaurant industry generated about $560 billion in annual revenue. By comparison, the movie industry generates some $30 billion a year. Food, and eating out, is a big business.

A recent paper by Joel Waldgogel of the University of Minnesota has tried to estimate the "implicit cuisine trade" associated with this industry. To do this, he used restaurant data from TripAdvisor and sales figures from Euromonitor.

Domestic consumption of a foreign cuisine was considered an "import." And foreign consumption of a domestic cuisine was considered an "export." Here's what he discovered (graph from the Economist):

Italy is, by far, the biggest net "exporter." And the US is the biggest net "importer." If you exclude fast food, the US "deficit" balloons to approximately $140 billion.

I guess everybody does really love Italian food. For the full paper, click here.