​The Flavor Brief​

A weekly letter about food, science, and why things taste the way they do

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Hello Reader

When I lived in Oakland, one of the most iconic dishes that every resident of the San Francisco Bay Area would have quite likely tried was the Garlic Noodles by Helene An of Thanh Long restaurant. I love these noodles so much that I used to get a friend who lived close by to grab me takeout whenever possible and bring it to work.

Thanh Long was one of the early American-Vietnamese restaurants to open in the country and the restaurant wasn't profitable. Chef An noticed that pasta was extremely popular, and so she did the next best thing. She took something people were familiar with and transformed it into a dish with all the cooking knowledge she had – Garlic Noodles. These buttery, umami coated noodles artfully combine the best parts of garlic flavor without the pungent bite. This month, on Flavor Forward, I talk about all things garlic with my producer and dear friend, Lan Lam at America's Test Kitchen, and together we prepare this beloved dish.

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And now — the news I've been dying to share.

I'm going on a book tour!

​Fundamentals of Flavor will be out in the world this month, and I want to celebrate it in person, with you. I'll be crisscrossing the country and beyond, from New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Los Angeles to London and Australia (details coming very soon). And I could not be more thrilled about who's joining me along the way.

I'll be in conversation with people whose work I admire, and some I've had the joy of working with directly. Paolo Lucchesi gave me my first big gig as a food columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. Sarah Billingsley has edited all four of my cookbooks, this one included. Joining them across the tour: Hetty McKinnon, Bill Addison (LA Times), Elazar Sontag (Washington Post), J. Kenji López-Alt, Soleil Ho (Coyote Media), Gurdeep Loyal, and Itamar Srulovich (Honey & Co, London). Every conversation will be a little different, and I can't wait to see what we get into.

First stop: Brooklyn. Join me and cookbook author Hetty McKinnon at Powerhouse on September 21, from 6:30–8:00 pm for the official book launch (note: the time on the registration website is incorrect, they will update it soon). I'd love nothing more than to see your face in the crowd.

Some of these events are already selling out quickly, so reserve your tickets soon.

xx

Nik

THE RECIPEs

I've had brownies on my mind all week, and while these cookies and brownies don't really answer the existential question — are brownies cake or cookies, they solve the cravings which in my mind matters more.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies Fudgy, chocolately, with a sprinkling of salted pistachios, one is not enough. Get the recipe →

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies Hazelnuts and chocolate are my favorite flavor pairing, and these brownies are on my top tier list to make for myself and loved ones Get the recipe →