Monthly Archives: September 2023

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Flora and Son
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, Music | Directed by John Carney
The writer-director John Carney, whose feature “Once” made musical waves, returns with another charming songwriter tale.


Eve Hewson and Oren Kinlan in “Flora and Son.”
By AMY NICHOLSON

Fire Through Dry Grass
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary | Directed by Andres Jay Molina, Alexis Neophytides
This enlightening, troubling documentary chronicles life (and death) among residents in a long-term care facility during the heights of the pandemic.


A scene from “Fire Through Dry Grass.”
By CONCEPCIÓN DE LEÓN

Mami Wata
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama, Fantasy, Thriller | Directed by C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi
In this striking film by the Nigerian director C.J. Obasi, with the help of a mysterious stranger, a village awakens to what is possible.


Evelyne Ily in “Mami Wata,” a film about the tensions between a traditional Nigerian culture and updated visions of the world.
By BRANDON YU

— Of Possible Interest —

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
PG | Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Cal Brunker
In this sequel, the canine gang faces Taraji P. Henson’s villain who sends a dangerous meteor toward Earth. And, yes, Kim Kardashian returns too.
By CLAIRE SHAFFER

The Creator
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Gareth Edwards
In this hectic, futuristic action film, John David Washington hunts down a threatening artificial intelligence with the baby face of a child.
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

Food! Glorious Food!

36 HOURS
36 Hours in Santiago, Chile
Against the arresting backdrop of the Andes, the Chilean capital is alive with music, art and nightlife.
By JOHN BARTLETT

ITALY DISPATCH
Clams Ruled This Town Until the Crabs Moved In
Goro, on the Adriatic Sea, is famous for its clams — essential for the beloved spaghetti alle vongole. But an infestation of crabs is threatening the town’s cash crop.
By JASON HOROWITZ

Has Coffee Really Ousted Tea as the U.K.’s Favorite Hot Drink?
Recent studies suggest coffee has stolen Britons’ hearts. But for cafe patrons in a city that hosts some of the nation’s oldest coffeehouses, it’s complicated.
By MEGAN SPECIA

Meet the Climate-Defying Fruits and Vegetables in Your Future
Hot-weather cherries, drought-resistant melons and six other crops in the works that could change how we eat in a fast-warming world.
By Kim Severson

Cumin and Cashew Yogurt Rice to Kick Off Fall
Creamy and tangy from yogurt, crunchy from cashews and warming from cumin and ghee, Priya Krishna’s new 10-minute recipe soothes and satisfies.


By THE NEW YORK TIMES COOKING

3 Tinned Fish to Try
I spoke with Anna Hezel, the author of “Tin to Table,” for some advice on where to begin, if you want to try canned seafood.


Anchovies are a natural introduction to the world of tinned fish because they’re already an ingredient in other popular dishes like Caesar salad. This green anchovy butter has many uses on steak, vegetables and as a spread.
By CHRISTINA MORALES

Four-Ingredient Nutella Brownies With a Five-Minute Prep Time
Because Wednesday.


By MELISSA CLARK

This Classic Cantonese Dish Turns Whole Fish Into an Easy, Impressive Dinner
Kenji López-Alt frequently relies on this efficient recipe to feed his family of fish lovers with minimal time and effort.

An overhead image of a whole fish on a platter under a tangle of herbs.
Easily adaptable, Cantonese-style steamed fish can be made with whole fish or fillets.
By J. Kenji López-Alt

A GOOD APPETITE
This Sheet-Pan Vegetarian Dinner Can’t Get Much Simpler
This colorful meal from Melissa Clark, full of chickpeas and peppers, comes together in two steps — no charring over an open flame required.

Roasted chickpeas and peppers, topped with herbs and goat cheese, are arranged on a white plate.
Thinly slicing peppers allows them to collapse and caramelize in a much quicker, easier way than roasting them over flames.
By Melissa Clark

Want to Eat Less Meat? Try Something Sour.
Chickpeas and plantains get a piquant punch with a vinegar-rich escabeche.


By LIGAYA MISHAN

Bust Out the Big Pot: It’s Soup Season
Stew season, too — red curry lentils with sweet potatoes and spinach, and coconut-miso salmon curry.
By EMILY WEINSTEIN

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

The Origin of Evil
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Drama, Thriller | Directed by Sébastien Marnier
“Succession” meets Brian De Palma in this delicious family-fortune thriller from France, directed by Sébastien Marnier.


Laure Calamy, center, with, clockwise from left, Céleste Brunnquell, Dominique Blanc, Jacques Weber, Doria Tillier and Véronique Ruggia Saura in “The Origin of Evil.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Still Film
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Documentary, Drama | Directed by James N. Kienitz Wilkins
James N. Kienitz Wilkins’s eloquently argued experimental film warns of a contemporary Hollywood dangerously obsessed with the past.


A scene from “Still Film.”
By ROBERT DANIELS

— Of Possible Interest —

Cassandro
R | Biography, Drama, Sport | Directed by Roger Ross Williams
Gael García Bernal plays a flamboyant figure taking the world of Mexican professional wrestling by storm in this underdog drama directed by Roger Ross Williams.
By NATALIA WINKELMAN

Paul Robeson: ‘I’m a Negro. I’m an American.’
Not Rated | Documentary | Directed by Kurt Tetzlaff
The film’s subtitle is drawn from one of the performer’s quotes in his autobiography “Here I Stand”: “I’m a Negro. I’m an American.”
By LISA KENNEDY

Food! Glorious Food!

NICOLE GUGLIELMO
The Restaurant List 2023 (DePayWalled)
The 50 places in the United States that we’re most excited about right now.

Food giant recalls 83,000 cases of its Kraft Singles cheese product
Company says an issue with its wrapping machines caused a thin plastic strip to remain in some slices, creating a choking hazard

The Queen of West African Recipes Has Entered the Chat
Thieboudienne, the national dish of Senegal, shows how sophisticated and delicious a one-pot rice dish can be.


By YEWANDE KOMOLAFE

The Amber Gleam of Yakgwa, South Korea’s ‘It’ Cookie
These glossy cookies come from ancient Korea, but their ginger-honey flavors are timeless.


Yakgwa have been enjoyed for more than a thousand years in Korea, but the cookies are seeing a resurgence in popularity thanks to social media.
By ERIC KIM

A Chile Paste So Good, It’s Protected by the U.N.
Real-deal Tunisian harissa is an anchor to the motherland and a bright, specific accent to countless dishes.


By ERIC KIM

Satisfying Dinners to Bridge Summer and Fall
We’re not done with tomatoes just yet: They turn saucy in skillet chicken with peppers and burst into juicy jewels when tucked into salmon parcels.
By EMILY WEINSTEIN

PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS
Luxurious Takes on Pâté en Croûte
Plus: one-of-a-kind painted cabinets, origami-inspired fashion and more from T’s cultural compendium.

20 Wines Under $20: Bottles for All Seasons
Conventional wisdom on when to drink whites or reds can result in missing out on many great choices. These will go well anytime.


By ERIC ASIMOV

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

El Conde
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy, Fantasy, History, Horror | Directed by Pablo Larraín
The Chilean director Pablo Larraín makes the dictator Augusto Pinochet a vampire in this horror spoof.


President Salvador Allende of Chile, as seen in the documentary “The First Year.”
By AMY NICHOLSON

— Of Possible Interest —

A Million Miles Away
PG | Drama | Directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella
In this biopic, a boy from a family of migrant farm workers watches the moon landing in 1969, which ignites his desire to be an astronaut.
By CONCEPCIÓN DE LEÓN

The Inventor
PG | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family | Directed by Jim Capobianco, Pierre-Luc Granjon
This playful movie uses stop-motion and hand-drawn animation to pay homage to Leonardo as a thinker and tinkerer.
By LISA KENNEDY

Canary
Not Rated | Documentary | Directed by Danny O’Malley, Alex Rivest
A documentary traces the efforts of Dr. Lonnie Thompson, a scientist who starting collecting evidence of global warming in the 1970s.
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

Food! Glorious Food!

Michelin’s Coveted Stars Can Come With Some Costs
As its universe of dining guides expands to new places, the company is asking those regions to help pay the bill. And some chefs fear the honors are fostering a world of restaurant clones.
By JULIA MOSKIN

FOOD MATTERS
How Did Vanilla Become a Byword for Blandness?
The spice is one of the world’s most elusive, complex and hard to cultivate ingredients. But for many Americans, it still represents a “boring” choice.
By LIGAYA MISHAN and MELODY MELAMED

Paqui ‘One Chip Challenge’ Is Being Pulled From Shelves
A subsidiary of the Hershey Company said it was pulling the extraordinarily spicy chip “out of an abundance of caution” following the death of a teenager whose family said he had died after eating one.
By Remy Tumin

A GOOD APPETITE
The Secret Ingredient Your Salads Are Missing
Marinating tomatoes is a quick and easy way to coax out their juices and make them the perfect complement to leafy greens, Melissa Clark writes.


A big green salad with marinated tomatoes can be a substantial salad course, a hearty lunch or a satisfying side.
By MELISSA CLARK

Our Five-Star Shakshuka With 15,000 Reviews
More back-to-school boosts: quick chicken noodle soup, bright tofu larb and chocolate chip brookies.


By MELISSA CLARK

How Yotam Ottolenghi Was Seduced by Soba Noodles
The somewhat magical noodles have an innate generosity: add whatever you feel like at the moment.


By YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

100 Quick Dinners to Make Again and Again
Miso-honey chicken, lemony shrimp and beans and nutty mattar paneer.
By EMILY WEINSTEIN

This One-Pot Orzo With Bacon Uses a Clever Corn Trick
Don’t slice your kernels. Grate them instead for this creamy, extra-corny dinner that’s ready in less than an hour.


By MELISSA CLARK

Our All-Time Most Requested Recipe Turns 40. Here’s Its Story.

The original plum torte is cut into wedges on a ceramic plate on a dark blue tablecloth.
By Margaux Laskey

A Love of Pomegranates, and a Perfect Baked Fish for Rosh Hashana
An artist’s love of the fruit has culminated in two galleries and a self-published book of recipes.

Two cooked fish fillets are covered in a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and parsley in a white ceramic baking dish.
Pomegranate molasses adds tang to the sauce for this baked fish dish.
By Joan Nathan

Germany’s Oldest Hops Thrived for Centuries. Then Came Climate Change.
Hotter, drier seasons are threatening the traditions of German hops growers, who are fighting to preserve a way of life — and the flavor of your favorite brew.


“It’s just important to us that the whole system works, that it works in the future as it has worked in the past,” said Andreas Auernhammer, a hops farmer in Spalt, Germany.
By Catie Edmondson

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Hello Dankness
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Comedy, Horror, Music, Musical | Directed by Soda Jerk
The video artists known as Soda Jerk explore life in the United States from 2016 onward with an oddball assemblage of pop culture clips.


A scene from “Hello Dankness.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

— Of Possible Inerest —

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
PG-13 | Drama | Directed by Aitch Alberto
The film “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” a gay teen romance set in 1980s Texas and adapted from Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s novel, is tenderhearted but meandering.
By ERIK PIEPENBURG

Food! Glorious Food!

Pork Industry Grapples With Whiplash of Shifting Regulations
Retailers in California, and pig farmers and processors thousands of miles away, are bracing for the impact of a state ban on some sources of the meat.
By JULIE CRESWELL

The New Reality for College Dining Halls: Dozens of Dietary Restrictions
A surge of students with allergies and special diets is challenging meal services and changing the shape of the campus cafeteria.
By PRIYA KRISHNA

Where to Start in Emilia-Romagna?
The cheese, the pasta, the restaurants with Michelin stars? On a trip to this food-rich region of Italy, a writer’s checklist overflows with delicious options.
By SHEILA YASMIN MARIKAR and SUSAN WRIGHT

A Dinner Party Menu That Finds Inspiration in Italy
Transport yourself to the Mediterranean with a roasted pepper antipasto, a succulent fish in tomato broth and an easy, showstopping plum tart from David Tanis.


ipe tomatoes and bell peppers star in this stunning and summery meal.
By DAVID TANIS

An Easy, Summery Tomato Pasta That’s Ready for Fall
Caramelized tomatoes are paired with white beans in this season-bridging weeknight dinner.
By ALEXA WEIBEL

The Hunt for the Ideal Bánh Mì
Whether you’re in New Orleans, Tokyo or Paris, the perfect sandwich is waiting to be found.


By BRYAN WASHINGTON

Baked Spaghetti Is a 9×13 Pan of Comfort
And a six-ingredient, 20-minute, five-star salmon recipe that one reader calls “life-changing.”
By MIA LEIMKUHLER

Grilled Peaches With Dukkah to Savor the Last of Summer
With Ruth Reichl’s giant chocolate cake (actual name) to soothe back-to-school stresses.


By KIM SEVERSON

Summer Ends, but Corn Is Forever
In cold sesame noodles with crisp cucumber, creamy corn soup with basil, and farro salad with crispy chickpeas.
By TANYA SICHYNSKY

You Know You’re Getting Old When Your Bartenders Retire
Two longtime New York City bartenders, “Joe” Petrsoric and Kevin Duffy Philzone, were dependable anchors in our ever-changing, once-nocturnal city.
By PETER KHOURY

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Family | Directed by Julien Chheng, Jean-Christophe Roger
The delightful odd couple of the Oscar-nominated French film head to the mountains in “A Trip to Gibberitia.” Every frame brims with painterly detail.


Ernest and Celestine travel to Ernest’s hometown in what our critic calls a “gem of a sequel.”
By NATALIA WINKELMAN