The joys, quirks, and questionable behavior that food and drink inspire fill this collection of award-winning commentary and narratives.

From Houston's burgeoning culinary landscape to late-night revelry in Britain and Barcelona to a Hell's Kitchen TV studio, the tales capture a way of life we take for granted no longer, when people freely gathered at tables and counters, shared food, raised glasses, and partook of drama and laughter and magic.

Award-winning commentary explores the staying power of food memories, the non-rational but abiding appeal of junk food, and the complexities of dinner parties and dining alone. Diaristic reports chronicle antics in bars and spectacular shortfalls in customer service, from both sides of the kitchen door (including shenanigans at the Dallas cantina that pioneered the margarita machine); arch an eyebrow at pretentious foodies, over-hyped restaurants, market researchers, and appalling entertainment; and take delight in generosity, from simple gestures to once-in-a-lifetime extravagance.

Beneath the wit and intricate, often outrageous detail is an intelligent, deeply personal understanding of the larger role that food and drink play beyond nutrition, which the author developed during 30 years of reviewing restaurants in Houston and New York and covering the specialty food industry nationally.