an ode to zupan's housemade kabobs
Four housemade kabobs from Zupan's, a screaming-hot Portland day, a carbon steel griddle, and the best batch of rice I've made in thirteen years. Then World Cup and AC. A near-perfect night with almost no effort.
From the shelf.
Latest essays · 2026
run, don't walk, to pipsqueak bagels
Rolled up to Pipsqueak just after opening, got handed the wrong bagel, and ended up with the best sesame bagel…
pfriem japanese lager brats, two ways
Brown them in butter and olive oil, braise them in a whole can of Pfriem Japanese Lager, and then figure out w…
make more bangers than you think
Last night's sheet pan bangers were a huge win. The real lesson came tonight, when the leftovers turned into a…
a honey trick for famous dave's cornbread
Famous Dave's mix is already a cheat code. Drizzle local honey over the top right before it bakes and it turns…
Sheet Pan Sausages, Peppers & Onions
The recipe said 30 minutes at 425. It lied. Nearly an hour, a bump to 450 at the end, and then the best versio…
Weird things at Dominos
Thought my first real post from Shanghai about food would be about a delicious food tour or handmade dumplings…
“Cook for an hour and you might learn something. Cook for ten years and you might unlearn the wrong things.”
Field notes.
Briefer than an essay, longer than a tweet. Updated whenever something’s worth saying.
Writing from Lake Oswego.
Bottle & Flame has been a notebook since 2013 — kitchens in London, Shanghai, and now Oregon. Brian cooks from memory as much as from recipes: what a market in Xintiandi taught him, what a Sunday roast in Islington required, what the pantry in Lake Oswego demands on a Tuesday night.