Writing by Leslie Brenner

Leslie has published six books, including an acclaimed novel and five books about food and wine. (To see them, scroll to the bottom of the page.) She has served as a contributing editor at Travel + Leisure (where one of her stories was nominated for a James Beard Journalism Award) and at Avenue (where one of her stories won a James Beard Journalism Award). She wrote hundreds of stories as Food editor at The Los Angeles Times (one won her second James Beard Award), and as acting editor in chief of Los Angeles Times Magazine. Hundreds more came out of her tenure as restaurant critic and dining editor at The Dallas Morning News, where she also founded Palate — an annual food and wine magazine. She is the founder and publisher of Cooks Without Borders and The Brenner Report, where she writes frequently. She has also written for Harper’s, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review and dozens of other publications.

Recently published stories

Bon Appétit

• “Here’s Why You’re Seeing More Masa on Restaurant Menus,”
September 29, 2021

The Washington Post

• “I wanted the ultimate Bolognese. Six recipes later, I came up with the best ragu of them all”
April 6, 2021

Highlights from Cooks Without Borders

“Classic French lemon tart: After 15 years of tinkering with the recipe, this is the one we adore”
April 3, 2023
“‘Masa’ is a must-have cookbook for Mexican cooking aficionados and aspirants”
Nov. 5, 2022
“Captivating, versatile and rich with meaning, okra is an intrepid citizen of the world”
August 31, 2022
“On a hot summer evening, nothing refreshes like a basket of chilled oroshi soba”
August 15, 2022
“For the best (and easiest) ratatouille, capture the fabulous flavor of late summer by roasting those vegetables”
September 14, 2021
“The masa life: How heirloom masa harina and a new (old!) world of beans can transform everyday eating”
July 28, 2021
“Next-wave masa: A forward-looking purveyor and passionate chefs bring heirloom corn from Mexico to their tables and yours”
March 16, 2021
“For out-of-this-world pozole rojo, start with dried heirloom corn from Mexico — then nixtamalize (yes, you can!)”
March 16, 2021
“A stellar quiche Lorraine (custardy, bacony, buttery-crusted!) is much easier to make than you might think”
Jan. 8, 2021
“Moussaka, a spectacular dish with a curious history, gets a magnificent (and long overdue!) makeover”
Dec. 13, 2020
“Okra, now at peak season, may be the most meaningful and expressive vegetable for this singular American moment”
Sept. 25, 2020

Selected stories from three decades of journalism

“The Ultimate Japanese food lovers’ guide to Dallas”
Dallas Morning News, August 31, 2017.
“Stephan Pyles’ Flora Street Cafe earns Leslie Brenner’s only current 5-star rating”
Dallas Morning News, Aug. 9, 2017. Leslie’s final review as restaurant critic.
“Marfa, Unvarnished: Why a visit is worth the epic trek — and why maybe you shouldn’t bother”
Dallas Morning News, March 25, 2017
“Dallas’ new wave of Chinese regional dining is sizzling hot”
Palate magazine cover story, March 2017 - hear related podcast on The Texas Standard
“Chinese food lovers’ guide to ordering, eating and appreciating dim sum”
Dallas Morning News, Jan. 24, 2017
“Flavors of Mexico: Dallas’ favorite cuisine takes off — again”
Dallas Morning News, June 12, 2015. Leslie’s digital story, the first bilingual story published by The Dallas Morning News (in partnership with Al Dia), won Second Prize for Best Multimedia Story from the Association of Food Journalists.
“Proof + Pantry is a fun, sexy addition to One Arts Plaza”
Dallas Morning News, Nov. 13, 2014 [note: date on the story is incorrect.] Leslie’s last review as an incognito critic.
“Radical Nature: Pierre Gagnaire is inspired by Jean-Marc Boyer’s intense dedication to terroir”
Robb Report, Sept. 11, 2014. Leslie interviewed Gagnaire and Boyer for a story published as part of Robb Report’s 2014 Culinary Masters event.
“The Perfect Food”
Saveur magazine, July 14, 2009. Leslie’s cover story about hamburgers and America’s obsession with them won Second Prize for Best Food Essay from the Association of Food Journalists.
“At the Old Warsaw, a case of continental drift”
Dallas Morning News, May 1, 2009.
“A food lover’s tour of Istanbul, Turkey”
Los Angeles Times, Sept. 21, 2008 [note: date on the story is incorrect]
“Taking the bait”
Los Angeles Times, July 8, 2008. A review of Southern California’s highest-grossing restaurant at the time, Gladstone’s.
“Drink it all in”
(with Michalene Busico), Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2007. Six days eating in Japan with Spago executive chef Lee Hefter was a crash course in sushi, tempura, yakiniku and kaiseki, culinary styles that define Japanese dining but are rarely seen in their pure form in the U.S.
“Eating the seasons”
(with Michalene Busico) May 16, 2007. At a moment when Japanese kaiseki was captivating chefs around the world, Leslie and Michalene experienced it at 95-year-old Kyoto restaurant Kikunoi, and then interviewed its celebrated chef, Yoshihiro Murata.
“Taking the bait”
Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2008. Review of Gladstone’s restaurant.
“An adventure in 37 courses”
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 2006. Leslie spent 5 days and covered more than 1,000 miles eating her way through Southwest France.
“Where has the love gone?”
Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2006. Leslie sat down for an interview with Mario Batali in New York at a time when he wasn’t garnering rave reviews.
“All smoke and swagger?”
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 2004. Leslie’s review of Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook may explain why the late chef publicly blasted her every chance he got.
“Around the Strip in eight buffets”
Los Angeles Times, Oct. 5, 2004. Eight all-you-can-eat extravaganzas in 72 hours: Leslie rolls with the gluttony in Sin City.
“Forget what you know: This is gazpacho”
Los Angeles Times, Aug. 13, 2003. Won a James Beard Journalism Award for Newspaper Feature Writing with Recipes
“Back to the Land of of Dordogne”
Travel + Leisure, March 2003

Books

The Fourth Star: Dispatches from Inside Daniel Boulud’s Celebrated New York Restaurant

Leslie spent a year behind the scenes as Boulud’s team strove to achieve NYC’s highest dining accolade. (Clarkson Potter, 2002)

“The Fourth Star may be just what your internal headwaiter ordered.”
— New York Times

Greetings from the Golden State

Leslie’s acclaimed debut novel was chosen as one of The Best Books of 2001 by The Los Angeles Times. (Henry Holt, 2001). The French-language edition (Jours heureux en Californie) was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Médicis Etranger.

“With a light, inviting touch, [Brenner] portrays an embodiment of the American dream in the late 20th century, a golden state marred only by the fact that flawed human beings are dreaming it.” — New York Times

American Appetite: The Coming of Age of a Cuisine

Winner of the 1999 Versailles World Cookbook Fair Award for Best Culinary History. (Bard, 1999)

“Lots of food for thought . . . an award-winning food writer looks at what American cuisine is and what it may become.” — Associated Press

“Lively and informative and will certainly make you laugh….Brenner sees our food tastes in terms of historical or sociological perspective…interweaving the personal and anecdotal in her text.” — Bon Appétit

Fear of Wine: An Introductory Guide to the Grape

(Bantam Books, 1995)

“So full of information, and so nicely put together that most anyone short of the expert level could probably read it with profit and pleasure….A great reference.”

— New York Daily News

Essential Flavors: The Simple Art of Cooking with Infused Oils, Flavored Vinegars, Essences and Elixirs

(Co-author with Katharine Kinsolving, Viking, 1994)

The Art of the Cocktail Party

Including 130 hors d’oeuvre, canapé and drink recipes. (Plume/Penguin, 1994)