Do you know anyone who doesn't like barbecue? I mean real barbecue - - - ribs, brisket, pulled pork, pit smoked and roasted slow? Meat so tender and juicy and flavorful you wonder why you don't just eat barbecue every day?

    If you watched the Food TV Network early in June, you saw a lot of shows about barbecue - - seemed there was a barbecue contest every weekend somewhere. A few of those had more than 5,000 people show up to watch the competition and share some ribs and chilled adult beverages, and I developed a real hankering ...   more »

     What is it that makes a meal memorable? The company? The room? The service? The food? Or does it require all of them in some mysterious ratio? Fortunately for me, I did not have to calculate that math on a recent visit to The Artful Table at King's Way, off Route 6A in Yarmouthport, MA, the subject of this week's review.

    The company? Three daughters, my favorite food testers, who do not hold against me some of the awful experiments I foisted upon them when they were younger. We were early diners on a slow Tuesday, and had ...   more »

     I first had this salad when I was overseas, and I liked it so much I wrote it down after speaking with the cook who prepared it. I couldn't wait to try it out on my daughters, always my favorite food idea testers, and even after two decades they still ask me to make it for them.

    It's simple, refreshing, and tastes better with age. It comes together easily and quickly, too. Try it and see what you think.

For Four with Leftovers

8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
4 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped in ½ inch dice
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 bunches fresh parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp fresh lemon thyme, leaves picked and chopped
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
juice from one lemon
a very good quality extra virgin olive oil                                 

Put the feta cheese in a bowl, along with the finely chopped red onioin, the coriander, lemon thyme, lemon juice and black pepper. Toss it to mix well, cover and let marinate for an hour.

On the plate you intend to use for service, spread the chopped tomatoes in an even layer. Top this with the marinated feta cheese, and top the cheese with the chopped parsley.

Drizzle the olive oil over the entire salad, not so much it swims in the oil, but enough so the salad is not dry.

    Don't miss the wonderful aroma of the lemon thyme as you chop it. I have a couple of lemon thyme plants in my herb garden, and I often begin my day by rubbing a few of the leaves between my finger and thumb for that smell. It's one of nature's great presents to us.

    I always make more than I know I'll need for a meal, too, and will look forward to some of this salad for breakfast the next morning. So do my girls. I hope you'll enjoy it, too.

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