I finally had my chance to check out the London gastropub scene. Staying out in Northwest London’s handsome, tree-lined, Victorian row house street defined village of Hampstead, I booked us into The HORSESHOE, a welcome gastro/microbrewery rebirth of an old, dreary run down pub on Hampstead Street which years ago convinced me that there were better places to sip ale. Fresh paint, smart lighting, […]
Declaring Mencia King
My love affair with the Mencia grape is officially out of control. Tasting through more of these wines at Toro (which is by the way Ken Oringer’s restaurant serving very serious food in a relaxed but energy charged atmosphere…sitting on my top ten all-time list for “simply delicious” and a winning choice for Beantown foodie indulgence) convinced me that my first […]
On Boeuf Bourguignon, Docs, Pinot Noir, and Nirvana
For folks that allocate non trivial sums of their waking hours tasting fine wine and devouring information in appreciative support of things vinous, the ultimate reward occurs when the collage of food, wine, and human connection intersect with seamless harmony in one pinnacle vignette. My experience with this form of cerebral tickling generally takes hold […]
Ginglinger and Mark Ryan at Poppy
My summer’s regular running from Boston to Seattle and back offers its rewards. I find myself working closer with pros in the media and luxury home design business of significant intellect and modest disposition. In addition, the burgeoned Washington State wine industry combines with a serious food scene that either dwarfs Boston’s or just seems that way from insufficient exploration. My […]
Perennially Crystal Quail
Regulars know it’s not possible to completely describe the transcendental experience of a Crystal Quail evening. After the ritual pilgramage through the back-est of Center Barnstead, New Hampshire country roads and arriving in the middle of nowhere to find a small 18th century farmhouse glowing in the setting sun just twenty yards uphill of the rear over sized garden whose bounty is being prepped at […]
Canlis Renewed
There are spaces and experiences I encounter in life where it is possible to feel the bones of venerablity and simultaneously appreciate the harmonic enhancements of current day excellence. Last night, in the same spot the family started back in 1950 on a Seattle cliff, Canlis glistened with energetic respect for its history and a nod to its new iteration. […]
Slurping Soba for Grace and Wine for Life
It was my first time. The sounds inside the small, ancient, wooden Kyoto noodle restaurant were deafening. The weather outside was 32C with 90% humidity. Inside were tables of men dressed in uniform grey salaryman suits and ties, sticks snatching clumps of chilled Soba, dipping once quickly in tsuyu sauce before bowing their heads over bamboo plates and viciously sucking the living buckwheat out of this ultimate […]
Primofiore 2001 Bin End
It’s a name to remember and a wine to forget. First the name: Giuseppe Quintarelli. Now the wine: 2001 Primofiore. And finally, the caveats. I made a last minute stop into a local wine shop on the way to one of the two BYOB restaurants within driving distance of my home. Living in the Boston area and thinking BYOB is probably […]
More Eleven Madison Park
Restrained but glorious flora, service staff whispers, John Ragan’s selections, the Daniel Humm aura, soaring ceilings, Madison Park fauna, a team-in-motion “whoosh”, and Will Guidara sets the Eleven Madison Park tone. Like explorers’ in the deep rain forest, your senses are pumped with addictive tonic to lure you back; again and again. Returning recently after a regretfully long hiatus, I anticipated another evening of wine and food wizadry with my colleague who […]
Ferran Adria Dares Beer to be Wine
Is beer wine when it goes through a second fermentation in the bottle? Is wine really beer when it retains characteristics that are best enjoyed without food. And, might beer qualify as wine when it is flexible enough to pair with opposite and conflicting flavors across one meal? These all seem like meaningless technicalities when Ferran Adria and […]
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