Drink Eat Love

Monday Night Wines

Mondays can be a drag. I have found that my Monday nights are much better when I try some wine. Each Monday night Shauna and I will try one white and one red and then let yall know what we think.

Why Puglia?

Before our wedding last August, everyone asked, "Where are you going on your honeymoon? When we said Pulgia, confused faces greeted us and then two questions were always asked: Pul-what? and Pul-where?

Knowing what you love

The past few weeks have been a long, intense and important time in my life. Five weeks ago, I left my job at Andronico's Market (www.andronicos.com) and took a national buying position at Cost Plus World Market. I believed this was the right step for me: more money, more stores, and more buying "power". Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Taste off!

If you are an avid fan of Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, or Zoolander, like I am, you may know the term "walk off". If you do not, it is a way to settle a fashion crisis between models. Well, as much I long to be a male plus-sized model I have never thrown down in a "walk off" (I know I would be fierce), but  last December I did the wine industry equivalent, I challenged a fellow wine geek to a "taste off".

Always drink the good stuff!

                                    

   

                  Over the last three weeks we have enjoyed the 4 bottles above!

From left to right: Henriot, Champagne N.V.; Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere Blanc, Pessac-Leognan Cru Classe 2004, Lopez de Heredia "Vina Bosconia" Gran Reserva, Rioja 1978, Domaine Jamet, Cote Rotie 2003

Laundry/Rustico

(by Shauna, guest contributor)

We discovered the rustico the same day we discovered we were out of clean underwear.  Going to the Laundromat  at  home is a chore, in Italy it’s a cultural adventure. If you ever want to feel a sense of accomplishment, do laundry in a foreign country.

Is it Food?

If you have read any food magazines over the past 10 years you know that "Gastronomic" science is raging across the world. In a recent article in the New York Times a very famous Spanish chef calls out this trend. I found the article a good start to the debate...Is it food?

My First Tortilla

Despite our poorly equipped kitchen—no oven, no food processor or blender, just a two-burner hot plate—David and I have been cooking up a storm here in Spain. We make a lot of Italian, Middle Eastern and Asian dishes, but one thing that's been conspicuously missing from our it's-a-small-word repertoire is Spanish food.

L’Ambroisie: The Food

Mis en place is a term used in kitchens to mean “everything in its place.” At L’Ambroisie mis en place means perfection in every aspect of the restaurant—and none could be truer than in the food. L’Ambroisie is not a place to find foams, edible paper or any other item that you need directions to eat. At L’Ambroisie, the food is pure, honest and beautiful. The care taken in selecting each ingredient is evident in every dish. Each element of a dish can be tasted and savored individually, yet the harmony in which all parts play is greater than the sum. L’Ambroisie is a true foodie’s paradise.

Madness, And A Bit of Hope

(with a nod to Safiya Henderson-Holmes, whose work I much enjoyed in another lifetime)

An article in the New York Times today gave me reason to cheer. With all the craziness of astronomical fuel prices and food shortages in the air, it's heartening to see that community/urban gardening is starting to show some legs. It may not be the complete answer to the food crisis, but it's a positive piece of the puzzle.

Happy Wednesday!

Sanlucar Recollections, Part I

If Flamenco is the soul of traditional Andalucia, and bullfighting its heart then, undoubtedly, manzanilla sherry is the blood that courses through its veins. And if you've never had manzanilla from the barrel, you've never REALLY had manzanilla. That's why, even after more than three months have passed, I feel compelled to write about our visit to manzanilla country, or rather city: Sanlucar de Barrameda.

Flor in your wine?