Drink Eat Love

For the Love of the Pig!

I have never understood why people do not eat pig. I know that there are numerous quotations in religious texts banning the pig from one's diet, but pig is so good! The New York Times Food Section ran an article on the "Bacon Explosion", an amazing concoction of the world's greatest protein. "Bacon Explosion" is a one of a kind recipe from the BBQ'ers at BBQaddicts.com and is truly a culinary masterpiece.

Monday Night Wine...Beer

As our economy continues to slide into the abyss I have found myself searching for comforting, hearty, and rich dishes plus their complementary beverages. After cooking the achiote short rib stew I decided to go back to my roots and make chili. The ingredients of chili are fairly inexpensive and most recipes have you make enough to serve eight to ten people...left-overs in our case.

The Fancy Food Show: Not Much New

Every year the food world comes together to show off their products to the food retailers, writers, and sellers. This world-renowned food show is called the Fancy Food Show and is a unique culinary experience that if you are able you should attend. Each year the show tends to have an overall theme or trend that permeates throughout the event; the theme could be Goji berries, unique salts or cured meats, but this year there was a palpable

Monday Night Wines: 804 A.D. REALLY?

What was going on in 804 AD? Charlemagne was wrapping up his fight with the Saxons, Japanese monk Kukai visited China, and in a small region Carmignano vines were being grown and wine was being made.

I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Beatrice Contini Bonacossi of Tenuta di Capezzana and taste through her wines.Capezzana is a family estate in the Carmignano DOCG of Tuscany. The family has records detailing that vines had been planted and wine has been continually produced since 804 AD. Tenuta di Capezzana is 670 hectares with 100 hectares of vines and 140 hectares of olive trees for their world-class olive oil.

small medium large

This Friday I got the "crud" that is going around my office. All weekend long I have been really wanting to enjoy a nice glass of wine so I could write about it, but I would rather not be sick so I have abstained from the "sauce". Since I can't have a drink and I'm only "eating" bland foods I thought I would plug my favorite blogger and her blog: small medium large.

small medium large is my wife's blog. Shauna is a graphic designer for Hello Lucky! a custom letter press house based in San Francisco. SML is about, in Shauna's words, "...designey things and stuff I like." So enjoy her perspective on design and get the scoop on all the new trends in fashion, design, color and whatever else she finds.

Low and Slow

In our hyper-active lives going slow never seems to be a reality. We are all over-connected, over-worked and over-scheduled, forcing many of us to eat on the run. Many opt for fast food, frozen meals or eating out to appease our body's need for fuel. Fight back! Go "low and slow" one meal per week and explore the depth of flavor that low heat and a long cooking time provides.

Monday Night Wine: Ehret Family Winery

If you have not noticed, Californian wines generally do not make it into Monday Night WInes. It is not that I don't enjoy the wines of this fair state, but many of them do not excite me as much as wines from Italy, France, or Spain...until this week. I had a meeting with the sales person from Ehret Family WInery and was blown away. I am very excited about this full-bodied, plush and well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon from Knights Valley in Sonoma.

Dine around town: DOSA on Fillmore

Our first weekend of 2009 was devoted to two of our favorite pastimes: eating and watching television shows on Netflix. We started our year off by trying out the new location of Dosa, which specializes in southern Indian food (paying close attention to its namesake, the dosa). The new location is huge in comparison with the original space in the Mission.

Monday Night Wine: South Africa

South African wines have gotten some pretty good play in the US market with brands like Goats do Roam, KWV, and few others. Most people think of either value wines or Sauvignon Blanc when South African wines are mentioned. Yet, as with all wine regions there are producers that have quietly made exceptional wines that are on the level of some of the world's greats. In wine circles Hamilton Russell Vineyards is that producer. I was fortunate to visit South Africa two years ago and see for my own eyes the beauty of this estate and the passion of its owners, Anthony and Olive Russell. Hamilton Russell produces three amazing agricultural products all in minuscule quantiles: wine (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir only), olive oil and honey. Wine is their primary product but the olive oil and honey are just as sublime as the wines.

Searching for great pizza and we need your help!

Last week Shauna and I enjoyed a great pizza and I had an idea. To search for the best  pizza in the Bay Area.  By January 31st I will go to as many pizza spots as I can find  and create a list of my favorite places, care you join?  Please email me your reviews of your favorite pizza joints and I will post the findings.

Here are some keys and/or notes to look for: 1. Do they take reservations? 2. What types of toppings are offered? 3. What style of pizza is it? 4. What is the price per person? 5. How is their wine or beer selection and prices? 6. How is the service? 7. Do they deliver?

Please get me your submissions by January 31st, 2009. You can either email the blog or reach me at learningthevines@gmail.com

Good eating!