Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Do you really know why we celebrate this day? Most Americans do not. Here’s why: because it gives Americans just one more day to get their drink on. Or so it appears that way.
Actually it’s a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. But, I bet if you interview people on the street [...]

[Read more →]

No, that’s not vinegar you’re drinking, it’s kombucha. If you’ve never heard of kombucha it’s a tea that has been fermented from what’s known as a “kombucha colony.” Now, here’s the not-so-appealing part: a kombucha colony is a solid mass of microorganisms, primarily acidic bacteria and yeast cultures. It looks not unlike what you might [...]

[Read more →]

After a long hard move  from San Francisco to Seattle, nothing soothed the soul more than a fine bottle of champagne and some good aged goat’s milk cheese.  Our dear friend provided the champagne and we plated the cheese. Now, I use the term “plate” loosely since the only thing I could find that resembled [...]

[Read more →]

Hard cider is a wonderful, bubbly and crisp drink with growing popularity in the United States. Made by

fermenting fruit juice or cider, there is a whole new crop of high quality ciders coming on the market. Not yet what you could call a “craze,” cider is still somehow reminiscent to me of the microbrew boom [...]

[Read more →]

After graduating from high school I went to Madrid, Spain. I’d studied Spanish for 4 years and spent a summer living with a family in Mexico. When I arrived to attend the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, I had a great language base, but was totally unprepared for a whole new food world that greeted me. [...]

[Read more →]

I know, I know, the last couple of days I’ve featured some strange foods, and today is no exception. Today I found an interesting article in New York Magazine about a “bacon-infused-bourbon-and-maple-syrup cocktail.” All together now…”EEEEEW!!”
Now don’t get me wrong. I love bacon. Like top-ten-favorite-foods love. I love it wrapped around asparagus, I love BLTs, [...]

[Read more →]

Many people shrivel in their seats when they see the sommelier coming their way, thinking he or she is only going to recommend the most expensive bottle on the list. But that’s not the case today. Gone (or at least exceptionally rare) is the old tuxedo-clad man who spoke down his nose in affected French, [...]

[Read more →]

I’m in Mexico on vacation and have been reflecting on that fact that I’ve spent of about 2 years of my life here altogether….boy has the country changed over those years! When I visited for the first time in the early eighties, I was a high school language student in the colonial town of San [...]

[Read more →]

While salivating over the latest issue of Saveur (March 2008) I found a recipe for infused rum. In the article the author describes a popular cordial in Madagascar known as The 44. The instructions for creating this rum-infused concoction are advanced so pay careful attention (wink):
The 44 Cordial
Take a Navel orange and deeply [...]

[Read more →]

It’s time for a tiki party!
Every now and then we love going to Trader Vic’s in Palo Alto. If you are unfortunate enough to have never frequented this legendary establishment, then put it on your list. Trader Vics’ are swanky Polynesian restaurant/bars that make you feel like you went back in time and found yourself [...]

[Read more →]