I’m standing in front of my favorite wine section (rose) at my favorite wine store, deciding if I want to stick with the tried and true — and easy (screw caps), when a perky, young saleswoman asks if I need help.
I say I’m fine and continue studying the choices, which at this particular store are [...]
Entries from October 2008
October 31, 2008
Play that funky…wine?
October 30, 2008
Mon Dieu!
Never would I have expected to have such lovely French bistro food in the land of pineapples and papayas, but that’s exactly what I found at Du Vin, in downtown Honolulu.
I almost missed the chance, too. When I travel, I like to eat local, what the locals eat, and most often, that’s the regional cuisine [...]
October 29, 2008
Trust me…
Omasake means something like “trust the chef” or “put yourself in the chef’s hands.” Either way, you give permission to the sushi chef to whip up something special for you.
Recently, we dined at Nobu in Waikiki, Hawaii. Sitting at the gleaming sushi bar, I recognized only a handful of the slabs of fish chilling in [...]
October 19, 2008
Simmer Sauces…
Simmer sauces are the equivalent of a lifeline. Need to get dinner on the table quick? Open a jar of simmer sauce and add a protein, some veggies and call it dinner. I keep frozen shrimp in the freezer because it thaws quickly and cooks even quicker. I do the same with frozen vegetables.
I’ve tried [...]
October 18, 2008
Getting it right…
I couldn’t get past the reservation screen unless I entered my “title.” Not my professional title, but my status/gender title. I was booking a hotel room on-line and the page was insisting on knowing whether I preferred to be addressed as Ms., Mrs., or Mr. There wasn’t an option for “none of your business” and [...]
October 16, 2008
Regulate this….
While the government is contemplating adding more regulations to the financial industry, maybe they should consider adding regulations to the labeling of chocolate. Couldn’t they slip in a chocolate rule, kind of like they slip in earmarks to save the wooden arrow makers?
It’s no wonder everyone is confused about semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. Or the [...]
October 14, 2008
Chicken @#$%
I really shouldn’t knock something until I’ve tried it, but I’m going to anyway. Hey, it’s my blog and you don’t have to read it. Maybe I’m just a little sensitized after spending days pouring through some new books on eating local, gardening and the slow food movement (of which I am a member) for [...]
October 8, 2008
Beam me up Scotty….
You gotta love instant access these days. Or curse it. My husband is on the road, and he, as he’s prone to do, sends me a text message about where he’s eating. Today he’s having BBQ in Austin, TX and it…I’m quoting….”ROCKS!”
Now, he knows I’m off to lunch today at a place that doesn’t “rock.” [...]
October 7, 2008
Wine, Women & Chocolate
Did you know that you can pair wine with chocolate? Sure, certain full bodied red wines and dark chocolate are great palate partners, but there are other combos that are just as harmonious. If you’re in the Phoenix area on Sunday, October 19, you can learn how to pair different wines with complementary chocolates, and [...]
October 5, 2008
Too Many Choices…
Seriously, how difficult can it be? I’m on the hunt for a new coffee machine. Our Krups coffee/esspresso machine is 16 years old, and has been telling us for a while now that she’s tired. Three years ago, we stayed in a bed and breakfast in Creede, Colorado and fell in love with the Saeco [...]
