Wine and restaurant reviews
Gabriele and I don’t go out for Italian that often, like some of you I’ll bet. Gabriele cooks it well at home, and a lot of so-called Italian food in restaurants just isn’t that good. When we go out, we usually are after something different. I can report that La Strada in Del Ray is […]
Well the holidays are in full swing through New Year’s Day and that means a lot of wine drinking. Gabriele and I brought some wine up to visit family and also bought some while up there. Here is the report on winners and losers. First off, a real holiday crowd pleaser that even had my […]
Last week saw an exciting first for me as a blogger. Via a Facebook friend of a friend recommendation, I was asked to review a wine from a California vineyard. It takes longer to make your mark when you tackle three topics in your blog rather than specialize in one. So this kind of recognition […]
Recently Gabriele and I returned to Bonefish in Kingstowne for a nice dinner. We have eaten there a few times, and each time we’ve been pleased with the food. The first time we went there, we found a very nice tasty Pinot Noir — in fact, I talked about it in the very first post […]
Last week Gabriele and I spent a very nice vacation at Harbor Island, SC. It’s a peaceful and beautiful community just outside of Beaufort, SC: http://harborisland-sc.com/ They advertise it as a place that co-exists peacefully with nature, and it’s obvious as soon as you get there. You share space with all sorts of creatures — […]
This weekend Gabriele and I were in Atlanta, and had the chance to visit one of our favorite restaurants. On Sunday night we had dinner at Canoe, a fantastic place we first visited in 2006 and had a very special meal with our friends Amanda and Russell. Often a place where you’ve had a special […]
Lately I’ve been enjoying a number of GSM wines, sometimes also called SGM. These wines are a blend of the Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre varietals. They are the dominant grapes of the southern Rhone valley of France and the grapes that most often make up Chateauneuf du Pape, the most famous appellation in the area. […]
This is a combination Wine and Wheels post. Gabriele got a new (to us, anyway) car, and in celebrating we discovered a fantastic Zinfandel. First the car. There was only one thing wrong with the white Murano we purchased last year — the former owner had been a smoker. Despite some kind of treatment the […]
Pizzeria Paradiso has been a favorite of mine for many years. But I haven’t written about it until now, which just isn’t right. The restaurant has consistently delivered for years, and I’m giving it its due tonight. Maybe the news the restaurant is moving a few doors down P Street to a larger space was […]
Last week Gabriele and I enjoyed a get away from the daily hustle and bustle. We rented a well appointed cabin in the Shenandoah valley and brought our own supplies, including of course some wine. We also visited two Virginia vineyards, Rappahannock Cellars and Fox Meadow winery. The big winner of what we brought was […]
The economic news continues to be bleak, and as a result many people are naturally watching expenses. In times like these, wine lovers are less inclined to pay big money for a wine based only on a brand name, a waiter’s recommendation or a “staff favorite” card in the store aisle. I’ve enjoyed some enjoyable […]
Tuesday was an amazing event, as anyone who was in DC or watched on television knows. Two special, long-time friends were in the city for the Inauguration festivities, and Gabriele and I met them for dinner after a thrilling and busy day. They brought some local friends we had not met before (and who we […]