Wine and restaurant reviews
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 […]
This Saturday Gabriele and I spent a fun day in New York City. We were staying in Stamford, Connecticut for the holidays so it was a short train ride into Grand Central. We saw a very funny play on Broadway that had been recommended to us, Avenue Q: http://www.avenueq.com/about.html After the play we went for […]
For the Thanksgiving holiday Gabriele and I drove up to my hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. On Friday night we went to dinner at Cafe Silvium, an Italian restaurant with a strong local reputation. http://www.cafesilvium.com/default.asp The restaurant is in the Shippan area of town and only seats around 40 people at a time. The restaurant does […]
Overwood has become one of our favorite local places in Alexandria. It opened in 2007 and offers something for everyone. The food is good, the decor is pleasant and bright, and the atmosphere is lively. We’ve been there maybe half a dozen times this year, and its time for a post. Overwood is a few […]
When Gabriele and I eat out we almost always order wine. But except for a very fun evening at Evo Bistro back in April, we haven’t checked out any of the wine bars popping up around the DC area. So when the October Washingtonian magazine gave Cork its highest “four glass” rating (along with Evo […]