Food & Drink

Thinking Outside the (Chocolate) Box - Alternative, Lavish Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

Attention gentlemen in a serious relationship:
So you want to make a statement with your annual Valentine’s Day gift. A real, honest-to-goodness statement; one that shows you put some serious thought and effort into it, and doesn’t scream “I scoured the seasonal aisle at the local Walgreen’s on February 13.” (If you actually, in fact, have pulled off a Walgreen’s special before for the day o’ love in the past, don’t fret: Every guy has done it. Well, I haven’t, but I’m pretty sure most dudes have). Chocolates are a safe choice, as are flowers, spa treatments, and heart-shaped pendants, but you want to do something a little more dangerous. Okay, a lot more dangerous. So dangerous, in fact, you want it to blow your beloved to the back of the room so thoroughly she’ll leave a body-shaped crater into the wall... Read More   

Super Tips for Attending a Super Bowl Party

Let’s face it: You’re a cool person. Ergo, you will be invited to a Super Bowl party. It’s just something that happens to cool people. And unless you are going to be a supremely awesome individual and host the shindig for the Big Game – which would give you the kingly power to determine the hipness of your circle of friends – you will attend. Even if you think the term “pigskin” refers to the latest food truck item that hipsters are into these days instead of the object that gets flung around the field, you will nonetheless be compelled to show up and hang. There’s no fighting this; it’s just the way it is, unless you want to spend the entire football off-season explaining why you weren’t at so-and-so’s Super Bowl party to people; folks who may end up thinking that you’re a bit of a dork because you weren’t there.....Read More >>

Drink Predictions for 2012

One of the fun things to do when time stumbles into a new year is to take a shrewd, hard look at the items and trends that could potentially define the next twelve months of our life. Arguably, nowhere is this type of scrutiny more intriguing than in the worlds of food and drink. While it is quite amusing to sit around and forecast the performance of the 2012 line of Aston Martins or the latest assortment of Kate Spade handbags, tracking the trends of the culinary landscape is packed with the most pleasure because it has the most immediate impact on our daily lives. After all, everyone has to eat, which makes following the latest and greatest in the culinary landscape practically essential... Read More >> 

The True Mystique of Tequila

There’s a reason why tequila has earned the dubious nickname of “ta-kill-ya.” The truth is no liquor is more responsible for a higher concentration of weird, wild, and dangerous stories than the one drawn from Mexico’s agave plants. Everyone has at least one person in their life that hasn’t touched a drop of the stuff because of “that one night back in college…”. Most of us probably have two or three folks in their circle that fit this profile. And while this may be viewed as a bad thing, it really shouldn’t. In a way, it only adds to the mystique of the alcoholic beverage..... Read More  

Whisky & Cheese Pairing

Whisky is a drink enjoyed casually among friends, as well as on important occasions when only the best whiskies will do. And lately, the inspired finale to an indulgent meal is to pair the whisky with cheese....Read More »

The Art of Artisan Beer 

You have a long day at the office.  So long, in fact, it has cut up your schedule in such a way that you are only left with a short night.  You are tired, weary, and a bit miffed that the various meetings you held and projects you delegated were not accomplished in a more efficient manner.  However, a couple members of the high-level management team that stood in the proverbial trenches with you all day invite you to catch a drink and a snack at the restaurant a couple blocks down from your office...Read More >>

Injecting New Life into Turkey Day

The mention of Thanksgiving dinner probably brings up memories of eating large, unhealthy portions of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie; enjoying them to the point that you don’t pay any mind to the fact that the portions you consumed were large and unhealthy. While the holiday also brings up other images of various family members falling asleep on the couch or the Detroit Lions getting blown out by halftime, the primary mental focus of Thanksgivings past tends to be around food. However, the older we get, these memories tend to run together and form one concentrated blob of thought, much like Neapolitan ice cream that has felt a little too much heat.....Read More >>

A Region Revitalized: Why A Weekend Getaway to the Temecula Valley is Worth Your Time
Here is an experiment for you.  Go up to someone in your neighborhood, your office, or your next social event, bring up the subject of spending a weekend in the Temecula Valley, and gauge their ensuing reaction.  If you are met with any combination of a nose crinkle, eye roll, or a head shake in a negative fashion, proceed to ask the person when the last time they have tried a Temecula wine.  Chances are the response you will receive will be an older date range going back to around 2000 or earlier.  If this is indeed the case, you will have every right to tell them that the opinion that they hold in regard to Southern California’s lone wine region is invalid, outdated, and needs to be re-assessed immediately.... Read More

Fondue: A Culinary Revival

Fondue pots seem to be given the same nostalgic attention as the linoleum kitchen table and avocado green appliances that were the height of fashion in the 1950’s and 1960’s. In other words, we retain for them a fondness that is associated with memories of home, but they are something we’d never want to have now. Others groan upon receiving a fondue pot as the quirky wedding gift that nobody really has any use for but all of us have one collecting dust in a cupboard.... Read More >>

Weekend Getaway: Napa Wine Country

It’s no secret that Napa is the land of wine. Vineyards stretch on for miles and every town boasts exciting cuisine and local shops. Whether you’re a first time taster or a veteran oenophile, there always seems to be too much to do and too little time in which to do it. Here are some tips to get you started.  Napa has two main wine roads. Route 29, also known as the St. Helena Highway, runs along the western edge of the valley and is often the default path for any first time visitor. Some of the biggest names in the business, such as Mondavi, Beringer, and Sutter Home, have their wineries here, and this side of the valley is by far the more popular.…Read More » 

Dining by Sunset: OC’s Best Venues
It’s no secret that the sunset is one of the best ways to capture the essence of why Orange County is such an entrancing place to live and play. All one needs to do is take a look at the postcard ... Read More »

Letting Your Wine Breathe- Why and How to Decant Wine
In the world of wine, a new adventure comes with the pop of every cork. While it can be hard to keep from drinking a new wine right away, it may be worth the wait to decant it first. Why should you decant wine? Decanting is the process of introducing oxygen to wine to “open up” its flavors. Think of wine as a living thing that needs air to breathe just like you do. Exposing it to air releases all the characteristics that were confined inside the bottle just waiting to be freed...Read More »