South African Finds at the Miami International Wine Fair

This article is part of my series of posts from the Miami International Wine Fair. South Africa isn’t usually high up on my list of countries I gravitate toward when selecting wine but that is likely to change after trying some nice wines at the fair. I really enjoyed the wines of Kleine Zalze, in [...]

A Sip of India

This article is part of my series of posts from the Miami International Wine Fair. Chateau Indage sounds like it could be the name of a winery in France or in California. It’s actually the name of India’s largest and oldest winery. Chateau Indage is one of several brands in the Indage Wines family. Indage [...]

A Sip of Thailand

I love Thai food. I usually order in Panang Curry or Pad Thai from a local Thai restaurant once a week. And for someone who is of Eastern European and Irish descent, I think I make a pretty good Thai coconut curry! Thai food is a mix of spicy, sweet, salty and savory. Each dish [...]

A Taste of the Past

At this weekend’s wine fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center there was a number of really good and interesting wines. Many wine producers were there to find a distributor in Florida, so it was a great opportunity to taste wines that aren’t available here. Wine has been around for thousands of years. It was [...]

Oktoberfest in Miami: Part Two

What could be better than clinking giant beer mugs with new friends while singing along to “Ein Prosit” once every 10 minutes? This weekend Hofbrau hosted its own Oktoberfest in a big white tent at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. You may remember I went to Hofbrau on Miami Beach last month for my own [...]

AG Pick: Gundlach Bundschu 2005 Mountain Cuvee

I first tried Gundlach Bundschu wines at their winery in Sonoma. I was driving from Sonoma County to Napa along highway 121 and decided to take a detour. They have a charming tasting room that is decorated with old newspaper clippings and artwork from their bottles. The Mountain Cuvee is a great wine for chicken, [...]

Tea Time at Takashimaya

When I was in 4th grade, my best friend Mari and I did everything together. We had sleepovers, shared inside jokes, gushed about boys and acted out scenes from our favorite TV shows. I was devastated when she and her family moved to Japan that summer. The following summer I had the opportunity to visit [...]

Pearl Oyster Bar's Lobster Roll

After hearing about my love of lobster rolls, a friend said I had to try the one at Pearl Oyster Bar in Manhattan’s West Village. Earlier this week I took the subway down to West 4th Street to try one for myself. During my senior year of high school and in college, the West Village [...]

Tasting Notes from the New York City Wine & Food Festival

When I think of New York City, I think of food. I think about great restaurants, amazing chefs and extensive wine lists. I think about pizza, bagels, the tempting smell of hot pretzels and roasted peanuts, those dirty water dogs I stay away from but my guy friends can’t resist, and even the tap water. [...]

Pret a Manger and Quick Bites at Grand Central

Free WiFi is the greatest. I’m sitting outside at Bryant Park on this gorgeous fall day and am loving the fact that I can connect to the internet. The park is packed with businessmen and women having lunch, parents pushing children in strollers, friends chatting over coffee and tourists carrying bags from the department stores. [...]