Please The Palate |

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Signorello Estate

Less than a year ago, fires ravaged Napa and Sonoma. Thousands of acres burned, homes were destroyed and lives were lost. As we watched the news from afar, we received messages about wineries burning down. When the smoke began to clear (both literally and figuratively), we saw that most of the wineries remained standing. Less than a dozen of the hundreds of North Coast wineries were destroyed and one of them was Napa Valley's Signorello Estate. [gallery ids="19212,19213,19214"] Ten months later, the remains of the fire in Napa can be seen by the burned trees and charred land. But businesses are running and wineries are getting ready for another harvest. And, that includes Signorello Estate. Because of their strength, resilience and overall positive attitude, Signorello Estate is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

11 August, 2018

Unity LA at the Hyatt Regency LAX – Where LA’s Diversity and Friends Come Together

As someone who travels a lot, I have had to eat a few meals at airports before catching a flight. Sometimes I have stayed at a hotel near the airport in order to catch an early morning flight. All of these scenarios have caused a level of dread since to date, airport hotels are usually not the most desirable place to want to eat or sleep. But, in recent years, airport hotels and their food offerings have started to trend upscale. One of these airports is my home-base, LAX. Just outside the entrance to LAX is the recently renovated Hyatt Regency LAX. Walking in, you will never believe you are at the airport. The hotel is mid-century modern and is striking in its clean, open spaces. Inside the Hyatt Regency LAX is the hotel restaurant called Unity LA. There are three distinct dining concepts at Unity LA - there is a self-service market, a bar and a full-service restaurant. Unity LA will change your idea about dining at an airport hotel restaurant.

Upon walking into the Hyatt Regency LAX, you will first see Unity Bar LA, which offers a lively environment to enjoy food and drink in a community setting.

09 August, 2018

Beat the Summer Heat with Rías Baixas Albariño

This past weekend was the Seventh Annual International Albariño Days. It is also summertime and hot outside, so it took little excuses to drink these crisp, refreshing wines. In my recent column in the Napa Valley Register, which you can read below, I shared three Albariños from Rías Baixas that I have been enjoying! The heat of the summer is here, and my palate is calling for crisp, refreshing white wines. One of the wines that is filling this request is Rías Baixas Albariño and right now it is perfect timing because it is also the seventh annual International Albariño Days, August 2-7.

Albariño is indigenous to northwestern Spain and northern Portugal. In Portugal, it is known as Alvarinho and it is the primary grape of Vinho Verde. In Spain, Albariño is the primary grape of Rías Baixas, representing 96 percent of all plantings in the region.

Rías Baixas is located in Spain’s northwest region of Galicia. An Atlantic-influenced climate, it is also known as “Green Spain” as it is an area that is characterized by moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and an average rainfall that can be three times the national average. Galicia also gets a lot of sunshine hours, which enables Albariño to fully ripen with good natural acidity.

07 August, 2018