Lifestyle

This story originally appeared in ATOD. Calistoga is a diamond in the rough, a charming little rustic town located in the northern part of the Napa Valley....

14 November, 2017
Coffee shops are everywhere. In addition to the chain stores of Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Peet's that can be found on almost every corner, local coffee roasters and independent shops can also be found. But what about tea? Of course these places all serve tea, meaning they hand you a cup of super hot water and a tea bag that you will probably oversoak. A few will use loose-leaf teas and there are a few tea-centric spots around Los Angeles. I just happened across the newest one that opened on November 1st and Percolate is the Please The Palate pick of the week. I was dropping off my dry cleaning in a strip mall near my house. I had not had my morning cappuccino as I was out of milk and had not gone to the market yet. There had been an okay coffee shop in the same strip mall but they had barely lasted one year. I figured I would have to stop at a nearby chain store to get my fix as I went along on other errands. But as I parked my car, I noticed people coming out of the old coffee shop with coffee cups in hand. I looked closer and saw the sign Percolate, which I figured was a good sign! To percolate is to "filter gradually through a porous surface or substance." Quite an apropos name for this new tea (and coffee) shop.
11 November, 2017
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register. When I was starting out in the wine industry, I volunteered to pour wine at a Wine Spectator event. I was pouring for an Italian winery and was surrounded by other Italian producers. Next to me was a nice young man, and throughout the evening, we would pour each other a taste of wine. As the night came to an end, I was handed his business card and I looked at the name. It said Salvatore Ferragamo. and my first reaction was that I thought it was funny that he would be named after the famous shoe designer. That was my only thought as we said good night and he offered me a few bottles of his wine to enjoy. The wine was the Il Borro IGT 2000. And when I got home, I did a quick Google search only to find out that Il Borro is the project of Ferruccio Ferragamo, the son of the famous designer Salvatore Ferragamo, and his son Salvatore Ferragamo, is named after his grandfather. I took my three bottles of Il Borro and decided to save them, and over the past 15 years, I enjoyed two of them but have been saving the third and final bottle.
09 November, 2017
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
At the heart of Beverly Hills is the famous Rodeo Drive, considered the intersection of luxury, fashion and entertainment. But now as people walk down the street shopping at the likes of Chanel, Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Armani, Dior, Cartier and more, they can also stop for a Napa Valley wine experience in the heart of Beverly Hills at the St. Supéry pop-up tasting salon.
St. Supéry, purchased by Chanel 2015, is the sustainably farmed winery in Rutherford, the heart of the Napa Valley. The new pop-up tasting salon is on the ground floor of the building next door to the Chanel boutique. This magnificent, three-story building was previously the home of Lladro porcelain. The 1.000-square-foot space has large glass windows looking out onto Rodeo Drive, a high ceiling that covers the three-story building and a grandiose staircase in the center.
07 November, 2017
This past week, the wine world lost a dear friend. Seth Kunin was a talented winemaker, loving husband and father and friend to us all. His unexpected and untimely death has been a shock to everyone. Death is not easy for anyone and it is a sad time but it is also a time to celebrate him, remember his life and drink his wines. That is why this week the Please The Palate Pick of the Week is every wine made by Seth Kunin. I first met Seth more than 15 years ago. He was the winemaker at Westerly Vineyards and also had his own label, Kunin Wines, in Santa Barbara. I was in the process of leaning about wine as I was also recovering from the dot-com world. Running a wine education business, I would take groups up to Santa Barbara for the day and we always stopped to see Seth. He would meet us at Central Coast Wine Services where he made his wine and would tour us through the facility.
04 November, 2017
The story originally appeared in ATOD Magazine. Indulging in cuisine, wine, history, and a lot of magic There is a region of Greece that is worth exploring; a region neighboring Athens that you may not have considered but most certainly should – the Peloponnese. Known for wine, indulgence, adventure and serenity, the Peloponnese is a journey waiting to be discovered. The three-pronged Peloponnese is considered part of the mainland but is also technically an island. The southernmost part of the mainland in Greece, the Peloponnese is a short drive from Athens, across one stretch of land that connects the two areas. The Peloponnese is home to historical areas of Ancient Olympia, Sparta and Corinth and is a region of mythical stories, ancient sites, wine production, mountains, beaches and more. My adventure began once I was in my rental car. Yes, they drive on the same side of the road as us but I had heard stories of Greek drivers and their ability to create their own rules on the road. What I had forgotten, once I got out of Athens, is that every sign is written in Greek. Remember when you took algebra and were told that you would never need to use it as an adult? That is how I felt when I learned to sing the Greek alphabet during my fraternity days in college. Of course, I had my GPS ready on my phone, hoping that I could trust it. But, little did I know how useful the Greek alphabet song would be as I navigated through my adventure. With some trepidation, and with the song “alpha, beta, gamma, delta….” in my head, I ventured out on the road.
02 November, 2017
Chios Mastiha is a natural, aromatic translucent resin produced from the mastic tree, a large shrub, which only grows on the Island of Chios in the southern part of the Greek Islands. With a sweet smell and a pine-like flavor, mastiha also has many health benefits. And, mastiha is the Please The Palate pick of the week. I first tried mastiha when I went to Greece. Having a small glass of mastiha liqueur, instead of ouzo, is very common as a digestive after a nice meal. And if you buy a pack of gum in the airport or at a local pharmacy, you will find mastiha gum. The word "mastic" comes from the Greek word "mastichein" which means "to gnash the teeth." Mastiha has been scientifically proven to have beneficial properties and is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It is good for healing wounds and for skin regeneration. It can be a digestive and used in oral hygiene such as toothpaste. Mastiha comes in different forms: crystal, powder, capsules, oil and gum and it also comes in a liqueur.
28 October, 2017
Having made it a personal mission to go to Maude almost every month since they opened in 2014, when October brings a "Greatest Hits" from the past four years, it should not come as a surprise that the Maude October 2017 menu is the Please The Palate pick of the week. This dinner marked my thirty-seventh meal at Maude (out of a total of forty-six seasonal menus in total). Maude's October 2017 menu offered a fourteen-course tasting of some of their Greatest Hits! With almost 500 dishes to chose from, they whittled it down to the top twelve. Although I am sure that there are many more dishes that could qualify, some dishes could not be included because the featured ingredient is not currently in season. The diverse menu played homage to four years of creative, diverse and distinct menus and it was yet another great meal shared with friends and good wine.
07 October, 2017
This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register. Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles’ original distillery, is a story of love. It was born out of the love of two people and today is a love letter to the city it was born in, Los Angeles. Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew met in journalism school at the University of Southern California. Litty, who is Southern Indian, was born in Ethiopia to missionary parents, raised in Jamaica and moved to the United States at age 11. Trained as a chef in Paris, Litty had a wine palate but did not like spirits. Melkon, on the other hand, is Armenian, and in his culture, Litty explained, it is the “land of toasts and it is impolite to not raise a glass.” Wanting Litty to fit into his family, Melkon created a vodka infusion that she would like so that she could participate in the toasts. His infusions, which were made out of his love for Litty, became popular in the entire family. Litty and Melkon married in 2002. At the time, Melkon owned a software company. He sold his company, and in 2004 they started Greenbar Distillery, originally under the name Modern Spirits and then under the name Greenbar Collective. Their goal was to create the best flavors and work with fresh ingredients.
05 October, 2017
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