Lifestyle

Nothing tastes better than food that is fresh off the farm. The colors and flavors are like nothing you get at a supermarket. So, while on a recent trip up the coast of California, we spent a couple days at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. While there, Sean Eastwood, chef de cuisine of Navio Restaurant, invited us for a Farm-to-Table day. In the morning, we visited the Coastside Farmers Market, a farmer-directed Certifed Market designed to link Coastside residents with the Coastside farmers, ranchers, fishermen and culinary artisans for the past 10 years. All products are from within 20 miles of the market and many of these local farms are recovering varieties of fruits and vegetables which are disappearing.
13 September, 2012

Paso Robles Inn Steakhouse has been a favorite place for locals and visitors for more than 50 years, but their history dates even further back. Sitting on top...

03 September, 2012
Do you travel alot?  Do you like to go out and drink?  Do you get frustrated navigating the traffic and then having to pay for parking?  UBER is your answer! Boston, Chicago, Hamptons, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Washington DC - whether you live in one of these cities or travel there for work, I promise you that if you haven't used UBER yet, you will wonder why not. What is Uber?  Uber is your on-demand private driver.  It's simple....you download the app onto your iPhone or Android.  Sign up for an account (you can also do this online) and enter your credit card information.  That is it.  You are now ready to go.
08 August, 2012
Unfortunately, we were awoken by the sound of the jackhammer outside on the street this morning starting before 8am.  This was not a welcome sound when bed time was at 4am.  Pillows over our heads, we tried to ignore it until we had to get up.  Even tougher to get up this morning (our feet still hurt from all the walking yesterday), we managed to get out and head over to the Monteleone. 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM - "Brunch with an Italian Twist" The Spirit of Italy team was back for breakfast.  The Italian bartenders were dressed in the finest white suits making more cocktails with the Italian artisanal liquors, digestives and grappas produced by Luxardo, Amaro Lucano, Distillerie Moccia, Distillerie Nardini, Pallini, Toschi and Varnelli. Cocktails included a Bourbon Milk Punch enhanced with Amaro Lucano, a Strawberry Ramos Fizz with Fragolí by Toschi, a New Orleans Chicory Coffee Shakerato with Zabov egg yolk-chocolate liqueur, Varnelli Anice with Clamato juice and cucumber-dill foam, a fresh-squeezed citrus Mimosa spiked with Nardini Grappa, a Luxardo Maraschino Cobbler and a Pallini Limoncello Champagne Cocktail. 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM - Come Aboard for Cocktails and Lunch with Carnival Cruise Lines
29 July, 2012
Getting up for Day 2 was a bit difficult.  Not because of too much imbibing but rather the short amount of hours sleeping after a long day.  But, we managed to get up and out by 9:30am. 9:45 AM - 10:30 AM - Breakfast: Fernet Branca Style with Count Niccolo Branca Fernet Branca is every bartenders favorite eye opener so it was the perfect spirit to start the day. Hosted by Count Niccoló Branca, we enjoyed 3 truly delicous cocktails made with Fernet: Eva Peron (Carpani Antica Formula, Fernet Branca, Domaine de Canton, Premium Ginger Beer and Lime) Charlotte's Web (a Fernet Milkshake made with Hendricks Gin, Brancamenta, Cafe Sambuca, Monin Vanilla Syrup, Half & Half, Angostura Aromatic Bitters, garnished with Cafe Borghetti Handwhipped Cream) Death's Wish (Death's Door Gin, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Pun E Mes Aperitivo, Fresh Lemon Juice, Egg White, Sparking Asti)  
28 July, 2012
After arriving in New Orleans around midnight Wednesday night, we checked in and headed out for a drink. We are in New Orleans at Tales of the Cocktail after all.  We spent a few hours seeing friends and enjoying a couple of drinks but headed to bed around 3am in order to get ready for the first full day at Tales. 10:00 AM - Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey Tasting Event First stop of the day - a fun Irish Breakfast with entertainment, tasty food and of course tastings of Kilbeggan. An Irish Coffee and an Irish Breakfast Shot later we kissed the blarney stone and headed out.

10:30 AM - Checked in and picked up my Media badge and event tickets and visited the swag room for some samples (40 pounds worth).

27 July, 2012
Ticket booked - yes! Hotel confirmed - yes! Bags packed - almost! Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Advil? yes! Water - will buy upon arrival. It's time to head out for the Annual Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.  Yes, July in New Orleans is extremely hot and humid and the week is intense as it is filled with back to back to back seminars, tastings, dinners and parties to celebrate cocktails. But, this is an annual voyage for my cocktail pal and me and 2012 marks our 4th sojourn to this amazing event, as well as the 10th Anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail.
25 July, 2012
As you get ready to warm up the barbeque and chill down the beer for your 4th of July parties, think about opening a bottle of Madeira to enjoy with your friends. Why Madeira?  Well, did you know that Madeira was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, the founding fathers of the United States?  In fact, when they signed the Declaration of Independence, they toasted with Madeira. What is Madeira?  Madeira is the wine named for an island, and an island named for a wine.  Understanding Madeira is not an easy feat.  The winemaking process, grape varietals and wine styles are not like other wines that you are familiar with.
02 July, 2012
It’s been a year since the “big” Christchurch earthquake that we all heard about in the US but Christchurch has actually suffered from over 10,000 earthquakes since September 4, 2010 when the first 7.1 quake hit. Then on February 22, 2011, the horrific and shallow 6.3 quake hit in the middle of the day.  But that wasn't the end of it.  There were 191 earthquakes that day alone (yes, 191).  So many buildings collapsed and sadly so many lost their homes and many lost their lives. And, just when everyone started to settle back in and take a deep breath, another 6.0 earthquake hit just a few months ago on December 23, 2011, during the holidays. So many people have been affected, both physically and emotionally.  However, this has not dampened the spirit of the people.  With the continual earthquakes, rebuilding has been very challenging.  But, those who have been more fortunate and not lost as much have made continual efforts to help their community and friends. One story I had been told when I was in Christchurch last year, just two weeks after the February earthquake, was about a friend of the wine community.  On the day of the earthquake, a local woman whose husband is a winemaker in Waipara, was walking in town and doing her normal shopping when the earthquake hit.  An overhang fell on her and she was paralyzed. As cliche as it sounds, this could have happened to anyone and unfortunately, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now a year later, while she is back home, her life and her family's life has changed and she requires constant care, needs her home retro-fitted and requires pain management, all rather costly.
03 April, 2012
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