WINE

Wine tasting rooms are popping up in downtown Santa Barbara right and left. No longer do you have to drive an hour north into wine country to taste the wines of the region. There are tasting rooms in the Funk Zone, on State Street, the new Presidio neighborhood and even on the pier. So head to the Funk Zone to one of my favorite places.....Les Marchands Wine Bar & Retail. Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant Les Marchards is a wine bar and a wine shop. You can taste/buy wines from local producers but you can also find wines from France and Italy and other international destinations. It's a wine lovers dream. After a day of wine tasting, shopping or hanging at the beach, Les Marchands is the perfect spot for a pre-dinner or post-dinner glass of wine.
08 April, 2015

This post originally appeared on FoodableTV.com As you drive up the coast of California from Los Angeles, you pass through the city of Santa Barbara. The...

02 April, 2015
When I was invited to lunch to taste the Amarone from Marchesi Fumanelli, little did I know that I was going to have lunch with possibly the most interesting man in wine. Armando Fumanelli is the owner of Marchesi Fumanelli, located in the heart of the the Valpolicella Classico in Northeast Italy (northwest of Verona). Marchesi Fumanelli Wines Armando walked into the restaurant where we were seated at a table of women. This tall, distinguished gentleman walked to our table and introduced himself. He was so modest and friendly but we were about to find out how extraordinary he is. Armando Fumanelli
01 April, 2015
With a passion for smoking meats, Quinn and Karen Hatfield have left fine dining and opened Odys+Penelope, a churrascaria on La Brea Blvd (between 3rd and Beverly). And, I am so happy that they did! Odys+Penelope The 3,800 square foot restaurant is a modern, open space with a rustic charm. And, despite the open space and high ceilings, noise is not an issue. As the restaurant filled up while we were dining, my dining companion and I were still able to hear each other and talk. Odys+Penelope The open fire kitchen is home to Argentinian-style and Uruguyuan-style grills, offering different levels of char, along with a Braszilian churrasco and a smoker. Despite all of the smoking and grilling going on in the kitchen, the ventilation kept any sign of smoke from coming into the dining room.
30 March, 2015
A few things can make a good night out to dinner an exceptional night out. When the company, food, wine pairing and service all come together, this elevates the evening. And, my outing to Redbird in Downtown LA was all that. My winemaker friend Dan Glover of L'Objet Noir in Sonoma was in town and we were lucky to get a last minute reservation on a Saturday night. And, I knew I was in for a special night as my dining companion is a fellow foodie who is open to sharing lots of dishes and drinking lots of wine. Redbird is the long anticipated (5 years of waiting) restaurant by Chef Neal Fraser and his wife Amy Knoll Fraser.  Located in the old 1933-built rectory inside the Vibiana Cathedral, you enter into a lounge space and then continue into the main dining room which is an outdoor patio space with a retractable roof. In the center of the room is a 360 degree bar that can be accessed from the dining room or the lounge. As we perused the menu, Sommelier Diane Pandolfini came to our table. So personable and outgoing, we started chatting with her as we reviewed the dynamic, creative wine menu that includes a section (both by the bottle and by the glass) for Rose and Orange wines. (There is an extended wine list upon request that includes an entire page to Orange wines.) With so many lesser known wines, wine regions and wine styles, Diane makes sure that her staff can comfortably discuss the wines with customers in a manner that can be understood. Anyone on the service team can describe the wines and assist in making suggestions. Sommelier Diane Pandolfini (1)
27 March, 2015
Happy Canyon AVA, located on the eastern edge of Santa Ynez Valley, is filled with horse farms, cattle ranches and six vineyards (Cimarone, Grassini, Happy Canyon Vineyard, McGinley, Star Lane and Vogelzang Vineyards). A recent visit to Santa Ynez took me to Grassini Vineyards, located in the heart of Happy Canyon. I was there in the early morning, and because Happy Canyon is the warmest microclimate in Santa Ynez and benefits from warm days and cool marine influences, I was able to watch the fog roll-in in the morning and then quickly disappear, giving way to the sun. Grassini Vineyards Morning Fog
25 March, 2015
If you like wine, then to spend an evening with the winemaker, who has poured his/her passion and soul into his/her wine, will leave a lasting impression and make you feel connected to that winery more than another. When I was invited to Faith & Flower for one of their monthly “Terroir to Table” wine dinners, I couldn't say no. The theme was a Lyonnais Dinner featuring Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines. Tercero Winemaker Larry Schaffer Larry started Tercero wines less than 10 years ago and has built the winery following through grassroots measures. This is why dinners like these are so valuable. Current wine club members attended but also non-members. After a meal with Larry, who is both eccentric and passionate, it is hard not to be converted to a fan.
20 March, 2015
I traveled to New York for a big Italian wine conference in the heart of this brutal winter. After canceled and delayed flights, I finally landed in NYC. An entire week in NY sounded great but I was committed to a conference all week (yes, filled with drinking wine) and little free time. But, with one night free, I ventured out into the cold to meet up with friends for dinner. With so many restaurants to choose from in New York, I am lucky to have a local foodie friend who always has a list of places to try. This doesn't mean that we will be going to the newest restaurant. This means that we will be going somewhere that is bound to have delicious food and that I would never have found on my own. On this outing, we went to Maysville in the Flat Iron district. This isn't just a restaurant, it is a whiskey bar as well. Maysville is actually a Kentucky port town that is the birthplace of bourbon. Maysville Food and Bourbon Maysville Food and Bourbon (2) Maysville has an extraordinary whiskey list that consists of over 150 American Whiskeys. Even better, the whiskeys, which come from distilleries across the country, are all available in both 1 and 2 ounce tastes. On a cold night, a little taste, or two, was in order. Maysville NY
17 March, 2015
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