Aged meat and dishes merging surf and turf are two of the most challenging concepts for a kitchen to pull off without a hitch. Something almost always seems to go off the deep end for both. That precious half year aged chateaubriand might taste more of provocative black garlic than sensuous, relentless meat. Raise yourContinue reading “Restaurants: Blackbird, Chicago”
Author Archives: trevsbistro
Tasting Notes from Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego
Having visited Stone Brewing’s out of the way location at an industrial park north of San Diego in Escondido, Green Flash and nearby Alesmith’s obscure industrial park locations in Mira Mesa, well south of Escondido and just north of the Miramar Naval Air Station, it was only fitting to visit the other major nationally knownContinue reading “Tasting Notes from Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego”
Cocktail of the Week: The “Saladito,” The Varnish, Los Angeles
The Varnish doesn’t have a signature cocktail. You don’t need to when you’re arguably the most important cocktail bar of the decade or so old speakeasy- craft cocktail movement. It seems as if this hidden, but very well known Downtown Los Angeles and its chief mixologist Eric Alperin are to cocktail “best of” lists andContinue reading “Cocktail of the Week: The “Saladito,” The Varnish, Los Angeles”
Wine of the Week: 2011 Dragonette Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, CA
The Santa Barbara area is known best for its pinot noir (thanks “Sideways”) and Dragonette Cellars is no exception. The formerly Lompoc based winery with one of the more handsome Los Olivos tasting rooms you’ll find frequently hits the headlines for its pinot noir. Dragonette’s 2011 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir was indeed a stellarContinue reading “Wine of the Week: 2011 Dragonette Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Vogelzang Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara, CA”
Tuesday’s Project: Beef Brisket? Which Way?
About a year ago I made the pilgrimage to Lockhart, Texas for some barbeque grazing in the heart of the brisket belt. The trip really was themed around baseball in Dallas and Houston, with sightseeing and dining in Austin and San Antonio to break up the sausages and beer at ballparks (well, so I ateContinue reading “Tuesday’s Project: Beef Brisket? Which Way?”
Cocktail of the Week: Tequila Punch, Novela, San Francisco
Forget about the old cliché that always tied together coffeehouses with the intellectual nature of literature. It used to be that at the coffeehouse, you would either write the next great novel or be reading one, not hacking away on the next great software program over your third espresso. The romantic rapport of coffeehouses andContinue reading “Cocktail of the Week: Tequila Punch, Novela, San Francisco”
The Ten Winning Wines From WBC 13
Earlier this week we examined the lessons brought home from last weekend’s 2013 International Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Penticton, B.C., Canada. As with any conference, the talks and networking are of utmost importance. But, nobody leaves Cannes without watching a film or the Superhero Conference without collecting some new comic books. This is a wineContinue reading “The Ten Winning Wines From WBC 13”
Lessons Learned From The 2013 International Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton, B.C., Canada
It was a whirlwind weekend full of connecting, writing, talks, stand up paddleboarding and most of all, hour after hour of tasting for wine bloggers and winery representatives who descended upon Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. This was the fifth edition of the International Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC) and the first for yours truly. Amidst theContinue reading “Lessons Learned From The 2013 International Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton, B.C., Canada”
Liquid Farm, 2011 “Golden Slope” Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, CA
Poor California chardonnay has been taking a beating in recent years, sometimes deservedly so, and sometimes unfairly. If you open a bottle of chardonnay from the Golden State, you tense up and fear for the butter bomb worst. Headaches are not far ahead, as is a complete palate destroyer. You expect more butter than inContinue reading “Liquid Farm, 2011 “Golden Slope” Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, CA”
Plat du Jour Tuesday June 4, 2012: Is It Rising Formality or Declining Formality?
On this first Tuesday of June, this week’s news of one of San Francisco’s most highly regarded restaurants (and its most expensive) commencing an à la carte food menu in its adjacent lounge area got me to realize about just common it is now how these highest end gastronomic restaurant are starting to de- formalize,Continue reading “Plat du Jour Tuesday June 4, 2012: Is It Rising Formality or Declining Formality?”
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