I had arranged to meet my brother for a long weekend in Bratislava. He was on his way from Verona Italy where he lives and I was on my way from Kyrgyzstan where I had been trekking the past few weeks. We arrived at our floating Botel on the Danube River within 1 minute of each other. Talk about great timing! Ready to imbibe in some alcohol after a several week dry spell we immediately headed to the Grand Cru tasting bar, and ordered several … [Read more...]
Foodie Paso Robles Comes Into Its Own
Just a few decades ago, sleepy Paso Robles, California, hosted no distilleries or craft breweries and only a few dozen pioneering wineries. Rodeos and pickup trucks were more pervasive than limos chauffeuring wine enthusiasts around this beautiful area in northern San Luis Obispo County. Today, vineyards abound in all directions and the overall “agriculture culture” remains strong in the fabric of this increasingly diverse community. When … [Read more...]
Mad about Mad Magazine
A serious Interview with Bill Gaines John M. Edwards, as a snot-nosed enfant terrible, tries to get a job at his favorite magazine: MAD. A long time ago, when I was a young canny kid and a memorabilia collector, I was hellbent on getting the entire collection of valuable MAD Magazines back issues sheathed in plastic. (I already owned all the paperback collections which fit neatly into three wine boxes.) Unsurprisingly, I decided on a … [Read more...]
Cultivate L.A. 2014, Beverly Hills
Cultivate LA is an annual event organized by United Friends of the Children and has become a major fundraiser for Los Angeles area foster kids. This organization helps provide housing and educational opportunities for these kids. This year Cultivate L.A. was held in the Holmby Hills at the opulent Pritzker Estate, one of the largest homes in Los Angeles. This mega mansion is owned by an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune and encompasses some … [Read more...]
Los Angeles Food & Wine 2014
Now in its 4th year, 2014's Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival did not disappoint with a stellar lineup including top Chefs Michael Chiarello, Fabio Viviani, Michael Voltaggio, Nancy Silverton, Graham Elliot, Masaharu Morimoto, Ricardo Zarate, and Pierre Gagnaire. Set amidst downtown Los Angeles, this is a four-day epicurean event where guests come to taste the city's finest in food and drink. This year Celebrity Cruises, the … [Read more...]
Conversation, Margaret Lehmann – Peter Lehmann Wines, Barossa Valley
Recently during a visit and exploration of the Barossa Valley in South Australia, I had the opportunity to sit down for a short chat with Margaret Lehmann at her home. She is one of Barossa's food and wine pioneers, a champion of its preservation and was an integral part of the growth of Peter Lehmann Wines. Conversation invariably was about food and wine - over a glass of Semillon from Peter Lehmann appropriately called "Margaret". With … [Read more...]
13th Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles
13th Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles September 26–28, 2014 Celebrating Italian Culture - three days of music, food, wine, rides and games Community festival returns to its root Hollywood, September 10, 2014 (www.feastofla.com) – The 13th Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles takes over Hollywood from September 26-28 with their annual street festival, celebrating everything that it … [Read more...]
Adventures in France
Check the weather and temperature for Arras: 6 - 13 degrees with fog. Definitely pack the gloves and put on thermal top and nylon half leg stockings under socks!! It is cool walking to Gare Du Nord, along the dirty streets. The cleaners have a huge job ahead of them. The fat pigeons can only help so much to clean the rubbish up. Gare Du Nord is awash with all varieties of travelers, the workers, business men, holiday makers, and day trippers … [Read more...]
Foreign Funeral – Heartbreak in a Romanian Village
Our arms interlocked tightly at the elbow. We stared downward in the chilly, quiet living room when an improbable question broke the silence. “Did you touch her yet?” my wife, Oana, asked as tears streaked down her high cheekbones. “She’s still warm.” Mama Ana, as she was known, my wife’s 82-year-old grandmother, died hours earlier in her small, century-old stone farmhouse in the Romanian countryside. We journeyed 7,000 miles from … [Read more...]
Munich Vs. Berlin
I’ve been waiting to write a post about Berlin and Munich. Most people who know me know that I’m in love with Munich. However, there is another city in Germany that can make me feel better than in Munich, Berlin. I’ve been thinking about why this is so and I’ve realized that if Munich is a mother scolding his son so that he doesn’t break her precious vase, Berlin is the son, who already broke the vase. In Berlin, people are comfortable with … [Read more...]
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