“Give me books, fruit, French wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors, played by someone I do not know.” – John Keats After a rousing week in Guadalajara and Tequila, Mexico, then a welcome respite on the quiet North Shore of Lake Tahoe, I have done little local eating the past couple weeks. But there remains… Read more →
Top Tastes
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), are among the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. Though I was in Mexico half of the last two weeks, I was able to eat… Read more →
Sampling Rare Tequilas in Mexico & Don Julio’s Master Distiller
In my travels last week through the magical land of Tequila, Mexico, I tasted, yes, ridiculous amounts of tequila from a wide range of distillers, but also at various restaurants and bars. After watching tequila being made and sampling it in its homeland, I gained a deeper appreciation than I already had for the agave spirit. Here are three superb… Read more →
Whiskies of the World’s Signatory Tasting & Cocktails at Alembic
COCKTAILS Fall cocktails abound on menus around town but leave it to the artful hands behind the bar at Alembic to create a savory pumpkin drink (pumpkin being my most beloved taste of Fall). Their Pumpkin V. 3.14 ($11) is made with Old Pogue bourbon, Old World Spirits walnut liqueur (which I recently wrote about in the Guardian’s FEAST food… Read more →
Eating & Drinking Through Guadalajara, Mexico
The gritty air and poverty in Guadalajara faces you as soon as you take a cab from the airport to downtown. But this first glimpse is hardly the make-up of the place. As dusk falls and you wander Plaza Tapatia, an enchanting 17-acre walkway that goes on for blocks in the Centro Historico (historic center) behind the largest and most… Read more →
November 1, 2010
“For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.” – Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning As mentioned last issue, instead of the usual 1st (and 15th) of the month arrival of my newsletter, it’s a couple days early as I’m off to Guadalajara and Tequila, Mexico,… Read more →
In conversation with David Wondrich about his new book, PUNCH
When drink historian and Esquire columnist David Wondrich speaks about drink, you listen… or read, as the case may be. His latest book Punch, which releases on 11/2, is the first of its kind on the glories and history of the punch bowl. I had the privilege of speaking with Dave over the phone from his home in NY. He… Read more →
Del Maguey & the glories of Mezcal
There’s mezcal… and there’s Del Maguey. You may have heard me talk about Del Maguey mezcals and the line’s founder, Ron Cooper, in the past. A session with the gentle yet passionate Ron (like his mezcal seminar at 2010 Tales of the Cocktail) is forever memorable. Even the way he describes fermentation stays with you: “[Fermentation is like] wild creatures… Read more →
October Sips: Armagnac, Vermouth Class, Wine at Press Club
ARMAGNAC Bas-Armagnac Delord, 25-year – At a recent visit to my neighborhood haunt, The Alembic, Daniel Hyatt offered a pour of recently acquired Maison Delord’s 25 year Bas-Armagnac (“Bas” signifying the western region of Armagnac where grapes to make this armagnac are grown). I love the elegant simplicity of the label and seal – what’s inside the bottle is anything… Read more →
Top Tastes
Top Tastes, rather than a list of all-time favorites (another thing altogether), are among the best eats since my last newsletter, often from new openings. Many don’t make the cut, being a revisit previously written about or simply not as stand-out as dishes mentioned. CHEAP EATS DELI BOARD, SoMa – You’ll do a double take when arriving at the address… Read more →