It's National Riesling week and while you could enjoy a discount on European Riesling at a number of restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, and Las Vegas, you can just as easily celebrate by sipping a bottle in the comforts of your own home. I highly recommend my current Riesling of choice, the 2007 Schloss Schönborn Estate Riesling. It's a juicy, drinkable white with a slight sweetness. The aroma is peachy, the taste minerally, and the finish crisp and light. Riesling is an excellent between season wine because it pairs with light salads and heartier dishes. I enjoyed Schloss Schönborn on a warm day at the park and was surprised at how smooth and friendly it was. How do you feel about Rieslings? What will you drink to toast Riesling week?

To promote Top Chef Masters, which makes its series debut June 10, Bravo has posted videos introducing the show's chefs, an impressive list of industry names that includes Michael Chiarello, Roy Yamaguchi, Art Smith, and Rick Bayless.

The videos provide an amusing glimpse into the worlds of many of these acclaimed chefs. It's reassuring to know that Michael Chiarello has never met a Butterfinger bar he didn't like; that Wylie Dufresne had high hopes to be a professional athlete; and that Roy Yamaguchi got into cooking when he signed up for high school home ec so he could meet girls.

Check out the Michael Chiarello clip below, as well as the rest of the video introductions. Do these clips leave you with high hopes for Top Chef Masters?

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With this grilling-centric holiday upon us, I'm looking beyond burgers and dogs and drooling over gourmet sausages. I love the traditional toppings of grilled onions and red peppers, but rather than use a bun, I like to split the sausage in half and toss the goods onto some fancy-schmancy artisan bread for a surprising sammie that tastes like Summer. I'm lucky enough to live near Rosamunde Sausage Grill, which sells a delicious chicken-cherry sausage, but I recommend any salty-sweet combination, such as chicken-apple sausage, for this recipe. To see how it's made, read more

• The economic recession has been a good thing for the outdoor grilling industry. — Chicago Tribune
• Sriracha, the Asian hot sauce with the cult following, turns out to be a bona fide product of the USA. — New York Times
• Star blogger David Lebovitz on what foods Americans do better than the French. — Boston Globe
• Learn which wines pair best with barbecuing and grilling. — San Francisco Chronicle
• For up-to-date, relevant terms in the current world of wine, refer to this wine glossary. — Wall Street Journal
• Urban restaurant gardens have sprung up in some of the most unlikely places. — Los Angeles Times
• Trade associations say Sam Adams has grown too big to be considered "craft" beer. — Washington Post

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Picture this: your guests are wildly content after the most delicious meat and potato barbecue dinner. Just when they thought the night couldn't get any better, you, the beautiful hostess with the mostess, appear with a plate full of ice cream sandwiches! Not just any ice cream sandwich, but one that marries the classic crowd-pleasing chocolate chip cookie with creamy vanilla ice cream. Coated in mini chocolate chips, these sandwiches vanish before your eyes.

If that sounds like the perfect end to your Memorial Day celebration, get the recipe for the sandwiches and read more

Adjusting coffee prices, introducing instant brews, offering value meals — what will Starbucks think up next? Answer: A slew of promotions on social networking sites. Starbucks has just launched a massive marketing effort, the first Starbucks campaign to truly take advantage of the power of social networking. The company has put up new advertising posters in six major cities, and is challenging Twitter followers to be the first to post a photo of one on the microblogging social network.

As for why the corporation launched a colossal social networking campaign: “It shows a level of connection to our brand that we wouldn’t have concocted on our own,” said Chris Bruzzo, vice president for brand, content, and online at Starbucks. Although I think social media will be a good thing for the coffee powerhouse, I'm not sure it's going to win over customers in a big way. What are your thoughts?

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