To die for.
Ring in Elvis Presley's 76th with a fool's gold loaf. — Serious Eats Obama has signed the record food safety bill into law. — Huffington Post Food Why it was a really bizarre year for California's Napa Valley. — Grub Street SF Could airport restaurant delivery be far off? — USA Today 2010's hottest US restaurants, according to Yelpers. — Yelp Blog Ranchers are pushing for horse meat Read more
Over the weekend, I jumped in a car with some friends and hightailed it to Napa Valley, where we enjoyed brunch at Thomas Keller's casual family restaurant, ad hoc. With full stomachs, we headed up Highway 29 to Rutherford to hit up some wineries. Visiting Napa wineries isn't unlike barhopping; the experience depends more on the tasting room staff and the crowd than it does the actual wine. After Read more
If you were stoked to hear about the release of The Ramen Girl, wait until you hear about the next big foodie flick. Oh, wait — you may have already seen it. Twentieth Century Fox is creating a Japanese version of Sideways, the Oscar-nominated comedy about four friends road-tripping through California wine country that became a runaway hit in 2005. Given wine's increasing popularity in Japan, Read more
Sunset magazine recently featured the 154-year-old Victorian home of a Napa Valley couple that had great bones, but was bogged down with layers of wallpaper and colored with garish blue paint. The home had been neglected for 30 years, but a lot of hard work combined with the couple's pared-down aesthetic transformed it into a welcoming, light, and airy space that any of you would swoon over. To Read more
Parts of Northern California have this amazingly fresh, fragrant scent. I'm not sure if it's the eucalyptus trees, the ocean air, the smell of grass, or what — I just know that it is wonderful. So it's no surprise that Olivina, a body-care company in Napa Valley, captures its surroundings so well. Founder Susan Costner-Kenward incorporates hand-pressed California olive oil into her line's body Read more
For my birthday I invited a small group of friends to join me for a wine tasting in Napa. We visited a few wineries, but our favorite was Miner family vineyards. The excellent PR girl had arranged a private tasting and tour, complete with a surprise birthday cake for yours truly! Our guide, the jovial and informative Jaime, began by giving us a sampling of the Miner Sauvignon Blanc and Rosato. Read more
A few weeks ago I found myself at one of the Bay Area's top 100 restaurants, Redd in Napa Valley. My cheffie buddy and I glanced at the menu before deciding that there were too many delicious dishes to choose one each. So we decided to try the five course tasting menu. A tasting menu, if you've never experienced one, is a fabulous way to sample small portions of several dishes. Usually everyone Read more
Today's date, May 24th, is a memorable day in California wine history. Before 1976, France was regarded as the only region to produce great wines. 31 years ago, a blind taste test was conducted by a group of eleven of France's most prestigious figures in the wine industry. The white wines were tasted first and the judges unanimously awarded the top honor to both (Chalone Winery and Chateau Read more
Week two on The Bachelorette brought plenty of action, and I'm not just talking about the chemistry between Emily and Kermit — though that was slightly uncomfortable. No, I'm referring to the first one-on-one dates, the first group date, and all the poolside drama. It looks like we've got a veritable Real Housewives of Charlotte on our hands, only in this case the housewives are men and Botox Read more
Watch Bethenny Frankel eat her way through New York City. — Grub Street NY The Cooking Channel will debut a new show about food trucks, Eat Street. — Fork in the Road Napa Valley is getting its very own food festival. — Eater What you should know about the farm bill. — Serious Eats In search of Rome's holy trinity. — The Atlantic Creamy tomato tuna pasta is a delicious, fast, and easy Read more
