My friends who have children talk about how they are always doing laundry, but I have to say that owning a restaurant, I feel like I’m the one who’s always doing laundry. The laundry machine is constantly running. Yes, my sainted mother helps out by doing several loads a week at her place. But she’s out of town until Tuesday and ... Read More »
$12.95 for 24 hours of access to your wireless internet? NO MORE! I declare a full-out boycott on all you hotels still living in the past century! Charging for internet is like charging for cable TV. Internet is part and parcel of everyday life now. Get with the program! In the past month, I have ended up at Marriott hotels, ... Read More »
The debate rages on in our house: on one side, we have the purist, with scrambled eggs only seeing healthy amounts of salt and pepper; on the other side, a bottle of Heinz ketchup awaits. When the kids were young enough where I had any semblance of control could say “you can’t do that”, the ketchup stayed in the refrigerator ... Read More »
“No.” It’s a simple word, yet so hard to say. “I really cannot take that on right now.” “No, thank you.” I am not sure where the past week went, but I think it had something to do with being unable to say “no”. I just get caught up in the excitement of creative and new ideas. “Who wants to ... Read More »
After sampling NYC’s best paella offerings and imbibing the best of Rioja this past Monday, the obvious conclusion to the evening was to stop at one of the many lovely restaurants on Mulberry Street for a little, you know, something before heading uptown to sleep. My mother picked out Balaboosta because of its charming, candle-lit interior. I also think she ... Read More »
I just got back from NYC and the 4th annual Paella Parade (hosted by Frederick Wildman), where I got to eat some amazing paella and drink some of my favorite wine from El Coto de Rioja. If you missed the Paella Parade this year, don’t worry: it will return in 2013 and you’ll have the opportunity to not only enjoy ... Read More »
This weekend I too happened upon an excellent red wine, well worth passing along. Bill found a great Rioja at a bargain price on a restaurant wine list in Sacramento. I found this wine at Empire Wine in Albany. Get out your pen and paper, or order this one online. It is a keeper! No need for breathing, or serving with ... Read More »
A week or so ago, we were in Sacramento for a wedding and, after picking us up at the airport, Holly’s brother, Brian, drove us to a tapas bar downtown (inappropriately named Tapa the World, since the city is flat as a pancake) for some food and wine. Brian asked me to select a wine and handed me the list. The ... Read More »
Pepe Le Pew – the dude that makes me like the French. Yeah, I had some tough intercultural episodes in France in college. Got a bit of a grudge still hanging on. Just being honest, you know. The French considered the Malbec grape a blending grape, not worthy of its own bottle. Short sighted. Stodgy. I prefer the young upstarts: Argentina, Spain, ... Read More »
From the beginning of football season until the Super Bowl, I live in a world of cryptic sentences and unfamiliar names, inside jokes and stealth maneuvering that leaves me utterly confused. Fantasy Football season is upon us once again and once again, I stand baffled on the sidelines. My dangerously cool younger sister is actually a part of the Fantasy ... Read More »
Sauced In New York Sometimes the food is in the sauce, sometimes we are