I am not sure what my fascination is with eating bizarre foods, but prior to heading to Thailand there were a couple things that I knew for sure, one was that I would be riding in a tuk tuk and another was that I would absolutely, positively be eating insects. Rumor had it that this could be done at Chiang Mai’s famous Sunday Market. Guess who’s going to a market? At about 4 o’clock Peter & I walked out the… Read More »
I am writing a cookbook. Technically, there has been no writing involved yet. It is just in the dream phase at the moment, but that’s the way all my goals start out. Peter and I have been talking about writing a cookbook for our restaurant for the past couple of years. Which would not only enable me to check it off my bucket list, but also undoubtedly be an asset to our restaurant and customers. When we mention our writing… Read More »
Summer is just around the corner, make sure you enjoy every minute of it with these bucket list ideas: 1. ATTEND AN OUTDOOR CONCERT In the United States, 40 to 50 million people attend outdoor concerts each year. Find the perfect venue in your area, bring a lawn chair and spend a bucket list worthy evening listening to tunes. Unsure of where to see your show? Check out the 10 Outdoor Concert Venues Worth a Summer Road Trip. photo credit… Read More »
Thailand is home to countless temples, in Chiang Mai it seemed that there was one on just about every street corner, like dogs in Chile. And though they are all interesting in their own right, with so much abundance you start to get immune to their beauty, similar to the plethora of Duomos in Italy. One has to be truly special in order to catch your attention. After traveling for a week in Chiang Mai, I was just about all… Read More »
I had anticipated eating a lot of meat in Argentina. But, apparently my idea of what is considered ‘a lot’ differs from the norm in a country where Asado could easily be its alias. Carne was the center of just about every meal of my visit, except for the couple of breakfasts when I opted for yogurt and a piece toast instead. Beef empanadas were just not meant to be eaten before 9 am. Were they? I could be wrong.… Read More »
One of my least favorite parts about traveling is when you first land in a foreign country, after a dozen hours of flying, and have to find transport to your lodging. In a perfect world a limo driver would just be waiting for me holding a “Princess Annette” sign and a glass of red wine. But, since that typically never happens, this was one aspect of traveling to Chiang Mai, Thailand that I spent many hours researching; would it be… Read More »
While taking a Thai cooking class, we made a stop by Chiang Mai’s Somphet Market to purchase ingredients for our dishes. This proved to be a bit more eventful than originally planned. Of course, it had a colorful selection of native fruits and vegetables, along with fresh fish being scaled right in front of you. But, what was unexpected was the opportunity to eat a pastel pink century egg. A century egg, also known as a thousand year old egg, is an Asian tradition in which… Read More »
I was sitting at the dinner table last night in the personal home of an Argentine winery owner, with his wife and the winemaker, and felt an overwhelming inspiration to write you all a quick note from South America. For the past week I have been doing a once-in-a-lifetime wine tour of Chile and Argentina with a wine importer from California. The experience is unlike no other. We have tasted over 60 varieties of wine, some not even bottled, been… Read More »
Typically, photos are my only traveling souvenir, but there was one thing in Thailand that I was not going home without. A smiling ceramic garden sculpture. Not a gnome. But, similar. There were two hanging from a tree at my Chiang Mai hotel, The 3 Sis. I was immediately obsessed. It turned out these little buggers weren’t easy to find. They were not at the Saturday night market, nor the famous Sunday one. The Night Bazaar didn’t even have one,… Read More »
There are so many incredible wine perks to owning a restaurant, like the private wine tasting at Napa Valley’s Trinchero that included a stay at the invitation-only Sutter Home Victorian Inn. That was pretty great, but this next adventurous bonus may be even better. We are heading to Chile and Argentina with Copa Fina Imports for an exclusive tour of select South America wine valleys and their wineries. That’s right. Ten entire days in South America filled with drinking wine.… Read More »