Afternoon Wine Party for Lovell Family – Aug. 4

Afternoon Wine Party for Lovell Family – Aug. 4

pizza.jpgPizza & Poetry – that’s the theme for this delicious wine-tasting party to benefit the late winemaker Katy Lovell’s family. Your $20 per person gives you access to fabulous pizza, salad bar and oodles of Poetic Cellars wine tasting. Come toast a valiant life, and enjoy the summer afternoon up at Nonno’s Italian Cafe, in Redwood Estates – Sunday, August 4 from 2-5pm.

Nonno’s is located at 21433 Broadway Rd., Los Gatos. 408/353-5633.

Dinner @ Gabriella

Dinner @ Gabriella

nettletagliatelle.jpgA succession of beautiful dishes arrived at our table at Gabrilla Cafe last Friday night, and some of our favorites turned out to be as delicious as they were good-looking.

After a salad of mixed butter lettuces, melon and hazelnuts we turned our attention to a split plate of housemade nettle tagliatelle pasta. A sensuous sauce of shellfish and Poblano peppers bathed the pasta, as well as bits of fresh calamari, sea bass, mussels, orange cherry tomatoes and slender ribbons of smoky poblano chiles.

A knockout dish.

Crisp Summer White

Crisp Summer White

We are loving the oak-free finish and intricate interior of Ryan Beauregard’s 2009 Chardonnay “Metallique” — aged in stainless steel so that the heady grass, citrusbeauwine.jpg and jalapeño oil varietal qualities of chard can reach forward.

Vibrant and refreshing, it’s available at Shoppers for a rock bottom $14.99. This one opens beautifully and is even better the second day.

a week in Milan

a week in Milan

pastrymilan.jpgNow that I’ve been back for almost two weeks, the glow is beginning to fade. Milan’s architecture bears the legacy of northern European rulers, hence the faux Viennese appearance. Save for Leonardo’s justly famed Last Supper, (or il Cenacolo Vinciano) it hardly qualifies as a tourist destination. This means fewer tacky t-shirts and more resident Italians. Unless you’re continuing on up to Como and the enchanting lake district, you might never stumble across Milan.

Classy to the max, Milan was founded by Celts and made famous by Fendi, Ferrari, Armani and Zegna. Fashion rules here and designer eye candy is in full view 24/7. I was here to indulge in Wagner’s four-opera Ring cycle, performed at the elegant Teatro alla Scala in a seven day marathon. The Ring was performed at major opera houses all over the world this year in honor of the composer’s 200th birthday, but (more…)