l’Ecole No.41: A Wine Diatribe
That's French for schoolhouse forty-one, and it probably refers to some esoteric bit of vineyard architecture somewhere up in Washington. But all you need to remember is the name. This winery - L'Ecole No. 41 - makes killer faux Bordeaux - especially something called...
Indulgence
Think how many souls you could have sprung from limbo with this block of butter! Fifty-five pounds of butter, to be exact. This is only one of dozens of butter blocks that will be carved into pastry, frosting, cakes and cookies at Gayle's Bakery on any given day. I...
Tapenade
My on-going grazing tour of La Jolla continued last week with lunch at the very smartly decorated Tapenade, a few blocks off the seaside village main drag of Prospect Street. Pale yellow walls, handsome floral design and attractive waiters all set a positive tone to...
The Secret Life of Candy: Part I
How long will it take for someone to notice the red gummi bear sticking to the front of the clock? Whose hand is furtively moving away from the clock? What mystery culprit licked the back of the candy bear and stuck it onto the clock face? These are only some of the...
Soif’s Up!
Two recent visits to Soif put me in direct contact with flavor dazzle, starting with small plates of those addictive roasted Marcona almonds and crostini topped with tangy boquerones and aioli (shown left). An appetizer of fresh Dungeness crab salad joined by a...
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.