Jonathan Was Pure Gold... If you’re a food and wine writer with an IQ over a 100, a dubious claim that no doubt most chefs and winemakers would agree with, considering the bounty of hacks with their gormless opinions that have exploded over the internet. But let’s just suppose you’re a scribe with a three [...]
Chef Likes Different Combos... Since Robert Mondavi Winery has got an upcoming Winemaker’s dinner at their estate (Aug 25, sorry gang, it’s already sold-out however some seats are still available for chef Jeff Mosher's Autumn Fête dinner on Sept 22) the Insider thought it would be cool to get the man who has been with [...]
Wine and Rock n' Roll... Does rock n’ roll and wine go together? Let’s face it. Not really. While there’s a few rock stars who have bought wineries, the two pleasures don’t really mix. Rock n’ roll is jack and coke and beer. When I open a nice bottle of wine, I’m not tempted to [...]
No Ego in the Wine Biz ... Some times when the Insider is on the road, it’s fun to get an outsider sommelier to do the NSI Quiz to get their perspective on the industry. Recently while in Las Vegas for Uncork’d I got Jason Smith, a master sommelier, and the executive director of wine [...]
Not A Celeb Chef in Sight ... Casino restaurants have gotten a bit of a bad rap for being overpriced and not that good and perhaps deservedly so. How many celebrity chefs have stuck their name on a restaurant in a casino, taken the check and run? Too many to count. But that sure isn’t [...]
Choice Makes Tasting Fun... I love tasting rooms. Everything from the different architecture, the views of the estates, the convivial staff to the sipping and tasting. But if there’s one drawback, it’s the lack of diversity at most tasting rooms. It’s not the wineries fault, most only make a few varietals and one can’t expect them to showcase other [...]
Pop the Corks at Uncork'd... Uncork'd kicked off its 12th annual celebration of food, wine and booze with a sold out dinner at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon at the Venetian. Vegas native, and exec chef of Keller’s Ad Hoc in Napa, Matt Alba, was flown in to deliver the fried chicken goods and he didn’t disappoint. [...]
Drinks flow at Caesars ... Some times when the Insider is on the road, it’s fun to get an outsider sommelier to do the NSI Quiz to get their perspective on the industry. Recently while in Las Vegas for Uncorked I got to sit down with Phil Park, the Director of Wine for all of Caesars restaurants, a big, demanding job, but one Park was [...]
Loyalty pays off at Bouchon... Loyalty is a word often bandied about in service, wine and restaurant circles. But due to the transitionary and volatile nature of all three professions, the word loyalty is often a smirked upon joke, cutting both ways. But if there’s an exception to the rule, it’s the Thomas Keller Group. [...]
Some Kicks To Be Had ... Sometimes it can be a drag waiting around for a grand tasting. It happens. A city’s got a dead night life scene and not very good restaurants and bars. Not fun. But man, that sure isn’t Seattle. Recently had a few days to kill and had a ball before Taste of Washington’s Grand Tasting which was held underneath the football stands of [...]
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