Whistler is the Place.... I’ve travelled half the world (working on the other half) and I’ve yet to find a better one and half hour drive than the one from Vancouver to Whistler, BC. Ocean on the left and mountains on the right, it is just a spectacular drive that you want to be in [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
Great Views at Vancouver Wine Fest ... My liver took a pounding but had a lot of fun. Victoria’s 5th annual craft beer festival kicked off at the Victoria Public Market. Vancouver Island Brewery had a raspberry export stout that was delicious. Normally I try to avoid beers with fruit titles in them as they [...]
Great Food and Wine... Had some great food and drinks and viewed interesting exhibits as the Seattle Wine and Food Experience celebrated 10 years down at Pier 66 at Seattle’s Bell International Hall. Most of the wine sampling was concentrated on the ground floor with over 30 Washington State wineries and a dozen each or so [...]
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