Entries about wine

I am fully aware that hunger is a true crisis world-wide. I have seen it and know there are plenty of people for whom one meal a day is a luxury. This post is not intended to be taken seriously.

A food crisis in the USA is a snowstorm that prevents you from getting milk for 24 hours. At the mere threat of bad weather, supermarket lines are impossible.

A food crisis in Paris means I just realized it's Sunday and I can't buy my favorite wine from my favorite cave, my favorite baguette from my favorite boulangerie, or my favorite cheese from my favorite fromagerie. What's worse is that these places are also closed on Mondays too, and these are my last few days here. I will have to do without my reblochon fermier until Tuesday. YIKES.

I am eating my favorite foods and drinking my favorite wine from now until I go home. Back in the US I will dream about the almond croissants, the crunchy baguettes, the crisp, salty French fries, the petite baguette sandwiches, the surprises on the chalk board menus, and the hours spent lingering over meals in tiny spaces, or put together in my well-equipped kitchen.

I think I will miss my chicken place most of all; Les Rotisseurs du Roy. The one with the line. I never tire of the rotisserie chicken, the chicken sausages, the haricots verts, the pommes terres, and the champignons. The owner was a bit like the soup nazi from Seinfeld, at first. But my French has improved and I order quickly now, in French, and I bring my own sack to carry home my chicken and fixings. She even smiled at me yesterday and gave me a bit of sauce (gravy). A first, for me.

Although I will always hate the stone steps and all the hills, I have walked off all that I have eaten and I still fit easily into my jeans. No need for a gym work-out, here. If I ate at home what I've eaten here, I'd be in big trouble.

A side trip to Amsterdam was packed with art, architecture, canals and other sights and activities. A side benefit, somewhat unexpected, was the delightful, delicious food we found everywhere (and no, we were not suffering from munchies).

In between visits to museums, walking, taking a boat ride around the canals, we grazed our way through the city. Our first meal was at a tiny cafe called Bistro Bi Jons where the chef, a woman, cooked as you ordered, in full view of the customers. No prepared foods, here. As she cooked, the aromas got better and better, which made me even hungrier. The liver,with onions, bacon, and bread was intense with flavor. The soup of the day was filled with sausages, vegetables, and the base was green beans. I need to steal this recipe.

After visiting a few museums, we stopped and shared a warm waffle drizzled with Nutella. Warm carbohydrates with chocolate and hazelnuts. What else is there to say about that?

For dinner, we ate at a restaurant called Het Karbeel near Central Station, where we were taking the train back to Paris. They, like so many other places in Amsterdam serve craft beers, beer on tap, and have an extensive wine list. We started with a cheese fondue, then I had chicken thighs in a peanut sauce on a skewer. Again, I need to figure out this recipe. Not that we had any room left, but we split a dessert. Crepes wrapped around ice cream, sitting in a sauce, with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.

I love travel. I love especially travel with fellow foodies who get as excited as I do when they read a menu.
I will return to Amsterdam at some point for a longer stay. Please comment and tell me some of your favorite places to eat and to go.

A notable way to start any trip off is with a visit to Vino Volo. I now make it my mandatory stop when I’m leaving from Newark Liberty airport. Not much else makes me happy about being in the airport. Yes, I’m elated to be starting a trip. But I despise the traveling part of travel and just want to get there.

Vino Volo is my treat before I get on that plane for who know how many hours seated next to who knows who. Far from your average airport bar, this upscale wine bar makes you (sort of) forget you’re in an airport.

The vibe is friendly and sophisticated and the wine list is inviting. Look for Vino Volo the next time you fly. It helps.

Tuscan Pig Roast at Sting & Trudie's Place

Here's two of my fantasies rolled into one: Sting and his wife are hosting a pig roast at their estate in Tuscany and (for $2200) the public is invited!

Anyone interested in taking me?

Tender is the night at "Divino Tuscany"
Tuscany is an iconic region that, over the centuries, has produced some of the world's most celebrated wines. A land of unparalleled beauty and extraordinary cuisine, it has an abundance of art and architecture that has prompted UNESCO to populate the region with a cluster of World Heritage sites. "Divino Tuscany" brings together all these features in a 4-day Luxury & Wine Event for wine connoisseurs and VIPs that will take place in Florence and Tuscany from June 2nd to June 5th.

The event provides one-of-a-kind experiences in superb settings with the participation of an exceptional roster of hosts to pay tribute to Tuscany's outstanding winemaking tradition. Over the course of four incredible days, attendees will take part in a breathtaking sequence of wine tastings, seminars, special dinners and enthralling entertainment.

Il Palagio, Sting's Tuscan villa
Wine is the leading theme, but the event encompasses all that revolves around the nectar of Bacchus. Historic wineries, castles and palazzos belonging to ancient, noble families will be opened up just for attendees, and sumptuous food will be served in exquisite surroundings by restaurateurs of the caliber of Giorgio Pinchiorri of Florence's renowned Enoteca Pinchiorri. The program includes an inaugural concert by world-famous violinist, Joshua Bell, and a farewell country barbecue at Il Palagio, Sting and Trudie Styler's beautiful private villa in the Valdarno. For full details of this exceptional event, see our full package description.

Guiding spirits of this signature event are James Suckling, former Senior Editor and European Bureau Chief of "Wine Spectator" and one of the world's most influential wine critics, and IMG Artists, the global leader in arts management and a leading producer of cultural and lifestyle festivals. Founding vintners from the Antinori, Frescobaldi, Mazzei, Ricasoli, Il Borro, Petrolo and Castello Banfi estates are also slated for participation. Designed with the highest level of excellence in mind, "Divino Tuscany" is destined to set a new standard in event creation to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification.