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He’s Tasted 250,000 Wines In 40 Years, Gallo Grows Yet Again, Panera Bread Joins the Chicken Sandwich Battle – Sort of, Kendell-Jackson Goes to the Races, Please Consider for Your next Visit

Writing from the edge of the Russian River in Sonoma County I’ve followed James Suckling during his fine career with the Wine Spectator magazine and now into his own tasting company. While what he tastes is usually beyond my budget his thoughts are still relevant…

A Magna Cum Laude Learns About Wine – Sort of, Subway Swings and Taps Foul, Costco Sales Strong, Plenty of Fire But No Water and Gallo Lands Strong

Writing from the edge of the Russian River in Sonoma County Lette Teague, the Wall Street Journal’s wine writer recently took on the daunting task of tutoring a 22 year old, magna cum laude college graduate through wine tasting 101. I thought you might want…

8 Days in May, Tasting Fees Double, Really High End Cab, Double Chicken Sandwich News and Some Wine You Can Afford

Writing from the edge of the Russian River in Sonoma County Our “8 Days in May” Wine Tour was promoted by Wine Road Sonoma that is an association that provides a wine country resource guiding visitors and locals alike through the scenic bi-ways and backroads…

Of Cheese, Bubbles and Foothills

I’m in a huge hall at the Sonoma fair grounds filled with specialty cheeses as part of the California Artisan Cheese Festival and I whom do I find,  well it’s Janet Fletcher, the author of several cheese matching and cheese cookbooks, and the winner of…

The Best Gets Beery

Loyal readers will remember a recent Woody’s Whine that rated Italian beef sandwiches in our northwest part of the city and if you were paying attention you’ll remember that Buona Beef was the tasty winner. Well recently they went one better and did a beer…

The Grate Cheese Tasting

While always looking for new and tasty ways to make better pizza I came across a pizza cheese blending article in of all things “Pizza Today” magazine that referenced 11 possible cheese blends: Mozzarella and provolone Mozzarella and fontina Fresh mozzarella and Parmesan Mozzarella, fontina,…

The DMK Burger

Most locations take the fast food concept and spin it up smartly to an adult level with semi or full table service and in most cases some sort of beer and wine or even a full bar. We’ve sampled Meatheads and Smash Burger and find…

Tasted, Read and Drunk Along the Way

2013 Boudreaux “A Dismal Bordeaux Vintage Hits the Market” “A disappointing harvest may deflate prices further” Bloomberg “Closed, tannic and gritty”, not a country and western band but one of several similar notes I made during the Bordeaux tasting event I attended earlier this year,…

Famous VIP at Famous Liquors

I also did my usual six items on a time schedule including Asian slider burgers with spicy peanut sauce, Italian Stromboli, and a terrific new recipe, beef meatballs Ala Bourguignon with mushrooms and wine sauce. We’ll do it again in April at the Lombard store….

First Bites Bash kicks off Restaurant Week in Chicago

The event was staged in the grand waiting room of Chicago’s Union Station home to Metra commuter rail and Amtrak but really dressed up for the event My truly favorite of the evening was a deviled egg stuffed with a Sriracha flavored lobster mayo, get…

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