Food

Pinot Grigio, Gavi, Prosecco, Spumanti, Barbera, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Chianti Classico, Nero D’Avola, Barolo, Barbaresco, Valpolicella… the Italian wine list reads like a journey to Italy, at Il Fornaio in the Del Mar Plaza.  And the nicest thing about this list is …

Cold weather stalwarts, farro, aromatic vegetables, cannellini beans, and butternut squash come together to make zuppa di farro (farro soup), a soup so rich and thick it could well be called a stew.  The backbone of this dish is farro …

There is no more knowlegeable or harder-working Advanced Sommelier in San Diego than Josh Orr at Marina Kitchen at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, who in a short time in the wine presenting business, has distinguished himself as the acclaimed winner …

In Turin, the chocolate is at home. Piedmont chocolatiers got their first license to sell chocolate in 1678, almost 200 years before the first gianduia bar entered the chocolate scene in Turin. But when “CioccolaTò Festival” takes place, as during …

As wine is the ultimate beverage in France, Italy and the California coast, tequila is the national drink that creates the most pride for most Mexicans. Given that the culture of this adjoining country’s dining and beverage preferences are closely aligned withSan Diego and especially the …

It doesn’t get any better than this one.  I’ve been to all of them and they get better each year.  This one is the 11th annual San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival from Sunday November 16 through Sunday November  23rd.  An army of the world’s premier …

San Diego County, by my count and review of Localwineevents.com, leads the nation on  a per capita basis, in wine/food events. A big contributor to that enviable record is a mild-mannered restaurateur for two Italian style restaurants:  Vittorio’s and Capri Blu in North County. Victor Magalhaes has positioned …

The simplest of meals can feed the soul.  With the Thanksgiving holiday (and all its excesses) behind us, it is the simple soups of fall that I crave.  A simple meaty mushroom soup or perhaps a simple pot of leftover …

When we visited Umbria this fall, I expected the region to be a mere stepchild to Tuscany and its cosmopolitan, touristy vibe. Instead, we found a truly distinctive part of Italy, with its own unique character—and a place that includes …

Treat your holiday guests to ripe pears cloaked in sweet pastry set atop a pool of rich caramel sauce.  Add an Italian accent with a scoop of vanilla gelato and an elegant flourish of Italian gold leaf.   Indeed, Italians’ …