Food

RELM is an inviting, comfortable wine beer bar and bistro in the middle of the downtown district of Carlsbad.  RELM was one of the first in the market to offer a large retail wine shop within the comfortable bar and …

A new wine release event flashed across the internet recently, to celebrate the bounty of a special harvest from the Gen 7 winery and its newest releases. It was a time of celebration for the Bacino family in theCrosby community in …

When I was recently in Rome, I enjoyed a plate of “abbacchio alla romana” at Da Bucatino (www.bucatino.com), a restaurant just downstairs from the apartment I was renting. This is an always-packed trattoria in the Testaccio neighborhood just south and …

“This democratization of wine is great,” asserted Jancis Robinson, one of the world’s leading wine authorities, over coffee one recent morning. Robinson was in Washington, D.C., to promote the seventh edition of The World Atlas of Wine, the indispensable reference …

Wine writers love explaining why Champagne and other sparkling wines deserve a spot at the dinner table all year long. Good sparklers are characterized by vibrant acidity and freshness, which help them cut through spicy meals, complement savory food, and …

How do you take a historic landmark that, since 1923 has been pleasing guests with ranch-style accommodations, and dining in one of the most upscale districts in San Diego County, and clean it up with a major remodel?  The answer is, very carefully. …

There is great controversy over the origins of “carbonara” dishes in Italy. They range from a dish made by Italian charcoal workers’ wives inspired by their husbands’ coal-dusted work clothes, to grateful Italians during WWII making American GIs a pasta …

The holidays are behind us, and gone too are the big feasts.  But you still have to eat.  If you are like me, and you want a quick meal, perhaps after a long day at work, for an impromptu get …

An Italian cousin of ours recently married a Frenchman, the second to do so, and of all of the weddings I’ve attended in Italy (many) these are my favorite, if only because for once I am not the foreigner, they …

Now that the pace of life in SoCal has calmed down and constant rounds of socializing at world class parties, events and football bowl games has faded away, it’s time to gather up 2013, put it in to the Guiness …