The morning of Day 3 found me in bed at the Ritz-Milner on Flower St. in downtown Los Angeles. Quick note on the hotel: it’s a very affordable option for downtown LA, and for the price ($90/night), it’s a good deal as well. The Ritz-Milner is an older hotel, no doubt—the walls need better scrubbing,
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26 October, 2011
Gaetano D’Aquino Chianti 2010
Posted in : Chianti, Red Wine on by : The Gourmez Tags: 2010, 2010 vintage, anna uncorked, cranberry, currant, gaetano d'aquino, spice, strawberry, wine cask blogGaetano D’Aquino Chianti 2010 Italy Normally, I’m a big fan of chianti because it’s mellow in a way that it makes mellow seem like an art form. This one’s not there. It smells sharply herbal with a tart berry undercurrent of currant or cranberry. It’s tart on drinking, too. There’s almost a fizz to it,
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24 October, 2011
California Trip 2011, Days 1 & 2: Playa del Rey, the Grove, Santa Monica, and Malibu
Comments : 1 Posted in : Dining in Los Angeles - CA, Restaurants, Travel Guide for Los Angeles - CA on by : The Gourmez Tags: bar chloe, barbecue mac and cheese, beach, beach sunset, beach view, bees knees, chamomile mai tai, charthouse, downtown los angeles, family, fish and chips, icon lounge, los angeles, los angeles farmers market, malibu, misfit, panorama, playa del rey, sonoma wine garden, souffle, steve madden, the grove, travel blog, travelogue, visitor's guide, west 4th and janeBen and I spent the first two weeks of October in California, using the Adobe Max conference as an excuse for me to be back home, visiting friends and family in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz. First stop was my sister’s new pad on the beach at Playa del Rey. Let me tell you folks;
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18 October, 2011
Castelmaure Corbieres Col des Vents 2008
Posted in : Languedoc, Red Wine, Wine on by : The Gourmez Tags: bitter, blackberry, col des vents, connie's blog for food and drink, corbieres, france, fruit leather, in my glass, leather, plum, south franceCastelmaure Corbières Col des Vents 2008 Languedoc, South France This red wine’s nose is full of jammy blackberry-fruit-leather notes. It smells warm, with a smidge of potpourri essence to it. Aeration is important for appreciating this wine—-it tastes far too tight and tart without it, like cranberry and eucalyptus. Given some airing, the tartness
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3 October, 2011
My Sister’s Kitchen
Comments : 1 Posted in : Dining in Durham - NC, Restaurants on by : The Gourmez Tags: breakfast, breakfast all day, breakfast burrito, breakfast plate, dinner, durham, free wifi, free wireless, lunch, my sister's kitchen, parkwood, research triangle park, restaurant review, review, rtpMy Sister’s Kitchen 4716 NC Highway 55 Edge of Research Triangle Park, Durham Website Breakfast: $1.99–$6.99 Lunch/Dinner: $4.99–$10.99 My Sister’s Kitchen is located just past the intersection of highways 54 and 55. It’s in a bright red building now adorned with a mural of a tasty breakfast plate. Breakfast is a big draw for this
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