Fifth macaroni and cheese night already? And I’m not even sick of the stuff yet. I must say, though, that all this mac and cheese analysis has affected my standards. Let’s just say that a recent order from a fast food chain was NOT up to snuff. Bright orange sauce lacking flavor and overcooked noodles
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Desert Pear Martini Firebirds North Hills, Raleigh $9 This lovely drink gets a considerable boost in appearance from that slice of pear dominating the top of the glass. The liquid beneath it is a mix of Belvedere citrus vodka, Firebirds’ sweet and sour mix, desert pear juice, and apple juice. Now, the term desert pear
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Dynamite Vineyards 2007 North Coast Chardonnay Sonoma, CA This chardonnay is light-bodied. The nose is of hard caramel candy with extra vanilla mixed in. The fruit hits you first on sipping: starfruit and apple. Then a bit of cream kicks in like a low-calorie, french vanilla ice cream, just enough to guide the fruit home
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Placido Chianti 2008 Tuscany, Italy This chianti tastes pungent, and not in a good way. Unripened blackberries, nectarines, apples, mild chocolate, and herbs—dried thyme, mostly—are the notes I taste. Those don’t make for a great combination. I’m not spitting it out, but it’s not really worth drinking, either.

Fuerza Blancos 2009 Mendoza, Argentina For the record, I’m drinking this white wine blend very chilled, which can lessen the potency of the nose and flavors of the wine.  I smell apple and vanilla.  It tastes of apple also. It’s acidic, which makes it seem peppery. Caramel notes are present and some herbal quality, perhaps
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