Wine and Spirits Travel

I was up in time to catch the view from my balcony at the Omni Severin before Morgan from Indianapolis Tourism met us in the lobby. We walked the few blocks (I love that everything in Indy is so walkable, it's going to be a great place for Super Bowl 2012) to Cafe Patachou for breakfast. Morgan had been talking about this place and its owner, who had turned the successful restaurants into her own little chain in the city. It was bright and modern, with an interesting menu. Morgan had their famous Cinnamon Toast, which I agreed was delicious. Lisa went for the "Broken Yolk" Sandwich, a massive and gooey plate that she couldn't finish, and I decided to keep it simple with French Toast covered with fresh blueberries. It's all about using local produce and food as much as possible here, and I'm told that extends to Indianapolis Airport, where the restaurants use products from the area. One thing that can't be grown in Indiana is the

It seems like I am always up in the air, but this week I decided to do something a bit different. I hit the road with my friend Lisa for a Midwest adventure from Indianapolis to Cedar Falls to Chicago, where we ended it all at quite a party. Day one began with a  two hours drive to Indy , where we found pouring rain. The plan was to take a Segway tour through White River State Park – weather permitting. We were disappointed, but Morgan Greenlee from the Indianapolis Visitors Bureau quickly adapted the afternoon plans. After we checked into our rooms on the penthouse floor of the Omni Severin , we were off to lunch at a new restaurant in town. Mesh on Mass Avenue . I enjoyed the Short Rib Slow Cooker (without the bun) with a glass of Noel Bossier Vouvray, a semi-sweet French white that was very fruity, and Lisa had a Salmon Caesar salad. Both the restaurant and the menu had a modern feel, which is exactly where all of Indianapolis is heading these days. The city is preparin

I was lucky enough to time my New York visit with the Colorado Tourism Harvest event and it was quite a preview into my trip to come. The event was held at The Little Owl venue down in the Village. It’s an interesting space that’s being used for pop-up dinners, with an open kitchen and plenty of room to mingle. I took my daughter, Sam, along and we spent some time mingling. I was excited to see Anna Watson, who was the lead on my trip to Champagne & Burgundy (she’s now working in the food industry and has a great blog, The Yellow Table ). I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the food and drinks at A Taste of Colorado Harvest event. There was no fish at all, so I was able to try everything. The food was prepared by Chef Justin Cucci (left), who oversees the food at the Denver restaurants Linger and Root Down . The menu was clever and fresh and consisted of passed oversized Hors d'oeuvre that highlighted what’s fresh in the state right now: COLORADO C

I write about wine and spirits travels around the world, but none of my adventures can quite compare with those of Dan Dunn. After all, how do you compare anything to the life of a wine and spirits writer who works for Playboy ? Living Loaded is the true story (with a few exaggerations thrown in there) of Dan Dunn, a liquor and wine writer whose main outlet is Playboy Magazine. Dan spends more than half his life traveling around the world. His dysfunctional upbringing in Philadelphia and inability to commit to a long term relationship fuels his need for heavy duty sex, drugs and booze. And these vices fit nicely in his profession. It is a battle he often discusses with himself, though not in the same way his mentally disabled mother does. My life lends itself to more time for writing books than reading them, but this one had me engaged from beginning to end. There was times when I shook my head in disbelief and others when I smiled because I totally got it, but most of all, I spen

It’s hard to believe 10 years have passed since that horrible day. I was living on Long Island at that time in an area deeply touched by the effects of September 11, 2001. Many of my neighbors worked in Manhattan, some in and around the World Trade Center. I spent the day with one close friend whose husband worked in Tower Two. We waited for hours to hear from him and, though he did make it back unharmed, many in his office did not. In addition to the people I knew who worked at the World Trade Center, there many New York City Firefighters who live on Long Island. I knew some of those who went into the building burning, collapsing building to help survivors, and search for others. There was one husband and wife who both worked at Ground Zero, not able to let their five children know where they were. At the same time I worried about the adults I knew stuck in New York City, there were school children – one of which was mine – sitting in classrooms down the block. They didn’

I’ve been lucky enough to make it to the wine regions of France at least once a year. Each year it gets more difficult to choose where I am going. Sometimes, it’s all about timing. That was the case this year when I made the decision not to go to Southwest France. Fortunately, with the help of some of the wineries there and a few of my friends, I was able to taste through the area without leaving my dining room. This wine region is an area that doesn’t get a lot of notice. The area around Toulouse is in the Midi-Pyrénées region, the center of the southern section of France. It soil benefits from the climate of being directly between both the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans. It is also near to the border of Spain. The wines we tasted were chosen for fall enjoyment and as good choices for Thanksgiving from Domaine Duffour , Domaine du Moulin , Chateau d’Aydie, Chateau Le Roc , Tarani ad Saint-Mont. I will leave the full point system to Wine Spectactor, but I brought in so

No, winter hasn't come early. In fact it's nearly 100 degrees in Central Illinois right now. 25 Degrees refers to a brand new burger lounge in downtown Chicago that's filled with mouth-watering food and plenty of wine and spirits. The Chicago restaurant was opened by  Joe and Mac Boumaroun, brothers who had previously owned the Lebanese restaurant  Aladdin's Eatery in Chicago. They were intrigued by the concept of an upscale burger place and this particular chain had taken off on the west coast. They are putting it all together with acclaimed chef Tim Goodell, who has added a few things to the menu (like the Potato & Three Cheese Fritters) that are unique to this location. The official opening was just last week and it looks like a place the windy city will see around for a long time. The 25 Degrees is the difference between a medium-rare burger and one that is well-done. The latter is my preference and the Wisconsin sirloin was cooked to perfection, jui