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No Reservations Chile Episode Airs Tonight

No Reservations Chile Episode Airs Tonight

    Tonight, July 13, at 10pm, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Chile episode kicks off the second half of Season Five. I will confess, this episode really kicks butt. Of course, not only because it's Chile--I suppose I had the ultimate preview since I was...

A Foodie’s Worst Nightmare and Revelation

A Foodie’s Worst Nightmare and Revelation

  Last night, I had a weird dream that I woke up with a strange medical condition. Something doctors had never seen. I had permanently lost my appetite. It was like the Matrix, the same day kept repeating again and again, and still no appetite. I felt physical...

Pasta y Vino with Three Irresistible Wines

Pasta y Vino with Three Irresistible Wines

As my husband and I have gotten into wine over the years, the number of “collectable” bottles we have acquired as gifts, in our travels, and off our wish list has increased to the point that one night, a couple months ago, we were in a quandry that didn’t have...

Avocados 101: Part II

Avocados 101: Part II

  Continuing our odyssey into the world of avocados, below is a selection of the most common varieties found in Chile. Researching a little more, I discovered that you can find many of these varieties in the States now, particularly in California, and even...

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Fine Wines for Less

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Fine Wines for Less

Sitting down here in leg warmers by the heater, visions of 4th of July pool parties, hamburgers, and beers seem really, really far away. In fact, I have been dreaming of our lazy days last year in Napa as we sipped fruity Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma, nippled on blue...

Avocado 101: Part I

Avocado 101: Part I

  Having grown up on the East Coast, when I arrived in Chile, my idea of an avocado was a precious treasure racking up US$2-3 per UNIT, usually bought as hard as a rock and left to ripen in a brown paper bag before being turned into, well, guacamole. What else...

A Lemon Meringue Pie Love Affair

A Lemon Meringue Pie Love Affair

Winter time in Santiago means citrus season. We are being bombarded by clementines, navel oranges, grapefruit, and kazillions of kilos of fragrant lemons. Even my friends with lemon trees in their backyards are tiring of lemony pisco sours, the national drink. There’s...

The Don Juan of Wine: Seven Lusty Malbecs

The Don Juan of Wine: Seven Lusty Malbecs

  You know the type—charming, seductive,  a real smoothe-talker. He’s refined, muscular yet has a soft spot. Although it may sound like I am referring to some of Argentina’s very handsome men, in actuality, I am referring to Malbec. I have had it on the brain...

Tea Time in Chile: Onces

Tea Time in Chile: Onces

  A peculiar tradition inherited from the British, who settled in Chile in the 1800s, tea time in Chile is deeply rooted in Chilean food culture and is affectionately called Onces. Although the origin of the word is disputed, it seems to have its roots in the...

My Top Ten Chilean Chardonnays

My Top Ten Chilean Chardonnays

  I won’t lie. There was a time when I disliked Chardonnay. In fact, I belonged to that club, you know the one: ABC. Anything But Chardonnay. The mere thought of it conjured up notions of caramel-laden, barrel bombs with little acidity. Or pineapple sorbet...

A Slice of the South in Santiago

A Slice of the South in Santiago

    Chile, like a long string bean, extends over 2,600 miles from north to south, or 17º S- 56º S at Cape Horn. The regionality of the country’s ingredients is staggering. In the north, Andean and Peruvian staples like quinoa and chuño, freeze-dried...

10 Reasons Why I Love Wine

10 Reasons Why I Love Wine

  Wine has a meaningfulness no other beverage possesses—beyond water. It can convey history; say thank you; it’s the ultimate gesture of hospitality; and cellaring wines is, for me, a way of capturing and storing their warmth to be enjoyed whenever I wish. A...

Cool off with these South American Rosés

Cool off with these South American Rosés

  As we head into winter in South America, up north, the Mercury is rising. Everybody is heading for the beach, the pool, somebody’s backyard barbecue. Rosé wines have long been associated with beating the summer heat. In fact, they also pair perfectly with many...

Water to Wine

Water to Wine

Ok, so I need to fess up. There’s something I have not been straight up about…wine is not my favorite drink. Water is. As passionate as I am about tasting wine, understanding where it’s born, the hands that touch it, the magic of making it, when it comes down to...

5 Tips for Picking a Wine Blindly

5 Tips for Picking a Wine Blindly

  You’ve been there. You’re standing in the supermarket, or liquor store, and have absolutely no idea about any of the wines in front of you. You look around. There is no floor help anywhere in sight. You have to hit the road NOW for a dinner party. Ayy, what to...

Tasting Notes: Napa Night

Tasting Notes: Napa Night

Can a whole dinner revolve around a single wine? Most definitely. I love working in reverse. On Friday, the whole pretext of the dinner was to crack open my friend Melissa’s ’97 bottle of Beaulieu Tapestry . She sent me the Cellar Tracker ) notes for planning. It...

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