Just a hop on the ferry across the grand Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires, the charming colonial gem of Colonia on the Southwestern shores of Uruguay, is quickly becoming a favorite getaway to South America’s smallest nation.
Score It! Eat Wine Santiago (2nd Edition) Launches NOW!
The second edition of Eat Wine Santiago, an all-you-need-to-know guide of an ever-changing, on-the-rise city, has finally been released. Don’t hesitate and buy your copy today.
Valparaíso Getaway: What’s New, What’s Cool
Just about every country has its metropolises, farms, and beaches, but not every country has a paradise. Valparaíso (the word paraíso literally means paradise) is Chile’s most captivating, cool, and unique city, clinging to the steep Pacific coast only 140 kilometers...
Kick-Off South American Wines & Foods for Super Bowl Sunday
Ahh the Super Bowl. Football, friends, family, and seriously hearty food. After all, it is the depths of winter (up north) and much of the US is rallying from (another) 12 inches of snow. Down here in Chile, expats are gathering at California Cantina's terrace, a...
Come Discover Argentina in 2011
That's right. 2011 is the Age of Argentina. It's the travel destination on the lips of every foodie and wine lover. Does even putting a Malbec to your lips send you off into dreams of gauchos and beef?. Does the thought of Buenos Aires, a South American style,...
Cheese & Vino, Please
Wine and Cheese. Queso y vino. Le Vin et Fromage. Two peas in a pod. Quite possibly the end all, be all of wine pairing combos. In US tastings and our Culinary Santiago tour, I field the question quite a bit about what wines best accompany cheese, another great...
Top Terraces in Santiago & Buenos Aires
Summer time, summer time. Sweet, seductive, and way too short. To make the most of it, many a summer evening is best spent on a terrace with friends consuming frosty, frothy cocktails or a crisp bubbly. In fact, until relocating to Chile ten years ago (this month!), I...
Next Stop: Santiago, Chile
Viva Santiago! Yay! Way to kick off the year, Chile. It filled my heart with joy on Sunday morning when I opened, okay clicked, the New York Times travel section to find my hometown holding down the lead spot of, “41 Places to Go in 2011”. Santiago described as...
Chile’s Foodie Frontier: Puerto Natales
The wind is howling. Gale force gusts moan and it sounds like a stampede on the roof. I peer through our hotel room window overlooking the icy Fjord of Last Hope. White-capped swells crash towards the rocky shore, jostling the fishing boats rhythmically....
Live Your Dream in 2011
As of late, I have gotten extremely philosophical when flying. I have attributed this partially to the period of my life, one of intense introspection and growth. Maybe it's the time of year, too. A New Year provokes reflection. But somehow, being suspended...
White Hot Christmas
I will never forget my first Christmas in Chile. The Mercury registered 32 C (94 F) at 2pm. Here I sat, alone, feeling like it was the Fourth of July. All the festivities had happened the previous night. Presents, late night multi-course dinner, undisclosed...
Eat, Drink, Sleep, Wine
Being in the loop of what's happening on the forefront of luxe wine lodges front here in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, I was recently commissioned to write this piece for LAN Airlines brand new IN Wines magazine. It's available on board for all you lucky folks...
Wondering What Wine for Turkey Day? Go South American.
I am back on the ground in Chile after a whirlwind "tour" promoting our culinary & wine tours business and Emiliana Orgánico wines with TV in Florida, cooking classes & wine pairings at Central Market in Texas, and wrapping up everything with the most...
Traveling in La Vega
When my editor from Placeres magazine proposed the theme "Grand Destinations" for the travel issue, he wanted to know where I would go to eat and buy food. I immediately began to take a mental inventory of my last culinary-focused shopping sprees outside Chile. I am...
Fellow Foodies: Let’s Meet in Texas
While much of the world has been revealing in the collective euphoria following the rescue of los 33 (that’s local lingo for the miners), which we’ve been cheering on 24-7 here in Chile, I have been in a bit of frenzy to get ready for an upcoming promotional...
Sky High at Portillo
Here I am. Standing at the top of a p-r-e-t-t-y pitched slope. By my calculations, it is, at least, a good 45-degree gradient. It will require some pretty fast turns to get out of the "hairy" zone before the run becomes more tranquila. I stop to take a deep...
At Your Service
You probably have been in this situation. There's a new restaurant of a well-known chef. It was hard to get a table but you managed to score one. You arrive with your date and the architecture is dazzling. There are beautiful people everywhere and the vibe is super...
Faith, Hope, and Chilean Pride
Yesterday afternoon around 3:20pm we were polishing off the final drops of an exquisite bottle of El Principal 2006 and the last bite of our pasta-less roasted vegetable lasagna. Out of nowhere, horns began honking like crazy outside. Since this is a normal ritual...
Searching for flavors; the honest
and the meaningful
and the meaningful
