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My Must-Eat Short List in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, called affectionately “BA” by the locals, is foodie heaven. Dozens upon dozens of joints, cafés, bars, bistros, boliches, restaurants, dinner clubs, and snack bars. It is stimulating—and overwhelming. Fortunately, I am blessed to live very close...
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
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
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
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
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
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
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...
Pillowy Pumpkin Bread: Sopaipillas
This morning I awoke to cold, gray skies that seem to thicken by the minute with moisture. The weekend forecast? Rain. Brrr. In these chilly days of winter, my former American self would normally pine for matzah ball soup, chicken pot pie, and hot chocolate to...
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
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...
Jerusalem Artichokes: Not Quite an Artichoke
In Chile, they were almost lost in time—almost. Along with majoram and salisfy, these humble tubers were cultivated for centuries in Chilean gardens, prized for its beautiful flower. According to antique Chilean recipes from the early 20th century, when the...
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
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...
Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences Gets a Facelift
It's been a long, arduous road with a kazillion corrections and redesigns on the way. But we did it. Whew. Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences' brand spanking new website and refined, modern look has officially debuted. We are inaugurating several delicious new...
Chile’s Wine Routes: The Road to Terroir
An excerpt from a recent piece I wrote for LAN Airlines award-winning in-flight magazine, IN, the June Edition is all about South American wine. Here, I orient readers with a sampling of Chile's varied terroir close to Santiago (only four valleys out of a dozen!),...
Post Modern in Puerto Varas: Donde el Gordito
Puerto Varas may very well be the “Portland” of Chile. It’s lush. It rains a lot. The town is steeped in Chile’s Germanic history yet laid back and modern. It has a stunning natural setting on the shores of the azure Llanquihue Lake with vistas of the conical...
Chilean Tomato and Cilantro Salsa
When you sit down to any table, anywhere in the 2,600 miles of national territory stretching from the border of Peru to the tip of South America, three things will immediately appear: bread (many times homemade), butter, and pebre. Pebre, Chilean “salsa”, is the...
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