Some time ago we had explored paying a visit to the restaurant Little Beast in Eagle Rock. Starting as a popup by Sean Lowenthal and Deborah Schwartz, it found its eventual permanent spot in 2013 in a historic craftsman home built in 1911. Well, we never did make it over there. Then, we read last…
It’s no secret that Eddie and I love to entertain. In our home in Santa Clarita, that has a big kitchen and dining area, we sometimes have large groups. Our Las Vegas home, which is our starting-to-scale-down home, is better for smaller groups. Having just one other couple over is really our “sweet spot” for…
Michael Perlis and I used to do an annual corkage fee article culled from local restaurants. It got very time consuming, and with sites like CorkageOnline.com now available, we no longer write our own. With that said, in a recent discussion with a fellow wine writer on restaurant corkage fees and their wine bottle prices…
Last week I wrote about the Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine Hotel, Winery, Refectorio and Santuario Spa north of Madrid, Spain after a splendid meeting with their General Manager Enrique Valero Quintana. I introduced readers to Tesse in West Hollywood, where our meeting took place, and gave you some information on their wine store. This week I…
By the time this article runs Valentino Santa Monica will have shuttered after over 40 years in the same location. The cellar, a Wine Spectator Award winner for many decades, will have been completely depleted via sales and/or being moved to a new restaurant in Newport Beach. The longtime owner, Piero Selvaggio, will have moved…
Restaurants are faced with a new reality that consumers clearly are on to corkage – beyond the BYOB backyard BBQ! Corkage is a critical component of a restaurant’s beverage program, its ROI and hospitality. From CorkageOnline Founder, Judi Laing Welcome to the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Corkage panel! – Judi Laing, founder of CorkageOnline.com,…
Temecula Valley, CA (PRWEB) – Celebrate California Wine Month Temecula-style this September in a month-long toast to the region’s bounty. Exciting programs for wine-lovers include CRUSH Wine & Culinary Showcase; Crush on Temecula Valley Wines, in partnership with local restaurants throughout Temecula Valley; a Wine Country video contest; a Wine Country social media challenge; SIP…
Being honest, I saw this as query on Facebook about favorite dishes at favorite restaurants. It had dozens of answers that I didn’t read. Why? Because I was already thinking of my own answers, and how soon I could get these faves – that I share with you now – in my mouth! Presented alphabetically…
So this is what happened. A friend’s query on Facebook about corkage fees, and dozens of helpful responses, including a few from me, resulted in her “getting up the nerve” to bring wine into a restaurant for the first time. My friend had checked to see if the restaurant allowed guests to bring in their…
Larsen’s Steakhouse in Valencia, one of the few choices we have in town for a high end/fine dining experience, recently held one of its periodic “wine tasting and locker stocking” events for its VIP locker holders. My wife Karen and I had the pleasure to attend, taste some great wines, try some delicious apps and…