One Hundred. The thought occurred to me that if I really pushed I could hit 100 books read for 2022. But so what if it’s 94? Though 100, triple digits, is a milestone number, it’s not a failure if you don’t summit. I’d be happy to climb 94% of Mount Everest (and come back alive and in good physical/mental health). Having said that, I’m going to attempt my book version of peak-bagging and set my sights on The One Hundred for 2023. (not my library) Photo: michael kogan via Flickr How? I think if I take the time between my cat waking me up in the morning and the time I feed him to read rather tha ..read more

While sweltering in my Greenpoint, Brooklyn apartment a few years ago, I started listening to a DJ’s mixes for the International Fountain at Seattle Center. I liked the chill, mostly instrumental vibes; seamless and mildly hypnotic. Best of all I could daydream about frolicking in a fountain in the temperate Seattle summer rather than getting blasted by five hours of direct afternoon sunlight combined with 90/90+ temperature readings and humidity levels. (I did love a lot about my apartment in GP, like walking to Odd Fox Coffee, just…not that.) Seattle Center International Fountain / photo by ..read more

I have strong feelings about the spicy oatmeal recipe I’ve deployed every morning for at least the past two years. The makings of this habit started when I was a contractor at Google’s Chelsea (NYC) office in the old Port Authority Building. I eventually found my way (not easy at first in this enormous building…) to, and settled on, one spot for breakfast featuring a hot oatmeal (and congee) station with numerous accouterments. Alicia Kennedy (subscribe to her newsletter) dedicated a missive to oatmeal: “On Routine.” It was “an ode to oatmeal, to remembering and forgetting its power.” She says ..read more

I didn’t intend to read 80 books in 2021 to make for a nice little headline. It just turned out that way. Thanks to a(nother) year of isolation* both willful and ongoing pandemic-induced, my days are highlighted by three daily bibliotivities: Early morning walk accompanied by an audiobook. Early evening (shorter) walk accompanied by an audiobook. Early bedtime physical book page-turning. You can have a look at each book via Goodreads. *I recognize my privilege to have this as an option. Here are thoughts about some of the notable books and genres, grouped into rambling to specific categorie ..read more

Ready to step it up from flavored fizzy water? Eschewing alcohol but still craving that bittersweet pucker of a spritz or negroni? Chill down a bottle of Casamara Club Amaro Soda. Delicious and very food-friendly. Four flavors are available; I found the differences quite subtle. (Naturally I got the variety case to sample the quartet.) The Alta caught my attention because it’s the name of the ski resort where I lived (eons ago) for two memorable winters and one underrated summer. Let’s look at its ingredients to give an idea of what Casamara Club is all about: Sparkling Water, Lemon Juice, De ..read more

Nothing wrong with plain-old fizzy H2O. But when flavor calls, you are duty-bound to answer with any of these three non-alcoholic sparkling waters. Here variety is the spice of life, imbued into every can of of clear, fruity, subtly savory, low- or no-sugar fizz bev. Image courtesy Sanzo via FacebookSanzo Paraphrasing its website, Sanzo is an Asian-inspired sparkling water using real fruit and containing no added sugar. I bought the variety pack, which is def the way to go with almost everything. Like underwear, fun-sized cereal, and Post-it Notes. Your VP/sampler comes with three flavors: Ca ..read more

My latest missive for VinePair takes a look at a white wine grape, Godello. Its home is Galicia, on the northwest coast of Spain. I’ve got the story behind the grape’s preservation, its more familiar friend, and five bottles to check out. Have a look: vines at Bodgeas Godeval / photo courtesy Valkyrie Selections Why Chardonnay Fans Should Consider Godello You’ve probably heard of the former grape (yeah, duh/doy), which I hope will lead you to the latter. Spoiler alert: the trio of experts I talked to on the importer/somm side all mentioned the Big C white grape when queried about a comp. Ref ..read more

I would never turn down a beer beside my brisket, but there’s a lot to be said for paring wine with your grilled and/or smoked meats. So I was excited to get my copy of of Fire and Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings. Even better, my friends Mary Cressler and Sean Martin wrote the dang thing! I’ve had the chance to hang out with them around the grill, spend time with their two awesome boys, and we’ve been on a few wine trips together. Fire and Wine: A Cookbook with Vindulgent Recipes One reason I like wine with BBQ is because each beer is like a liquid sand ..read more

I received a message from Frank “Drink What You Like” Morgan about Saturday’s (March 28th) Open That Bottle of Virginia Wine Night. I thought this would be a good opportunity to lurk a bit on social media and learn (from home) more about Virginia Wine. (Take a look back via #VaWineNight.) Since we’re not going out and attending tastings, sitting at wine bars, and just congregating with friends over a few bottles, this was a great way to get educated and informed about local wines without leaving the domicile. I’ll give another quick shout-out to Frank for his ongoing Virginia Wine Chats v ..read more

I know. Oysters and red wine. It sounds so…unappealing. That is, to my particularly persnickety preferences. I do love white wine and steak. But that doesn’t seem as radical. Hey, I’m a drink-what-you-like kind of person, but bivalves and big reds are one of the very few things I can’t get behind. So I was surprised while conducting interviews for my latest VinePair missive to hear about a red wine and oyster pairing from a winemaker. (Who heard it from a sommelier.) Valpolicella was the wine. This red blend from northern Italy’s Veneto region was one of my first steady wine loves and a ..read more