“And the award for best Oscars party goes to…”

“And the award for best Oscars party goes to…”

Movies are one of my favorite things. One of my seven favorite things. Along with food, wine, women, music, food and wine. I like award shows too. I almost always watch the Golden Globes. I never miss the Academy Awards. Because I relish the showbiz, the low cut...
Vinos+Tapas. A San Miguel restaurant flexes its mussels.

Vinos+Tapas. A San Miguel restaurant flexes its mussels.

Mussels almost smack dab in the middle of Mexico? Maybe it’s crazy to even think about them. But I do. And often. I’ve always wanted mussels (yes, pun definitely intended, and particularly in the upper arms). I have since I was about 20 (nobody ate mussels before I...
Time to put a little more spice in your life.

Time to put a little more spice in your life.

You may know what Candelaria is; you may not. Even though I had a mostly Christian upbringing, I only knew the word Candelaria from an art history class. And it was a painting by Hans Holbein (The Elder, I think). In San Miguel de Allende, the presentation of Christ...
The Chili Cookoff. Good times never felt so good.

The Chili Cookoff. Good times never felt so good.

Some things are best said in words. Some things are best said in pictures. Yannis Dettingmeijer’s photography captures the good food, the good booze, the good people, the good times, better than I could ever portray them with nouns, adjectives and verbs. I was...
“Ow I like dem erstas at Hank’s.”

“Ow I like dem erstas at Hank’s.”

That was my attempt at what New Orleanians call a “yat” accent. I know. Not very good was it. In her book, New Orleans Cuisine: Fourteen Signature Dishes And Their Histories, Susan Tucker refers to Oysters Rockefeller as “the single greatest contribution of the United...
You’re invited to spend a gourmet evening in Spain.

You’re invited to spend a gourmet evening in Spain.

At next month’s San Miguel de Allende wine-pairing dinner, we will be exploring the wine regions of Spain. With six different courses each accompanied by a different wine. The menu, I think, speaks for itself. GASPACHO DE ANDALUCIA Cucumber, bell pepper and herb...
Appassimento. Hard to spell. Easy to drink.

Appassimento. Hard to spell. Easy to drink.

There is no winery in my opinion more emblematic of the Veronese style than Masi Agricola. Still family-owned, Masi is one of the largest wineries in Valpolicella, producing over 12 million bottles a year. 47 of those bottles were opened last week at Firenze, one of...
In pursuit of a better shepherd’s pie.

In pursuit of a better shepherd’s pie.

I’m recycling one of my blog posts from a few years ago today. Partly, of course, because I’m lazy. But mostly because a Scottish version of Don Day’s Wife’s shepherd’s pie will be on the menu at Bonds’ Robbie Burns Night in San...
“If you know beans about chili, you know chili has no beans.”

“If you know beans about chili, you know chili has no beans.”

Wick Fowler wrote those words. Jerry Jeff Walker sang those words. Don Day doubted those words. I was never really popular as a kid. Except for about every two weeks on Thursday. Because it was about every two weeks on Thursday that I would get up in the morning and...