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Does Jean-Charles Boisset have a James Bond complex? Perhaps. He definitely blends dapper and debonair in his style and businessman-meets-bon vivant. The descendent of Burgundy wine producers, Jean-Charles oversees the family business on two continents. In France this encompasses: Jean-Claude Boisset Winery, Domaine de la Vougeraie, Bouchard Aîné & Fils, Ropiteau Frères, J. Moreau & Fils, Château de ...

We strutted uptown May 17-19 to attend the Fourth Annual Harlem EatUp! presented by Citi. Founded by Chef Marcus Samuelsson and Herb Karlitz (Karlitz & Co), Harlem EatUp! is a delicious love letter to this vibrant community. Thursday, May 17 was the Luminary Dinner at Ginny’s Supper Club recognizing community legends “Dapper Dan,” owner of Dapper Dan’s Boutique, and SIRIUS radio ...

We squeezed in an evening at Taste of the Upper West Side Saturday, May 19. Despite having lived in Manhattan for more than 25 years, we’d never been to this event which took place under a huge tent and featured more than 80 restaurants, wines, and cocktail bars split between two nights.  Palm Bay and Taub Family ...

I have three favorite personal memories of Lidia Bastianich. The first was a Sunday lunch at her home in Queens many years ago. Her son, Joe, and I had been chatting about Zinfandel wines and my desire to try more of them. So, he decided to host a lunch with Lidia with a selection of Zinfandels ...

Talk about noshing down memory lane!  You must be living under a rock if you work in the restaurant business and have not heard about Andrew Friedman’s new book, Chefs, Drugs and Rock & Roll: How Food Lovers, Free Spirits, Misfits and Wanderers Created a New American Profession. We read it with relish because we knew just ...

Do you know what the oldest winery in Napa Valley is? It’s Charles Krug, established in 1861. Its namesake, a German immigrant, started the winery and ran it until he died in 1892. After Charles Krug’s death, the winery was acquired by the family of James Moffitt who were wealthy San Franciscans. In 1943, a former ...

Congratulations to all the winners of The James Beard Foundation Media Awards, which comprises books, broadcasting and journalism. The Awards were presented April 27 at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers. I had the pleasure of attending and sitting with four nominees, Writers/Authors Kathleen Squires, Robert Simonson, Restaurateur/Chef and Author Maricel Presilla and Chef Gonzalo Gonzales Guzman, whose book, Nopalito, won in ...

He’s passionate about Pisco! Johnny Schuler is Peru’s leading expert on Pisco and Master Distiller for Pisco Portón, whose Hacienda La Caravedo is the oldest Pisco distiller in the Americas (est. 1684). He explains the distillation process and grapes used to produce Pisco. Johnny is also a professional chef and restaurateur, owner of Granja Azul and Key ...

Bob Blue, Winemaker and Chief Storyteller for 1000 Stories in Mendocino, CA, takes a deliberate small-batch approach to winemaking. 1000 Stories utilizes old bourbon barrels for aging, which Bob says he began using in the 1980s when French and American oak barrels were hard to come by.   What we tasted: 1000 Stories Zinfandel 2016 ...

While many industry followers quiver with anticipation for The James Beard Foundation’s announcement of its Restaurant, Book and Media Award Finalists (LINK). I have a soft spot for the less flashy Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America. This program pre-dates The James Beard Foundation, and I would like to shed a little light on ...

As the snow flurries fell during the third (or fourth?) storm of the year just around the start of Spring, we both found ourselves craving the same warm  dish: Pati Jinich‘s Matzo Ball Soup with Mushrooms and Jalapeños. Maybe it’s the zing of the jalapeño chilies or the nuttiness of sesame oil and grated nutmeg that ...

Many wine aficionados are familiar with the red wines of Bordeaux, but the region also produces exceptional white wines. One of the birthplaces of Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux put the art of blending on the map, creating balanced, expressive white wines, many available for under $25. We sat down to taste a few Bordeaux Blancs wines ...

  Jen Riis, aka “Mr. Spain,” scouts wines for Kysela Pere et Fils’ Spanish wine portfolio. Based in Madrid, Jen discusses some of Spain’s most well-known wine regions like Rioja and Ribera Del Duero, as well as smaller regions he says everyone should have on their wine drinking radar, such as Alicante and Jumilla. Jen ...

For International Women’s Month in March, we’re recognizing inspirational women in wine, spirits, food and hospitality. In this post we spotlight Floriane Eznack, Cellarmaster for Champagne Jacquart.  Floriane works with a cooperative of 1800 grape growers in 60 villages and oversees blending and daily taste-testing for Jacquart’s signature Mosaïque Collection (Brut, Extra Brut, Rosé) and Blanc ...

We never need a holiday to enjoy Chinese food, but we always partake a bit more for Chinese New Year for good luck!  We started celebrating the Year of the Dog February 14th on The Connected Table Live! with guest, Hsiao-Ching Chou, author of “Chinese Soul Food.” Hsiao-Ching’s parents, came to the U.S. from Taiwan ...

“What were you doing 1968?” That was the opening question Kevin Zraly asked the group attending this week’s tasting at Corkbuzz Wine Studio to commemorate Trefethen Family Vineyards’ 50th Anniversary Retrospective. Kevin was joined by proprietors Janet Trefethen and her son, Lorenzo Trefethen, who shared the history and milestones of this family-owned winery located in Napa’s ...

Sales of Prosecco, the sparkling wine produced in the Veneto region of Italy, are bubbling.  According to Vinexpo CEO Guillame Deglise, “Sales of Prosecco will surpase 412 million bottles by 2020, as the sparking wine tases over from discounted Champagne.” (The Drinks Business, March 2017). Many years ago we took on the responsibility of promoting ...

Normally, we are not Cocktail Lounge Lizards. My idea of bellying up to a bar is heading to a barre class. I am more l downward dog than hair of a dog when it comes to recovering from a night out imbibing. But, who can resist an invitation to check out the swanky new cocktail lounge at ...

Isabel Legeron is France’s only female Master of Wine and only one of 354 MW’s worldwide. She’s been named “Wine Woman of the Year” in Paris and is recipient of the Madame Bollinger Award for Excellence in Tasting. Her website refers to her as “That Crazy French Woman,” which is also the name of a TV show she’s hosted and her blog.  Isabel is Founder ...

We visit Valpolicella, the “land of many cellars,” with Raffaele Boscaini, General Coordinator of Masi Technical Group and Director of Marketing, who represents the seventh generations of this venerable 200-year-old wine estate. The name Masi comes from “Vaio dei Masi,” the little valley purchased by the Boscaini family in the late 18th Century.  Masi Agricola also ...

We met the lovely Laura Bianchi last July when she came to New York to present a vertical tasting of Castello di Monsanto‘s iconic Il Poggio Chianti Classico Cru dating back to the 1960s. This wine is only made in the best vintages using only estate grown fruit, and hand-picked grapes, Monsanto owns the largest reserves of Chianti ...

Even though neither of us grew up in an Italian-American family, we both have adopted the celebration of the Feast of Seven Fishes as one of our holiday traditions. Called “Il Cenone or La Vigilia,”  the emphasis on fish comes from the Catholic religion’s centuries-old rule against eating meat on Fridays to honor the sacrifice of ...

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, starts December 12. For those of you who celebrate Hanukkah, we hope the upcoming eights days are filled with joy and plenty of latkes, the traditional pan-fried potato pancake served during Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle that a single jar of oil found in the Temple lasted for eight nights. ...

What’s your favorite childhood bread memory? For David it’s his mother’s cinnamon toast, most likely sweetly dusted homemade English Muffin Bread.  For me, it’s my Aunt Rachel’s homemade challah, braided into a shiny brown loaf and all pillowy inside. My mother made challah French toast for every holiday brunch and still does for Christmas (challah ...

Are you a Thanksgiving traditionalist or do you like your meal with an exotic twist?  We’re hosting 18 family members. Everyone brings dish. The next night we have a “Friendsgiving” dinner and invite neighbors to bring their leftovers for a mash-up meal. Every year when we plan the menu, I always sound like the odd ...

We’re talking about Robyn Eckhardt’s new book, “Istanbul & Beyond- Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey.” In the book’s introduction, Robyn says she traveled some 15,000 miles, village to village and market to market to chat up local farmers, fishermen, groups of women making grape molasses, families on a picnics and other local folks to ...

We recently spent a damp Sunday afternoon navigating wine tables and elbowing hipsters in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to taste a global sampling of natural, biodynamic, organic and other low intervention wines at RAW WINE New York.  The event was conceived by Master of Wine Isabelle Legeron, author of “Natural Wine,” and featured over 150 producers, with ...

“Seafood Professor.” That’s what we’ve decided to call Barton Seaver after receiving an advance copy of his new book, American Seafood, which covers ever species of fish on earth. It’s encyclopedic and a fascinating read.   And Barton’s a fascinating person. After serving as executive chef for a group of restaurants in Washington, DC, he now leads the ...

What’s the recipe for running the food department at one of the most respected magazine brands in the nation? We receive an inside peak from Susan Westmoreland, Food Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI), one of the most trusted sources for consumer product evaluation for over a century (GHI was established in 1900). GHI evaluates thousands of products for Good Housekeeping magazine which ...

We’re heartsick over the devastating fires that are still burning in Napa and Sonoma counties and southern California. So many industry friends have been impacted, and we’re still learning which wineries have been destroyed.  I was just in Calistoga a few weeks ago celebrating at The Harvest Table with the local vintners. Despite the surprise ...