…except their QVC is called Christie’s.
Maybe we don’t all shop QVC, but we’ve all been taken by a deal that seemed to good to be true. But instead of a crappy $30 cubic zirconium ring that turns your finger green, this is a story about a rich guy who paid $156,000 too much for a […]

Jonathan Kauffman went to visit Pietown and eat Frito Pie, so I get to (gulp) hold down the food review fort. The topic: the organized and potentially delightful frivolity that is afternoon tea.
A Tea Two-fer: Taking on the tradition of afternoon tea
in this issue of the Seattle Weekly

Yes…and no. So beware over-fancification of your martini basic and don’t get too cute.
Concerning the Olive
in this issue of the Seattle Weekly
Can’t blame a girl for trying.

…and all I got was this lousy photo. To be fair, that popcorn was unbelievable. Salty, cheesy, and spicy. Perfect with the sweat and sour notes of an Abita Amber. To be balanced, the Sazeracs were fair to midland. A little too sweet from an uncaring hand on the Herbsaint.
I know the place dwells […]

I pity the sommelier who choses wine over fresh spring veggies. Stupid sommelier, wine can be drunk anytime, but these veggies? They’re only perfect once a year.
Banishing the Myth of the Wine-Killer
in this issue of the Seattle Weekly
tags: south africa, sauvignon blanc, seattle weekly

I am taking 30% more baths lately because I’m feeling partially brined. I wanted to test olives for a piece about finding a better martini olive. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but so far it’s not going very well. And I am very, very thirsty. Now, I love olives. I can […]

Sure, you could do a cafe crawl, or you could just….
Seattle’s Only Truly Pro-Choice Cafe
in this issue of the Seattle Weekly
Any place that is smart enough to have a Synesso and carry Borogove and Lighthouse just can’t suck.
tags: microroast, coffee

First, start by asking yourself, what do you want from wine? Do you want a new hobby or are you just looking for Mr. Goodbottle of red?
My last gig as a wine director, in a specialty food store not a restaurant, we had any number of ways in which we completely overwhelmed people, whether the […]

Nero d’Avola is the New Chianti
in this issue of the Seattle Weekly
There was another Nero d’Avola that I was going to recommend in my column, a really great and really cheap one (two words, first one starts with “F”). But the ass monkeys at the distributorship couldn’t even find it in their system so as […]

In my continuing series about those cool bottles on the back bar that few know what to do with, I give to you Herbsaint, a liqueur synonymous with New Orleans:
Herbaint: Tasty, Pedigreed, and 100% American
in this issue of the Seattle Weekly

**This series was started by my love of Galliano (the quintessential neglected bottle) and Strega.