Wine Events in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day

March 11
St. Patrick's Day Wine Tasting
California Wine Extravaganza
A Tour of Italy

March 17
Wine & Cheese Uncensored
Syrah vs. Shiraz

By Michelle Alderson | March 7, 2006 in All Things Wine, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Napa Valley Mustard Festival

Can't make it to Mardi Gras this year? Don't fret; another festival is happening right now in California wine country. The Napa Valley Mustard Festival is in its 13th season and runs through April 1. The non-profit event celebrates the wine and more importantly - the mustard - that blooms on Napa Valley's vineyards and hillsides this time of year. It really is quite a beautiful time to visit the region.

For more information, visit the Napa Valley Mustard Festival website.

By Michelle Alderson | February 28, 2006 in Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

After ski season is over and the snow melts, foodies and wine lovers from all over will be heading to Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Sponsored by Food & Wine magazine, the three-day event will feature tastings and cooking demonstrations, and will include chefs Mario Batali, Emeril, Bobby Flay, Wolfgang, and more.

The event will be held June 16-18, 2006. Go to www.foodandwine.com for more information.

By Michelle Alderson | February 9, 2006 in All Things Wine, Chef News, Cooking Schools, Education, Food, Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michael Recchiuti Chocolate Tasting at Fog City News February 10

I like this new step in Valentine's Day's evolution.  Forget fluffy packaging, treacly cards and manufactured notions of romance.  The best outcome for our neo-pagan translation of February 14 is an emphasis on fresh chocolates from some of the country's best chocolatiers. 

Fog City News' Adam Smith has been counting down with Friday tastings at his charming San Francisco Financial District news and chocolate hub.  Richard Donnelly wowed visitors with his chipotle and raspberry ganaches.  Michael Mischer's Pistachio and Gianduja fillings pleased tasters.  This Friday Michael Recchiuti will present some of his signature infusions from noon to 2:00.  Don't miss him! 

Fog City's dedication to freshness means that gift boxes will be available a few days before Valentine's Day.

Fog City News
455 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: (415) 543–7400

By Kyeann Sayer | February 7, 2006 in Chocolate, Food, Food News, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Francisco Hosts Zinfandel Wine Event

Starting tomorrow in San Francisco, Zinfandel lovers will be able to taste wines from over 300 participating wineries at the 15th Anniversary Zinfandel Festival. For wine and food lovers, you can also attend the Good Eats & Zinfandel. Forty-nine zinfandel wine-makers team up with restaurants so you can sample the wine with your favorite eats. The festival lasts four days, January 25-28, and is located in the beautiful Marina District. For more information, go to www.zinfandel.org.

By Michelle Alderson | January 24, 2006 in All Things Wine, Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Valentine's Day Wine Trips

Currently I am in San Francisco, tagging along on my husband's business trip. It's a nice perk. Tomorrow we head to Sonoma for wine tasting. That said, I have to say, that since Sonoma and Napa were my first real wine-tasting experiences, these regions have become my favorite. Especially for cabs and chardonnays. I really like what they produce up there. And I am very lucky to be able to live close enough to enjoy a visit often.

For those who can't make it to California this Valentine's Day, don't worry, I found a few other outings out there. Well, I found many, many wine country adventures available for the romantic holiday, but could only list a few that caught my eye:

Austin
Who knew Texas had a nice wine country? If you can't make it to Texas, maybe you can check out this article in The Austin Chronicle. It's helpful and fun.

Long Island
LongIslandWineCountry.com offers a "Sideways" tour this February. It'd be great to compare a Pinot from the East Coast to one highlighted in the movie.

Washington
Chocolate and red wine? Who could resist. Find out more at North Sound Wineries.

By Michelle Alderson | January 12, 2006 in All Things Wine, Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events, Valentine's Day | Permalink | Comments (0)

San Fran and D.C. Open Their Doors to Foodies

It’s cool to find cheap eats. That’s cheap GOOD eats. January is a great month to find cheap eats mixed with fine dining in two of the biggest foodie cities: Washington D.C. and San Francisco. Both cities are celebrating their local restaurants by offering inexpensive menus for lunch and dinner at some of the hottest places in town. So this month it’s cool to eat cheap in high-end joints. Take advantage of these offerings; I went to Farallon in San Francisco for its lunch serving last year and it was fantastic, of course.

Washington D.C.: January 9 – 15, the city offers up Restaurant Week. Check out DC Foodies for more info.

San Francisco: The fifth annual Dine About Town lasts the entire month. Check out the Dine About Town website for more information.

By Michelle Alderson | January 4, 2006 in Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

5th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival

The annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. The festival, running February 24-26, 2006, will showcase fine wines and exquisite food tastings from local restaurants. This three-day celebration boasts appearances by Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Ted Allen; chef Paul Bartolotta of Wynn Las Vegas fame; chef José Andrés, author of Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America; and more. I don't know about you, but eating good food, drinking fine wine, and hanging out at a sunny beach sounds like the perfect way to avoid February snow flurries in other parts of the continent.

Visit the 5th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival for more information on whose pouring and what's cooking.

By Michelle Alderson | December 12, 2005 in Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Coffee & Art at the Illy Galleria NY

Visit the just opened temporary Illy Galleria in NY until it closes December 15th.  We've seen many of these temporary retail concepts recently that gives retailers some buzz and traffic that might not otherwise come with a permanent location.  Illy's NY Galleria is certain to generate some exciting buzz with people who are coffee lovers, art lovers, or "where's the hot scene" lovers.

Get your coffee and bomboloni while you can at Galleria illy in SoHo, which opens tomorrow and closes on Dec. 15, at the end of its lease. With a chandelier of espresso cups overhead, above, coffee lovers can indulge in hot or iced drinks ($2 to $5), along with confections like bomboloni from Osteria del Circo, espresso nuggets from WD-50 and peanut butter sandwich bars from Tru in Chicago ($4 to $6).

The shop has a coffee and art library, a coffee-inspired painting by James Rosenquist, espresso makers to try out, and classes: 382 West Broadway (Broome Street); (877) 455-9347 or illyusa.com.

via NY Times

By Robert | September 14, 2005 in Coffee & Espresso, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Upcoming September & October Food Festivals

Here's some upcoming food events from around the country--

• Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off  |  September 1-5, 2005  |  Victorian Sq., Sparks, NV
• National Buffalo Wing Festival  |  September 2-4, 2005  |  Buffalo, NYUSA
• Taste of Cleveland  |  September 2-5, 2005  |  Cleveland, OH
• Chowderfest  |  October 1-2, 2005  |  Beach Haven, NJ

via Jessica's Biscuit Newsletter

By Robert | August 31, 2005 in Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alain Ducasse Visits the Culinary Institute of America

For the first time in the US, Alain Ducasse offers exclusive programs at The Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus!

"When my training center looked for an educational opportunity in the United States, it naturally appeared that the CIA was the only place sharing the same culinary quest of excellence." --Alain Ducasse

The renowned Alain Ducasse Training Center (ADF) has coupled with the CIA to host the "Alain Ducasse Contemporary Cuisine and Modern Presentation" workshop at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus in St. Helena, CA.

Register for classes here:  November 9 Demonstration or the November 10 & 11 Hands On Courses

By Robert | July 20, 2005 in Cooking Schools, Education, Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (1)

Looking for a Wine Tasting Event in Your Area?

We found a great wine website with a comprehensive list of wine tasting events in regions all over the world. Calling themselves "The Largest Wine & Spirits Calendar in the World", you'll be sure to find a local wine event in your area at LocalWineEvents.com. They even have a wine event email notification that will alert you to upcoming events in your requested regions. Happy tasting!

By Robert | September 23, 2004 in All Things Wine, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Heirloom Tomato Tasting at Windrose Farms, September 19

Daily Olive is planning to travel to Windrose Farm's Heirloom Tasting Fair in Paso Robles, California on September 19th. Windrose features over 60 heirloom tomato varieties, and we're looking forward to tasting more than our share. It'll also be great be a great opportunity to see their farm. Recently, we had a great heirloom tomato salad at Campanile who happens to purchase their tomatoes from Windrose.

Windrose Farms was also featured in the August issue of Food & Wine Magazine.

By Robert | September 5, 2004 in Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (2)

2004 Food Festivals

For a great listing of food festivals remaining in 2004, visit this great foodie site. Make your plans now if you intend on including some of these food festivals in your 2004 travel adventures.

By Robert | July 27, 2004 in Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spring Break for Foodies: South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Here's a culinary event worth travelling to sunny Florida in early March--the South Beach Wine and Food Festival from March 5-7, 2004. Join guests including Alton Brown, Alain Ducasse, Todd English, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, Andrea Immer, Emeril Lagasse, Nobu Matsuhisa, Francois Payard, Rachel Ray, Eric Ripert, Claude Troisgros, Ming Tsai, and more.

For more details visit Food and Wine Magazine's website and the Official SoBe Wine and Food Site.

By Robert | February 19, 2004 in Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)

14th Annual Bon Appetit Wine and Spirits Event - Los Angeles & Dallas

Bon Appetit hosts their 14th Annual Wine and Spirits Focus events in Los Angeles, on October 26, and Dallas, on November 30th. Experience the signature dishes from the top restaurants in each city, and taste over 125 wines, champagne, spirits and microbrews. Billed as "A Lifestyle Experience", these events will benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Visit the Official Focus Website for further details and ticket information.

By Robert | October 9, 2003 in Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Biggest and Best Party in Texas

Save the Date!

March 31 to April 4

Saveur Magazine's 19th Annual Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival in Austin Texas.

This annual event takes over Austin and nearby Hill Country featuring a wine auction, wine tastings, seminars, cooking demonstrations, grilling competitions, and Sunday Food Fair. Visit with special guests from noted restaurants and wineries, including principals, chefs, winemakers and others. Headquarted at the Four Seasons Hotel on Town Lake, start making your plans now.

For more information, visit the Official Festival Website.

By Robert | October 1, 2003 in Food & Wine Country Travel, Gourmet Food Events | Permalink | Comments (0)