The 3 Martini lunch is making a comeback. Back in the good old days of business lunches that started at noon and carried on until dinner time, the 3 Martini lunch was a staple. Sadly, the spread of American style working hours and the need to always be working or to be seen working (don’t ask me) seemed to take hold for...
read more
Everything is coming up roses this week (or at least flowery) as it’s the week of the Chelsea Flower Show. I visited the Kensington Hotel last night to sample the special cocktail they’ve created to celebrate all those stunning floral displays down the road. Their mixologist Alessandro Pizzoli has concocted the Lily of the Valley,...
read more
I’ve always loved to visit the seaside. As a kid growing up in Central California, we would often take road trips to the beach and stay overnight in little seaside hotels. The Gallivant just outside Rye in Sussex aims to capture that easy going California vibe – and I think they are quite successful at doing that. Situated across...
read more
The Chelsea Flower Show is this week and as they’ve done for a number of past years, The Dorchester has partnered with Laurent-Perrier Champagne to create a breath-taking show garden, marking Chatsworth’s debut at Chelsea for the 2015 show. The tea will be held in The Dorchester’s Promenade and will be served with...
read more
The sun is now making regular appearances in the skies over London which means it’s time to take advantage and start dining and drinking al fresco. Gaucho in Piccadilly have recently renovated a section of their second floor and now have a rooftop terrace. The terrace is intimate and cosy with a fireplace at one end and a...
read more
Recently, I found myself rolling through the English countryside on a vintage train, drinking vintage Champagne. I was travelling on the Belmond British Pullman train for lunch and the launch of the 2006 vintage of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. Growing up in California, I never really had much chance to travel by train but...
read more
If you’re slightly worried about your cholesterol intake or trying to lose a few pounds, don’t even THINK about visiting Joe’s Southern Kitchen. It’s true Southern cooking, tasty and totally unhealthy but with food this good, who cares? Live a little, as long as you don’t make a habit of going every...
read more
“Champagne is best drunk between 9 am and 9 am the next day…” according to Ruinart Chef de Cave, Frédéric Panaïotis. I couldn’t agree more, which is how I found myself one Friday morning in Mayfair ready for a tasting of Ruinart’s rosés going back to the 1980’s. The morning was dedicated to an...
read more
Corbieres may not be as well known as other French appellation but they can produce some cracking wines. I received the Abbotts & Delaunay wine awhile ago and have only just gotten around the tasting it, so many wines, so little time! Abbotts & Delaunay are a boutique winery in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern...
read more
The more sake I taste, the more I realize what a great food wine it is. Most people start out drinking hot sake in their local Japanese restaurant but there is so much more to sake then gulping it down with sushi. Sommelier Vanessa Cinti of 45 Park Lane wants has always been fascinated by Japanese culture was introduced to sake by...
read more
