Wine with a view: The Napa Valley Wine Train

I’m not sure if there’s anything better than a nice glass of wine and a lovely meal. Oh wait, there is – having that wine and meal while on the Napa Valley Wine Train traveling through the gorgeous wine country. I have only read about the famous food and wine tour of Argentina. Better than that? Yes, and having Ryan Gosling as your sommelier, but let’s not get carried away.

Recently I was lucky enough to be a guest on the Napa Valley Wine Train. For any of you unfamiliar with this iconic attraction, it’s a three-hour trip – via gorgeously restored vintage rail cars – through the beautiful Napa Valley. While traveling you’re served a gourmet lunch (or dinner) and wine from the local wineries. If you’re fortunate like we were, your wait person will have extensive knowledge of the surrounding region and can give you a quick education on the various vintages – this was pretty helpful for a wine novice like me.

You would think that with everything going on – The train! The scenery! The wine! – the food would take a backseat, but you would be mistaken. Their menu is first-rate, and I was impressed to learn that they are committed to using sustainable foods in all their dishes. I had their excellent Coriander Breast of Chicken with Baby Arugula that was in a light peppercorn sauce – a very generous portion that I could barely finish (especially since I wanted to save some room for the desserts that I’d heard everyone buzzing about.) For my wine choice, I went with their suggested pairing, a 2008 Romililly Pinot Noir that was the perfect accompaniment to my meal. Read More »

Te'kila: Tortilla Soup for the soul

Fact: There are an endless number of places to eat and drink in Hollywood.

Fact: Finding even one to take three teenagers to on the Friday night before Halloween is almost impossible.

We were in Hollywood last Friday night and looking for a place to take three teenage girls to eat that would be both affordable and not too much of a scene. That’s a tall order for Hollywood, where a burger can set you back several paychecks and where almost every venue is spilling over with half-naked club kids getting their crazy on. Add to that the fact that it was one of the busiest party nights before Halloween, which means the drunk twenty-something stumbling towards you just might be dressed like a Ninja.

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