Cecconi’s of West Hollywood Serves Up Gut-Busting Italian Meal (That’s A Good Thing)

Oh the joys of finally reaching the ranks of “food blogger.” Earlier this week, I was invited to a media-comped dinner at Cecconi’s, the Italian restaurant that took over the former Morton’s space (famous for its Vanity Fair Oscar parties) in West Hollywood, CA. I didn’t know much about the spot going into the evening …

Trip to Bridlewood Estate Winery Predictably Leads to Beautiful Scenery, Mild Drunkenness

This past weekend, the good people from Bridlewood Estate Winery shuttled a variety of bloggers and media types up to Santa Ynez, CA to enjoy wine, art, and tranquility. I was one of the lucky ones who nabbed a seat on the mini-coach (thanks to Esi at Dishing Up Delights), which meant that I spent …

THE QUAFF: Fun with Veev Açaí Spirit!

Recently I received a complimentary bottle of VeeV Açaí Spirit, which meant I had to face one of my biggest fears: berries. For the uninitiated, I have something neurologically wrong wherein I detest the thing that millions — perhaps BILLIONS — of people worldwide love. I speak, of course, of the berry. I hate almost …

THE QUAFF: End of the World Cocktail Hour

This may come as a shock to you all, but the weather here in Los Angeles is often wonderful. Such was the case this past Saturday, which aside from being absolutely beautiful was also supposed to mark the End of the Days. Well, Doomsday be damned, I was going to celebrate the weather with a …

Drinking Around The World at Epcot

As promised, here’s a video of my friend Meeshie and I “drinking around the world” at Epcot. Highlights include belly dancing, fireworks, and an unexpected (for us) concert by Nelson. Hope you enjoy! (and yes, I know the video is long, but we had to go through eleven countries!)

Trying Out Ramona Pinot Grigio

When Ramona Singer of The Real Housewives of New York City announced that she’d launched her own brand of Pinot Grigio, I knew I had to try it. The wine, aptly named Ramona Pinot Grigio (as opposed to something silly like ‘TRUE Pinot Grigio’) isn’t available in stores on the West Coast, but as luck …

THE QUAFF: 11 Amazing Cocktails From Library Bar

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or Orlando), hand-crafted cocktails are all the rage these days. It’s all about mixology, and Los Angeles (as well as San Francisco) seems to be at the forefront of the whole movement. Whether it be a speakeasy (Roger Room), a hideaway (La Descarga), a restaurant (Hungry Cat), …

THE QUAFF: Roasted Red Pepper Juleps

How dreadful that it’s been practically three weeks since I last updated anything in The Quaff category. Well, I’ve been behind on all my posting in general, but I’m determined to catch up, beginning with a new addition to this category. I’m happy to report I have a fun item that I whipped up with …

THE QUAFF: The Mysterious Stranger

Some things look beautiful but taste average. Some things look nasty but taste really good. And some things look bad and taste worse. When my friend IndianJones and I endeavored to make The Mysterious Stranger cocktail from Paul Abercrombie’s Organic, Shaken & Stirred cocktail book, we had some serious fears that the cocktail would fall …