ShopEatDrink

SHOP – Tim Gunn calls it like he sees it

marym — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:04:39 +0000

Who doesn’t love Tim Gunn? At the end of last week’s Project Runway, he rocked our world by putting Gretchen in her place (finally!) and admonished her team, Luxe, for letting her run all over them. Wow. I had to rewind my DVR over and over to watch. It was a rare insight into what he’s seeing behind the scenes. Bravo Tim!

DRINK – Fragrant summer whites – my favs

marym — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:11:13 +0000

With labor day fast approaching, it’s hard to believe summer is almost over. If you live in northern California, you might think summer started only last week. As today it’s already over 97 degrees in my backyard, I’m already thinking about what wine to pop the cork on this evening. I want something fragrant, something luscious. That can mean only one thing – aromatic white wines.

DRINK – Urban wine

marym — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:48:42 +0000

Since wine can be made anywhere these days, it’s no big surprise that Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda, CA (also known as the East Bay) are home to many urban wine brands, both established and start ups. So what if there are no vineyards in the city (that I’m aware of). At this past weekend’s Urban Wine Experience in Oakland, the local wines were showing rather well, paired with bites from local restaurants. The public event was held by the East Bay Vintner’s Alliance.

DRINK – An audacious wine, Petite Sirah

marym — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:14:12 +0000

According to Dictionary.com, audacious means extremely bold or daring, recklessly brave or fearless. I think that’s a great way to describe Petite Sirah. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s beautiful, and yes, adacious. The PS grape does well in many growing regions in California: Mendocino County, Lodi, Paso Robles and of course, Livermore Valley. Each region produces a slightly different style. Some have more bright cherry fruit, others more complexity and tannins.

SHOP – From Capri, custom-made sandals

marym — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:45:19 +0000

I was on an Italian holiday, roaming the streets of Positano, when I happened across a storefront selling custom-made sandals. You could choose the color of the leather straps, the style — such as thongs, or toe rings, and the sole, whether it’s flat, a wedge or a heel.