Archives for November 2013

Wine Wednesday in Tampa Bay!

November 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Gattinara at SideBern's

Gattinara at SideBern’s

I enjoy checking out the “local” wine scene in cities that I visit and being a St. Petersburg, FL native, I am delighted that I have two hometown “wine stories” to dish about.

SideBern’s on West Morrison in Tampa (which is technically not my hometown but it is close geographically) has an exceptional wine list.  I am a huge Bern’s Steak House fan but could not get a last minute reservation so decided to try its sister restaurant which serves Modern American Cuisine. The two restaurants are completely different so there is no need to compare them but I am very glad that I dined at SideBern’s.  We took the Italian wine route and ordered a Gattinara (Travaglini 2006) that was tremendous and was quite a good deal for a Nebbiolo.  I had it decanted and it went wonderfully well with everyone’s various dishes at the table:  steak, cheese plate, vegetables, gnudi.  The only “bummer” was that SideBern’s had run out of my beloved Piedmontese white truffles before we got there (shucks on the truffle timing)!

Wine lovers should visit this restaurant. www.sideberns.com/

I know that I am over a decade behind everyone else who has hopped on the Rollin’ Oats bandwagon but better late than never.  What a gem! I have only visited the St. Pete location (28th Street & MLK Drive) but am guessing that the Tampa location is just as great.  I was thrilled to be in a healthful market that also has an excellent range of domestic and international wines.  The wine staff is knowledgeable and approachable so I suggest engaging someone to assist you with exploring the variety of grapes. The fact that I could find a well-priced Rhone Valley blend, an Irish cheddar, organic cashews AND my favorite Polish beer (Żywiec) in less than 2 minutes was a major bonus!  The Żywiec perfectly complemented the yummy veggie chili nachos that I had for lunch at the market’s “Oats Café”.

I am looking forward to enjoying the new Rollin’ Oats rooftop space and expansion in 2014!  Rooftop in St. Pete = awesome!      www.rollinoats.com

 

Please note that I was not compensated by SideBern’s or Rollin’ Oats for this post.  My hope is to simply spread the delicious love!

Filed Under: Jaunts, Mixed Dish Tagged With: , , , , ,

It is very Easy to enjoy The Big Easy

November 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I fell in love with New Orleans during my first visit in 1984 for the World’s Fair. My next visit, which was 5 years later, showed me that New Orleans does not need to be hosting a special event to be buzzing with amazing energy…the city IS special.

As I write this post from the French Quarter, I had to pare down the content since there is so much to DISH!  Let’s start with my first day which was chock-full of “only in New Orleans” experiences.

The day kicked off with a delicious veggie Mufaletta and an Abita Amber at Café Maspero on Decatur followed by a salted caramel tortue from Southern Candymakers.  A post-lunch walk led me to the Warehouse District, which is an area I do not know well and tends to not be frequented by visitors.  When you are in NOLA, there are two poignant and important things to view at the entrance plaza of Mississippi River Heritage Park on Convention Center Boulevard: a sculpture made from Hurricane Katrina debris entitled “Scrap House” by Sally Heller and a touching memorial plaque. I was very moved.

"Scrap House" by Sally Heller

“Scrap House” by Sally Heller

 

Honoring.

Honoring.

My next destination was Louis Armstrong Park via the French Quarter, which was temporarily put on hold after I stumbled upon a fantastic find for wine lovers: W.I.N.O (Wine Institute of New Orleans) on Tchoupitoulas Street.  It is a tasting bar/shop/wine school that has a hi-tech self-service wine machine that allows you to choose what wines and how much of each you wish to taste. Very cool! Jackpot!

Back on track, I meandered through the streets of the Vieux Carré (keeping in mind that it was Halloween, so the people-watching was prime)!!

Louis Armstrong Park/Congo Square/New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park is made up of 31 acres bound by St. Philip Street, Rampart Street, Basin Street, St. Peter Street, and N. Villere Street in the Tremé. My timing was terrific as I was able to catch the last day of the Jazz in the Park Fall 2013 Season, which is a festival of food, drink and craft vendors but the main attraction for me was the JAZZ!  I had never seen the Rebirth Brass Band and Kermit Ruffins live before and was blown away (brass pun intended)! The scene was colorful, lively and the sounds were delicious.  Being enveloped by the music, being with the people of New Orleans and being in a park that symbolizes survival in a multitude of ways, I was once again very moved and so very happy to be there. http://www.pufap.org

Jazz in Louis Armstrong Park

Jazz in Louis Armstrong Park

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I will summarize the rest of the evening in one sentence:  the French Quarter on Halloween is tremendous!

So, that was Day 1 in NOLA!  Stay tuned for more dishing….

Filed Under: Jaunts, Mixed Dish Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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