Quello perfetto (the perfect one)

Quello perfetto (the perfect one)

Stanley Tucci was a guest on The Late Show recently with Stephen Colbert. Tucci was his usual dazzling urbanite self. Colbert, in trying to be the Perle Mesta of talk show hosts (look it up), surprised Tucci by pulling up a fully-loaded cocktail tray from behind his...
Terroir redefined

Terroir redefined

This post is another chapter from my new book, Strong Water: Tales of a Master Sommelier’s Life in Food, Wine, and Restaurants. It’s a collection of essays written over the last ten-plus years that will be published this fall. One of the sections of the book...
Eggs

Eggs

This post is another chapter from my new book, Strong Water: Tales of a Master Sommelier’s Life in Food, Wine, and Restaurants. It’s a collection of essays written over the last ten-plus years that will be published this fall. One of the sections of the book is about...
Coming to My Senses

Coming to My Senses

It was Christmas dinner in 1981. At the time, I was a grad student at the University of Michigan studying classical trumpet. That first year Carla and I elected not to go home to New Mexico for the holidays, but chose instead to stay in frigidly cold and snowy Ann...
The Evolution of a Palate

The Evolution of a Palate

This post is another chapter from my new book, “Strong Water: On Food, Wine, and Restaurants.” It’s a collection of essays written over the last ten-plus years that will be published this fall. One of the sections in the book is titled “humor.” As I mention below,...