Wine. Travel. Food.
With the days getting shorter and the temperature crisper, I start thinking about winter getaways – especially Hawaii.
I read that in the Maori culture in the South Pacific, Tiki was the first man, created by the deity Tumatauenga or Tane. Reflecting that mythology, tiki (lower case) is a wooden or stone carving in humanoid form.
Joanne and I are taking our grandkids to New York next month. As it’ll be their first visit there, we’ll take them to the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Ground Zero…
As time allows – because we have a lot of restaurants to visit.
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Cape Town may not be the first place you think about for a fall or winter getaway. But with the colder weather approaching here and summer approaching there, it more than warrants consideration.
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“Why don’t you open a deli like the ones in New York?”
I get asked this question all the time. And it’s a good one. I LOVE New York delis.
My partner, Pete, just got back from visiting in-laws in Sicily and I was reminded of my visits to the island and how I enjoyed being there. I write this now because if any of you are contemplating a trip to Italy, this is an ideal time to take in Sicily: The tourists are gone and the weather is perfect.
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I have a lot of respect for chain restaurants. I also have a lot of envy, too – because they have such a big advantage over us independents, particularly in advertising.
You can’t get through the day without being bombarded on TV with countless commercials. And some are pretty good. “Crabfest” at Red Lobster, Olive Garden’s “When you’re here, you’re family,” even the “Grand Slam” ads from Denny’s.
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It’s said that fish and chips originated in northern England during the mid-1800s, when Spanish Jews first brought fried fish to the British Isles and, coincidentally, deep-fried potato became an established food item.
Back in the early 1980s when Pete and I were preparing to open Pronto Ristorante, we figured it would be a good idea to learn more about Italian cuisine. So we signed up for an “Italian immersion cooking school” taught by the legendary Marcella Hazan in Bologna, Italy.
I know, I know – I just posted about how I’m not a fan of fancy restaurants – too hoity-toity, pretentious and expensive.
But there’s one restaurant – an expensive one – that I can’t get enough of.
And the food isn’t even that great.
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As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I’m not a huge fan of fancy Michelin 3 star-type restaurants. I admire them, but I not only chafe at the cost, I find most of them a little too precious and full of themselves. Plus, dinner takes too long and my butt gets sore.
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