Taste of Wine: Behind the Scenes at Daou Family Estates
Senior Editor Frank Mangio and I had the pleasure of spending two days behind the scenes with Daniel Daou, proprietor and master winemaker, along with...
Food & Wine
Taste of Wine: 10 current release wines to cheer on in 2021
While most of us have been at home the past year, some wine heroes have found a way to make reds and whites that only...
Cheers! North County: Non-alcoholic surprise
The old standbys have been around for ages, and while they came in a beer bottle it never really tasted or felt the same....
Taste of Wine: Poseidon restaurant; DAOU evolves and transcends
Perhaps readers have noticed the shift in DAOU’s branding from Vineyards to Family Estates. It captures the essence of what DAOU is all about. ...
Lick the Plate: Matsu, from concept to opening (Part 1)
Last week’s column profiled a friend who had made a career shift away from a life in restaurants after 30 years. This week I wanted...
Taste of Wine: Turbocharge your smoker with Instant Pot
I suspect by now that Taste of Wine and Food readers get that I am hooked on Instant Pot, and you would be right. While...
Cheers! North County: Societe Brewing cuts the grass
What’s that? A light beer? Um, no thanks. I only drink craft beer…unless I’m on a golf course. Or a wedding. Or, obviously, ice fishing....
MiraCosta’s craft brewing program earns Master Brewers certification
OCEANSIDE — MiraCosta College’s craft brewing program has been recognized as the only community college certificate program of its kind in California, meeting the standards...
Lick the Plate: 30 years and out – A career in restaurants ends
Please indulge me as I provide a brief backstory on this week’s column. I grew up next door to Jim Klemmer in Royal Oak, Michigan,...
Taste of Wine: Cakebread turns 50; Gallo wine family grows
In 1972, while shooting photographs for the publication “Treasury of American Wines,” Jack and Dolores Cakebread casually offered to buy the Sturdivant ranch in Rutherford...
Cheers! North County: Ballast Point, UCSD partner to cultivate diversity
It’s long been a stereotype that a typical craft-beer drinker looks a lot like me — white, male, and bearded. But spend any time at...
Escondido couple open coffee shop despite COVID-19 hardships
ESCONDIDO — Amid a widespread economic downturn and the realities of social distancing, one local couple decided to open up a coffee shop, Manzanita Roasting,...
Taste of Wine: Instant Pot ‘tailgating’ with baby back ribs
A rare, good thing to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic this year, at least for me, was my introduction and adoption of Instant Pot...
Lick the Plate: Worthy restaurant leftovers
I’m going to be completely honest with you and say that there are many restaurant meals I order specifically with the intent of enjoying them...
Cheers! North County: In the moment with Thr3e Punk Ales
Do you remember going on new-to-you brewery crawls on the weekends? I certainly do. I remember the excitement of planning the route. Exploring a new...
