Food / Drink / Wine
Emerging Markets – Grilling & farming local fare
Changing tastes changing accents
Naperville’s secret sauce has merged from humble farm beginnings into a melting pot of exotic foodstuffs and locally-sourced specialties. The selection...
Columnists
Somm-o-logue – Going beyond Napa
Before the 1970’s, California wine was considered table wine and of poor quality. The famous Judgment of Paris in 1976 changed the wine paradigm...
Columnists
Somm-o-logue – Careme let’s them eat cake
Marie Antoine Careme greatly influenced the Grand Cuisine. He is one of the most important French chefs and lived 1784 - 1833.
Careme is named...
Columnists
Somm-o-logue – Choking confusion
Sunchokes are one of my favorite titillating tubers.
Indigenous to North America, they are crunchy, white in flesh and are excellent sauteed or raw in...
Culture /Arts
Eat and drink local this February
Let’s celebrate February with some delicious food for thought. Or you literally could say, “Eat your heart out.”
The tables are set, the special menus...
Columnists
Somm–o–logue – Expressing espresso
Espresso relatively (or literally?) means fast. Its technology and service as a beverage was initially advanced to minimize factory workers coffee break-time.
Coffee breaks were...
Food / Drink / Wine
Zombie Dust hops to Heaven on Seven
Nearly a hundred patrons weathered the cold for a chance to taste cult beers from Three Floyds Brewery at Heaven on Seven Naperville, Tuesday...
Columnists
Somm-o-logue – Martin(i)ez legend
Naperville has a love affair with vigorously-shaken supercold-neutrally-flavored vodka martinis served with olives. It's the cocktail of choice at wedding receptions, galas and many...
Food / Drink / Wine
Somm-o-logue – Apple butter for cocktails
The following recipe for Oktoberfest Apple Butter took me several attempts and years to perfect. I like to use many apple varieties in the...
Columnists
Somm-o-logue – Italian grapes in America
I love Italian wines. The French put the snobbery in wine and the Italians put the love into it. Honestly, I do think the...