SaltShaker

 We may lay in a stock of pleasures, as we would lay in a stock of wine; but if we defer tasting them too long, we shall find that both are soured by age.”
- Charles Caleb Colton, Sportsman, Writer
My friend Maureen was in from San Francisco for a couple of days, after a whirlwind visit [...]

 Pinot Noir is about finesse, elegance and clarity. It’s one of the few varietals translucent enough to show soil, climate and the winemaker’s hand. At its best, it can be the most complex and satisfying elixir you’ll ever consume. At its worst it can be thin insipid swill you wouldn’t even serve to relatives.”
- Mike [...]

 Light the candles and pour the red wine into your glass. Before you begin to eat, raise your glass in honor of yourself. The company is the best you’ll ever have.”
- Daniel Halpern, Poet, How to Eat Alone
Buenos Aires - A group of local wine afficionados contacted me for a little private wine tasting here [...]

 I have come to the conclusion that the major part of the work of a President is to increase the gate receipts of expositions and fairs and bring tourists to town.”
- William Howard Taft, 27th U.S. President
Buenos Aires - It’s that time again, the annual Vinos y Bodegas expo. Since I already went into detail [...]

 Nurse Fearing (uncovers dinner): “Lentil delight, dandelion salad, goat’s cheese.”
James Bond (opening his secret cache): “Beluga caviar, quail’s eggs, vodka, foie gras.”
- from Never Say Never Again
Buenos Aires - Over the last few days I’ve had the opportunity to taste some interesting wines, pulled out of one cellar or another. Just a quick round-up of [...]

 The saying of John Peale Bishop is worth recalling, that the South excelled in two things which the French deem essential to civilization: a code of manners and a native cuisine. Both are apt to suffer when life is regarded as a means to something else. Efficiency and charm are mortal enemies, and Southern charm [...]

 What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?”
- Bill Murray, in Lost in Translation
Buenos Aires - Home again, home again, dancing a jig… sorry, channeling Mother Goose for a moment there. After catching up on some sleep, unpacking, getting back in the swing of things, etc., I had phoned my friend Michael to [...]

 And that’s the world in a nutshell - an appropriate receptacle.”
- Stan Dunn
New York City - My initial impulse, looking back over a week’s worth of dining out, is to do a quick overview and point out some high and low points, and move on, returning to Buenos Aires, which is, as I’ve been informed [...]