In the Sorrento Peninsula you should discover Il Buco Ristorante, where you can enjoy a modern take on Italian Mediterranean cuisine. The scenery will mesmerize you, whether you choose to be seated outdoors in the fresh Sorrentina air or in the dining room, a stunning space situated under the stone vault. The décor is clean and modern with a nod to the old world blended in.

Il Buco is a Michelin Star restaurant with international clientele, in part due to the phenomenal service.

Chef Guiseppe “Beppe” Aversa’s expertise and creativity are evidenced by the surprising and delightful dishes pairing unique ingredients and flavors. You may even get a visit from chef Giuseppe, as he did when I arrived, taking orders and conversing with guests. From his recommendations I started with the calamari, porcini mushroom and potato puree…savoring every bite, followed by a rich and flavorful filet of Dentice, a prized Mediterranean fish drizzled with Sorrento’s finest olive oil. For dessert I delighted in a delicious combination of peach semifreddo with gorgonzola sauce. The flavors complement each other beautifully and are presented with such flair.

Sommelier Gaetano Staiano will recommend the finest wines from around the world or select from numerous regional varietals suchas Taurasi (Aglianico), Piedirosso, Falanghina, Fiano di Avellino and Greco di Tufo which reflect the volcanic terroir of Campania; with approximately 800 labels to choose from there’s bound to be the perfect pairing.

The charming and food-savvy server Michele shared some of the other popular dishes including deep fried mozzarella with prawns served on warm cherry tomatoes, olives and capers, a favorite since the restaurant’s opening; creamed potato, topped with a layer of steamed lobster and a touch of olive pesto; and the creamy risotto made with bufala mozzarella and lemon, topped with prawns tartar and fresh mint.

Il Buco also offers a variety of tasting menus from the Traditional Taste Bud Tickler to an eight-course Big Gourmet, which includes Acqua Pazza, a local fish cooked to perfection with cherry tomato, garlic, capers and stewed escarole, and rack of lamb served with Aglianco wine sauce.

The open layout kitchen is as impressive as the dining areas, fitted with the latest equipment and freshest ingredients. I was honored to get a tour. The hand-painted ceramic tiled wall tells a story of Sorrento long ago, as the experts in their white coats and toques whip up colorful creations, some of which Chef Aversa shares the recipes online.

Il Buco also offers cooking classes to learn the art of combining traditional Mediterranean fare, such as eggplant parmigiana and gnocchi alla sorrentina, so you can share your knowledge with friends and family.

Il Buco is a true Italian treasure. The atmosphere, service, and food are all top notch. This cozy ristorante will remain a staple of Sorrento for many years. I’ll be counting the days til my return. Buon Appetito!

Il Buco Ristorante      

2a rampa Marina Piccola, 5 (Piazza S.Antonino)
80067 Sorrento, Napoli – Italy
Tel. +39 081 8782354

Log on to their website at www.ilbucoristorante.it for more information.

(Sept. 17, 2012) – Luxury wine tour company Wine & Tours has received Travel Weekly’s coveted Magellan Silver Award. The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards honors the best in travel and salutes the outstanding travel professionals behind it all. Being selected a Magellan Award Winner is a tremendous achievement and proves you represent a high standard of excellence within the travel industry.

“I’m truly honored to receive this recognition from the most respected names in the travel industry. We’re dedicated to bringing our clients the best travel experience possible.” says Wine & Tours President Tamara Whiteside.

The Magellan Awards were judged by a prestigious panel of top travel professionals representing the industry’s best names and most accomplished leaders, including NBC’s Today Show Travel Editor Peter Greenberg, veteran travel journalist Patricia Schultz, author of the international bestseller “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” and Burt Wolf, Internationally Syndicated Television Journalist, described by The New York Times as “the best food, travel, and cultural history shows on television.”

The awards honor a broad range of industry segments including Hotels and Resorts, Travel Destinations, Cruise Lines, Online Travel Services, Airlines and Airports, Travel Agents and Agencies, Tour Operators and Car Rental Companies.

“In 2012, creativity reached new heights among marketers and designers in the travel industry,” said Arnie Weissmann, editor in chief of Travel Weekly. “This year’s Magellan entries were inspiring overall, and those who ended up in the winner’s circle truly represent the best of the best.”

About Wine & Tours

Wine & Tours is a leading boutique travel firm specializing in intimate luxury wine vacations to Italy. Travelers can choose from small group tour itineraries or plan custom-designed wine tours. All packages include deluxe air-conditioned motor transportation, luxury hotels, gourmet meals with premium wines, all wine tastings, sightseeing, and the services of a bilingual wine expert guide throughout. Prices for land-only packages start at $2,500 per person, double occupancy.

For more information call (877) 494-6386 or visit www.wineandtours.com

What’s new, notable and not to be missed…foodies and fun-havers looking to dine and explore outside the French Quarter won’t be disappointed. The Crescent City is renown for it’s authentic Creole cuisine, but it doesn’t stop there. From cozy neighborhood cafes to chic bistros, local chefs in the Warehouse and Uptown districts serve up some culinary must-haves.

Warehouse District:

Annunciation Restaurant

Photo by Times-Picuyane

Chef Steve Manning, the former chef at Clancy’s has recently opened a new venue. Annunciation offers an elegant ambiance and Creole specialties including a perfectly fried soft shell crab mounded with crabmeat and meuniere sauce, fried oysters with melted Brie and spinach, crab claws with lime and cilantro, and a crabmeat, lobster and shrimp risotto. Meat lover’s don’t despair, there’s a grill side to the menu. Waiters sport the quintessential southern bow tie, many of them designed by the Maitre D’, Richard. Bartender A.J. shakes up a mean Manhattan, hands-down the best I’ve ever had. The secret: no neon red cherry, but a ridiculously delicious gourmet cocktail cherry imported from Italy and two aromatic bitters including Peychaud’s Cocktail Bitters from New Orleans.

1016 Annunciation Street, New Orleans, LA 70310   504.568.0253  No website link, but find them on Facebook.

Cochon

Serving up traditional Cajun Southern dishes, Chef Link earned a James Beard award for Best Chef South in 2007 and was recently nominated for the prestigious award of Outstanding Chef 2012. Also honored is Link’s first cookbook—Real Cajun: Rustic Home Cooking from Donald Link’s Louisiana. With a roaring wood-fired brick oven visible from the open concept kitchen, it’s only natural to start off with the Wood-Fired Oyster Roast, 5 succulent, creamy Gulf oysters topped with a red-chile anchovy sauce roasted to plump perfection or try the fried livers with pepper jelly and toast. House-cured meats are made on site and offered at Cochon Butcher sandwich shop next door.

930 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA  70130  504.568.0245   www.cochonrestaurant.com

La Boca

“La Boca” is a neighborhood/barrio in Buenos Aires, but you can experience a bit of Argentina in this tiny steakhouse fitted with white linens, exposed bricks and beams and a list of meats and Malbecs. Sibyl, a welcoming host behind the bar pours regional varietals from a sparkling wine to the elegant, fruit intense Achaval Ferrar Finca Mirador from Mendoza. Chef Jared Ralls grills up unique cuts of Certified Angus Beef, Painted Hills Organic Beef from Oregon and Snake River American Kobe. Try the Mollejas-crisp, grilled veal sweetbreads with a squeeze of lemon-you can ask for an appetizer size to start, next try the Entraña Fina, a 14 oz. outside skirt, all steaks come with a trio of sauces that are so good you can put them on everything-horseradish creole aioli, an emulsified chimichurri and a roasted red pepper with dried chilies.

Uptown District:

Lilette

A local hotspot and french inspired French bistro that also shares its menu with some buono Italian specialties including an antipasti plate with salumi, creamy buratta waiting to be smeared on the grilled bruschetta. The veal cheek, arugula salad with horseradish vinaigrette was off the chart tasty and tender, as well Chef John Harris’ family recipe for pork and beef Braciole stuffed with pine nuts, parsley and lemon zest over polenta. The Nutella custard with fleur de sel, caramel cream and chocolate-hazelnut brittle is all I needed to see…the perfect end to an amazing meal.

3637 magazine st. (between louisiana and napoleon), New Orleans,  LA 70310   504.895.1636 www.liletterestaurant.com

Sucre

Photo by Tamara Whiteside

A sweet boutique filled with decadence to satisfy any sweet tooth. The delicate French macaron cookies are filled with luscious mousseline. The signature collection flavors include pecan, chocolate, salted caramel, almond, pistachio, strawberry, hazelnut, and bananas foster. Not to mention some seasonal summer favorites like lemon buttercream with a blackberry jam center infused with balsamic & cassis and sweet vanilla buttercream with a southern peach marmalade! And they’re gluten free. If you can get passed the delicious macaron bites, move on to the chocolates or gelato. Not to be missed is the Avery-subtle caramel chocolate ganache in a dark chocolate topped with sea salt or the new Sicilian pistacchio.

3025 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115   504.520.8311 www.shopsucre.com

Photo by Dario Castagno

Il Palio’s Horse Race Winner- Siena, Italy  July 2, 2012

Today was the first race of the Il Palio, held every year July 2 and August 16th in Siena, Italy. The race has 10 horses and riders out of the 17 different contradas (neighborhood districts) vying to be the winner. Jockey’s ride bareback dressed in their contrada’s colors and regalia, circle the Piazza del Campo, on which a thick layer of dirt has been laid, three times and usually lasts no more than 90 seconds. However, the entire event can take up to 6 hours, from the parade procession to the free for all line up of horses with plenty of false starts.

It is not uncommon for a few of the jockeys to be thrown off their horses while making the treacherous turns in the piazza, and indeed, it is not unusual to see unmounted horses finishing the race without their jockeys.

Most of the contradas mascots are animals like the Eagle, She-Wolf, Panther but there are five that are not, ie., Forest,  Seashell, Tower, Valley of the Ram and today’s winner “Onda”, the wave.

Congratulations Contrada Capitana dell’Onda (Wave)!

Photo by Dario Castagno

For those of you who have cruised the Grand Canal of Venice in a vaporetto public water taxi, may have experienced the almost comical shoulder-to-shoulder cram transit. Traversing the waterways, bracing for the bump against the docks, watching not to miss your stop, all while staring at the amazing facades and history passing you by.

Well, as of June 1st, aboard the Vaporetto dell’ Arte you can travel in comfort with you own video monitor focusing on the city’s art, history and heritage. The route takes you through the Grand Canal stopping at 10 major stops, from Ferrovia at Santa Lucia train station, passed San Marco Square to the Giardini stop. Here you can explore the public park and the Venice Biennale Art Festival, a major contemporary art exhibition.

For more details:  Vaporetta dell’Arte 

Celebrating its 1st anniversary, June 19, 2012, RN74 aims to be a perfect complement to the wines — creative, modern, but simple interpretations of regional French cuisine punctuated with seasonal, fresh ingredients and bold flavors, all executed with a signature original twist. RN74 is short for “Route Nationale 74,” the main highway that runs through the Burgundy wine region of France and features Burgundy-inspired dishes utilizing locally sourced ingredients. With an exhaustive French wine list, they’ve saved plenty of room for the local stuff.

Joshua Green Building
1433 Fourth Avenue at Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101
Tel: 206.456.7474

Dining Notes from Shawn Luke  Foodie and Wine Enthusiast 

Photo RN74

Since this was the first opportunity to try one of Michael Mina’s restaurants I had to visit RN74 in Seattle for dinner. The restaurant had a real energetic vibe from the background music & the numerous people at the almost completely full tables and bar. The wine list was huge, but being in Washington helped me focus on the Reynvaan 2009 In The Rocks Syrah. More on the wine later.

The menu had several excellent choices but the shortrib and marrow charred toast share plate that really appealed to me. The toast was firm in order to handle the mass of shortribs that were heaped on top. The toast was also sliced into four sections for easy “finger food” sharing. The shortribs were pulled to bite size and served in a thickened ragu with beef jus that The narrow added richness to every bite. So flavorful!

To finish, I ordered the lamb cassoulet that was served with an arugula, tomato & charred radicchio side salad. The salad brought forth a “yen and yang” tug of war between the earthy bite of the arugula and the sweet & richness of the radicchio that the charring imparted. The tomatoes delivered a soft sweet acidity to help clear the palate.  The lamb cassoulet was absolutely amazing with the lamb and sausage providing immense slow cooked flavors and the beans and vegetables really imparting a savory freshness and texture offset. The flavors were just layers of fat-enhanced soul food richness.

As for the wine, I was first exposed to Reynvaan wines in my trip to Walla Walla, Washington in September 2011. On the first sniff I realized that a special zone was at hand. That made the selection for dinner very easy despite the lengthy wine list. Here is my review as I sipped this wine over several hours.

Tasting Note:

Reynvaan 2009 In The Rocks Syrah. Dark color with a real bright deep ruby margin. Smoke, earth notes, bright dark fruits that evolve to purple over time. Glycerin & clean minerally stone. White pepper, bacon fat, seaweed. More smoke as it opens. Fantastic nose! Really polished texture. Full bodied with tremendous flowing blanket-like viscosity it just flows forever coating the mouth. More of the dark purple fruits come through. A little bluer fruit leaning in the mouth. More glycerin, mineral & a kiss of bacon fat. Finish starts with a burst of lightly smoked dark purple fruits. Very smooth. Tannins are polished off to a superfine state while retaining the mass of the wine. Goes & goes, purple fruits & moss, seaweed carrying on and on. 45-60 seconds. An incredible wine!

Maison Bleue is a family-owned winery producing amazing Rhône varieties such as Grenache, Syrah, Marsanne and Viognier, as well as Chardonnay. Winemaker Jon Martinez, combines Old World elegance, traditional style techniques with New World opulence. Passionate about his craft and the love of Rhône-style wines, Jon is turning some heads and topping the charts:

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate-August 2011- 2009 Gravière Upland Vineyard GSM, Snipes Mountain - 95 points 

Wine Enthusiast- 2009 La Montagnette Upland Vineyard Grenache, Snipes Mountain - 94 pts. & Cellar Selection

The Rhône Report 2009 Liberté Boushey Vineyard Syrah, Yakima Valley - 94 points

Seattle Magazine-Best Emerging Winery of 2011

and a list of many, many more….

Open by private appointment on Fridays and Saturdays.

Having experienced the quality of wines from the winery on multiple occasions, I had to try Maison Bleue’s newly released 2011 La Famille Rose when I saw a bottle. This rose is intended to be a rose from the start, no saignée (which means to bleed in French) here with the emphasis on creating a dry wine. The composition is 90% Mourvedre and 10% Grenache (can you say Bandol) with all the fruit coming from Olsen Vineyard.

Shawn Luke’s Tasting Notes:  2011 La Famille Rose

Here’s my tasting note: Light salmon pink with orange & copper color. Orange-pink-copper color blend fusion. Minerallystrawberry, clean slightly wet stone, touch of orange peel, subtle apricot-pear notes. Very round mouthfeel with the stone & strawberry pursing through. The texture just does not give up, no matter how many swishes. There’s still the acidity to balance and give it “light” weight and freshness. The initial finish continues the incredible round mouthfeel. More soft stone & kiss of citrus feel from the acidity which gives the finish a very real mouthwatering aspect. Finish goes for 45+ seconds. A rose to truly savor while enjoying during the summer. This would be great for food too. Excellent! 94 on the rose scale.

The Purple Cafe & Wine Bar has 4 locations serving up fine New American cuisine in Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville and downtown Seattle where a massive circular wine rack is the centerpiece. The wine lists boast over 70 wines by the glass and interesting 4-glass flights like La Belle Vita, Italian wines from the Alps, all the way to the heel of Italy. Hard to Say, for those certain great wines that never end up getting ordered because they’re hard to enunciate. The Bullfighter, a tribute to the country with the most vines-Spain, just to name a few.

While on a Washington Wine Tasting Whirlwind, wine enthusiast Shawn Luke posts from his visit in Woodinville: 

In Purple Cafe & Wine Bar in Woodinville, I spied the Mark Ryan 2009 Lost Soul Syrah on the quite lengthy wine list. This was a “must try” for me because it comes from Les Vignes de Marcoux vineyard which adjoins the famous Red Willow vineyard just barely past the Eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in a cooler site for Washington. Both vineyards are managed by Mike Sauer, a legend of Washington wine.

Here’s my tasting note: Black, black & more black color. Nothing else has a chance to show through. Incredible color extraction. Meat, game, funky notes, white pepper, dark stone around a core of very dark raspberry and blackberry without the bramble. All that and it still carries a pure fruit character. Tremendous polish in the mouth. More purple fruits come through. Medium bodied which is surprising given the depth of color. Really holds its body against numerous swishes. Stone & roasted meats return. The finish provides an initial touch of deep purple fruit followed by meat & game notes. Then the stone recurs, followed by a shift back to the dark purple fruits that slowly fade over 45+ seconds. Just easing away. The tannins are polished to a fine edge facilitating the purity through the finish. Absolute example of what can be done with cool climate Washington Syrah. 94