Vito’s Ristorante Italiano in Maryland

This was a terrific meal with friends at our local Italian bistro. I asked Chef Luca to make his homemade ravioli, which are clearly Michelin three-star in quality....

Read More
Plumpjack: Tasting Auction Napa Valley and Premier Napa Valley Wines

I loved the juxtaposition of this informal tasting of very exclusive wines—all of which were made solely for Auction Napa Valley (ANV) and Premier Napa Valley (PNV)—dating back to 1997....

Read More
Kushi Uemon – Tokyo

The intrepid "gaijin" Neal Martin ventures into the deepest Tokyo to check out one of its finest yakitori restaurants along with a bevy of superb wines......

Read More
A Thirst for Life: Chatting with Theo Lee

“You have my permission to record because California is a two-party consent state,” Theodora “Theo” Lee tells me, laughing, after I ask her if I may record our interview. I’m...

Read More
Hedonistic with the Gods - Amansara, Angkor - Part 3

Part 3 continues... And return we did, in the denseness of darkness in the morning, and I mean early morning—5am! And that entailed being gently woken up by the Amansara...

Read More
Bird & The Bottle: A Local Favorite

Local powerhouse restaurateurs Mark and Terri Stark are at it again, this time with their most recent addition to their restaurant collection, Bird & The Bottle. Nestled in an old...

Read More
Bordeaux 2016 - Live From The Vines

After spending three days in Bordeaux inspecting the beginning of the 2016 harvest, Neal Martin reports from the vines....

Read More
Magdalena Restaurant – The Ivy Hotel (July 2016)

I have eaten at least a half-dozen meals at this small, boutique restaurant inside the exquisite and relatively modest Ivy Hotel in midtown Baltimore. Chef Mark Levy, in less than...

Read More
Russian River Valley Part 3: Exploring Green Valley

The neighborhood of Green Valley is unique in that it is also an established sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley (RRV). Green Valley was granted appellation status in 1983 and...

Read More
Some of the Finest Wine Books Ever Written (...But Not by Jancis or Hugh)

Neal Martin examines some of the books that inspired him over the years, but have not be written by Hugh Johnson or Jancis Robinson, since we already know how great...

Read More
Loading…