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Arrosticini: Abruzzo’s Regional Favorite Food!

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Story and photo by Christopher J. Davies  If you have not yet visited the Abruzzo region of central Italy, it is worth a stop. Just about 2 1/2 hours east of Rome is the culmination of Italy’s Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. There are amazing national parks and preserves plus ski resorts. Pescara is the largest city, located on the Adriatic Sea. They have an International Airport and many stores and amenities. The region is known for its Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, medium bodied, plummy red wine (no relation to Montepulciano in Tuscany). It is also famous for Arrosticini, skewers of tender cubed lamb, that are barbequed to perfection. You can find Arrosticini as appetizers on many restaurant menus and premade for sale at butchers and grocery stores. While it is mainly made with lamb or mutton, some restaurants and butchers offer beef and pork versions. A good portion of the men in Abruzzo own a fornacella, which is an elongated, charcoal-fired, or gas

Cochon555 Rolls into Denver this Sunday!

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Cochon555 is all about amazing pork and delicious beverages. This national series is returning to Denver on Sunday. This year’s event has transformed into their popular Heritage BBQ format. I attended the 2016 event at the Ritz Carlton. Denver top chef Troy Guard (TAG, Guard and Grace, Mister Tuna, etc.) was the winner. The VIP ticket proved to be a great value as you get to meet the chefs and begin tasting an hour before the venue starts accepting General Admission ticket holders. There were tons of great dishes and beverages galore. Many of Colorado’s top chefs and sommeliers were in attendance. 2017 Cochon555  There will be 5 chefs, 5 winemakers and assorted spirits and cocktails. Including Boulder based, Hosea Rosenberg, now owner of Blackbelly, made Colorado foodies proud when he won Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 5 in March 2009. After winning, his life change in many ways. He has cooked with celebrity chefs on TV and at events around the world. For the last few year’s, h

Wine Country International Magazine-2016 #1

Turtle Soup…The Almost Forgotten Delicacy!

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--> The Food And Wine Chain Turtle Soup…The Almost Forgotten Delicacy! By Christopher J. Davies Over a century ago, Turtle Soup was earmarked in many a home cook’s favorite cookbook. It is said this was U.S. President Howard Taft’s favorite food. So seriously did he take this dish that he even selected a special chef for the White House who was a master at cooking a good Turtle Soup. Today a small group of restaurants across the country have Turtle Soup on their regular menus. The largest concentration of restaurants with Turtle Soup on their menus is found in America’s foodiest city, New Orleans! Of the dozen or so restaurants in NOLA making Turtle Soup, Commander’s Place is ground zero for this delicacy. Their creole version is thick and stew-like. It is usually topped off at your table with a drop of sherry. No, it does not taste like chicken, but more like a veal stew. At the helm of Commander’s Palace is Executive Chef Tory McPhail, a young and

2015 Denver International Wine Festival Discount Ticket Deal Blotter

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The 2015 Denver International Wine Festival happens next week!  The 11 th edition will take place from Wednesday October 28 to Friday October 30, 2015…just in time for Hallowine!  Wine Country Network has vowed to eliminate conducting promotions with deal sites like Groupon, Travelzoo and Amazon.Com. Instead they offer generous promotional incentives to serious folks who join the Denver International Wine Festival Newsletter list: http://www.denverwinefest.com/newsletter.html They also publish monthly incentives on the DIWF Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Denverwinefest DIWF Deal Blotter: If you have been holding off and waiting for a deal, there are a couple of promotions that might entice you! Pairsine Chefs Fine Food and Wine-October 29, 2015- Westword75 This event is like Iron Chefs meets really amazing wine. 11 top chefs will create 22 gourmet pairings. There will be more than 40 Gold Medal wines from the 2015 Denv

Burgundy Heavyweights Roll Into Denver on October 6, 2015 With A Rare Dinner at Mercantile

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--> The 5 th Annual Boulder Burgundy Festival officially happens October 22-25, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. But Brett Zimmerman, festival founder and Master Sommelier, welcomes two Burgundy heavyweights at a bucket-list level Burgundy wine dinner at Mercantile Dining and Provision (Union Square), Denver on Tuesday October 6 th . This dinner is clearly the Denver first-taste of The Boulder Burgundy Festival. Chef/Owner Alex Seidel has created a mouth-watering 5-course menu suitable for heads of state! I am pinching myself with disbelief that I am one of the lucky 16 that will be enjoying this feast! Check out the menu below, which is being published for the first time on this blog. Check back next week for a review and photos of the dinner. Cheers! CD  ------------------------------------------   Brett Zimmerman, Master Sommelier Wilson Daniels Presents Domaine Leflaive and Olivier Bernstein Burgundy Wine Dinner Thursday October 6, 2015 Mer

Holiday gift Idea for Wine Lovers! Virtual Cheat-Sheet For Ordering Wines At A Restaurant!

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Buy the Right Wine Every Time: The No-Fuss, No-Vintage Wine Guide Author: Tom Stevenson Publisher: Sterling Epicure Rating: Exceptional! Must buy for winos! Format: Soft (flex) cover,320 pages ISBN: 1-4027-6341-7 US Price: $14.95 Webpage: http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?isbn=9781402763410 Tom Stevenson is the quintessential wine book author with more than 30 years under his belt writing wine books. His latest book is a virtual cheat-sheet for wine novices looking to glide through any restaurants wine list. It helps you pick the most popular, reliable bottles based on varietal and price range. As a bonus you will benefit from the authors many useful wine tips. Grab this book and you will buy the right wine, every time!