This week we're talking with maverick winemaker Randall Graham of California's Bonny Doon Vineyard. Forget the usual Cabernet and Chardonnay Randall says they aren't even compatible with California's climate. Instead, he grows grapes from France's Rhone River Valley to produce his award-winning wines with zany names like "Il Fiasco," "Old Telegram," and "Wine of the Ice Box."
World tours, glitz and glamour, a new city every night. At first glance, the life of a rock star seems exciting, but behind the scenes it's about greasy spoon food and months living on cramped tour busses. For singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, healthy, delicious food is as important as her music so she enlisted Chef Jaime Laurita to cook for her band and crew. Jaime has catered for musicians from the Rolling Stones to Placido Domingo and is a genius at producing gourmet delights from sparse resources, often in the middle of nowhere. Together he and Sarah wrote Plenty, a collection of Sarah's favorite recipes. Try their recipe for Sundried Tomato and Pecan Pesto with Prawns .
We're talking kitchen equipment this week, so we called upon the pros for advice. Food Writer John Willoughby, Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Kitchen Designer Deborah Krasner, and Jane and Michael Stern tell us what they can't live without in their kitchens.
With the possible exception of novelty items like chocolate covered ants, the average American doesn't think of bugs as edible. But the truth is, cultures all over the world are entomophagous, (feeding mainly on insects)! The authors of Man Eating Bugs, Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel take us on a bug tasting trek all over the globe. Jane and Michael Stern track down stellar chicken in a pot in NYC, Chef Rozanne Gold explains the 5th taste—Umami, and Lynne and Al Sicherman taste canned chicken stock in their monthly tasting.
This special live show with guest cohost Katherine Lanpher featured winemakers Michael and Elaine Honig, a conversation with minimalist chef Mark Bittman, and restaurant critic Sue Zelickson discussing Twin Cities restaurants.
Love it or hate it, "fast food" is a significant part of the average American diet these days. Our guest, Professor John Jakle, gives us a scholar's view on how it began, why it's taken over the way it has, and where it's headed. Professor Jakle coauthored Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age.
It's time for a midwinter break here at the Splendid Table, so we're off to the Caribbean for some sun, white sand beaches, and warm breezes. It's high season there and we've enlisted the help of veteran travel writer Douglas Cooper, who has the word on finding great local food, hotels, and restaurants worth a splurge, plus an insider's tip on the guest-house bargain of the islands.
First it was the Dahlia Lounge. Etta's Seafood followed. By the time the Palace Kitchen opened in 1996, legendary Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas had won acclaim both regionally and internationally for his unique cooking style and his role in defining "Pacific Rim Cuisine." Along the way, Tom formulated some unusual thoughts on running a business. He stops by to share secrets of his success and his picks of Seattle's best restaurants.
We're wandering the culinary map this week with a look at curry, posole, fish terminology, bacon-of-the-month, and saltines! Our guest Nancie McDermott, author of The Curry Book, shares her infatuation with curries that began during a stint with the Peace Corps in Thailand. Her recipe for Mussamun Curry is a classic Thai dish often served at celebration feasts.
Did you know that most of us are eating genetically engineered foods at one time or another? Are these foods a miracle for farmers and consumers or an uncontrollable monster? Should we be concerned? We'll learn some basic facts about this complicated and controversial subject from Kim Klemon of Consumer Reports magazine. They researched an impressive overview of the subject and published the findings in the September 1999 issue.