Bottoms Up!

I am back for the second year in a row for a wine tour in Amador County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The weather is perfect, as it was yesterday for a hike in a national park that was almost turned into a dam. My friend M of course takes me to the clothing-optional watering hole. Get your minds out of the gutter, I kept my bathing suit on.

In addition to Bray, which we hit last year, we also stopped at two new ones, a Croatian one where I bought a one-liter jug of some good red, and another one whose name escapes me. No matter, it was a bit biker-trash in there as they celebrated their anniversary, but the wine wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. At that point my palate could have been burnt as well.

I don't know how I'm going to make it to dinner...

Loungin'

Purchasing an Admirals Club membership (with miles no less) was the best thing I ever did. The Flagship Lounge in JFK near the lower number gates is serene and comfy, just what I need before a long haul cross-country.

Chag sameach to all my friends in the Tribe celebrating Passover. Trying to see if any friends on the left coast are having Seder tonight that I can crash.

***UPDATE 4/21/2008: This weekend is also Orthodox (i.e. Julian calendar) Easter. This confuses one of my friends, who envisions "black-hatted men searching for eggs, almost like a weird afikhomen." Christos anesty!

Blowing in(to) the Wind(y City)

At the last minute, my boss decided yesterday that I should accompany him to Chi-town to do some testing. Granted the ticket cost about twice what it normally would when booked at least seven days in advance, it did not exceed four figures. My chef/gourmand friend A cooked up some of the extra duck confit/Barolo/caramelized onion tortelli he had lying around his freezer with a pecorino cream sauce and sprinkled with bresaola crumbles, and even with half of my previous appetite I happily gobbled down most of it. Some toffee and a chocolate cognac ganache macaroon, and I am down for the count. Will need the energy for dim sum, The Lincoln Park Zoo, and the return flight home. Sometimes I consider moving to Chicago, but if I ate like this all the time, I would gain all the weight back and then some.