Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2015

An Enlightened Moment in Rome

In addition to freelance writing, I have also been a certified yoga teacher since 2008. When my yogini daughter and I saw this "levitating" yogi outside the Colosseum in Rome, we had to take a closer look. Though it was a process for him to get into place and although he is using a bit of trickery, we were still quite impressed with his balance.

Tuscan Cooking Class at Castello Banfi

One of my favorite parts of our mother/daughter trip this spring was our cooking class in the Montalcino region at Castello Banfi Il Borgo  with Chef Domenico Francone. He oversees everything from the cuisine served at La Sala dei Grappoli, the fine dining restaurant, to the room service for the hotel guests. We had already enjoyed a multi-course dinner on our first night so we knew that he was going to be good. We had been looking forward to learning to cook some Tuscan dishes from a genuine Italian chef ever since we started planning our trip. We met Chef Domenico out on the grounds and we rode with him to a guest house out in the vineyard. Inside a small, homey kitchen, the three of us set about creating a four course lunch to be paired with Banfi wines. As the chief cook in my own home, I was happy to sit back, sample the wine and let him teach my next generation. I did help with everything though the video doesn't show it. My favorite part was making the pasta which, odd

Staying at Castello Banfi Il Borgo - Italy

I became aware that  Castello Banfi Il Borgo existed several years ago due to the preponderance of wines that Banfi makes that can be found in the Houston market. I had googled it before and put it on my mental list of places that I would like to go. When my daughter suddenly requested to change the second leg of our travel plans from northern Spain to Florence and Rome, it was my very first thought even though it isn't located in either city. I quickly booked our 4 day stay. I hired a driver to pick us up in Florence and bring us to our temporary castle. Upon arrival, we were taken to our suite which featured a spacious bedroom, ample living area and a large, well-appointed bath room. This was pure heaven after our more modest accommodations in Paris. Our castle room was once a home for an entire family when it was built in the 1700's and it, unquestionably, provided us with more than enough room to thoroughly spread out. We quickly spruced up and headed to the hotel&#

Touring Maison Ruinart

During our Mother/Daughter trip to Europe, we made a point to visit one of my favorite Champagne houses, Maison Ruinart. I have written about the sparkling wines of Ruinart on numerous occasions so I was very excited to take this tour. I also thought it was appropriate that my daughter's first visit to the Champagne region should begin with the first established House in Champagne. It is a truly informative tour followed by an equally informative tasting. The wines were exquisite, as expected. I would highly recommend taking this little jaunt if you will be vacationing in Paris. It is a quick trip by train. Things to know if you want to enjoy this tour as well: Visit the  website  at least a month prior to your trip to set up your touring time. Be on time, not early, you will wait outside (in the rain, in our case) until the exact time that you were told and if you are late, you will be left behind and not allowed to tour. Dress for cold weather, it is chilly down in the

The Tasting Menu at Le Millenaire

During our 24 hour stay in Reims in the Champagne region of France, my daughter and I chose the tasting menu at Le Millenaire  for the one dinner that we had time for while there. This Michelin-starred restaurant by Chef Laurent Laplaige offers a regular menu along with the option of different tasting menus, we checked our opinions at the door and waited in anticipation to see what the kitchen would offer. Though the restaurant is not large, the tables are well spaced in the modern dining room. Dark carpets, neutral walls and white tablecloths add a sleek look to the elegant space. When in Reims, there is only one way to begin. Though we were touring the Champagne house the following day, we each ordered a glass of Ruinart Champagne, one blanc de blancs and one r osĂ© to start. T he magic was quickly underway with amazing bites of deliciousness arriving to the table. We enjoyed everything though I don't believe that I can describe it all. My favorites were the delicately pre

Dinner with a View - Les Ombres

After our extravagant lunch, we had planned to have something fairly low key for dinner but it seems the travel gods wanted to smile upon us.  We had strolled over to the Eiffel Tower tourist-style to take some pictures at night and happened upon Les Ombres along the way. Far more modern and pricey-looking than our original street cafe plan,  armed with a credit card and  not knowing anything at all about the restaurant,  we took a chance and went in. I believe we were lucky to get in without a reservation and our good fortune did not end there.  Les Ombres is located in the  MusĂ©e du Quai Branly and  has an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. It has an understated elegance in the dining room where the design is all about the panoramic view of the City of Light. We were seated with a prime view of our surroundings and were quickly served two glasses of Champagne and a fabulously fresh lobster salad.  The restaurant had a busy vibe and the service was excellent. Some guests were

Tasting Lunch at Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo

One of our favorite lunches in Paris was at the Michelin-starred  Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo .  The restaurant states on-line that its concept is "A place for those who live the art of table sharing the pleasure of the senses and the intellect." That perfectly describes my daughter and I, so, off we went after our morning at the Louvre. The elegantly designed contemporary eatery boasts a multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings by world re-known sommelier Enrico Bernardo. We were served wine in black blind tasting glasses with each course. The menu was innovative, everything was delicious and the pairings were perfect. It was an exceptional way to continue a morning of art appreciation, the tasting lunch at Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo is a highly recommended way to spend your afternoon in Paris.

A Morning at the Louvre - A Mother/Daughter Trip

It would be easy to spend days walking through the Louvre slowly perusing the exhibits.  It is over 600,000 square feet in size and has more than 380,000 objects on display. During our short trip to Paris, we only allotted one morning to take in the offered culture. We arrived promptly for the 9:00 opening to allow ourselves approximately 3.5 hours to see some sites before our lunch reservation. My daughter's main goal was to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, one of the most heavily sought objects in the museum. We immediately got directions upon entering and headed that way. There was a tremendous crowd to take in the famed piece of art, it took longer than we expected but we did see it. Once that primary goal was accomplished, we were able to meander through the various exhibits and thoroughly enjoy our morning there. In addition to taking in the Renaissance paintings, we really enjoyed the large collection of ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek artifacts. An obvious s

Glass Sealing - Wine Bottle Closures

As originally seen in the April 2015 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine