The Foodservice Research Institute, which tracks 12 American regional cuisines, reports that Southern, as well as American seaboard and barbecue, leads U.S. cuisines on restaurant menus in 2011. This trend is one of 10 identified for 2011 by the Institute of Food Technologies, a nonprofit scientific society whose members are professionals engaged in yummy science….
Red wines for warmer weather
Although the summer season is when many of us reach for lively, crisp, and refreshing whites and rosés, you needn’t forget about red wine altogether. In fact, there are many wine drinkers out there for whom white wine just doesn’t hold the same appeal as red. It doesn’t matter the meal or the rising summer…
Peaches and wine
One of my great joys of late summer is biting into a juicy, succulent peach and experiencing that expression of sun and soil. It doesn’t happen with each one. All too often, they have been picked before their prime. The flesh is too solid and barely enough juice to wet my palate, much less dribble…
Summer cocktails that are pitcher perfect
Summertime and the living can be just that little bit easier with pitcher cocktails. Whether you’re mixing up margaritas for friends in your backyard or ordering mai tais for the table, pitchers are a quick and easy way to rethink your drink for a crowd. At Spoonbar in the wine country town of Healdsburg, Calif.,…
Incubators help fledgling food businesses flourish
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, the Pie Pushers food truck crew is preparing ingredients for the New York-style pizzas they will serve over the next few days in Chapel Hill and Durham. Co-owner Mike Hacker is shredding mozzarella and cheddar cheese, mincing garlic and removing stems from basil. His helper, Cara Pozsonyi, is grilling slices…
Fresh white wines to try
Maybe summer makes wine drinkers itch to try something new and fun. We’re all looking for a little entertainment and distraction during these long, hot days, just like when we were kids. Lately, I have heard from readers who are tired of the wines they usually drink and want something fresh and exciting. Here are…
Free delivery of wine by bike
News & Observer food blogger, Andrea Weigl, recently reported on this unique new entrepreneurial venture in Raleigh: The Wine Feed, a new Raleigh-based Internet wine retailer, is offering free delivery of bottles of wine within a two-mile radius of its Glenwood South office. The bike delivery service is offered 2-4 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m. Monday-Friday…
For summer, pretty — and flavorful — in pink
It’s time to celebrate summer. What better way than with a glass of pink wine? Head to your local wine shop and gather an armload of pretty rosés. Revel in the colors, ranging from palest salmon to petal pink to almost vibrant fuchsia. A refreshing glass of one of these crisp, delicate wines is like…
Summer sipping
Summertime wine drinking provides plenty of opportunities for a diverse range of selections. The heat of North Carolina’s summers almost demands light, crisp, refreshing whites, but the indispensible grilling favorites of burgers, ribs, and steak offers a chance to crack open some big, robust reds as well. Here, Jeff Bramwell, co-owner of The Raleigh Wine…
Trust wines with track records
The hunt for an inexpensive, tasty bottle of wine is usually fun, but a recent string of bad luck made Catherine Rabb, an instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, ponder the issue of wine reliability: What if you just want a bottle that delivers every time with no worries? For suggestions,…
