Happy Hour at Rustico

We enjoyed watching Francesco interact with his customers, treating them more like old friends than clientele. His warmth is infectious and he is a gracious host.

We enjoyed watching Francesco interact with his customers, treating them more like old friends than clientele. His warmth is infectious and he is a gracious host.

There they sat as if atop a cake – a beautiful bride and groom fully dressed for their nuptials. It turns out that the couple had been married at Ponte two weeks earlier and returned with their entire wedding party to stomp into wedded bliss. And yes, the bride was a crusher in her gorgeous wedding dress. This I had to see.

When I was invited to join seven other writers for an evening of food and wine at the Dudleys’ home, I jumped at the opportunity. I had met Chef Max Manrique several times at Dudley’s and had heard stories about his prowess in the kitchen that induced spontaneous drooling on my part.
But wait, there’s more. On to the main course of “Roasted Pork Loin with Guinness Stout Glaze,” which requires a 12 oz bottle of beer. Chef Marty says that beer should never be bought in odd numbers and recommends employing the phone-a-friend option for remaining beers. I’m now begging Mr. W to cue the crane to get me out of my seat.

Billy Strayhorn wrote the lyrics to Lush Life when he was 17 years old. It’s one of many songs inspired by Paris. It’s one of the most inspirational places I have ever visited. My wife Laura requested a visit to Paris for her 60th birthday so that’s what we did. We arrived at Charles de [...]
As you may have noticed, WINEormous has a brand new look. It’s not intentional. Hopefully we’ll back to our usual look and feel in short order. After some technical difficulties, I went in to attempt repairs. They didn’t work so well. Please bear with us while I try to get Wineormous back to its old [...]
La Tour Eiffel We just got home from a fabulous week in Paris. Laura and I will both be sharing stories and pictures from this grand experience and our stop in Reims to visit Mumm and Veuve Cliquot. I also have other stories in the pipeline, including a three day wine cruise aboard the Schooner [...]