I'm a little embarrassed to admit that before I interviewed Chef Normand Laprise, I wasn't exactly sure who he was. I suppose I can be forgiven since Laprise isn’t quite a household name in America (not yet anyway), though he certainly is on the other side of the border. Not only was Laprise voted best chef in Canada, but his recent cookbook, Toqué!: Creators of a New Quebec Gastronomy, won "Best Cookbook of the Year" for Canada at the Gourmand International World Cookbook Awards, as well as a prestigious James Beard Foundation award for excellence in the category "Cooking From a Professional Point of View."... Read More
The award-winning Viceroy, Riviera Maya continues to rack-up endless “best of” accolades, but perhaps their most powerful secret weapon is their talented chef, Jetzabel Rojas Barragán. I managed to catch up with this busy young woman after she had just knocked everyone dead at the 2014 Cancun-Rivera Maya Wine & Food Festival. Interesting — and a little sad in this day and age — to note that she was the only local female chef that participated in the gourmet event.... Read More
New restaurants open all the time, but the upcoming SubliMotion at the Hard Rock Hotel in Playa d'en Bossa in Ibiza, Spain is a little different. According to Business Insider, SubliMotion will be "the most expensive restaurant in the world," costing over $2,000 a person. ... Read More
We are loving the uprising of monthly members' clubs that have been popping up all over the place, from men's shaving clubs to cute DIY project boxes, and the culinary world has seen quite a few. You can join ones that send you unique coffee blends or ones that target craft beer enthusiasts, but The FareTrade really stands out to us as the one we want to sign up for immediately. ... Read More
The 100-year-old BenRiach Distillery has remained one of Scotland’s best-kept secrets, known only to whisky connoisseurs who came across its unique blend produced in the Heart of Speyside. But that’s so 1898. Fast forward to 2014, the year BenRiach opened its cask vaults to introduce four new limited releases to the U.S. market: The BenRiach Horizons 12 Year Old Triple Distilled, The BenRiach Solstice 2nd Edition 17-Year-Old, The BenRiach Septendecim 17-Year-Old Peated Single Malt, and The BenRiach Authenticus 25-Year-Old Peated Single Malt. The secret is out, and the awards have started rolling in.... Read More
The Malt Room on Belfast’s downtown Great Victoria Street may look inconspicuous from the outside, but once you walk in you are overtaken by the series of interconnecting rooms. The two-floor restaurant features stucco ceilings, ornate wall paneling with a lion face motif, chandeliers, curved balconies, metal railings and a broad staircase — all reflecting a predominantly ash-gray color scheme with contrasting touches of vivid red.... Read More
Like many other industries, the liquor trade is rapidly conglomerating into large corporate groups. Names like Diageo, United Spirits Limited, Pernord Ricard, Suntory/Beam and Bacardi account for the lion's share of sales, but right behind them is Gruppo Campari. ... Read More
Whisky connoisseurs know that if they're looking for a smokey, peated malt, they need to look to Islay. The Scottish isle is known around the world for its peated whiskies, home as it is to such distilleries as Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin. ... Read More
The newly released rosé from Chateau Mirival, the vineyard owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the South of France, has arrived at local wine merchants and is selling like hotcakes. This marks the second release for the wine since the... Read More
Stella Artois has a pretty complicated nine-step pouring ritual — you've seen it in their inventive commerical spots — and it can be pretty hard to replicate at home if you don't have beer on tap. The not-so-subtly-named PerfectDraft has recently been embraced quite heavily by the Belgium brand, as the gadget can you help achieve the ideal pour from your own home.... Read More
The Çırağan Luxury Sahlep' is one pricey drink, costing $680 per glass, and until now you've only been able to get it at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul. Traditionally, Sahlep' is a warm drink made from a rare ingredient found in the tubers of orchids, and this drink ups the ante with premium Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac, Tahitian vanilla and Turkish honey. If you want it to be legit, don't forget to garnish it with real gold!... Read More
The 14th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition took place on March 21-24, and ever since we have been waiting patiently for the results. Hosted at the Hotel Nikko in downtown SF, the event saw 1,474 submissions from 41 states and 64 countries, covering 89 classifications.... Read More
It’s the first day of April, and you know what that entails. You’re probably tired of all the tricks going around, but we just had to share this one last “prank” with you. It’s a sweet take on the April Fools' tradition that warmed our hearts anbd might just melt yours too.... Read More
Whenever spring hits we start itching to try new recipes, ones that are lighter than the starch-heavy foods we were craving during the winter months. Chef Justin Garrison from the Wine Kitchen, located just outside of Washington DC, came up with this unique Char-Braised Wild Boar Shank recipe that's full of hearty vegetables and fresh flavors. ... Read More
