I stumbled across this gem of a summer splash this weekend, while in San Diego during BlogHer. Molly made delicious peach cocktails, and when those were all said and done we just started tossing peach slices into our California white wine.

Amazing idea.

You should try it rightthissecond.

And then tell me how that goes.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

This photo was taken this past Friday, on a day spent wine-tasting and frolicking (give or take a skip) through McMinnville, Oregon (and surrounding areas, as this is in Dayton), while my parents were in town for the weekend. Best wine? My vote goes to Walnut City WineWorks. Best scenery? Domaine Serene, as you can clearly see here from this super pretty little vineyard.

Decided: I want to live in a vineyard.

Check in at my personal blog later this week (or maybe today) for more photos from all three wineries we visited.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

Nellie Huang is a professional travel writer who writes BootsnAll’s Spain travel guide, WhyGo Spain. When she’s not traveling, you can find her feasting on Spanish tapas or sipping all types of Spanish wine in her favorite city in the world: Granada, Spain. She tweets about all things Spanish @WhyGoSpain.

For the culinary traveler, Spain is a paradise blessed with outrageous flavors and colorful concoctions. A trip to Spain is not complete without sampling its gastronomic offerings. So what is best to eat in Spain? Contrary to most beliefs, Spanish food is more than just paella and sangria. From tapas to seafood to desserts, the myriad of Spanish cuisine is extremely diverse and the choices limitless.

the reputed Paella de Marisco of Restaurante la Ninfa

To add variety to that, each region in Spain has its own culinary specialty – take the famous paella for example, it is best sampled in Valencia, its original birthplace. Due to geographical and cultural differences, you’ll find yourself tucking into distinctive flavors when traveling from one corner of Spain to another. To help plan your culinary tour in Spain, here are some of the best regions in Spain for various types of food.

Where’s Best for Tapas?

Spanish tapas are small offerings that are served along with wine or beer. Popular tapas include cheese platters, embutidos (cured meat), tortilla de patatas (potato omelette) and boquerones (anchovies). But tapas can vary widely in style depending on where you’re enjoying them. In most parts of Spain, they tend to be simple – just a skewer of grilled meat or a plate of patatas bravas. In San Sebastian and Bilbao, tapas are referred to as pintxos, often small-scale representations of haute cuisine meals. Ingredients used here often include lavish condiments like foie gras, lobster and lamb. But if you’re looking to indulge and feast on tapas, head down to the Andalusia region. Granada is most famous for its free tapas: small platters of side-dishes served free of charge with every drink you order, in almost every tapas bar you go to.

Prawns in Valencia

Where’s Best for seafood?

Seafood in Spain is served in various forms, among which the grilled or battered and deep-fried style are most popular. As you can imagine, seafood is best enjoyed in the coastal cities such as Valencia, Barcelona and the region of Galicia. Pulpo a la feira (broiled octopus drizzled with olive oil) is most well-known in Galicia tucked away in the Northern-western corner of Spain.

Pulpo a la feria

In Southern Spain, specifically Almeria and Malaga, it’s a common practice to head to the beach and enjoy a fritura de pescado (seafood platter) consisting of fried calamari, different kinds of fish and shrimps.

Fritura de pescado

Where’s Best for meat?

Spain is a largely carnivorous country, with pork as the main staple of the Spanish diet. Cured meats are particularly popular in the country, especially jamon (cured ham). The Ibérico ham is widely recognized as Spain’s most distinctive food product. Bellota, the top quality Ibérico ham, is by far the most expensive ham in the world and can be best enjoyed in Western Andalusia, Extremadura and Salamanca. Trevélez in Granada is also known for producing some of the best Serrano hams. For grilled meats, the top places in Spain to savor them are found further inland. Segovia has the best cochinillo (roasted suckling pig) in the country.

Jamon Tapa

Where’s Best for Wine?

Spain is the birthplace of several world-famous species of wine, such as La Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja region in North-Central Spain is worth a visit if you’re keen on wine-tasting and learning more about the wine-making process. Ribera del Duero in the Castile y León region is located nearby and also makes for an excellent winery-visiting destination. Asturias is said to produce the best sidra (cider) and it is known for the interesting cider-pouring technique used in bars. For beer-lovers, you’ll be happy to know that almost every city in Spain produces its own beer – among which Malaga’s San Miguel and Barcelona’s Estrella are some of the most famous.

Nellie Huang

Nellie Huang is a professional travel writer who writes BootsnAll’s Spain travel guide, WhyGo Spain. When she’s not traveling, you can find her feasting on Spanish tapas or sipping all types of Spanish wine in her favorite city in the world: Granada, Spain. She tweets about all things Spanish @WhyGoSpain.

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It’s no secret I’m a bit of a wine-o.  New(ish) to Colorado, but not new to the vine, I wanted to check out what Colorado has to offer in terms of grape-growing and production.  So, Boyfriend and I spent this past Saturday checking out some of the wineries and tasting rooms here on the front range, along with local wine tour group, 5280 Wine Tours.

What’s interesting about these is that they’re all totally urban – really, all five wineries we visited were right in the middle of the Denver area.  The grapes come in from the Western Slope (like Palisade), but are produced here in the city.

Because a picture’s worth a thousand words, enjoy these shots we got while we sniffed, swirled, and sniffed with our fantastic tour guides, Lisa and Sean.

Urban wine tasting, in pictures

We were told this was a bus tour. Turns out “bus” means “stretch Hummer”.

We spent the first part of the trip at Balestreri Vineyards, sampling more wines than should be allowed for the first stop on the wine tour.  Favorites included a Late Harvest  Red Zinfandel and a Cherry Port, of which we bought two bottles.

Check out the cherry mash in this photo below.  They press the seeds with the grapes to get a nutty, almond flavor into the wine, which I gotta – say is so, so good.

After Balistreri, we went to Colorado Winery Row – Denver’s Urban Wine Tasting Destination.  Basically, this is four tasting rooms, all side-by-side, in the heart of urban Denver at I-70 and Pecos, not too far from LoDo and downtown.  You know how when you get to a Midas or a car shop in a long, rectangular building with garages side-by-side next to a main office?  This is kind of what that felt like.

Four in one

We visited Garfield Estates and Cottonwood Cellars, which share a space, but due to liquor licensing, won’t allow you to bring one drink from one winery across a line onto the other side.  No worries, we kept it separate and enjoyed both the Cottonwood Cellars and Olathe Winery and then hopped the line to Garfield Estates, where I tried the most decadent chocolate port in the history of… well, chocolate ports I guess.

Old wines, new methods

Some of the coolest things about these vineyards was the different approaches they were using to doing some familiar wines.  For instance, Balistreri produces their Chardonnay like a red wine, skins on until the end – unfiltered.  You get a very interesting, not so oaky Chardonnay.  Very cool.

After my time in Traverse City last month, I was delighted to see that Balistreri was doing some cherry wines – tart Montmoncery “pie cherries,” actually, which brought me briefly back to cherry country.  And we bought two bottles of their cherry wine because it was that good.

They also still hand-cork, hand-seal, and hand-label every single bottle.  They’re not a huge operation, but at over 50,000 bottles sold each year – that’s no small feat.

Speaking of Little Feet, try the Little Feet Merlot at Balistreri.  It’s one of their signature wines and is a fan favorite as the grapes are stomped each year by kids’ little feet.  Don’t worry – everything’s cleaned and purified during fermentation, with all the other dirts and germs that land on grapes during their growth and harvest.

Front range grape goodness

The best part about all of this was the fun and interesting introduction into wines of the Front Range.  I know that other places in Colorado grow and bottle some great wines – Palisade, Ft. Collins, etc., but it’s awesome to know that right here in the Denver area, we have some really fine wine going on.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

San Diego, Day 1 – Friday, July 2, 2010

Chris and I wandered around the Gaslamp District (the neighborhood in the city where we’re staying), and decided on this cute little Italian place called Asti Ristorante.  He had mimosas while I sipped on a Sauvignon Blanc, and enjoyed a cheesy Margherita pizza while I devoured a shrimp and artichoke fettuncini dish.

I’m playing with camera effects and photography apps on my iPhone.  All three photos were taken with my iPhone 3GS and edited with the effects in Camera Bag [iTunes link].  I used Helga for the food photos and Cinema for the restaurant sign.  I don’t think Helga’s the right effect for food, but I’m playing, so we’ll see what happens next time.

Today?  Fish Market!  Hopefully I’ll remember to grab a video of that.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

I hadn’t been to Zeno Wine Cafe since a date a few years ago.

Or was it a date?  I never really knew with that guy until the fourth “date” or so and I finally attacked his face kissed him in his car at the end of the night.  We made out all high school style for a few minutes, I went home, and that was essentially it.

But this post isn’t about him, it’s about food and wine and my girlfriend Melissa.

Melissa and I met in college, through mutual friends, and bonded instantly and closely.  We were both lovers of psychology (different realms, but still), house parties, jam band music, and sharing dating stories because we always had the good amusing ones.

Anyway, she and I have the beautiful kind of friendship that continues to grow and flourish into adulthood after college despite different directions and lives and jobs and whatnot.  We catch up every couple of months, giggle like schoolgirls, polish off a decent amount of wine, and typically find some of the Twin Cities’ most interesting places to eat.

Our last two catch-ups?  Town Talk Diner, and then before that the French Meadow Bakery.

We have good, quirky, local hipster taste, I know.

Last night, we hopped into Zeno Cafe at Lake & Hennepin in Uptown.  They advertise all kinds of happy hour deals that GO UNTIL SEVEN PM (which sometimes is unheard of, or at least hard to find, and those of us that can’t leave work at 3PM on a MONDAY really appreciate that extra hour or two!).

What we chose?

wine: $10 bottomless glass of [house] wine (I chose the white (a Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay blend) and Melissa had the Cab Sauv).

food: Apps are BOGO, so we split the Cheese Plate and the Mediterranean Plate.

According to their menu, these are the food deets:

Mediterranean Plate

Goat cheese, black olive tapenade, hummus, and Italian sun-dried tomato relish with fresh baked rosemary focaccia.

Cheese Plate

A selection of artisan cheeses served with fresh fruit, turkish figs and almonds.

To be honest?

I wasn’t all that impressed with the cheese plate.  Then again, I’ve been spoiled this year in that my cheese plate devirginization happened at Mario Batali’s Enoteca San Marco in Las Vegas.  Then I found Cafe Maude’s cheese plate.  Twice.  Two weeks ago, I sampled the cheese stylings at Bar Baresco in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood.

So, I’m not a cheese plate SNOB, by any means (let’s be honest, I can’t ID anything really besides bleu, gouda, brie, and parmesan), but I do know what’s impressive and what’s notsomuch.

So Zeno’s was decent, just not… amazing.  There was a gouda that was nice and creamy and smooth, but I bought a chunk of gouda at Lund’s last week that was as good if not better.  There were no turkish figs as advertised, but there were grapes and apples.  The almonds were nice.  I should’ve taken a picture.  Wow, foodie blogger FAIL.

The Med plate though was GREAT.  I love goat cheese and tapenade and hummus and sun-dried tomato ANYTHING.  And the focaccia was tasty.

But for $20 each that got us all kinds of wine and the right kind of noshing in between telling stories of going back to school, boys, travels, and just all-around catching up in general?  Total win.  I’d go back and do it again and probably sample more of their apps menu, but keep in mind you get what you pay for.  If I want a cheese plate to blow me away, I’ll go back to Cafe Maude and pay the extra $ (though really, it’s not that much extra).

What will bring me back?

This deal.  I’m intrigued by this.  $30 date night includes wine, apps, dessert and a movie at the Landmark theater next door:

Recap:

Wine: $10 bottomless glass of a decent house wine.  We like bottomless.  No.  WE LOVE bottomless.
Food: Cheese plate: mediocre; Med plate: Good
Price: Since wine was cheap and apps were BOGO, total bill was less than $40 (after taxes, before tip)
Do it again?  Sure, why not.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

My first trip to NYC was a short, but dizzyingly wonderful one.  I spent about thirty-six hours there and managed to sightsee more than I’d expected.  And naturally, I ATE.  In fact, the only thing I think I had on my to-eat list that I didn’t get to was the pizza.

Don’t get me wrong.  We tried.  We walked all the way across the bridge to Brooklyn for Grimaldi’s pizza.  Except that it was 90somethingfucking degrees outside and the line THAT WENT OUTSIDE was a good 45 minutes.

Hell no.

So, we ventured to the South Street Seaport instead.

NYC has SO MANY food options, and with the exception of Times Square (ick. boo.), most seem to be authentic, local, amazing little eateries.  Here’s what I DID manage to nom:

• a bagel in Brooklyn.  To be honest?  It was TASTY, but the bagels at East Coast Bagels in California were better on the sheer principle that they had CHOCOLATE CHIP bagels and this little shop in Brooklyn did not
• popcorn shrimp at the Heartland Brewery at the South Street Seaport.  Popcorn shrimp is ALWAYS a win.  I also enjoyed their Summertime Apricot Ale with my Fish and Chips.  Seafood?  Always good.  FRIED seafood?  EVEN BETTER.
• Then there was a CHEESE PLATE and TIRAMISU at Bar Baresco.  I think that the best way to enjoy a cheese plate – at least for me, while I’m learning what I like and don’t – is to ask the server for a good variety of different levels of soft and hardness and intensity.  We got a beautifully diverse array of soft cheeses, red wine infused cheeses, and delicious nuts and honeys to accompany the cheese.
• And the tiramisu? OH MY GOD.

Now, I just need to get back to that fine city and have a piece of greasy pizza!

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.

My first trip of 2009 was out to visit my oldest and dearest friend Steve.  He moved out to Colorado from Minnesota after college, and having recently decided that four years was enough, he moved back this summer.  I went out to visit two weeks prior to that move, back in the middle of May, to soak in the mountains and a vacation one more time before he returned.

We did all kinds of awesome things while I was there including climbing a mountain, walking around Boulder, and taking a mini road trip up to Wyoming.

But of course, I seek out interesting restaurants and remember the food, so here’s my little recap of where we ate and what we had:

In Denver (technically, Broomfield):

• Tres Margaritas (6896 W 120th Ave, Broomfield – (303) 410-8705)

We weren’t on any particular culinary adventure or mission at Tres Margaritas; I was mostly in need of food and drink upon my arrival and Steve picking me up from the airport.  We each had two margaritas – on the rocks, thanks – and I ordered a taco/enchilada combo that was HUGE and AWESOME and naturally came with the requisite Mexi-rice and beans.

I’m always a sucker for good Mexican food and for a quiet little hole-in-the-wall in the suburbs?  This one was muy bueno.

In Boulder -

Boulder was SO much fun to explore!  They have a walking mall area called Pearl Street where vehicles aren’t allowed and folks just roam freely up and down the shop- and bar-lined cobblestone road.  Street performers entertain visitors, and gorgeous flower gardens and cute decorations line the street from one end to the other.

• The Med (1002 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302 – (303) 444-5335)

At the recommendation of a colleague, Steve and I popped into The Med for dinner.  We opted for splitting a number of different small plates to better taste more of their offerings.  The menu’s set up really well for that too, and I believe we ended up with five options.  And I know, I know… FOODIE BLOGGER FAIL, since it’s now August and I’m writing about a May trip, I don’t remember all the details.  I remember mussels, lamb meat (I think on skewers), and I believe salmon.  I know, FAIL, but really?  The food was INCREDIBLE, the staff extremely pleasant and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere is deliciously funky.

All in all?  Denver and Boulder are fine culinary spots and I’d love to go back to try more.

doniree

Doniree Walker is the Nomadic Foodie. She loves the exploration and community of food, and currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves the region's focus on local and seasonal food, daily farmers' markets and food carts at seemingly every turn. She's on twitter as @doniree and @nomadicfoodie, and blogs her adventures and life in general at doniree.com.