Food Blogs in English
February 6, 2012
21:11
Hoogwater fig-picking: 11 February 2012
Join us for a convivial lunch in the shade of the peach trees at Hoogwater Farm in Wolsely, followed by a stroll through the fig orchards where you can chose the juiciest fruit for yourself. Hoogwater farmer Charles Osche also makes wine, and will give us an introduction to them in the cellars before we [...]
Source: Slow Food Mother City
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
18:11
Some Lessons From an 8 Year-Old Food Blog
I have been writing and ruminating on food now for just over eight years. That would be, if I live an average life span, over 10% of my life. That's a fair bit of thinking on a topic that everyone in the world deals with on a daily basis, and yet for whom many, it is given little more consideration beyond looking for an answer to "What's for breakfast/lunch/dinner?" As I passed my eight year blogging anniversary, I struck by several things. First and foremost, that I am still here. Typically, I have the attention span of a goldfish on cocaine, but for some reason, thinking about food has stuck with me, far longer than I would have guessed back when I started this here blog back in 2004(!). I'm also amazed that I keep learning things that affect my worldview in both cynical and/or wondrous ways. I have been taught a lot over the past years, and all of the lessons learned have enriched my life in some manner or another. For example: Patience: The best example of this? Making coffee and/or tea. The instant versions of these products never seem to live up to the 8-12 minutes of time that they save. I now have no problem in waiting ten minutes (five to let the water boil, five to let the tea steep) for a good cup of tea. Rituals are Important: Related to the above, my morning routine seems lost if I don't set aside time to make the tea. When there are days when the morning tea ritual is disrupted, the rest of the day seems off. Quality is as Quality does: There's a huge difference between talking about quality versus actually thinking about quality from start to finish. I've seen examples of this in brewing, candy making and restaurants. The best example I can give is the quality of White Dog, the un-aged whiskey that can either be consumed or put in a barrel to age. While the barrel imparts some measure of flavor (depending upon several variables), if the base spirit is poor, inevitably the final spirit will be less than perfect. The best producers of food know this and pay attention to every detail. Politics: A dollar spent on any given product is a vote for that product and a tacit approval of the practices used to get that food to market. This fact has given me more fits in the food world than any other lessons learned. Money: Tom Douglas told me once that, in the end, it's all about if you can make money at it. Restaurant owners, chefs, and entrepreneurs are all dependent upon one simple question: can they make a living at what they do? Moderation: In the end, moderation is always the safest bet. This is the hardest lesson for me to learn, for a variety of reasons (although not with alcohol, oddly enough). Taste is variable: What I like differs from what other people like. There is no "World's best beer" or "The ultimate dish". People, even those who have extensive experience in exploring food or drink, rarely agree on anything. Therefore every opinion is relevant - even those to which I vehemently disagree. "Taste" as a signifier of "class" is rarely anything more than extended experience. Food Culture does not mean Food Lifestyle: Anyone who has had a food blog for longer than three months could tell you about the amount of PR e-mails sent to them on a daily basis. The PR machinery that goes on behind the scenes of many of your favorite books, magazines, and television shows is both vast and scary. And what many of them are trying to sell to people simply doesn't exist. One doesn't need to go to Scotland to enjoy Scotch. The best chefs in the world aren't necessarily in New York, and the only thing that I can see that differentiates the skills of a Tyler Florence or Bobby Flay versus Seattle's own Ethan Stowell is the PR machinery behind them. Yet this Lifestyle they're selling rarely take into account things such as the supermarkets where the majority of us buy our foods, the supply chain that gets food from farm to shelf, or the thousands of local restaurants who survive from year to year without nary a peep from the national press. That diner down that street that sells breakfast burritos and homemade pie, or the immigrant (legal or otherwise) working at the industrial farm speaks more to who we are than anything a PR firm can fathom. Food is a medium, not a message: Obsessing over recipes, food history, collectible whiskey bottles, or whether you've hit every local restaurant with a Zagat rating above 25 is fine and all. But sharing these moments with your friends is far more valuable. Over the past eight years, I've had many memorable experiences. What made these moments memorable wasn't the quality of the food or drink consumed, but where I was at, and who I was with.
Source: Accidental Hedonist
Categories: Food Blogs in English
17:41
1971 Monsecco (Gattinara) and Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby G
A couple of my favorite rock stars were over on Friday night, to meet Georgia P and to share a special bottle of a wine. The 1971 Gattinara Monsecco by Conte Ravizza was vinified the same year that David Garza was born: David (above, center) is one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever had the [...]
Source: Do Bianchi
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
16:42
Winery Steps, Castello della Sala
Winery Steps, Castello della Sala
A day late with this Sunday Snapshot post; but I have an excuse – I have spent the last week in Italy. It seems an age ago now, but in reality it was just over a week that our party rolled up at the Castello della Sala winery in Orvieto. Its new and gleaming, all ...
Spittoon.biz - A UK Wine Blog - We Spit... So You Can Swallow
Source: Spittoon.biz Feed
Categories: Food & Related News, Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs in English
11:01
Muisbosskerm restaurant, Lambert’s Bay.
A drive back from the Cederberg one Sunday was a perfect excuse to make a diversion over to Lambert’s Bay for lunch and try out a restaurant on the beach that I had been hearing about for a long time, but never had the time or opportunity to visit. Muisbosskerm was the name and I had [...]
Source: Spill Food
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
10:00
Food halls, Feskekôrka and fika - the three Fs of Gothenburg
We had been talking about fika constantly in the last few days before our trip. "We're planning to have three fikas a day!" crowed Su-Lin on e-mail. "What??" I retorted, "We're cutting down on fika??". And yes, we had barely...
Source: Cook Sister
Categories: Food Blogs in English
08:46
Mining Indaba 2012 augers well for Cape Town tourism boost!
The Investing in African Mining Indaba 2012, which starts at the Cape Town International Convention Centre today, and runs until Thursday, is the biggest event Cape Town’s hospitality industry has seen in a year, and accommodation establishments in the city are close to fully booked for the week ahead. More than 6500 delegates from 1000 international [...]
Source: Whale Cottage Portfolio
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
00:35
The Foodbarn Chef’s Table
I was very lucky to be invited by Franck Dangereux to enjoy his Chef’s Table at the Foodbarn. I’ve always been a fan of the Foodbarn and Franck’s cooking so this was an opportunity I was not going to miss. This 6 course lunch was paired with Nitida wines (have a look at that website, it’s [...]
Source: Relax With Dax
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
February 5, 2012
21:15
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-05
Just FYI, if you say you ‘frequent’ an establishment, it means you go there often. You don’t need to say you ‘frequent it often’. # Been asked to address 100 grade 10 pupils on the responsibilities that come with online influence. Better start practicing being responsible # Excited to be invited to launch of Leopard’s [...]
Source: Relax With Dax
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
17:52
Avondale Estate – where terra est vita [earth is life]
When you stand in a Shiraz vineyard on the slopes of the Klein Drakenstein with a clear view of Table Mountain, on a God-given day, with a black eagle circling overhead, Johnathan Grieve next to you with a handful of soil that looks like Christmas pudding, writhing with earthworms, you get a sense of the [...]
Source: Michael Olivier
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
07:37
Cape Town and Winelands Restaurants ♥ Valentine’s Day!
Cape Town * Roberto’s Signature Restaurant, Long Street: 7-course dinner at R539 per couple (R269,50 per person), or R699 per couple (R349,50 per person) with a bottle of Pongracz Rosé. Tel (021) 424-1195 * Five Flies, Keerom Street: 3-course dinner and glass of sparkling wine R295. Tel (021) 424-4442. * French Toast: 3-courses and 750ml [...]
Source: Whale Cottage Portfolio
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
February 4, 2012
13:26
Saturday Snapshots #180
Shooting star - Austria, December 2011 The last rays of the sun catch a jet trail high over snowy Obertauern. Saturday Snapshots is a series of non-food photographs published every Saturday on CookSister. Previously featured photographs can be viewed on...
Source: Cook Sister
Categories: Food Blogs in English
February 3, 2012
23:55
Jonty Rhodes to bat for team SA Tourism in India!
Jonty Rhodes, former South African cricketer and now coach for the Indian Premier League, has been appointed as a tourism ambassador for South Africa in India, reports Business Line. The announcement comes as part of a high level tourism delegation currently visiting five Indian cities to bat for tourism business. Tourism from India to [...]
Source: Whale Cottage Portfolio
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
21:37
Wine of the day: Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2011 has aromas of ruby grapefruit with underlying herbaceous tones on the nose opening up into notes of green pepper and asparagus. The crisp acidity and minerality carry the wine beautifully. Drink on its own as an aperitif, or pair it with sushi, light, tomato-based dishes and salads. This is a sauvignon with enough class to age and improve over a year or two.
(Cellar door price R95 per bottle)
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Source: Sunsets and Wines
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
19:42
Preview of the wine list at Uchi (Houston) @EatingOurWords
My post today for the Houston Press…
Source: Do Bianchi
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
17:34
Susumaniello, what a sususurprise! (and Georgia P’s photo shoot)
Honestly, I really didn’t know what to expect from a 2010 IGT Tarantino Susumaniello (100%) by the Poderi Angelini winery in Manduria (west coast of Puglia). The craze for indigenous varieties has inspired a number of producers to deliver monovarietal bottlings of grapes that were used strictly for blending in the past. In the entry [...]
Source: Do Bianchi
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine & Beverage News, Wine Blogs in English
17:12
The Restaurant at Waterkloof.
The view from inside the main building at Waterkloof never fails to impress. 10 meter high glass walls frame glorious vistas out over False Bay and the countryside surrounding the beautifully designed building. You have to stand there for a few few minutes to adjust, and take it all in. A glass of their delicious wine helps, and [...]
Source: Spill Food
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
13:48
Tapas and vines
Those of us who live north of the boerewors curtain are always on the lookout for somewhere nice to go for a meal or a drink. It's pretty slim pickings on our side of the bay when it comes to eateries that deliver on tasty food, decent wines and nice views.
Needless to say, this press release caught my eye:
Unwind and enjoy Weskus flavours every Friday from 10 February to 27 April, between 5pm and 8pm, when The Eatery at Durbanville Hills hosts its Tapas and Vine evenings.
With a local twist on traditional bar-food, you can enjoy a selection of tapas bowls with your favourite Durbanville Hills wines while you sit back, relax and enjoy live music.
The delicious snacks include farm-style venison pot pies, Weskus ‘viskoekies’ and Cape Malay beef samoosas with homemade tomato and rosemary chutney. The tapas are priced from R25 to R35 per bowl and wines are available at cellar-door prices.
For more information or to book, contact Rian at 021 558 1337 or info@dheatery.co.za
Source: Sunsets and Wines
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
09:57
Happy New Year, Sheftalia, Smoked Turkey and Abba
Happy New Year, everyone. I hope 2012 is a good year for all of us. I was tempted to add an Abba video but instead we should look at new and inventive ways of making sausages and this is a good start!
Crepinette
I continued experimenting and did make a French-style one with black mushrooms, pork, garlic and truffle oil but it was rather disappointing. On the other hand the Cypriot Sheftalia was really nice and I'll definitely make some more as they freeze extremely well.
I tried them out at a braai we had the other day to celebrate International Inner Wheel Day and everyone really enjoyed them. I don't see them as being commercial, just a bit of fun, but if you would like some just drop me an email and I'll make you some. It gives me an excuse to make some for myself.
Smoked Turkey
I smoked a small turkey for cold meat during Christmas. I smoked it stuffed with lemons, onions and garlic with streaky bacon over it's breast. It worked out extremely well. My big concern was that it would be dry and too smoky but I caught it just in time.....I actually thought it would take much longer than it did so it was almost left much too long!
The left-overs have been made into a turkey, bacon & mushroom pie!
Beef Sausages
I am always concerned about the possible dryness of the beef sausages and always suggest that they not be overcooked. A suggestion was made that I use a specific cut of beef and this solved the problem. Today I am making Turkish Sausages with the new meat and it will be interesting to see the result. The suggestion came from a Moroccan butcher and I am sure he is right.
Peter's Ham
I've had rave reviews on the Ham over the Christmas period. Here's one from Brian Beck headed "Unsolicited Testimonial".....
Hi Peter, When I ordered the ham I was confident it would be good, even very good, I did not dream it would be spectacular!!We have just had our first real ham meal plus a little wine and salad and what a pleasure!!I am so glad I did not ask you to cut the slight over weight of our original order off.What a pleasure to eat real food(No exclamation mark the key has worn out) RegardsBrian
Don't forget the ham is available all year round as long as you give me notice! Order here!
We are up and running again as everyone is back from the holidays. I was the only one who didn't go anywhere as my Son and his family were coming from Denmark. This meant that I was able to continue making bacon through-out the holidays as restaurants, generally, don't close! Click here to place your orders.
Oh let's have Abba anyway!
Source: Peter James-Smith Food
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa
08:59
Winemaker’s chat – Elunda Basson – J.C. Le Roux.
Who or what has had the biggest impact on you in winemaking? My 7 years as winemaker at Nederburg really helped shape the type of winemaker I am today. It was an old cellar when I started there in 1999 and in the following few years our company invested a huge amount [...]
Source: Spill Food
Categories: Food Blogs in English, Wine Blogs from South Africa, Wine Blogs in English
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