Olive oil on the gourmet table in Vila Real, Portugal
Three bottles of extra virgin olive oil graced each table at the University of Trás-os-Montes’ Panoramic Restaurant in Vila Real, Portugal. The occasion—dinner themed...
Breaking the fast–around the Ramadan table
“Can you please come into the kitchen for a minute?” our friend asked, smiling. “My wife and daughter need a taster.” Ah, that’s cool,...
Wine O’Clock on a Windstar yacht
Start with an alkaline-rich terroir…employ sur-lie aging and bâtonnage…follow with malolactic acid conversion, et voilà! A chardonnay, dense and complex, its minerality preserved, and...
Scorpion House—what’s that?
Just after sunset, lights twinkle on in houses across the way, as the sun sets behind the ruins of Volubilis in the distance. The corridor...
Wild honey of Fez, Morocco
One of my requisite stops upon returning to Fez is “the honey souk”, Fondouk Kaat Smen, set back behind a display of carpets on...
Our private cookery class on Ko Kut Island, Thailand
The Star Legend sat at anchor on the horizon. The Windstar yacht seemed ever smaller beyond the wake of the motorboat taking Tom and...
Ten must-try foods of Ipoh, Malaysia
If we made a mistake in trip planning while in Malaysia, it was to visit Penang, "an eater's paradise", then Ipoh, back to back,...
Exemplary vines, first-class wines in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal
Tom and I met winemaker Dorina Lindemann at Essência do Vinho, at the Portugal Wine Connection in the Palacio de Bolsa’s magnificent Salon Arab....
Food adventuring in Ipoh, Malaysia
“May we join you?” the woman asked, smiling and gesturing to two empty stools at our table. Tom and I looked up from slurping...
Way off the beaten path in Portugal’s Douro Valley
After rinsing our feet in a basin of water, we stepped into the granite lager—Portugal’s traditional venue for treading grapes by foot. For our...
