Commit the Oldest Sins the Newest Kind of Ways!

According to Trendwatching.com, 2010 will be rawer, more opinionated, more risqué, more in your face than ever before. Their reason: audiences no longer tolerate being treated “like yesteryear’s uninformed, easily shocked, inexperienced, middle-of-the-road consumer”. Instead they can handle much more quirkiness, daring, & sexiness. They have dubbed this trend: MATURIALISM (mature materialism).

A great example they provide is The Icecreamists, UK ice cream brand that has positioned itself using premium, X-rated flavors. The Sex Pistol is the most recent flavor, which is available exclusively at The Icecreamists’ pop-up shop (named God Save the Cream), open in London’s Selfridges department store from September to November 2009, it is deemed so potent that sales are limited to one per customer.

Tonight’s Dinner Menu

Motivated by both Gordan Ramsey and a Jamie Oliver Italian Cook Book, Cindy are  are planning the following menu for dinner tonight!

Insalate: Caprese

Pasta: Fazzoletti Di Sete Al Pesto

Dolci: Fragole con Lemone E Menta

YUM! 

Napa Day 2 Images

Our second day in Napa was a blast!  We filled it with 4 vineyard tours: Nickel & Nickel, Caymus, Cakebread, and Shifflett.  Although it began with a small hiccup (our driver did not show in the am which caused us to be 15 minutes late for our Nickel and Nickel tour), it ended nicely with us procuring:

• 10 of the last 23 bottles for sale of the Nickel and Nickel’s 2004 Copper Streak
• 2 bottles of Nickel and Nickel Dolce
• 2 bottles of Cakebread Chardonnay Reserve
• 6 bottles of Shifflett (the blend and year escape me right now)

By far our favorite tour was Nickel and Nickel and Shifflett.  Cindy and I ended up joining the Nickel and Nickel wine club.  Jeffrey Shifflett, the owner of Shifflet Estate, made our last tour special by providing a very intimate glimpse into his overall vineyard and  business as a wine maker.

Although its sad to be leaving this amazing part of the country, there is no doubt I will be a loyal visitor for years to come.   Indeed,  it  will no doubt make the Napa wines I drink from this point forward a wonderful reminder of this amazing weekend.  Thank you Cindy!!!!!

Below are some photos I took throughout the day:

Napa Day 1 Images

Cindy and I arrived in Napa Valley yesterday by noon.  We had a wonderful lunch at Rutherford Grill and then set off to visit the Opus One and St. Supery vineyards.  Afterwards we checked into our our AMAZING suite at  Auberge du Soleil.  Enjoy the photos below.

Rutherford Napa Valley, CA.

Opus One

St. Supery

Auberge du Soleil

Buddakan

One of my favorite things about visiting New York City is its amazing selection of fine dining options.  Last night I was introduced to Buddakan for the first time.   Opened in March 2006,  the restaurant is best described by Frank Bruni’s New York Time’s May 3rd, 2006 review boasting it a "post-millennial urban mess hall as supersize cocktail lounge with superstylized dishes".  The cuisine is Chinese with some really unique twists.  The atmosphere, as you can tell by the above photo, is hip and trendy.  What I found most amazing was that the bill for three only came to around $250!!!!!! Quite a bargain when compared to other similar options.  For anyone visiting New York City looking for a unique dining experience…look no further.    

Oishii Boston

I had the opportunity to enjoy Oishii Boston last night for my first time.  This was a fabulous dining experience.   The low lit ambiance, the sophisticated atmosphere, and the AMAZING sushi places Oishii as one of Boston’s better fine dining establishments.  I could not help but to feel I was in a very trendy lounge in Tokyo.

The venue is located in Boston’s emerging SOWA district and is somewhat hard to locate as there is no sign outside of its modern facade.  In order to assist future patrons, I have provided all necessary contact information below:

Oishii Boston
1166 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118

Phone:  (617) 482-8868

Web Site: http://oishiiboston.com/

E-Mail: oishii@wharf.com

OpenTable Reservation URL: http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=7315