Charlotte, Eating, Food, Restaurant Snapshot, Travel, United States, Wine

Conversation with Claudia – A Wine Tasting Dinner at Aria Tuscan Grill

October 27, 2013

I was sitting at my computer staring blankly at an empty white screen trying to think of the perfect blog post to summarize our week long culinary tour of Tuscany. I flipped through pages of my journal, browsed the hundreds of photos we snapped, and wrote a somewhat decent but brief introduction before getting stuck. The synapses of my brain just weren’t connecting the gluttonous wine and food filled adventure to a…

Eating, Food, Spirits

Dank Summer Cocktails – Hot Melons Margarita

September 20, 2013

Maybe it’s because of the weather, but the Gourmand household has been mixing up more cocktails than normal this summer. We’re typically a beer and wine family. If liquor is involved, we trend simple with a vodka tonic or scotch on the rocks. But with all the downtime of “Gee it’s raining for the third f-ing time today” this summer, we’ve found ourselves becoming a bit more creative with our liquor cabinet…

Charlotte, Eating

Fighting to Get Fit at Title Club

August 22, 2013

It’s not easy being The Wandering Gourmand. Having this “expert” knowledge of food and drink comes with a price. There is a lot of sampling – roasted pork belly, brewery tours, wine tastings. I didn’t realize the toll my love of food and drink was having on my body until I saw a New Year’s Eve photo. I had become that “chubby” kid. My back-pain had also reached the level of excruciating…

Eating, Food, Spirits

Dank Summer Cocktails – Moscow Mule

August 2, 2013

Maybe it’s because of the weather, but the Gourmand household has been mixing up more cocktails than normal this summer. We’re typically a beer and wine family. If liquor is involved, we trend simple with a vodka tonic or scotch on the rocks. But with all the downtime of “Gee it’s raining for the third f-ing time today” this summer, we’ve found ourselves becoming a bit more creative with our liquor cabinet…

Cooking, Food

I Support Paula Deen

June 30, 2013

This is a food blog and Paula Deen is a celebrity chef so this post is relevant however political it might get. And I hate that I even have to begin a post like this with a disclaimer that I am not a racist towards any ethnic or religious background or sexual orientation. It seems in today’s society that those disclaimers are needed when issuing an opinion like a defense of Paula…

Eating, Europe, Food, Travel

A Romance with Bavarian Food

March 15, 2013

It was a brisk early spring evening in Munich. So early that the trees were yet bare. Still, Munchens flung to the streets to celebrate this first break in weather. The beer gardens and sidewalk cafes teamed with life and laughter. We commandeered a table for two on the sidewalk in front of Paulaner Im Tal. The waiter noticed us from across the sidewalk and asked if we wanted two beers. We…

Eating, Food, Travel

Eating My Way Through My Hometown

January 11, 2013

WARNING!!! If your New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight, then you probably don’t want to read this post. But, if you have the will-power of a vegan at a Brazilian steakhouse, or don’t mind gaining a few pounds from the words alone, then you should be alright. I swear, every time I visit my hometown of Niles, Ohio (smack dab between Youngstown and Warren) I gain at least five pounds. This…

Eating, Food, Travel, United States

Tastes from Home – Festival Cheese Puffs!

November 15, 2012

I was fortunate to grow up in a community that was predominantly Italian. The influences were everywhere. The Italian flag waved in most shops and restaurants. Pizza parlors sat on almost every corner. Five star restaurants served only Italian food (as they should). Even the bars had better Italian food than I have found in the best Italian restaurants here in Charlotte. Then there were the summer festivals. Whether it was a…

My First Blog Date and Midwood Smokehouse

August 6, 2012

My blogging neighbors over at Dee’s Adventures and Looks Like LuLu have both been on blog dates, but to be honest, I thought that was weird. A little background information here – my wife and I met and dated before online dating became as popular as it is now. It is existed back then, but most of the people who used it reeked of desperation (I know I pissed off some friends…

Charlotte, Eating, Food, Travel

A Charlotte Classic – McNinch House Restaurant

June 27, 2012

New to Charlotte and a little unsophisticated on the dining palette, I asked colleagues and friends where to go for our first anniversary dinner six years ago. The unanimous answer was the McNinch House in Charlotte’s Historic Fourth Ward. “Very romantic!” Everyone raved. “Perfect for a night out to celebrate your first year of marriage!” I was intrigued. “Tell me more?” I asked. I learned that the restaurant was located in a…

Food

Conversation with Claudia – A Wine Tasting Dinner at Aria Tuscan Grill

Dank Summer Cocktails – Hot Melons Margarita

Fighting to Get Fit at Title Club

Dank Summer Cocktails – Moscow Mule

I Support Paula Deen

A Romance with Bavarian Food

Eating My Way Through My Hometown

Tastes from Home – Festival Cheese Puffs!

A Charlotte Classic – McNinch House Restaurant

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