July 2015 - Page 3 of 5 - Gazing and Grazing

Central Tuscany – Montalcino and Wine Tasting

July 13th, 2015

There is a lot of good wine in Tuscany and I had a memorable visit to Carpineto winery this past April. The Montalcino and Montepulciano areas are home to the Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile Montepulciano, red wines that have gained prominence over the past decade. While a prior trip last year included visits to Brunello specialists Casanova di Neri and Poggio di Sotto, a visit to a large producer like Carpineto gave us a chance to try the winery's broader region products including a...

Casse Croute – French Charcuterie in Singapore

July 12th, 2015

Excellent terrine and pate at Casse Croute in Singapore

Update: Casse Croute has closed but chef Patrick Hueberger is now at Atout, a much more comfortable restaurant in Singapore's Dempsey area. The charcuterie is still good.

It's worth the drive out to Singapore's western suburb to find homemade rillettes, the most amazing lamb sausage I've had in a while, and other typical french charcuterie items. Casse Croute is the new baby of Chef Patrick Hueberger, formerly of Au Petit Salut and Bistro du Sommelier in Singapore. Limited...

Southwestern Tuscany – A Day of Wine, Pasta and Wall Views

July 12th, 2015

Southwestern Tuscany, namely the province of Grosseto in the Maremma area, is not as well visited as the rest of the region but I was out here in April to pay a visit to a winery and found some great food and views along the way. This was our fist stop in a wine tour of Italy, and the highlights here include a visit to the Mantellassi winery, the walled cities of Pitigliano and Magliano and the best tortello of our trip.

We stayed at the Borgo Magliano which I imagine would be filled...

On Mt. Rainier – Scenic Walk with Meadow Flowers in Bloom

July 10th, 2015

Since I'm rarely in Seattle, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to catch the meadow flowers in bloom on Mt. Rainier. The scenic Naches Peak Loop Trail was a great way to view the flowers as well as a few lakes in a relatively easy three-plus mile walk.

Mt. Rainier is around a one and a half hour drive from downtown Seattle. While I joined Evergreen Escapes for this tour to Mt. Rainier, it's actually pretty easy to do this walk on your own if you have a car. The trail is well signed and...

Seattle’s Metropolitan Grill – Best Steak in Town

July 10th, 2015

If you're in Seattle and craving a good steak, I think the best place to go is still the Metropolitan Grill. This is an old style steak house restaurant with plush banquette seats, a big bar and waiters in white jackets. But the main thing is that it has a wide range of steak cuts available.

I came here to celebrate my aunt's birthday with my mom and her three sisters. So being a group of five ladies, we definitely knew we'd be better off sharing our food given the large portions. One...