The Gourmez

Today, I have an update on my writing ventures, specifically, on two writing ventures that are coming up in the next two months! At the end of March, my romance novelette, Maya’s Vacation, will be released by Astraea Press! It will be available in e-book formats only, but Astraea hopes to add print-on-demand to their [...]

Starrlight Meadery 480 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro Website Hours: Thurs through Sat, 12 to 6; Sun 1 to 5. Tours offered every other hour on the weekends I had a great time checking out Starlight Meadery a couple of weekends ago in Pittsboro’s Chatham Mills shopping center. They are located in the white building hiding at [...]

Cava Brut Gran Sarao Spain This sparkling wine has a thin-body and lots and lots of bubbles. It’s very refreshing with light flavors of green apple and a dash of something floral for good measure. There might be some orange mingling in it also. It’s a simple wine but simply good, too.

S&T’s Soda Shoppe 85 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro Website Eats: $3.99—$7.75 Old-fashioned sodas and floats: $ 1.65—$3.75 I first heard about S&T’s on the Girls with Guts’ blog a few months back. I must mention that their primary claim to fame is their ice cream dessert prowess, and Mr. Gourmez and I did not have the [...]

Red Star Coffee 53 Hillsboro St, Pittsboro Website Coffee: $1.59—$2.10 Espresso drinks: $2.10—-4.85 I heard that this coffee shop was opening about a month ago, and thus, I decided a trip to Pittsboro was in order, as I love trying a new place. There will be posts on S&T’s Soda Shoppe and Starrlight Meadery coming [...]

Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Rose 2009 Napa Valley, CA It’s a gorgeous soft gold and pink rose color. Smells pleasingly of artificial raspberry flavoring—-this is not a bad smell; think of Chapstick or Fun Dips. The wine’s taste, however, has almost no character whatsoever. It’s very thin-bodied. Raspberry and strawberry notes flee so fast you’ll [...]

Farmhand Foods Sausage Wagon On the move in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham Website $6 per sausage roll This food truck is a partnership between its owners and local, pasture-raised animal producers and butchers to offer sausage rolls. A number of other local food bloggers have written their takes on Farmhand Sausage. I tried it [...]

I have info on a couple of upcoming events for you guys. First, and foremost because it involves me, is the fourth meeting of the Social Media Supper Club, which is an excuse for me and two other Twitter users and food lovers, Mandy @demandy and Brian @BCwritr, to try a new restaurant together and [...]

Sitti 137 S. Wilmington Street Downtown Raleigh Website Hours: M—Th: 11 am to 10 pm F—Sat: 11 am to 12 am Sun: 11 am to 9pm Fill up for $8–$24 Sitti is an upscale, Lebanese restaurant in downtown Raleigh with a large selection of both hot and cold mezzes (appetizers/dips/small plates), salads, flatbread pizzas, kabobs, [...]

Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2006 Cariñena, Spain The nose of this Spanish wine is full of spiced strawberries. When drinking, the strawberry is joined by raspberry and a helping of twigs from the bushes, giving it a nice, earthy quality. The spice is still there but not as strongly as in the nose. It’s highly [...]