The Gourmez

In Part 1 of our journey through two days of Brooklyn’s food and drink wonders, we started out in DC with some bacon and toffee waffles, then went to dinner at Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn, and had brunch at Colonie the next day. Brunch was walked off with a visit to the waterfront and lovely [...]

Last month, Ben and I went to NYC to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway. You probably know by now that we went because I’m obsessed with Darren Criss from Glee, and he was starring in the show. In case you missed my review of the musical, you can read [...]

Southern Hot Toddy Alivia’s Durham Bistro/My Review Brightleaf, Durham It’s been over a month since I tried the Southern Hot Toddy at Alivia’s Durham Bistro, so don’t be surprised if it was just a passing winter’s fancy on their drink list. It was made with Jim Beam Bourbon, orange wedges, sugar, and hot herbal tea. [...]

Nanotaco 2512 University Drive Rockwood, Durham Website Meals: $5–$8 Nanotaco has been reviewed by multitudes of other bloggers—I’m always behind the curve in trying out new places. However, this sometimes gives me the chance to weigh in on differences of opinions on a newer spot, and the quality of Nanotaco’s margaritas is one of those [...]

As you may have heard, we rang in 2012 two weeks ago. Crazy, right? Crazier is that I unexpectedly ended up hosting some friends at our place to celebrate and was reminded by one of them that there was a challenge on the table. You see, two friends, Steve and Chris, have this habit of [...]

Espresso Martini Watts Grocery Review/Website Watts Hillandale, Durham $7 The espresso martini is hiding on Watt’s dessert menu. Combine a shot of Joe Van Gogh’s espresso, Stoli Vanil vodka, Chambord liqueur, and a splash of Bailey’s Irish crème liqueur, and you have a unique coffee cocktail that still manages to hit all the elements I [...]

Bacardi Ron Solera 1873 Mexico Lest the color of that bottle fool you like it fooled me, Bacardi’s 1873 Ron Solera is a golden rum, not a dark one. It’s aged up to three years in charred oak and was my choice of rum to try for sipping now that my bourbon addiction has waned. [...]

Graniwinkle Watts Grocery Review/Website Watts Hillandale, Durham $9 This is a seasonal offering at Watts, and it’s the second I’ve had locally featuring Foggy Ridge cider—I must check into that label to see why our bartenders are experimenting with it! Including the cider, the Graniwinkle is made of house-spiced apple cider syrup, brandy, lemon juice, [...]

  I started our second day in Philly with a visit to the Terminal Market, which was located right across the street from our hotel. Visiting Terminal Market was recommended by a number of my foodie friends from Twitter, so I knew had to check it out. I decided to combine it with another oft-recommended [...]

Golden Era Foundation Downtown Raleigh Website $10   Foundation has another wonderful cocktail to add to its list with the Golden Era. Bourbon has been my spirit of choice for the past year or so, but recently, it’s been a bit too harsh for my palate. So I’ve gone back to my first love, rum. [...]