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	<title>The Gourmez</title>
	<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com</link>
	<description>Food, drink, and the life I live while consuming them.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:07:40 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny Port</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny Port Portugal I failed to take a picture of this tawny port before I recycled the bottle. Somehow, I think you’ll make do. What you won’t do with is not recognizing what tawny means, which I just discovered while researching this post. Tawny ports are ports aged for long enough [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/taylor-fladgate-10-year-tawny-port/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=taylor-fladgate-10-year-tawny-port</link>
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		<title>Vit Goal Tofu</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Vit Goal Tofu 2107 Allendown Drive Hwys. 54 and 55 Crossroads, Durham Lunch: $8&#8211;$12 Dinner: $12&#8211;$20 Vit Goal Tofu is a Korean restaurant hidden away from street view off Highway 55. I enjoyed the dark woods of their interior, placing it perhaps a notch up from many other Asian joints for ambience. Don&#8217;t expect much [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/vit-goal-tofu/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=vit-goal-tofu</link>
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		<title>The Brooklyn Food Scene Part 2</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/the-brooklyn-food-scene-part-2/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-brooklyn-food-scene-part-2</link>
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		<title>Fiction Bragging &#8212; She Could Be Me</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Time for the next entry in my self-promotion series! She Could Be Me is a short story published by Flashes in the Dark back in May of 2010. And it&#8217;s available online for free! It&#8217;s a horror story with a Twilight Zone feel to it. Interested? Here are the first few lines: “I’m delayed,” Tom [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/fiction-bragging-she-could-be-me/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=fiction-bragging-she-could-be-me</link>
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		<title>Napa River Napa County Merlot 2008</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Napa River Napa County Merlot 2008 Napa Valley, CA I can’t pick anything up from the nose of this merlot, but I’m not complaining. It’s a delicious wine. It’s thin-bodied, very smooth, and just to the right of dry. The prominent berry flavors are present in equal parts of cherry, raspberry, and strawberry like a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/napa-river-napa-county-merlot-2008/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=napa-river-napa-county-merlot-2008</link>
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		<title>The Brooklyn Food Scene Part 1</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/the-brooklyn-food-scene-part-1/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-brooklyn-food-scene-part-1</link>
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		<title>Nonfiction Bragging&#8211;I Wish I Were A Packrat</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Now that those pesky recent publications have stopped getting in the way (yes, yes, I wish I could complain about more of them!), I can return to my pattern of posting oldest to newest credits in this self-promotion series. Next up is a short little guest blog post I did back in the fall of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/02/nonfiction-bragging-i-wish-i-were-a-packrat/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nonfiction-bragging-i-wish-i-were-a-packrat</link>
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		<title>The District</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I posted this review over at Carpe Durham earlier today. It&#8217;s of a practically secret restaurant&#8212;amp up your excitement levels! Okay, not too high, though. The District 410 Blackwell Street The American Tobacco District $6&#8211;$11 Head inside the glass doors by the waterfall at the bottom floor of the Fowler Building in the Tobacco District, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/the-district/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-district</link>
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		<title>L’Uva Enoteca</title>
		<description><![CDATA[L’Uva Enoteca 406 Blackwell Street Tobacco District, Durham Website Lunch: $9&#8211;$15 L’Uva opened in the American Tobacco District last year, replacing a sushi restaurant that didn’t seem able to adapt to the crowds from the Durham Performing Arts Center. In its place is an upscale spot that focuses on using local ingredients to bring together [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/l%e2%80%99uva-enoteca/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=l%e2%80%99uva-enoteca</link>
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		<title>Nonfiction Bragging &#8211; Front Porch at the Independent Weekly</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Would you like to know how good of a year 2012 has been so far? This is the second time I&#8217;ve had to replace one of my planned bragging posts with a just published one instead!  Let&#8217;s hope this is a trend that continues. This week, I&#8217;m directing you to an essay I wrote for [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/nonfiction-bragging-front-porch-at-the-independent-weekly/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nonfiction-bragging-front-porch-at-the-independent-weekly</link>
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		<title>Southern Hot Toddy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/southern-hot-toddy/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=southern-hot-toddy</link>
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		<title>Nanotaco</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Nanotaco 2512 University Drive Rockwood, Durham Website Meals: $5&#8211;$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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/nanotaco/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nanotaco</link>
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		<title>PieBird</title>
		<description><![CDATA[PieBird 618 N. Person Street Downtown Raleigh Website Lunch: $4 to $10 Dinner: $10 to $14 PieBird is a cute little restaurant situated in the northern end of downtown Raleigh, almost at the Mordecai neighborhood. As one might guess from the name, its primary focus is on pies, both sweet and savory. For lunch, salads [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/piebird/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=piebird</link>
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		<title>Yellowtail Shiraz Grenache 2010</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Yellowtail Shiraz Grenache 2010 Southeastern Australia Blueberry flavors come first with this wine, but they melt away into something that reminds me of the fig butter I just picked up from Trader Joe’s. But this wine is bitterer than the fig butter and pretty dry. There’s a heat to it, and I’d call it medium [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/yellowtail-shiraz-grenache-2010/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yellowtail-shiraz-grenache-2010</link>
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		<title>The End of 2011 Absinthe Cocktail Challenge</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/the-end-of-2011-absinthe-cocktail-challenge/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-end-of-2011-absinthe-cocktail-challenge</link>
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		<title>Espresso Martini</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/espresso-martini/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=espresso-martini</link>
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		<title>Interview Bragging: WOW! Women on Writing!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Two weeks ago, I posted the first in my series of self-promotional blogs on Thursdays, titled the Bragging series, because I always feel less self-conscious about anything if I just embrace it fully. This week, I&#8217;m pointing you toward the interview I did with WOW! Women on Writing as part of placing third with the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/interview-bragging-wow-women-on-writing/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=interview-bragging-wow-women-on-writing</link>
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		<title>Nonfiction Bragging: 604 West Morgan Review for WRAL Out and About</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last Thursday, my first post for WRAL&#8217;s Out and About&#8211;their blog on the Triangle&#8217;s entertainment, food, and nightlife&#8211;went live, and I didn&#8217;t even realize it! If I had, you can bet I&#8217;d have let you all know about it then. I&#8217;ll be contributing a couple more pieces for WRAL during the course of the year, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/nonfiction-bragging-604-west-morgan-review-for-wral-out-and-about/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nonfiction-bragging-604-west-morgan-review-for-wral-out-and-about</link>
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		<title>Bacardi Ron Solera 1873</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/bacardi-ron-solera-1873/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bacardi-ron-solera-1873</link>
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		<title>Graniwinkle @ Watts Grocery</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/graniwinkle-watts-grocery/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=graniwinkle-watts-grocery</link>
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		<title>Fiction Bragging&#8211;Last Complaint</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I wouldn&#8217;t call it a resolution, but I am attempting to do a better job of that self-promotion part of writing. I hate self-promotion. I want people to magically find all my published work, become instant dedicated fans, and beg me to create more stories for them. Funny enough, that doesn&#8217;t happen on its own! [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/fiction-bragging-last-complaint/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=fiction-bragging-last-complaint</link>
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		<title>Lost Vineyards Tempranillo</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Lost Vineyards Tempranillo Calatayud, Spain   This medium-bodied and medium dry tempranillo is all you can ask for at $3.99. It smells like dark chocolate and light leather. Cherry comes to mind first when sipping, but that dark chocolate has a stronger presence overall. It’s bitter in a way that ties in nicely to the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/lost-vineyards-tempranillo/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=lost-vineyards-tempranillo</link>
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		<title>Philadelphia Food and Drink, Day 2: Cheesesteaks, Indian, and Pretzels</title>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; 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 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2012/01/philadelphia-food-and-drink-day-2-cheesesteaks-indian-and-pretzels/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=philadelphia-food-and-drink-day-2-cheesesteaks-indian-and-pretzels</link>
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		<title>Golden Era @ Foundation</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/golden-era-foundation/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=golden-era-foundation</link>
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		<title>La Quercia Aglianico 2010</title>
		<description><![CDATA[La Quercia Aglianico 2010 Puglia, Italy I purchased this wine based on its super appealing nose at a wine tasting at Hope Valley Bottle Shop recently. It smells like brown sugar with white pepper and leather notes. I haven’t had many leathery wines lately, so that may be what appealed to me most. Drinking it [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/la-quercia-aglianico-2010/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=la-quercia-aglianico-2010</link>
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		<title>Maya&#8217;s Vacation on sale for 99 cents!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Would you look at that? My romance novella, Maya&#8217;s Vacation, is on sale for 99 cents until New Year&#8217;s day. This sale is only happening at Amazon, so click here to purchase it. Forgotten about this story? Well, listen to me read two excerpts from it here or here or read the synopsis: Twenty-year-old Maya knew, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/mayas-vacation-on-sale-for-99-cents/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=mayas-vacation-on-sale-for-99-cents</link>
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		<title>The Olivia @ West End Wine Bar</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Olivia West End Wine Bar West Village, Durham Website $9   I love when bars creatively mix and match their spirits to come up with unique combinations you’d never expect. The Olivia had one of those descriptions I just had to try; Sauza hornitos tequila with the flowery St. Germain, sour mix, and cranberry [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/the-olivia/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-olivia</link>
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		<title>Central Coast Banshee Red Wine 2007</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Central Coast Banshee Red Wine 2007 This is a rich wine with a depth to it that makes me happy to drink it despite the fact that it’s not really that great. It’s dark brown in color. Milk chocolate is the dominant taste, which is its main drawback for me. There are healthy doses of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/central-coast-banshee-red-wine-2007/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=central-coast-banshee-red-wine-2007</link>
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		<title>Philadelphia: Food and Drink, Part 1</title>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160;   Our very short trip to Philly last month was filled with lots of food and drink—probably too much of the later, but you’ll have to ask me for the full story. In one and a half days, we managed loads of cocktails, mussels, lobster pudding, Indian, and of course, a cheesesteak. I hope [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/philadelphia-food-and-drink-part-1/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=philadelphia-food-and-drink-part-1</link>
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		<title>Old Havana Sandwich Shop</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Old Havana Sandwich Shop 310 East Main Street Downtown Durham Website $5.50&#8211;$10 &#160; &#160; I’ve been twice now to Old Havana Sandwich Shop, and it’s a wonderful choice for lunch or coffee. The owners are always super welcoming and happy to share their offerings of good Cuban sandwiches. I am not a Cuban sandwich traditionalist—if [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/old-havana-sandwich-shop/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=old-havana-sandwich-shop</link>
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		<title>Chariot Gypsy 2010</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Chariot Gypsy 2010 Napa Valley, CA   I reviewed a sister of this wine a while back, and I remembered a commenter saying I really ought to try out this version instead. It’s a lovely blend with blackberry and plum flavors dominating. After that swirls nicely around your mouth, a bit of clove comes through [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/chariot-gypsy-2010/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=chariot-gypsy-2010</link>
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		<title>Mango Bellini @ Sutton Station</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Mango Bellini Nantucket Grill and Bar Sutton Station, Durham This sparkling wine cocktail was an unexpected treat! A traditional bellini is usually prosecco combined with peach puree or juice. Oftentimes, peach schnapps is added as well, but it’s not required. However, whoever comes up with the drinks at the Nantucket Grill in Sutton Station made [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/mango-bellini-sutton-station/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=mango-bellini-sutton-station</link>
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		<title>The Roxy Review and Yelp&#8217;s Mobsters and Molls Party</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On occasion, I get the pleasure of an invitation to the swanky, fun, creative parties put on for Yelp Elite members. Last Sunday night was one of those occasions, and the theme was mobsters and molls. That theme happens to fit the venue, a few-month-old club in Durham called the Roxy, to a tee. The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/the-roxy-review-and-yelps-mobsters-and-molls-party/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-roxy-review-and-yelps-mobsters-and-molls-party</link>
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		<title>Dearly Beloved Forever Red 2009</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Dearly Beloved Forever Red 2009 Mendocino County, CA No shame here—I bought this wine because of that freaking awesome label. Seriously, it has texture! And the name of the wine is in the skull’s teeth! I love it. Forever Red contains lots of tart, but luscious, berry. Think thick, juicy boysenberries. Cedar is on the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/dearly-beloved-forever-red-2009/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=dearly-beloved-forever-red-2009</link>
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		<title>Yamazushi</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Yamazushi 4711 Hope Valley Road Woodcroft, Durham Website Yamazushi is a Japanese restaurant that’s been in the Woodcroft Shopping Center since 1986, owned by the same husband and wife pair, George and Mayumi Yamazawa. I’ve been once before, at least four years ago, and it struck me then as your standard sushi and teriyaki restaurant [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/yamazushi/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yamazushi</link>
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		<title>California Trip 2011, Day 9: Santa Cruz Pier and Boardwalk</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We’ve finally reached it—the end of this blog series on my California trip in October. Apparently, when I delay going home for too long, I end up generating way too much blog material. I didn’t expect this series to be nearly as many posts long as days the trip took! I’ll be working on blogs [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/12/california-trip-2011-day-9-santa-cruz-pier-and-boardwalk/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=california-trip-2011-day-9-santa-cruz-pier-and-boardwalk</link>
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		<title>Virgin Bourbon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Virgin Bourbon Bardstown, Kentucky 101 Proof I picked up this bottle of bourbon while it was significantly discounted at my local ABC store. I was out of bourbon, which is a horrible tragedy that must always be addressed. It was only $11 for 750 ml, which means it’s much cheaper than the Woodford Reserve and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/virgin-bourbon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=virgin-bourbon</link>
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		<title>Bloomsbury Bistro</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bloomsbury Bistro 509 Whitaker Mills Road Five Points, Raleigh Website Entrees: $19&#8211;$35 Bloomsbury Bistro is located in a shopping center right near the Five Points intersection in Raleigh. The restaurant is cozy with French provincial coloring and a mural on the back wall of what looks like a relaxed afternoon in the country. The rest [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/3536/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=3536</link>
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		<title>Geer Street Garden</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Geer Street Garden 644 Foster Street Central Park District, Durham Website Sandwiches/Entrees: $8&#8211;$17 Geer Street Garden opened last spring, and it’s been a welcome addition to this fast-expanding area of town. Located in an old gas station, it’s a pub with a great beer list featuring plenty of local brews and a menu full of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/geer-street-garden/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=geer-street-garden</link>
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		<title>California Trip 2011, Days 6, 7, &amp; 8: Santa Cruz and Capitola Village Feasting, Hiking, and Beaches</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We are nearing the end of our recent California adventure. The next two blogs don’t have many food-related pictures, because I was too busy talking with my friends to actually devote time to documenting the places we went—that, and I’ve been to most of them a million times during my college years, so I forget [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/california-trip-2011-days-6-7-8-santa-cruz-and-capitola-village-feasting-hiking-and-beaches/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=california-trip-2011-days-6-7-8-santa-cruz-and-capitola-village-feasting-hiking-and-beaches</link>
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		<title>Drunken Horchata</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Drunken Horchata Dos Perros Dinner Review, Brunch Review Downtown Durham $9 This horchata, Kraken rum, and Licor 43 drink is a vast improvement over its predecessor, La Leche, which I tried over a year ago at Dos Perros. What’s the difference? Only the Licor 43 and a larger serving. It’s possible that the rum has [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/drunken-horchata/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=drunken-horchata</link>
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		<title>California Trip 2011, Day 5: Chinatown in the Rain, Staples Center, and Bouchon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On our fifth day in California, it rained. And rained. And rained. Downtown LA isn’t the most fun or convenient place to be in the pouring rain; I think it’s fair to make that claim of any large downtown. But I had a mission that hadn’t been fulfilled yet, and this was our last day [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/california-trip-2011-day-5-chinatown-in-the-rain-staples-center-and-bouchon/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=california-trip-2011-day-5-chinatown-in-the-rain-staples-center-and-bouchon</link>
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		<title>Martine Galhoune Moulin 2010 Pinot Noir</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Martine Galhoune Moulin 2010 Pinot Noir France Nectarine. The nose of this wine is full of nectarine. It’s thin-bodied, fun to drink, and a welcome shift from the overly dry wines I’ve had lately. I’d call this one medium dry. It has vanilla, spice, nectarine, chocolate, and cherry all balanced well together. The MGM 2010 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/martine-galhoune-moulin-2010-pinot-noir/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=martine-galhoune-moulin-2010-pinot-noir</link>
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		<title>California Trip 2011, Day 4: Tiara Café, Little Tokyo, and the Barbacoa</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On my second day downtown, and fourth day in LA, my sister joined me for sightseeing and face shoveling dining. We took advantage of DineLA! week to try out a spot called Tiara Café, roughly ten blocks from my hotel. It’s going for a hipster aesthetic with a focus on market-fresh, healthy ingredients and the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/california-trip-2011-day-4-tiara-cafe-little-tokyo-and-the-barbacoa/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=california-trip-2011-day-4-tiara-cafe-little-tokyo-and-the-barbacoa</link>
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		<title>G2B Gastropub</title>
		<description><![CDATA[G2B Gastropub 3211 Shannon Road http://g2b-restaurant.com/default.aspx G2B is a gastropub located in the ill-fated restaurant space at the back of an office building near the intersection of Shannon Road and University Drive. You may recognize the location from when it formerly housed Starlu, or more recently, Restaurant Eden. Well now, it’s G2B, and it’s the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/g2b-gastropub/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=g2b-gastropub</link>
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		<title>Bogle Merlot 2009</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bogle Merlot 2009 Graton, CA   This wine strikes me as smooth right away. It’s full of bright fruit, but not tart fruit like so many bottle I drank over the past two months. The main notes are strawberry and a juicy, juicy plum with subtle spice and vanilla. &#160; I enjoy how unobtrusive and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/11/bogle-merlot-2009/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bogle-merlot-2009</link>
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		<title>California Trip 2011, Day 3: Downtown LA and Bottega Louie</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The morning of Day 3 found me in bed at the Ritz-Milner on Flower St. in downtown Los Angeles.  Quick note on the hotel: it’s a very affordable option for downtown LA, and for the price ($90/night), it’s a good deal as well. The Ritz-Milner is an older hotel, no doubt—the walls need better scrubbing, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/10/california-trip-2011-day-3-downtown-la-and-bottega-louie/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=california-trip-2011-day-3-downtown-la-and-bottega-louie</link>
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		<title>Gaetano D’Aquino Chianti 2010</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Gaetano D’Aquino Chianti 2010 Italy Normally, I’m a big fan of chianti because it’s mellow in a way that it makes mellow seem like an art form. This one’s not there. It smells sharply herbal with a tart berry undercurrent of currant or cranberry. It’s tart on drinking, too. There’s almost a fizz to it, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/10/gaetano-d%e2%80%99aquino-chianti-2010/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=gaetano-d%e2%80%99aquino-chianti-2010</link>
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		<title>California Trip 2011, Days 1 &amp; 2: Playa del Rey, the Grove, Santa Monica, and Malibu</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Ben and I spent the first two weeks of October in California, using the Adobe Max conference as an excuse for me to be back home, visiting friends and family in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz. First stop was my sister’s new pad on the beach at Playa del Rey. Let me tell you folks; [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/10/california-trip-2011-days-1-2-playa-del-rey-the-grove-santa-monica-and-malibu/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=california-trip-2011-days-1-2-playa-del-rey-the-grove-santa-monica-and-malibu</link>
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		<title>Castelmaure Corbieres Col des Vents 2008</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Castelmaure Corbières Col des Vents 2008 Languedoc, South France   This red wine’s nose is full of jammy blackberry-fruit-leather notes. It smells warm, with a smidge of potpourri essence to it. Aeration is important for appreciating this wine—-it tastes far too tight and tart without it, like cranberry and eucalyptus. Given some airing, the tartness [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.thegourmez.com/2011/10/3328/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=3328</link>
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