While at a formal dinner party over the holidays, a good friend approached me wondering if I had noticed something wrong with the table settings. I had not; I had only noticed that the tables were beautifully decorated with a Christmas motif. Yet her question still intrigued me, since we both knew our hostess is [...]
As the holiday season approaches and we start hearing Christmas carols and jingles, pork becomes a major topic of discussion among my family and friends. All of us are expected to know exactly where to get the freshest and tastiest pigs as we prepare to improve our favorite cooking method and marinating concoction. This seems [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... With 12 pavilions from different countries and over 350 exhibitors displaying more than 5,000 unique products, the 15th Americas Food and Beverage Show and Conference took place at the Miami Beach convention Center on November 14th and 15th. Considered the most respected “Americas” focused trade show in the Western Hemisphere, it provides [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... Considered the most family centered holiday in the United States, Thanksgiving has its roots on the many harvest festivals held for centuries throughout the world. In early autumn, after gathering the bounty, villagers would congregate to feast and thank God for the plentiful growing season. Over the years, most festivals have had [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... In Miami we can always tell there is a change in seasons when department stores change their displays. As soon as we see the Halloween and Thanksgiving ads, we quickly realize the coming of fall. Up north, people notice the drop in temperature, the magnificent colors of the foliage and think of [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... On our way to the Miami International Wine Fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center the weekend of September 23rd to the 25th, we were a bit apprehensive as to the outcome since there are so many pending economic issues, but as we approached the Divino Imports booth, Nina Romo, president of [...]
By martin Mendiola.... Upon arriving from an extended Asian vacation, my daughter proudly announced that she had brought me some sambal pecel from Bali. Of the many things I would love to get from Bali, sambal pecel was not one of them, especially since I could not recognize the name and much less figure out [...]
By Martin Mendiola, mendiola@usgourmet.us.... The use of Montepulciano in Italian wine names can be somewhat perplexing since it is both a grape variety and the name of a town in the Siena province of Tuscany. We are most familiar with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which is not actually made with the grape of the [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... The restaurant scene in South Beach has a newcomer. With its coal oven and extensive Italian menu, the David Manero Restaurant Group has turned the former DeVito South Beach Restaurant into their third South Florida Vic and Angelo’s Enoteca. The David Manero Restaurant Group is one of the leading restaurant development organizations [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... While at the fish market over the 4th of July weekend, a relatively young couple standing in the background attentively listened to the conversation I was having with Roberto our fishmonger. They knew we had just decided on a couple of red snappers in the 2 to 3 pound range with very [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... Before the age of radio, few had the knowledge and intellect of most cigar makers; even when illiterate. Many of them knew and could discuss the works of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy although understandably they always preferred Hemingway. Back then, cigar makers were exposed to more books in a month than most of [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... Writing a lifestyle column is fun: we concentrate mostly on food, wine, cigars and all things pleasurable. In essence it deals with the pursuit of our individual happiness which regretfully every once in a while someone decides to disturb. It is worst when the intrusion happens within the sanctity of your home, [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... To find a good $100 bottle of wine easy, finding a good $20 bottle of wine is a sport. We celebrate as much, give as many high fives and brag as much when we find a good priced wine as in any other sport. We may even brag more, for we call [...]
By Martin Mendiola.... A heated but friendly discussion took place among friends who were trying to establish which Latin American country has the best food. Two of the participants immediately agreed, “without doubt, everyone knows Cuban food is the best in the world”. Then without rhyme or reason, they quickly retracted “the world” and replaced [...]
