I came across Scout & Cellar wines while at a charity golf tournament. I met Jackie Frederick-Berner, a wine consultant for Scout & Cellar and she gave me a wine tasting of several wines. Not only did I enjoy the taste of each wine, I also appreciated that all the wine that Scout & Cellar sells is chemical and additive-free. Good wine is usually my drink of choice, and one of my favorite pastimes is visiting vineyards for wine tastings. Unfortunately, I suffer from migraines and have found over the years that certain wines can trigger me, so I am very conscious of what goes into the wine I choose to drink. Scout & Cellar’s commitment to produce clean, pure wine is backed up by independent lab testing.
Food Reviews
Salon du Chocolat Expo
This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Salon Du Chocolat at the Javits Center, the world’s largest event dedicated to chocolate and cocoa. The expo started in 1994 and this was the first ever one held in New York City. The internationally renowned event connects cocoa producers, chocolatiers, pastry chefs and thousands of individuals who love chocolate.
At the expo there was live recipe demonstrations and workshops, chocolate from around the world available to purchase, a Valrhona Hot Chocolate Festival, chocolate sculptures, and even a chocolate fashion show.
Hotel Chocolat
I recently had the pleasure of attending a chocolate tasting at Hotel Chocolat, situated in Midtown Manhattan, close to Grand Central. Lisa Saraceni, the store manager, gave me 8 different chocolates to try and walked me through each one.
We started with the darkest plain chocolate first, and worked our way down to milk, and then white. Lisa got us to smell the chocolate first, then break it in half. Different varieties have their own unique ‘snap’ to them. Then we placed it on our tongue and allowed it to melt, while taking in all the flavours that came to mind. Quality chocolate contains complex and intriguing flavours that are not typically associated with chocolate (berries, floral, coffee, spice, citrus, caramel, etc).
Sweet Cheese Exhibit at The French Cheese Board
The Sweet Cheese exhibit at the French Cheese Board features celebrates innovative desserts created by six New York City chefs. Their challenge was to create an original dish combining cheese and dessert. The chefs, from different cultures and backgrounds, have each showcased the versatility of French cheese, while adding components from their own roots to make their dish unique. The chefs were all photographed with their dessert creations and the exhibit will be on display until December 31st 2019.
Diller, the Fried Pickle Snack Bar
After more than two years in the making, Diller is now open on the Lower East Side. Situated on Grand Street next door to The Pickle Guys (who also own Diller), the restaurant is certified kosher and is vegetarian, with vegan and gluten-free options.
The signature menu item is obviously the fried sour pickles ($7.95), which are thick-cut, crispy, and are served with a choice of one of nine different dipping sauces. These include the signature fresh dill-and-yogurt Diller sauce, the kicky Comeback sauce, the tangy Turmeric Honey Mustard, and the super-hot Death sauce.
Dessert Goals, Party Animal Edition
The very first Dessert Goals festival was held in 2016, and since then, there’s been 7 festivals both in New York City and Los Angeles. The festivals celebrate indulgence and things decadent. They are highly curated, featuring the very best in dessert. This past weekend saw dessert lovers from all over New York City gather at Sound River Studios in Long Island City for Dessert Goals, a festival dedicated to the best in dessert. The theme this time around was ‘Party Animal’, and guests were encouraged to dress up.
Bawnmore Jerky
Bawnmore beef jerky and biltong is the only protein snack range made in the United States exclusively from Irish beef. I met with the founder Ed Russell at a recent event organised by Carns Media, where he discussed what sets his jerky and biltong apart from the competition.
L’Arté Café and Gallery
L’Arté Café and Gallery is a must-do when visiting Taupo. I was lucky enough to get away for a few days last week with my Mum, where we stayed in Acacia Bay. Our hosts recommended we go to L’Arté Café and Gallery and we truly had a delightful morning there.
Not only is the food top-notch, but the grounds are absolutely beautiful and filled with sculptures. There is also an oversized outside mosaic living room, created by Resident ceramic artist Judi Brennan, which lends the perfect photo opportunity. Brennan’s work is displayed throughout the grounds and is available to purchase exclusively from the gallery.
Burger Burger Newmarket
I love my burgers. Sometimes, when you’re really hungry (or hangry!) the only thing that will satisfy that hunger is a good, juicy burger. Such was the case last Friday, when I had an optometrist appointment at 12. By 1pm I was hangry. Watch out! I knew just what was in order. A big, tasty burger from Burger Burger. Auckland now has 3 locations, in Ponsonby, Newmarket & Takapuna. I was already in Newmarket, so it was the natural choice. Situated on York Street, this location is in a prime position, where the entrance is off a small alley only for foot traffic. Surrounded by greenery and pretty flowers, I really appreciate how they decorated the space. Retro artwork adorns the walls, with cheeky speech bubbles depicting the thoughts of those on the canvas.
Mint Cakery
I’d been wanting to try Mint Cakery for quite some time, but never made the trek to Point Chevalier. Ellerslie is much closer to where my mother lives, so now I’m back home until the end of December, I knew I had to pay the new space a visit.
Mint Cakery now has a much larger space after moving from Point Chevalier, its home for the past 2.5 years, to Ellerslie. At 40 square metres, the new cafe dwarfs the previous one at only 18 square metres.
Mint Cakery is owned by Michelle Bevan, who started out selling her cakes at the Mt Albert Market. Michelle and her partner Darren Jarrett also own Table Talk, a cafe in Remuera.