There’s no question this year of what to get dad for Father’s Day. A necktie was never a good idea, but after the last 15 months, the idea of business fashion is more ridiculous than ever. This year, more than any before it, is the perfect time to take your old man out for a relaxing meal, and get back home in time to catch … Continue reading Father’s Day, SoCal Edition
What a long, strange trip these last 15 months have been. At last, California is reopening and now it’s time for much more normal, pleasant trips. The stay-at-home orders have been replaced by leave-your-home orders… OK, not so much orders as recommendations. And perhaps the ideal place to begin your post-Covid adventures is beautiful San Luis Obispo. The Central Coast was hit hard by the … Continue reading Returning to Travel: San Luis Obispo
Rum is coming of age. Rhum agricole, made from sugarcane juice as opposed to molasses, is an essential that deserves a place on your bar and in your cocktails. I’m not talking about the one with the pirate on the label or the ubiquitous silver variety in every bartender’s well, or the daiquiri and pina coladas you imbibe at a swim-up bar on vacation. No, … Continue reading The Time for Rum Has Come
It wasn’t so long ago that a sustainable lifestyle implied by extension a luxury lifestyle. Sure, we could all shop with our cloth tote bags, drink from reusable water bottles, and make an effort here and there to purchase the sustainable option. But not everyone was able to run out and buy a Prius, or more recently, a Tesla. And sustainably sourced foods have generally … Continue reading A Sustainable Lifestyle Is an Attainable Lifestyle
In honor of National Paloma Day (May 22, I’m sure it was on your calendar), I celebrated with a picnic at a favorite local park. And what’s better with an ice cold Paloma than street tacos? Santa Monica’s Lanea Cocktail Bar & Taqueria is the perfect place to enjoy both. Lanea is just two blocks from the beach, so plan accordingly. It also has a … Continue reading Lanea: Tacos & Cocktails by the Beach
Between the quarantining, business closures, and diminished travel opportunities, the pandemic has been the lifestyle equivalent of the morning commute on the 405. But with the new relaxed CDC guidelines and perhaps an end in sight, it feels like the road is as open as it was when we were first told to stay home. And now it’s time to give it some gas and … Continue reading Dine & Drive at 917 (K)afe at Porsche Experience Center
If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the last year eating a lot of takeout. So, you’ve probably discovered it’s a demanding art form of its own, and while you may be able to phone it in, you don’t want the chef to. You’ve no doubt figured out that some joints know how to recreate a meal in your dining room (or on your picnic … Continue reading One Good Thing: Gozen Bistro
I’m a silver linings kind of guy. So, when the pandemic struck about 10 months ago, I decided to make good use of the time and read a lot of good books, work on my French and learn a new instrument. And after a week or so, I started drinking vodka. Let me rephrase that: I decided to begin to appreciate vodka for its qualities … Continue reading Developing a Vodka Palate
Enough downer stuff has been written about the year 2020, so I’d like to accentuate the positive. For starters, it’s almost over. And if you’re reading this, congratulations, that means unlike hundreds of thousands of our loved ones, you survived it. This is cause for celebration. And there is much to celebrate besides our continued existence, there’s the fact that a vaccine is on the … Continue reading A Pair of Holiday Cocktails to Celebrate Surviving 2020
As the pandemic rages on, I feel an urgency to help support our most cherished dining establishments. The chain restaurants and their parent companies may take a hit to their stock price, but they’ll weather the storm. In the meantime, local eateries are just trying to tread water amid the latest wave — the second or third depending on how you’re counting — finding new … Continue reading Tiato Kitchen and Garden: Paradise’s Patio
