Eat & Drink

The Young and the Red

By Arturo Ciompi | March 25, 2015

Maison Joseph Drouin is world-famous for its wines from the Chablis region of France and numerous other offerings in Burgundy that include Pouilly-Fuissé from the southern Côte Challonaise. They also produce wonderful reds from the Beaune region of the Côte d’Or. Today’s red wine is from the little town of […]

On the Crest

By Arturo Ciompi | March 18, 2015

I would imagine that three entities might still have a 16-year-old, unopened bottle of Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon: No. 1: The Winery No. 2: Winemaker, Doug Gore, and No. 3: Me I’m not even sure Doug would hold onto it this long, but I’m here to tell him, […]

Big on the Pig

By Durham Magazine | March 9, 2015

Guests at Taste’s BBQ, Beer and Bus Tour hopped on a Greenway Transit bus for an afternoon trip to three barbecue joints where they enjoyed the quintessential North Carolina meal paired with local brews. Led by All About Beer Magazine Publisher Daniel Bradford, the first stop featured beer samples from Hillsborough’s […]

From a Land Down Under

By Arturo Ciompi | March 4, 2015

Australia once built its wine reputation on thick, sticky-sweet wines — big favorites in the English trade of the 19th century. Today, many of us tend to think “Shiraz” when it comes to its signature red wines, but those in the know also flock after an assortment of beautiful wines […]

Dex’s Laboratory

By Durham Magazine | March 3, 2015

Downtown’s new weekend pop-up wine bar, Rx Wine Lab, is officially open for business in Golden Belt. Sharing a space with Carrboro Coffee Roasters, the intimate, 16-seat wine bar will open its doors Friday and Saturday evenings from 6-11pm and feature a plethora of wines, offered by the glass or bottle, […]

Where the Wild Wines Are

By Arturo Ciompi | February 25, 2015

Many Americans “think” of Sardinia, but seldom go there. Italy’s second largest island (after Sicily) is a bit of a throwback world. I remember my great uncle buying unsullied property there, hoping to build someday, but being thwarted by the myriad laws governing this windswept landscape. In the southwest corner […]

New Kids on the Block: Mateo

By Durham Magazine | February 19, 2015

Matt Kelly, the frenetic, big-bearded, salty-tongued owner of Mateo, is sick of butternut squash. “We love it, but we’re like, ‘Yo, let’s move on.’” This culinary wanderlust is at least part of the reason that Matt’s Five Points tapas restaurant has been buried in buzz since even before it opened […]

Chef at Home: Phoebe Lawless

By Amanda MacLaren | February 19, 2015

Phoebe Lawless likes to keep things simple as pie. The owner of the acclaimed Scratch Bakery got her start making sweet treats in her home kitchen and selling them at the Durham Farmers’ Market. Tonight, Phoebe’s back where it all began, the comforts of her Rockwood home. She’s heating up […]

Mellow Merlot

By Arturo Ciompi | February 18, 2015

Rodney Strong Vineyards runs the gamut in price structure. It has been a joy to see their more exclusive wines, such as the “Alexander’s Crown” reserve red return to the pinnacle ofquality achievements. But what about their more “everyday” wines? Tome, their Sonoma County Merlot, especially in a good vintage, […]

Chef, Interrupted

By Durham Magazine | February 18, 2015

Put aside the cruel irony of a chef being attacked by the stove of his dreams, and it was still bad. Like, really bad. Scott Howell, owner of Nana’s, is lucky to be alive, let alone walking with a cane, after a 1,200-pound Montague he’d ordered from eBay fell off […]