The first dinner table in America that served a variety of wines chosen for compatibility with the menu was at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home. Jefferson, who loved to entertain guests ranging from politicians to foreign dignitaries, likely used these affairs to cultivate new friendships and alliances, perhaps occasionally converting an adversary into an ally. …
The Gourmet Highway: Dare to Pair-A Delicious Journey Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – Charleston, New Orleans, Miami Beach, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Montgomery and Atlanta were a few of the large cities we visited along the Gourmet Highway. There were glorious stopovers at wonderful destinations like Highlands and Cashiers in the mountains of Western North Carolina and the grand city of Thomasville deep in south …
Gourmet Highway: The Divine Wonders of Dining in Different Places Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – The journey to longer days includes the pleasures of Mardi Gras, stage plays, the most exciting wine and food festival on the East Coast and the increased spirit of adventure as the sap starts to mercifully rise again. This is the season featuring so many festivals: South Beach Wine and Food …
Gourmet Highway: A State of Mind-Travel, Food & Wine Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – Traveling the greater South leads to discovery of food and good beverages, and where to find the best. This past year included one genuine surprise involving a legendary whiskey, arguably the most recognizable brand on the planet. There’s more: Respected wine experts-Master’s of Wine as they’re officially known-are urging some labeling …
Gourmet Highway: New Tennessee Whiskey, Wine Labels & Food Journeys Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – Tailgating in Baton Rouge on a game day Saturday outside LSU’s Tiger Stadium showcases cuisine that would “put many fine dining restaurants to shame,” according to the highly respected Tim McNally, a legendary New Orleans radio and TV host and former president of the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience. Tailgating …
Gourmet Highway: Tailgating Down South-The Great Outdoor Feast Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – LOUISVILLE, KY-This great river town is on a roll, garnering praise as a haven for gourmet restaurants, a first-rate arts center, home of an easy-going lifestyle and the epicenter of Bourbon and the mystique attached to it. Walking around here is an urban pleasure made possible by wide sidewalks, and if …
The Bourbon Country Institute – Meet Mr. Bourbon Read More »
By Doc Lawrence – Located in lovely Fredericksburg, a historic town deep in the heart of the fabled Texas Hill Country, Quintessential Chocolates is a pioneer company and brand keeping pace with the demand for the handcrafted chocolates. For the uninitiated, the company founded and operated by Lecia Duke remains the only chocolatiér in America …
By Doc Lawrence – In 1928 Pulitzer Prize winner Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings left New York for the wilds of Florida, lamenting that her “first Christmas at Cross Creek would break my heart,” but she stayed on to become one of America’s most acclaimed writers. With full knowledge she would miss the traditional celebrations up North, …
By Doc Lawrence – Housed in a glorious Southern mansion in the heart of Music City as Nashville is often called, Jimmy Kelly’s landmark restaurant works hard at becoming the standard by which American steakhouses are measured. Founded in 1934 while the country was in the throes of the Great Depression and just one year …
By Doc Lawrence – Bart Giamatti, a popular commissioner of major league baseball famously observed that life for kids of all ages begins again each spring with the first crack of a bat meeting a baseball. You get a head start on the annual rebirth in Florida where a select number of baseball teams come …
GOURMET HIGHWAY: Florida’s Grapefruit League – An American Tradition Read More »
Rated One of the Safest Hospitals in the Nation.
