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Chez Noir (and Sommelier Life) – Carmel, CA
One of these days I'll stop apologizing to both of my loyal readers for completely ignoring them for months on end. Life is wild, and...

the_maestro
May 317 min read


Becoming a Certified Sommelier
"What all did this involve?" is a question many curious family members, friends, and fellow wine professionals ask about certification.

the_maestro
Dec 21, 202418 min read


The Best Bites at the Iowa State Fair
The standard fair fare of corn dogs and funnel cakes can be found at countless stands, but certain pioneering purveyors push the envelope!

the_maestro
Aug 18, 20244 min read


Clues for the Clueless: Wine FAQs, Part 1
For the next few installments of the Maestro's "Clues for the Clueless," allow me to answer some of your most pressing wine questions.

the_maestro
Apr 27, 20249 min read


Three Wineries in La Rioja
Until this spring, I’d never done a wine tasting visit to Europe. In fact, until January, I’d never formally gone wine tasting outside of...

the_maestro
Mar 13, 202423 min read


New Zealand's Central Otago Wine Region
When you visit a locale that happens to make excellent wine, make sure you leave room in your suitcase. When I booked my January trip to...

the_maestro
Jan 30, 20248 min read


Eat Like the Maestro at Miami Art Week
A few years back, the art world was shaken to its core when Italian absurdist artist Maurizio Cattelan duct taped a ripe banana to a wall...

the_maestro
Dec 11, 20235 min read


Clues for the Clueless – Sushi in Japan
I like to think I am knowledgable about food and beverages. But sometimes one has an experience that reminds you just how little you...

the_maestro
Nov 10, 202310 min read


Street Food in Omoide Yokocho – Tokyo, Japan
Tucked in the belly of the glistening skyscrapers of Shinjuku is Tokyo's own "Memory Lane," or Omoide Yokocho, a narrow alleyway housing...

the_maestro
Oct 28, 20234 min read


Eat like the Maestro in DC
Car Talk, my very favorite old NPR show, took calls from all over the country, and whenever Tom and Ray got a call from DC, Tom always...

the_maestro
Jun 29, 20224 min read


The best lobster roll in Maine, Part 2
Once I'd dropped off my friend's new Bernedoodle puppy in Boston and enjoyed some culinary offerings in one of my favorite cities in the...

the_maestro
Jun 18, 20225 min read


Eat Like the Maestro in Boston
Oooo kiddos––it's been a busy time in the Maestro's life, and I have a backlog of blogs that resembles a California freeway at 4pm. So...

the_maestro
Apr 9, 20223 min read


The 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay Awards
Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom resulting from waking up every day in this pandemic, now again in a terrible phase, that...

the_maestro
Dec 31, 20219 min read


36 hours of fantastic food and bev in Athens
I am woefully behind on blog posts owing to the end of the semester at Davidson and the ensuing whirlwind travel schedule. I know both of...

the_maestro
Dec 30, 20215 min read


Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
Years before I came to understand what fine dining really meant––or rather, what it really could mean––my attraction to the best...

the_maestro
Dec 5, 202121 min read


Table for One – The slight against solo diners
I have few particular complaints about my single lifestyle. It allows me to be nimble and spontaneous, easily adapt to new circumstances,...

the_maestro
Nov 7, 20217 min read


Finding the Best Lobster Roll in Midcoast Maine
The Maine coast has approximately 24,398,423,876,323,907 restaurants serving lobster. This is the land of “lobstah,” especially this time...

the_maestro
Oct 5, 20219 min read


Is Las Vegas Undergoing a Culinary Revival? A Case Study
Back in the era of big name European celebrity chefs establishing outpost restaurants, in the heyday of places like the Bellagio, when...

the_maestro
Sep 12, 202111 min read


Fonta Flora Brewery and Singlewyde Pizza at Whippoorwill Farm – Nebo, NC
North Carolina is the land of beer. I have five breweries within a five minute walk of my apartment. Charlotte has dozens in its city...

the_maestro
Jul 22, 20213 min read


Our Culinary Adventure in Lima
Lima, Peru, a vibrant city of nearly ten million people, has earned a reputation as one of the culinary epicenters of the Americas, if...

the_maestro
Jul 5, 202114 min read
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