Author Archives: steve

Jackson Browne at Ravinia

Posted on June 29, 2013 by steve

We have a full summer of concerts planned, mostly at Ravinia, the wonderful outdoor venue north of Evanston. We usually sit in the pavilion, but for this concert we could only get lawn tickets, which turned out to be lots … Continue reading →

Posted in Dani, Evanston, Music | Comments Off

Northwestern University Graduation

Posted on June 29, 2013 by steve

Dani graduated from Northwestern University on June 21st, 2013, with a BS degree and double majors in Communications and Psychology. Linda, Nicole and I travelled to Evanston for the festivities. It was an activity-packed few days. We began at the honors ceremony … Continue reading →

Posted in Dani, Dining, Evanston, Linda | Comments Off

Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

Posted on June 25, 2013 by steve

This recipe includes changes I made to the original on manifestvegan.com and also some procedural changes I would make next time: 1 large head cauliflower olive oil grapeseed oil spray 1 Tbsp garam masala 3 medium peeled sweet potatoes, cut … Continue reading →

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Chilled Cucumber Soup

Posted on June 24, 2013 by steve

Libby posted this recipe on Facebook, and I decided to try my own version of it, substituting for buttermilk and adding cilantro. It was quite good. 3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks 3 medium celery stalks, roughly chopped … Continue reading →

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New York Dining

Posted on June 1, 2013 by steve

We tried quite a few new restaurants during our week in New York, and returned to many old favorites. Here they are, in order. Le Rivage This really authentic French Bistro is very popular with locals, but just a block … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, New York | Comments Off

Broadway Shows

Posted on June 1, 2013 by steve

This trip we fit in four shows: three new ones and one favorite. Newsies This Disney show is based upon a movie from the 90s that flopped but became a fan favorite. The Alan Menken score was resurrected and Harvey … Continue reading →

Posted in New York, Theatre | Comments Off

Charleston

Posted on May 24, 2013 by steve

We spent two days at sea, sailing from San Juan to Charleston, South Carolina. The Atlantic was fairly calm, and the sailing smooth. We had booked Priveé, the private dining room, for Thursday night. It’s located between Toscana and Polo … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, The South | Comments Off

Puerto Rico

Posted on May 21, 2013 by steve

Since San Juan is a commonwealth of the US, we cleared immigration before disembarking. Last time I was in San Juan, Dani and I went into the countryside on a horseback riding excursion, so I’d never really seen the city. … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean | Comments Off

St. Barts

Posted on May 20, 2013 by steve

St Barts is by far the nicest island port on this trip. It is French speaking, the currency is the Euro, the residents are French citizens, and the cooking is French/Island cuisine. We tendered over to the small marina and … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean, Dining | Comments Off

La Reserve, St. Lucia, Barbados

Posted on May 19, 2013 by steve

La Reserve The finest meal served during the cruise is a one-time event called the Connoisseur Menu. It’s served in the Wine Spectator branded La Reserve, a 22 seat restaurant that is only open three days out of 20, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Caribbean, Dining | Comments Off

Granada

Posted on May 17, 2013 by steve

Granada is a charming port that fits the quintessential image of a Caribbean island. A circular bay shelters a multicolored harbor that rises into steep, green hills dotted with homes. 95% of the GranadaÕs houses were destroyed by hurricane Ivan … Continue reading →

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Colombia and Aruba

Posted on May 16, 2013 by steve

We’ve spent a relaxing few days, mostly on board ship, beginning with two sea days that took us through the Panama Canal to Cartagena, Columbia. The shore excursion we had booked sounded like it was going to involve a very … Continue reading →

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Panama Canal

Posted on May 12, 2013 by steve

Today we passed through the Panama Canal, traveling east to west, from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean. That’s not a typo. The canal actually runs almost north/south, but because of the S shape of Panama, we emerge somewhat west … Continue reading →

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Ecuador

Posted on May 10, 2013 by steve

Panama hats aren’t made in Panama. Who knew? They’re actually from Ecuador, which is convenient, because that’s where we are today, and I needed a hat. Yesterday we had a great day at sea. I spent some time in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Ecuador, Linda | Comments Off

Chan Chan, Peru

Posted on May 8, 2013 by steve

Salaverry is a northern port in Peru near the city of Trujillo. Our tour took us on a short drive through Trujillo to the Dragon Temple, a pyramid surrounded by a high wall. Our guide, Elver was quite informative, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Linda, Peru | Comments Off

Lima, Peru

Posted on May 7, 2013 by steve

For this year’s trip Linda and I set our goal to visit the last continent on our list, South America. (We’re not expecting to get to number seven, Antarctica, any time soon.) It seems ironic that the only inhabited continent … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Peru, Wine | Comments Off

Peperoncino

Posted on April 14, 2013 by steve

A dinner at Dellagio’s Peperoncino with Ron, Bev, Andres, Paula and Linda, noted here because of the inclusion of a 100 point 1934 Burgundy from Ron. Peperoncino serves authentic regional Italian cuisine in a fairly boisterous atmosphere. Because the place … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Wine | Comments Off

France Conquers Italy

Posted on April 13, 2013 by steve

Not since the days of Napoleon has it been so clear who ruled Europe. Keith Edwards organized an extraordinarily informative tasting designed to compare ten Italian merlots with ten Bordeaux wines consisting of at least 75% merlot. In attendance were Keith, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Orlando, Wine | Comments Off

Blind Pairs at Luma

Posted on March 30, 2013 by steve

Ron organized this interesting tasting in the downstairs room at Luma. Attendees were Ron, Bev, Keith, Parlo, Andres, Paula, Linda, Dani, Jacques, and Alison. As usual at Luma, the downstairs room was fabulous, and the food was variable. Standouts were the cauliflower … Continue reading →

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Olivje (Оливье) Recipe

Posted on March 19, 2013 by steve

Dmitri brought this Olivje (Оливье) to Glen’s St. Patrick’s Day Party and we really liked it. (makes 1 medium-sized salad bowl) Ingredients 4 potatoes 2 large carrots boiled and peeled. 6 eggs hard boiled and peeled 5 medium sized dill pickles … Continue reading →

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Tesla Model S

Posted on March 12, 2013 by steve

I’ve had the Tesla Model S Performance Sedan for two weeks, and wanted to share my thoughts with prospective purchasers. In short, it is extraordinary. It perfectly combines the features of a luxury car, a sports car, a station wagon, and … Continue reading →

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Wine Lunch on Hillstone’s Dock

Posted on February 16, 2013 by steve

Ron arranged this lovely Saturday afternoon event for a fairly large group. The weather was cool and blustery, but plastic panels kept out most of the wind, and it was a delightful venue, with great service by Laura and delicious food by … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Orlando, Wine | Comments Off

Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salad

Posted on January 29, 2013 by steve

For my birthday, Linda fixed this recipe which she modified from a version at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-salmon-with-citrus-salsa-verde-recipe/index.html She also made a tuna tartare, avocado and cucumber vorspeisenringe. We enjoyed all three on the veranda and then went in the spa. Ah, Orlando in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Linda, Orlando | Comments Off

Harold’s House of Omelets

Posted on November 22, 2012 by steve

When we used to live in Westlake Village, Harold’s House of Omelets was our favorite spot for breakfast. Sometimes we close the Alcorn McBride office and head over there for a late breakfast, because Harold’s wasn’t open for lunch! Wednesday … Continue reading →

Posted in Dani, Dining, Los Angeles | Comments Off

Stellar Old Wines at Luma

Posted on November 11, 2012 by steve

Ron organized a great event in the downstairs room at Luma. Although the food wasn’t quite as good as our spectacular dinner there last month, the wines were stellar, spanning the great years, from 1947 (all time best Burgundy year) … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Orlando, Wine | Comments Off

Farewell to Celebrity

Posted on October 24, 2012 by steve

Here are a couple of last photos from our final two sea days aboard the Celebrity Constellation. The bottom line is that I’d recommend this line if you’re looking for a Royal Caribbean type experience with better entertainment, but not … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Travel | Comments Off

Celebrity Cruises Observations

Posted on October 23, 2012 by steve

Celebrity seems little different than its parent, Royal Caribbean, with only slightly better food, similar accommodations, and similar passengers. Although positioned as a premium cruise line, and voted the top premium cruise line for three years, this must be for … Continue reading →

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Porto

Posted on October 22, 2012 by steve

Porto isn’t far from Vigo—just 84 kilometers—but it’s a different country and different wine-making. Our shore excursion took us to the Douro Valley, two hours away, where port comes from. Although port is named after Porto, the city has nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Portugal, Wine | Comments Off

Vigo

Posted on October 21, 2012 by steve

Vigo is one of the southern most cities in Northern Spain, located only 20 miles from Portugal. It is Europe’s main hub for shipping fish, and the 10 mile long harbor is filled with platforms used to raise mussels, oysters … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Spain, Wine | Comments Off

Bilbao

Posted on October 20, 2012 by steve

After a workout Friday morning we spent a restful day on the ship. originally we had a dinner scheduled in a Michelin-starred chef’s kitchen, but it was cancelled, and since it was rainy we decided to spend the day on … Continue reading →

Posted in Dining, Linda, Spain, Wine | Comments Off

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