Category: Culture

A tour in the footsteps of famous African-Americans in Paris

 

PARIS (AP) – The great African-American writers James Baldwin and Richard Wright began their feud over Wright’s novel “Native Son,” at Cafe Les Deux Magots. Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis held hands with his white girlfriend, French actress Juliette Greco, while strolling along the Seine after hanging out with Picasso. Entertainer Josephine Baker became a megastar at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. Some travelers to Paris seek selfies with the Eiffel Tower, go to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or stroll to the Arc de Triomphe. But you can create a different type of itinerary exploring African-American connections to the City of Light [ . . . ]

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Butter, wine, foie gras: French face triple whammy as shortages abound

 

THE BUSINESS TIMES – [PARIS] With butter spread thin and wine output drying up, whatever next for the unlucky French? A shortage of foie gras, the must-have liver pate that takes pride of place on most Christmas tables [ … ] Read more at : Butter, wine, foie gras: French face triple whammy as shortages abound, – THE BUSINESS TIMES

The 7 tastiest (and most Instagram-worthy) cheese and charcuterie boards

A nicely designed plate of cured meats, luscious cheeses, snappy fruits and specialty mustard has become a standout menu item at several Charlotte restaurants. Here are seven tasty (and Instagram-worthy) charcuterie boards in the Queen City from $7 to $60. (1) Cheese & Charcuterie Board at The Cellar at Duckworth’s 330 North Tryon St. Price: [ . . . ] See More at: The 7 tastiest (and most Instagram-worthy) cheese and charcuterie boards

A Washington syrah was named second best wine in the world

Check out which Washington wine just landed at No. 2 on Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100 list for 2017 — Syrah Walla Walla Valley Powerline Estate 2014 ($45)

In anointing it the second best wine its panel sampled this year, the magazine called it “a knockout Syrah, precise and impeccably built but explosive with personality. Smoky roasted meat and floral blackberry aromas combine with bold, supple flavors of dark plum, pepper and licorice. The tannins are big but polished.”

A syrah from Walla Walla beat out some heavy hitters from Bordeaux and other prestigious wine regions. Three other Washington wines also made the Top 100 list [ . . . ] | More at: A Washington syrah was named second best wine in the world

The stuff of the best 2017 wine reads: Everyman advice, a con man, a legendary region

 

WINE | Our columnist’s top picks include works by Jon Bonné, Peter Liem and Peter Hellman.

Wine writers attempt to reveal wine’s mysteries, strip away its pretensions, simplify its immense variety. Of course, if we ever succeed, no one would need us anymore.

The latest to try is Jon Bonné, with “ The New Wine Rules: A Genuinely Helpful Guide to Everything You Need to Know ” (Ten Speed Press, $15). This slim volume of practical advice — each of the 89 new “rules” is just a few paragraphs — headlines this holiday season’s books for the wine lovers on your gift list.

Bonné is an authoritative voice. He is a senior contributing editor for Punch, an online drinks publication, a former wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, author of “The New California Wine” and the forthcoming “The New French Wine,” and an occasional contributor to The Washington Post Food section.

As you might suspect, the premise of “The New Wine Rules” is that the old rules no longer apply. Bonné told me in an interview that he didn’t want to write the traditional basic wine book. “You can Google grape varieties,” he said. “I wanted to write for people who are already buying wine and want to know enough about it to enjoy it, and maybe to hold their own when they run up against someone who claims to know everything about wine in an obnoxious way.” [ . . . ]

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