• Eric Asimov has discovered that the best, least expensive cabernet savignon you can buy these days is coming out of South Africa.
• Jim Lahey has adapted his world-famous no-knead bread into a tasty pizza crust.
• Glitzy restaurant Daniel has four stars heaped upon it by reviewer Frank Bruni.
• Long gone are the days when a cell phone was simply a device with which to make calls. Now your phone can even help you plan dinner.
• The Minimalist makes weeknight fried chicken that is light on work and heavy on flavor.
• Explore South American without ever leaving New York City by visiting some of these restaurants.
• In preparation for his newest restaurant, chef Donald Link has converted a storage closet into a sausage room.
• Hurricane Katrina wrecked colossal havoc when it hit the Gulf area in 2005. There's a new cookbook out called Cooking Up A Storm that's goal is to help people recover some of the recipes they lost in the storm.
• Instead of roasting them whole, try peeling and chopping beets prior to cooking for a quick prep that doesn't stain your fingers.
• Who should be cooking at the White House and what should the first family be eating?

Stellenbosch, recently voted South Africa's foremost wine region, is to host the 4th Stellenbosch Wine Festival from the 3rd to the 6th august.

Over the three days 450 or so wines from 100 of South Africa's top producers will be available for tasting along with a host of cooking demos, tutored wine tastings, food displays plus crafts and children's entertainment.

The Festival is South Africa's largest regional wine festival offering visitors the chance to sample the huge diversity of wines and foods from the region. On the wine front this will cover reds and whites plus sparkling and fortified wines.

Venue:  Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch.  Entrance fee is R75 (includes a goodie bag & wine glass). Bookings through Computicket and Checkers Moneymarkets. For further information, contact the Stellenbosch Wine Festival office on (021) 886-4310

The website is not quite ready but the 3rd annual WACKY WINE WEEKEND has just been announced. Across the Robertson wine area a mass of events is taking place June 2-4, 2006.

 

For the more healthy, there is a half-marathon, but more up my street is a chauffeur service (to encourage responsible tasting) between vineyards. Special fly-in packages from Johannesburg and Durban will be available.

Meet-the-Winemaker tastings form the hub of the event with special barrel tastings. Food too forms a huge part of the fun too.  Activities include boat cruises; river rafting, live music, cheese & olive tastings, golf, tractor trips, vineyard quad biking and so on. 

Costs: A passport will be purchased for R30 at your first port of call (any participating winery). This includes a tasting glass in addition to a "Friends of the Valley" booklet, listing special offers valid for 6 months after the Wacky Wine Weekend. All other activities are pay-as-you-go with more than a third of the activities free of charge.

 

Gaping Void, an English blogger charged with promoting the South African wine brand Stormhoek through non-traditional channels, has launched a US promotion.

Entitled 100 Dinners, the idea is for bloggers across the states to host a dinner party and in return he will send some wine samples to drink on the day. Obviously certain states - those living in the stone age - are not going to be able to participate due to arcane shipping laws, but for the others...