I attended two very different tastings this past week, each terrific in its own way, one fancy, one rustic.

Let’s start with the fancy, shall we? Like many of you, I’m feeling expansive today.

Let me start by saying that I’m no great scholar of Italian wines. I’ve spent more time exploring France and California, thanks to a stint in San Francisco. My limited exposure to southern Italian wines has yielded to many sips that were harsh, acidic, and forgettable.

All the more delight, then, to sample the wines of Sicily’s Tenuta delle Terre Nere—paired with lovely food by the young chef Justin Melnick—last Thursday at Tomasso Trattoria. (more…)

I can never get enough strawberries. I start my day with a bowl of cereal with dried slices, and sometimes I have a peanut butter and strawberry-jam sandwich for lunch. There’s nothing better than strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Now that it’s mid-June, strawberry season is in full-swing. After the jump, we give you three ways to celebrate the berry goodness.

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