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Do you like your Philly cheese steak sandwich with provolone, Cheez Whiz or American cheese? With onions or without? Find the best Philly cheese steak recipes.
Enjoy our selection of the best and newest venues to enjoy Indian cuisine in London, a discerning and raising market in England’s capital.The end is coming: The final season of everyone’s favorite medieval-fantasy-gorefest-drama debuts on HBO this April, and we’re not quite prepared to say goodbye to all the incredible wine references made throughout the show (we’ll always have Tyrion Lannister‘s immortal credo “I drink and I know things”). But one winery in Bordeaux has come up with a way for wine-loving superfans to give a proper sendoff to the beloved series: a taste of a real-life version of that fantastic Dornish wine all those Westerosi enophiles, Tyrion in particular, have been rav(en)ing about for the past seven seasons.
Vigneron Thibault Bardet of Vignobles Bardet, across the Narrow Sea over in St.-Emilion, got the idea to research how wine from Dorne would actually taste based on how it has been described in the GoT books and series, as well as how the climate of the arid southernmost region of Westeros is portrayed.
“The project began after watching an episode of Game of Thrones with a friend,” Bardet told Unfiltered. “We thought that it may be very interesting to have the possibility to drink the wine from Dorne. Sadly, after some research, I discovered that there wasn’t a wine like that. So I decided to make my own.” (His libation is not to be confused with HBO’s branded GoT merch wine.)
Rarely an episode goes by that we don’t see a noble character holding a goblet of wine aloft as they make covert alliances or order death sentences, so we know the juice is likely quite good. Still, “in the TV show, they don’t speak a lot about the Dornish wine taste, but in the book, there are so many descriptions about it,” Bardet said. “After reading all [of the books], I had more than 40 pages of wine information. The main information was: fruity, powerful but easy to drink, and [with] intense dark color.”
For Thibault and his father, Philippe, that description had Merlot written all over it. Once they had their grape, they knew they would need to source it from vines in sandy soils, to mimic the terrain of the fictional peninsula that is Dorne; a warm, dry summer in Bordeaux in 2016 gave them appropriately Dornish weather.
The result is not one but two cuvées made in the Dornish style: Dornish Wine Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux Red 2016 and The Imp’s Delight St.-Emilion Red 2016. The latter—named after the wine Tyrion hopes to one day make when he retires from the spotlight and purchases his own vineyard—is vinted without sulfites, which Thibault thinks is probably how Dornish wine would have been made in those mythical days.
And while Westerosis (and Wine Spectators) typically prefer wine, those seeking the harder stuff might enjoy a new collection from HBO and Diageo of eight single-malt Scotch whiskies, each one corresponding with a major royal house in the GoT universe—the Lagavulin 9 Year Old House Lannister, the Dalwhinnie Winter’s Frost House Stark, and so on. “Valar dohaeris,” as they say—”all must serve.”
Russia-based nail-salon chain Nail Sunny wants to help you to keep your favorite glass of bubbly on hand at all times—literally. That’s the idea behind one of the salon’s new nail-art concepts: Mini acrylic-like molds of Champagne, vodka and brandy bottles (plus a mimosa pitcher) are sculpted and decorated, sealed to nails on one hand, then filled with actual alcohol using a small syringe. The party really gets out of hand—again, literally, of course—when the wearer “pours” the bottles’ contents into the molds perched atop their other hand, of tiny Champagne flutes and cocktail glasses.
From the looks of Nail Sunny’s Instagram account, the whimsical manicurists previously topped nails with baby bottles, flower corsages, chess pieces, lightbulbs, bottle openers and hand tools (once more, literally): functional fingertip Phillips-head and slotted screwdriver bits. Unfiltered is now headed to Moscow to get a set of corkscrews on one hand, and on the other, a foil cutter, Port tongs (two fingers), Champagne saber and Coravin.
Britons deploy the euphemism “tired and emotional” to describe one’s state after imbibing, say, a mite too much Champagne. And Parliament’s House of Lords has been getting frequently tired and emotional on a not-insignificant amount of Pol Roger, according to figures obtained by the Scottish National Party. This while the Scots are getting very (literally) tired and emotional at all the antics of their neighbors south of the wall in the lead-up to their Brexit bugbear.
This latest hurly-burly began when the SNP discovered that the House of Lords’ mostly private watering holes in Parliament served 679 bottles of Champagne and Prosecco in the 2017-18 session, at what the SNP characterizes as discounted prices, subsidized by taxpayers who rarely have access to the members’ wine and dining venues. The subjects of the Crown pay about $1.5 million in taxes annually that goes toward catering and other Parli parties, including $894,000 on the Lords’ dining room.
“The House of Lords is a democratic disgrace—with party donors and cronies given a say on our laws without the chance for voters to kick them out,” Member of the Scottish Parliament Bill Kidd told the National (“the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland,” it should be noted). “It’ll stick in the craw of voters to hear that these unelected Lords are guzzling Champagne and Prosecco while others are struggling.”
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This simple dairy ingredient can work its magic in starters, mains and desserts. From dips to frosting, find all the recipes you need here.The Japanese wine industry is maturing, gaining new recognition and increasing sales thanks to improving quality. That’s led the government to take the first steps toward a true appellation system, noting on labels where grapes were grown.
But that’s created a challenge for wineries, because most don’t own vineyards and many source fruit from multiple regions. And an aging population of farmers means that vineyard acreage is actually shrinking just as demand for local wines is growing.
Wine is the only sector of Japan’s alcoholic beverage market that is growing annually by volume. In 2017, the government granted manufacturing licenses for fruit wine to 39 new entities, according to the National Tax Agency.
Before the new regulations, there were few rules for labeling wine in Japan. This meant consumers with little knowledge of domestic wine couldn’t easily distinguish between bottles. Wine made from imported grape juice concentrate was sold alongside domestic wine as “Japanese.”
Imported grapes could also be blended with domestic grapes, and the resulting wines sold without concern for place names. There were no official restrictions on naming regions on labels when mixing grapes from different locations, with the exception of wines sourced from the Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures. (Those regions have a longer winemaking history, and labeling laws were enacted more than a decade ago.)
The new regulations from the National Tax Agency, which went into effect at the end of October 2018, state that only wines made from 100 percent domestically grown grapes can be labeled as Japanese wine. The rules also create a new geographical indication system restricting the use of place names to wines using at least 85 percent fruit from that place. Also, more than 85 percent of a single grape variety must be used to put the grape name on the label.
While the new law will make it clear to consumers where their wine comes from, it’s also creating headaches for wineries. For a long time, wineries were not permitted to have vineyards. New rules passed in 2009 included measures to allow wineries to rent agricultural land, but it is still much cheaper for wineries to buy fruit than to cultivate vines.
While large companies are starting to plant their own vineyards and more established wineries have long-term relationships with farmers, smaller producers have to build partnerships and make spot buys, often from different areas each year. Under the new geographical indicator rules, wineries might need to redesign labels annually.
Hisayuki Kawabe, winemaker at Takahata Wine in Yamagata, said that many of Japan’s wineries name themselves after their town or local area, but don’t always source grapes from the same place. “Three quarters of our wine is made with local fruit,” said Kawabe, who spent 15 years making wine in California, “and I’m making the needed adjustments with careful consideration about how best to present new information on the labels.”
Takahata Wine also makes more than 50 private labels for hotels, resorts and other businesses around the country that want souvenirs to offer customers. All those clients will need to adjust their labels. Kawabe worries that up to half of the smaller businesses might simply stop their orders because the cost and time of consultation and redesign might be too much.
The changes come at a time when the number of farmers is declining. Over the past 10 years, Japanese vineyard land has decreased by 3,600 acres, a reduction of roughly 8 percent, according to government statistics. While there are more wineries, the number of growers is decreasing due to the aging population. There are also reports that some elderly farmers refuse to sell land held by their families for generations, despite not having successors.
Even Japan’s most popular grape is hard to find. Koshu is a white grape variety, slightly pink in color, and long-grown in Yamanashi. A hybrid of Vitis vinifera and Asian grapes, it is considered native to Japan. Roughly 10 years ago, many growers replanted their vineyards, switching from Koshu to table grape varieties that sold for higher prices. Then, Koshu wine started to gain popularity, pushed enthusiastically by Japan’s wine community as being uniquely Japanese.
“The amount of Koshu grapes being grown is far below what winemakers would like,” said Kunio Naito, managing director of Tokyo importer and retailer Cave de Relax.
While the new laws will create growing pains, two historic wine regions that have had similar rules for more than 15 years show the long-term impact may be good for the wine industry. Yamanashi is Japan’s oldest and most famous wine region—the first record of wine produced there is from the 16th century, and some believe winemaking dates even farther back. It’s home to quality wineries like Château Mercian. It has the highest number of wineries and is home to the town of Koshu, which the grape was named for. Just across the border in Nagano is Shiojiri, another well-known wine area.
Toru Mochizuki, an advisor at the Yamanashi Wine Manufacturer’s Association, said most Yamanashi wineries use local grapes. Wineries there have been focusing on growing the region.
Neighboring Nagano has acted to encourage growth within its wine sector by designating four new wine areas, said Sasateru Maruyama, an official at the local spirits section of the Nagano prefectural government. “The Chikumagawa, Kikyogahara, Nihon Alps and Tenryugawa Wine Valleys promote wine production and tourism in the regions,” said Maruyama.
The region is also addressing the issues of dwindling farmland. “Despite the decrease in farmers here, the area of local cultivation is increasing as prefectural policies and training programs help wineries and younger growers take over farmland,” said Takaro Miyajima, from the government’s horticulture and livestock division. New vineyards are also being created with joint funding from the Japanese government.
While the new regulations will strengthen the position of Japan’s winemakers, the next step is ensuring vintners have enough grapes and educating consumers about regional wine. And it will be up to winemakers to make that push. “There are no penalties attached to the new regulations,” said Kawabe. “We don’t know if everyone is going to protect the new regulations or not.”
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I have never been to the Bahamas, so when I was told that the Bahamas fish market was a great place to get seafood in Florida, I slept counting sheep because I couldn’t wait. After watching an episode of “Parts unknown” with the late Anthony Bourdain eating fried fish in the Bahamas, I knew my experience was going to be kind of close. Besides that, I had always wanted to go to Miami because apart from it being kind of a one stop hub for Cuban food, I wanted to simply experience the beauty of the ocean and eat fried seafood; yes! fried seafood.
Getting to Bahamas fish market, I didn’t know what part of town I was at but it reminded me so much of Nigeria. There were different stores and mechanics around the corner. The whole environment though busy was quite bubbly. It felt like being in Lagos in the day time 
Walking into the restaurant felt like being human in an aquarium as the restaurant was painted to look like one or even like the sea. If I wasn’t sane, I would have thought I was Ariel from the little mermaid.
The Bahamas fish market reminded me of a small Nigerian food shack/diner. It was filled with friendly people and really good food. In Nigeria, we have places where one can get the point and kill fish. It’s a place where when you visit, they show you an array of live fish and seafood. You pick the one that interests you and tell them how you want it cooked; according to what they have on the menu.
In Bahamas fish market, the fish/seafood is already harvested and cleaned then placed in an ice box to be preserved for the customers for the day.
Trying to take a seat in the restaurant, I did not know what to expect. I just knew I wanted some Cuban spiced fried fish. On sitting down, a beautiful waitress who introduced herself as Nadia walked to my table with a glass of water, a bowl of lime and a small basket of saltine crackers. I had to stop myself from eating the crackers because I had waited all day for some seafood
I ordered some fried oysters as my appetizer before realizing they had ceviche. If you have never had ceviche before, you have got to try it. It’s basically a seafood dish made from fresh seafood/fish cured with lemon or lime. It is then seasoned with spices, onions and herbs. Personally, I prefer ceviche to sushi; even if they both serve different purposes and taste differently. After ordering oysters for my appetizer, I decided to order a serving of fried fish for my main course. To make my order of fish, Nadia walked me to the ice box where they were being preserved and I had to make a choice. I was spoiled for choices and though I wanted some cod, I settled for a pound of yellow tail snapper, yellow rice and tostones; (pronounced “tos..to..nes”) which is simply twice fried unripe plantains.
The oysters, fresh and cleaned; then seasoned, battered and fried was served piping hot with fresh lime and tartar sauce. I have to say it was one of the freshest and most delicious oysters I ever had. It didn’t taste like it came from a freezer. I kept munching on each piece forgetting I had ordered some fish for my main course.
My fish was brought to me by Nadia and just like the oysters, it was piping hot and you could smell the crispiness of the oil. You know when Nigerians ask “can you hear the smell?” I could hear the crisp smell and I dug right in using my hands. I ate a bit of the rice and some of the tostones, but the fish was the main attraction. The whole dish was served with a tiny ramekin filled with a mixture of chopped sweet peppers and onions drenched in lime. It kind of reminded me of eating fish and attieke. This mixture was what I instinctively poured on my fish and the taste went from 100-100 in a matter of seconds. At this point, I had to order a cold bottle of Coors Light which was served with a chilled glass and a lime wedge.
I forgot all about the side dishes until I had devoured almost the whole fish. I was so full, I felt my stomach would burst open. Imagine your stomach is the size of your fist and I have a tiny fist, so you see My stomach was pleased and filled with crispy fried oysters and fish I felt so full, I had to take the remaining fish home. I normally wouldn’t eat a fish head, but I wasn’t going to let this particular fish head go just like that. I ate all the pieces and sucked on the bones until they were dry and white. That’s what you do when you are served really good food
I wouldn’t forget Bahamas fish market in a hurry. The good food and the great conversation with Raphael, Consuela and my waitress; the beautiful Nadia.
When Chef Tom Kerridge appeared on television with a top tip about cooking with the shiny side of tinfoil down it sent twitter into meltdown. How do you use it?
There’s a lot that goes on in order to grow a melon with a $15,000 price tag. The Japanese have some pretty special techniques to produce the perfect melons.
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Can you tell when a mango or avocado is ripe? Do you know what to look for when buying cauliflower, mushrooms or green beans? This infographic has the answers!