Which Wine?

Intimidated by sommeliers? Baffled by the difference between Beaujolais and Burgundy? Choosing a good wine is a minefield for many of us, but following the old mantra of 'red for meat' and 'white for fish and seafood' and hoping for the best won't do your meal justice.

Check out the new website by wine guru Fiona Beckett for all those who would like to find the perfect pairing of wine but don't know what to choose. Here's a good place to begin.

BTW, of Indian food she says: "Depends on the overall level of heat. Mild dishes can take a dry white or rosé. Medium-hot dishes are better with a modern, fruity white or red such as an Australian Semillon-Chardonnay or Colombard or a Cabernet-Shiraz blend. Very hot curries are impossible to pair with wine. Stick to lager!"

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Slow is Beautiful

Newsweek's cover story begins with: "The hectic 10-city, 10-day package tour is a thing of the past. We say good riddance." I whole-heartedly agree. During the last few vacations, we have done away with the rushed sight-seeing tours, and have let time move slowly. We have chosen to stay at a single place for longer times, instead of trying see and do everything the tour books recommend.

Read the Newsweek cover story: Taking the Time Off.

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El Torito by the Bay

San Francisco was at it's hottest ever! I had a day to spend here before taking a flight back home. I was at the Airport Marriott and you can't hope for a better location for a business hotel.

The Marriott is about twenty feet from the sea-side, with the airport runway directly ahead separated from the hotel by a stretch of water. You can see hotel guests lounging in the gardens watching flights land and take off. The view is amazing! In the picture of the hotel here, you can see the windows reflecting the sea and the airport beyond.

I could vaguely remember having strolled down to a very good Mexican restaurant many years earlier when I was last in this hotel. I decided to trace my steps again for an early dinner and there it was. The restaurant is called El Torito. I ordered their signature Cadillac Margarita with the Flaming Fajitas Supreme.

The Margarita is made of Premium 1800 Reposado, BOLS Triple Sec, and Sunkist Sweet and Sour, hand-shaken and served on the rocks with a side shot of Grand Marnier.

The Fajitas, a sizzling combo plate of chicken breasts, chipotle marinated grilled steak, and succulent sauted shrimps, was flambeed at the table with Jose Cuervo Gold. Take a look!

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A Weekend with Friends

I am at the Cypress Hotel in Cupertino this time. This boutique hotel sports warm colors, leopard prints and feline stripes.

The chilly weather when I arrived here on Friday was very different from the rainy but warm weather I left behind at Houston, and the bright sunshine of Utah earlier in the week.

I had lunch at Park Place, the restaurant downstairs. I intially ordered crab & clam chowder soup and herb-crusted salmon. After a few minutes the waiter came up to tell me that chowder was no longer available. So I chose minestrone soup instead. A few minutes later he again returned to tell that salmon wasn't available either, and so I had to make do with the Halibut. But all's well that ends well: the Halibut turned out quite good, and they surprised me by serving me free desserts and not charging me for the meal!

Since I had a weekend here (which is unusual), I had the time to catch up with a bunch of old friends.

On Saturday, I went out to breakfast with a friend, who used to be my boss in an earlier job, and now runs a Silicon Valley startup. Over eggs scrambled with smoked salmon and bell peppers, Sanjeev and I chatted about his new venture and his previous one.

Incidentally, the place we visited called Hobees, is known as one of the best breakfast places in the Valley. Make sure you try their blueberry coffee cake, if you visit. Hobees looks very ordinary at the first glance, but they have some interesting breakfast options and is frequented by everybody who is somebody in the Silicon Valley, or so they tell me!

In the evening, I went out with another friend and ex-colleague who I was meeting after seven years. We spent some time catching up on our jobs, family and everything else over tea and snacks at his home.

And today, I had a great lunch with two other friends and their spouses. They picked me up from my hotel and we drove down to Santana Row in San Jose. It was a bright, sunny afternoon and the promenade was filled with people liesurely eating and drinking in the many sidewalk cafes.

We first got into a Mexican restaurant but then changed our mind and moved to a nearby Mediterranean restaurant called Thea named after a Greek goddess. This Zagat rated restaurant served food with Greek and Turkish influence; you can read a good review here. I had ordered the Moussaka, a cassarole of eggplant, lamb, beef and bechamel sauce. It was excellent but heavy; I couldn't finish it. My friends loved the Felafel.

The outdoor seating, great food and at least three very talkative people! As you can imagine time flew very quickly. Anuya, Akhikesh, Devesh, Shraddha, thanks for coming!

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Seafood at the Oceanaire

Here I was, spending my birthday in Houston with friends! We had earlier planned to drive down to Galveston for dinner, but then it started raining so we decided try the newly opened Oceanaire Seafood Room instead. This restaurant has recently come up in the Houston Galleria where Lords & Taylor used to be located earlier.

Upscale, with soaring ceilings, ample portions and a menu that is updated daily, the restaurant combines white-tablecloth service with sea-side ambiance.

The selection of oysters and the fried-seafood platter I tried were very good, as was the delightful flambeed dessert they specially got us when they realized it was my birthday. Under the blue flames was a concoction made of freshly whipped cream, two different kinds of ice-cream, chocolate cake, and rum.

The service is top-notch and the waiters knowlegeable. Fish is flown in daily from across the U.S. and around the world, including swordfish, red snapper, tuna, marlin and wahoo, and can be enjoyed as a chef's daily specialty or simply grilled or broiled. Oeanaire also has one of the best oyster tasting bars. However, note that this is one of the more expensive restaurants in town.

Before we came here for dinner, the three of us had spent a couple of hours in a lounge-bar over drinks, getting into really animated discussions on various things that continued on through dinner and during the drive to my friends' new house after dinner. I had a wonderful time. Thank you Arti and Murali, for a great evening!

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The New Indian Traveller

The ordinary Indian has rarely been adventurous in his eating habits, especially when travelling to far-off places. I have seen friends packing their rice, lentils, spices, and Mom's home-made pickles while travelling to the USA for higher studies or for a new-found job during the 80s. Travel agents even now advertise Gujarati and Jain food options for customers as a part of package tours to the US and Europe.

Therefore, it was a interesting to see a recent article in the Economic Times about the new Indian travellers:

"It could be a platter of smoked Scottish salmon, a sampling of foie gras or a dinner of fugu fish that the Indian traveller now looks out for, a far cry from the times he would scout around for dal and chawal in every part of the world.

Exotic fares, luxury foods, even those that are highly priced, are in huge demand among... (those) who jet set across the world. Food is an important part of the itinerary for many and it's the local fare they relish. And when they are back home in India, their food preferences are never the same again. "

So I have company now. High time too!

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