Slovenia

The Eating...Our Words 100: Brane Poledica, Quattro and Vinoteca General Manager

What does he do? Brane Poledica is the general manager at Quattro and Vinoteca at the Four Seasons Hotel. A native of Bosnia, he moved to Houston in 1996 after fleeing the war in his home country. His duties include everything from increasing revenue, promotions, marketing, booking bands for the re ... More >>

Deer Lease Chic at LA Bar

LA Bar offers comfortable food and surroundings, especially for men who like sports, hunting, fishing and golf.

Life Before Pinot Grigio: A Favorite Pinot Gris from Oregon

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio from northern Italy changed everything. I'll never forget the first time I saw a bottle of the wine in a Southern Californian gourmet super market in the 1980s. The bottle was not the classic green but transparent (a stroke of marketing brilliance) and showed off the w ... More >>

The Natural Wine Debate Gets Ugly

"Natural wine is wine to which nothing has been added," said the leading advocate of Natural wine in the U.S., Alice Feiring, when she visited Texas in October 2011 to promote her new book Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally (Da Capo 2011). She was speaking at an event in a wine bar, ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Orange Wine (Yes, Orange)

​White wine, rosé wine, red wine, orange wine... Orange wine? Qu'est-ce que c'est? No, it's not a wine concocted by Longhorn fans. (They call UT the orange tide? Call me Deacon Blue Nun). Orange wine is a loosely codified category of winemaking and winemakers who macerate the juice obtained ... More >>

Odd Pair: Ice Cream, Freshly Ground Coffee, and Wine

​Look into any commercial Italian-English dictionary and you'll find the standard however incomplete translation of the Italian verb sgroppare (sgrohp-PAH-reh): to buck, as in a horse bucks off his rider. Look a little deeper (as in the case of this 1831 English-Italian dictionary entry by one ... More >>

Planet Houston

The world's great cuisines converge here.

An American in Mexico

Readers respond to "Over The Line"

World Cup 2010 -- What's The Future Look Like For Team America?

Is Coach Bob Bradley staying?​Now that the US has been eliminated from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it's time to play a little Monday quarterback, futbol style.Even though the US won its group for the first time in this millennium, and even though they made it past the first round (this was the team's ... More >>

World Cup 2010: USA-Ghana -- Five Keys To Look For

A moment he'll never forget​The images of Wednesday morning are still fresh on many people's minds. The image of Landon Donovan putting the US ahead in the 91st minute against Algeria, putting the Americans back in the round of 16 for the first time since 2002.Their opponent on Saturday is Ghana, ... More >>

World Cup 2010: A USA-Algeria Preview (Hint: The Good Guys Win)

Time to get your morning drink on again​How can you not think about the goal that was disallowed during last Friday's game? Had it not been for referee Koman Coulibaly giving the United States the shaft, they be sitting on top of the Group C table going into tomorrow's game against Algeria. Now, t ... More >>

World Cup 2010: What You Need To Know For This Morning's US-Slovenia Match

Donovan should have a big game​"Talk is cheap." That's what American goalkeeper Tim Howard said in response to a Slovenian midfielder guaranteeing victory for his country over the US on Friday's meeting. "A lot of boxers talk, too, and they're looking up at the lights. And the next thing they know ... More >>

World Cup 2010, As Seen From The Bars In The Pre-Noon Hours

Photo by Monica FuentesAttack of the vuvuzuelas​With the U.S. down 1-0 early -- again -- the mood at Sawyer Park on Washington Avenue was somber.Those who had skipped work, or skipped doing whatever it is people with trust funds do in the morning, to pack the sports bar for the 9 a.m. match agains ... More >>

World Cup 2010: Koman Coulibaly Is Soccer's Jim Joyce

Photo by Monica FuentesHouston fans cheer a GOOOOOOOOL​It was two halves, two teams on Friday morning as the United States tied Slovenia 2-2.Trailing 2-0 at the half, the Americans came to life in the second half to earn another point in the group stage, as they know face a must-win situation agai ... More >>

World Cup 2010: Discovery Green Rocks To England's Blunder

A draw for the ages?​Even though the Americans didn't win their opening match Saturday against England, they couldn't have asked for a better start. The 1-1 tie between the two sides was just as good as a win for the US, as they go into their second game with as many points as they finished with a ... More >>

World Cup 2010: These Teams Will Make It Out Of The Group Stage. Guaranteed

Now THAT was a USA World Cup squad​The 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup is finally here. Thirty-two teams made it to the big dance to see just who is the best in the world. Realistically though, only a handful of teams have a shot of winning the cup. It's all going to come down to matchups ... More >>

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa - USA on the Field

It's the USA team's outings at the Cup

World Cup: Is It Worth It, Rooting For The Americans?

The left-back spot is the Americans' Achilles heel​So the FIFA World Cup is only days away, and you have no idea what to make of Team USA's chances. Sure, they teased us a little last summer with their second-place finish at the Confederations Cup, beating then 1 ranked Spain, then having Brazil o ... More >>

Orange's Orange Kapiriña

Stirred and Shaken: Orange's Orange Kaipiriña

Photo by Troy Fields​The World Cup is inspiring because it focuses global consciousness in a way usually reserved for natural disasters and war. It's also inspiring because it often takes place several time zones away and therefore makes it all right for those of us who aren't nurses, cops or ... More >>

Wine of the Week - Phoenicia Specialty Foods

​Last year, Robb Walsh visited Phoenicia Specialty Foods's Bargain Bin section to stock up on some obscure Italian wines at low prices. We are always looking for a good deal, so we decided to pay Phoenicia another visit. Last weekend, we found ourselves wandering around the Ikea-like aisles, f ... More >>

Obscure Wine Grapes: Cividin

Photo by Robb WalshIf I said the flavor and aroma of this sweet white wine reminded me of an overripe pear, would that be a bad thing? Friuli winemaker Emilio Bulfon found these ancient wine grapes accidently dotted among other varietals in one of his vineyards. It isn't clear whether the grape ori ... More >>

Various Artists

Putumayo Presents Gypsy Groove

Posterizing EA

NBA 2K7 towers over the competition.

My Hips Don't Lie...But Mariah Carey's Do!

Shakira vs. Mariah, head-to-blond-head

Rotation