Tag Archives: Imbibe

Shop-a-Holic – What to Get for the Foodies on Your List.

Posted on by RedFlair14

It’s that time…you know…you gotta get gifts and get them NOW so you can get them wrapped, shipped and there on time.

All too often when shopping for a foodie or a cook, you MIGHT think that the cool, new gadget is THE thing to buy…um yeah, NO!  Not unless it is really useful or specifically asked for.  Here’s a short list of what NOT to buy:

  • Any special formed baking pan – especially if it can only be used once a year. You know those muffin top pans, Xmas tree pans, whoopee pie pans?  Leave them in the store for some other sucker unless the giftee has asked for them
  • With VERY few exceptions, never buy a woman anything with an electrical cord unless she asks for it by name
  • Unitaskers with few exceptions are not good ideas. If you find one that is SO friggin’ cool you have to buy it, buy it for yourself and see how often you use it before buying it for others.

So here is my list of things to buy NOW for the foodies in your life:

  • Cookbooks – based on subjects your Foodie enjoys.  One of my fave gifts from Hubby is a signed copy of Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey. He found out where the author was doing a book signing, called the store and asked for their help and they had the author sign it and then they shipped it to me.  Word of advice, you will probably get that type of service from an indie bookstore, not a big box retailer. These are my faves right now and YES, they are all signed!

    Carnivore and Souvenirs were signed in person, Feeding the Dragon was sent to me by the Authors' Mom - a dear friend.

    Carnivore and Souvenirs were signed in person, Feeding the Dragon was sent to me by the Authors’ Mom – a dear friend.

  • Maldon salt tins make a fab stocking stuffer! Travel size Maldon for your purse/pocket!

    Available at Sur la Table for about $2

    Available at Sur la Table for about $2

  • THIS pan from The Pampered Chef® – because it is two in one. The nonstick cast aluminum base can be used stove-top or oven, with or without the glass lid.  The tempered glass lid can be used on its own (oven only) as a separate baking vessel for side dishes!  Bonus – the glass lid flips and stores IN the metal base.
  • A subscription to a great magazine – right now I love Bon Appetit and Imbibe
  • A fab Foodie Shirt –  Go to The Chivery and get my fave pig shirt, or try these on for size

     

  • Remember that we LOVE to eat, not just cook, so a gift of food is ALWAYS welcome. ANYTHING from Dean & DeLuca is a great choice, but also think about a gift card to a local restaurant.
  • Support small business when you can. I like Plymouth Artisan Cheese – their delivery is a bit on the slow side sometimes, so order this now for your New Year’s Celebrations!
    My three faves from Plymouth. When you order online tell them LeAnne sent you!

    My three faves from Plymouth. When you order online tell them LeAnne sent you!

     

 

Sacramento

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Yeah – I know once again I have been a slacker, but in my defense I have been out actually WORKING on a new job. Once that contract is signed and in my hand I will tell you more about it. Did you know you can subscribe to this blog?  I suggest that you do so you never miss an issue.  You’ll get an email Tues night with everything I posted from the previous week!

Hubby John is convinced that Imbibe Magazine is trolling his Trip Advisor account.  Immediately before we went to Seattle in the spring, they did a great piece on the Seattle cocktail scene.  Last weekend we went to Sacramento and guess which city had a beautiful write up in Imbibe prior to our trip?  You guessed it. On the one hand it is almost like they wrote a travel guide just for our drinking pleasure. On the other, the fact that they COULD monitor our upcoming travel plans is a little creepy. If Miami shows up on the cover this month, I am going to start worrying because that’s our next stop.

Here’s what I can tell you about Sacramento:

  • It’s the capitol of California and the capitol building and the grounds surrounding it are gorgeous.
  • The city is laid out in a classic grid pattern making for easy navigation for tourists (beware of the one way streets if you are driving)
  • The downtown/midtown areas are eminently walk-able
  • It boasts some of the best bartenders I have ever had wait on me. All good looking, all knowledgeable – not only about cocktails, but about beer as well – and that goes for both genders. (Moment of Truth – Seattle has fab knowledgeable bartenders too, but they aren’t as ridiculously good looking as these ones. Las Vegas has ridiculously good looking bartenders that aren’t that knowledgeable).

    This is Joe. He informed us that he was scheduled the day Imbibe was in house at Low Brau, but had to switch shifts. He was a bit annoyed that he wasn't featured. He should have been - he made us some tasty cocktails!

    This is Joe. He informed us that he was scheduled the day Imbibe was in house at Lowbrau, but had to switch shifts. He was a bit annoyed that he wasn’t featured. He should have been – he made us some tasty cocktails!

  • I did not eat anything that was less than good while I was there. Most of what I ate entered into the excellent category
  • All of downtown Sacramento is viciously proud that The Shady Lady has been named one of the best bars in the country by Esquire Magazine.

 

Enjoy the pics and the info and if you are heading that way I recommend the following 3 stops:

  1. Sandra Dee’s for soul food – Good Call Rev Kane!  Holy hell was that a FINE way to kick off our trip!4-IMG_2136
  2. Lowbrau/Block – great beer on rotating taps and fab sausages and charcuterie made in house at Block6-IMG_2154 1-IMG_2112
  3. Foundation – They had a fantastic beer cheese soup with pretzel croutons, but  have the grilled artichoke, yes, it was THAT good.5-IMG_2140

A couple of additional notes about Sacramento:

  • We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn right near the Capitol.  It is seriously the noisiest hotel I have ever tried to sleep in. It is in a GREAT location, but you can hear each person walking in the hall, the next room’s alarm clock and the shower turn on in rooms next to you as well.
  • The only person I took pictures of on this trip was Joe (above)…and I went to a wedding. I am mildly embarrassed.
  • John dubbed Hook & Ladder  “the bar of interesting men’s hair” because we saw some STELLAR ‘dos going on in there. We loved the cocktails, but not the vibe or the bartenders who were ULTRA serious about their craft. They were mildly affronted that we didn’t take their “hand carved ice cubes” with as much gravitas as they did. It’s frozen fucking water for god’s sake!
  • Take the time to walk through the grounds surrounding the Capitol Building – the trees are magnificent! Unfortunately due to the drought, the gardens were nothing to look at, but I respect and admire not watering things you can’t eat.
  • Russo’s Shoe Repair does “while you wait” work in some cases (you don’t want to know) and Mr. Russo is a nice guy and a wealth of food and drink knowledge.
  • Skip Old Sacramento for the most part, unless you have a thing for trains. It’s a wild west (sort of) version of Fisherman’s Wharf. A few good places, but mostly over priced and moderate quality.  If you MUST go, go early in the morning when no one else is there to check out the buildings and the Tower Bridge.  The Bridge is really cool and an architectural marvel.

If you want to follow along in real time with my food adventures, you can follow me on Instagram. If you don’t use Instagram, my feed loads onto my Twitter account too. And of course “like” my Facebook page as well!