http://bhamweekly.com/birmingham/articles.sec-64-1-food.html Blooming azaleas, dogwoods, green stuff sprouting all over my front and back yard...and the pollen that goes with all of the above.  Makes me think I must be looking at life through greenish yell]]> Asia Chicken, Pork, Shrimp and Vegetarian Dim Sum served in steamer baskets with sauces to include: sweet & sour sauce, sesame soy dipping sauce and spicy sambal Assorted Sushi served with Soy Sauce, Wasabi & Pickled Ginger tuna rolls, cucumber...]]> A few years ago, I took some friends, a psychologist, two geologists, a few reporters, and a surgeon, to Greece for Easter. We went to celebrate the holiday and to go hiking. We enjoyed the Easter celebration, which in the town where I went to high school, you can drink a beer on the plaza, hold a candle, make the sign of the cross and pray.]]> As general rule, it isn't a terrible idea to pair lighter foods like fish with white wine. But plenty of seafood dishes work better with red wine. If your fish is meaty or charred – or served with tomatoes, mushrooms, or a fruity sauce – it'll likely be complimented best by a delicate red like Pinot Noir.]]> Augustine "Og" Mandino said, "Consider a painting by Rembrandt or a bronze by Degas or a violin by Stradivarius or a play by Shakespeare. They have great value for two reasons: their creators were masters and they are few in number.]]> A few years ago, walking in the lower plains of Kilimanjaro, I met my first Tanzanian coffee plants. I saw the small huts of the coffee planters, the children chasing any mechanical device that came trough the plantation. I saw the small banana trees grown among the coffee plants.]]> I grew up in Peloponnese, the prefecture of Arcadia. It is on the east coast of Peloponnese. In the lower slopes of Mount Parnon was my village. It was a plateau of about a hundred acres, from which, in a ten minute walk, you could look down to the Aegean Sea.]]> Since Anonymous was out town this week, even Bunny got a break and I was glad because he seems to just wear her out with so much dining. She needs three or four of herself just to keep up with him and his insatiable appetite.]]> I'll take it to goes¦how often have you said that? Chances are, you weren't referring to your wine. But if you're as persnickety about what you're drinking as I am, then you DON'T want to leave home without it! So what do we need when we travel with wine.]]> Real talk: I can't cook, and I'm generally okay with that. Being a few years past my college years (never mind how many, a lady never tells), I should be past the phase in which Chef Boyardee is in charge of preparing most of my at home meals.]]> It is striking me funny that in a column about food memories, I usually start out not remembering the first time I experienced a specific food, or technique. These food memories develop over time, stories adding up layer upon layer, until the current product is like a tarte or cake: a wonderful melange of flavors and textures.]]> Birmingham's identity is mired in a muck of present and historical contradictions. Once one of the most racially segregated cities in the U.S., Birmingham was also the home for some of the key watershed moments of non-violent protest and reform.]]> High-quality Syrah is wonderfully accessible, even in its youth. As Steve Heimoff, West Coast Editor for Wine Enthusiast, recently explained, "I would describe a good Syrah as having the weight of Cabernet Sauvignon, but a little softer, and while...]]> White beans are very high on my list of comfort foods, especially when the temperature drops. So when the forecast comes out for a cold snap, and the grocery stores have run on bread, milk, beer and wine; I find my comfort in white beans.]]> It seems I am involved in planning several events that celebrate the end of this year’s growing season. A funny name, harvest dinner, as truly the harvest begins early in the year, and in many creative farming operations the harvest never really ends.]]> This summer Ronnie and Lora Trice opened LoLo’s, nicknamed for the better half, near where 3rd and 5th Avenues South diverge. It is a fringe transitional neighborhood with a distinct blue collar feel between its scrap yards and railroad crossings, just verging on the gentrifying influences from Forest Park and Crestwood.]]>