DISCOVERY IN ITALY; A PRIVATE DINNER BY A PAIR OF AMAZING CHEFS
Pure farm-to-table at its best by a pair of talented chefs in an obscure corner of Italy. A lucky discovery, an awesome private dinner.
NO FIANO, ISCHIA! NO PEPSI, COKE!
A classic SNL experience in Naples turns into a wine lesson.
PALINKA
Tibor Bognár, the fearsome Slovakian gangster respects his adversary Mark Kent, our hero in Mark to Murder. After his men capture Mark, while interrogating him, Bognár says, “if I may say so, I kind of like you. If circumstances were different I wouldn’t mind sharing some of my homemade pálinka with you. I make good pálinka. Strong. Apricot flavor. Did you get to taste some pálinka while you were here?” “Yes,” answers Mark, recalling the poison-like drink he sampled a few days earlier. He then lies. “It was very good.” I discovered Pálinka while researching Hungarian drinks. It is a[...]
A PAIR OF AMAZING CHEFS IN A HIDDEN GEM
Could it be possible that two world class chefs practice in a tiny village in the most obscure part of Italy? Read the first of several accounts about the hidden gem we discovered in the Marche region.
STORY BEHIND THE STORY; FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST
Meet Dr. Robert Lawrence, respected forensic pathologist who has served San Joaquin County for decades. Bob is the son of Ernest Lawrence, Nobel Prize winning Berkeley nuclear physicist. He has a keen, sharp intellect and a passion for his work seldom found in those who have been at it for decades. Bob always took special pleasure in crime scene lectures to fellow physicians while at lunch or dinner, zestfully explaining their unique puzzles with photos that could upturn the sturdiest stomachs. I was fortunate to have Bob as my forensic pathology advisor for Mark to Murder. He recommended[...]