Geraldi’s of Eureka Springs

by Adrienne Wilson on

Did I forget to mention an essential part of my day trip to Eureka Springs – of course not! I knew if I got started talking about food anywhere in the previous piece we wouldn’t have gotten any further so I saved for a plug of its own. Before we boarded our trolley we figured it’d be a good idea to fuel up and word on the town was Geraldi’s was yummy and cheap. No questions asked – we headed right over.

It’s a small Italian food spot tucked between souvenir shops and more souvenir shops. Very casual dining space with simple Italian inspired decor. The waiter was a young guy with a welcoming smile and well attentive. We were all hungry so it didn’t take long to decide what we wanted to order. I went for a salad, side of olives, and an Italian sausage sandwich. My stomach was roaring from the aroma of dishes passing by. I devoured my salad in moments after it arrived. With fork and knife in the air I sat waiting for my sandwich. Was I that hungry or was the food really that appetizing? Both? When my lunch arrived I did my best to eat slowly so to savor the sauce, cheese and sausage taste all at once. There was no point. It was gone. Gulp!

Got Geraldi’s?

Geraldi’s is located at 61 B S Main Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632. Ph. (479) 253-6511

Box o’ Wine

by Erik Olsen on

I’ll confess that I enjoy a good bottle of wine now and again. Maybe even a little more often than “now and again”. Hey, what can I say? I must have a bit of the Roman bacchanalian in me. One thing living in New york, though, is that wine is damn expensive. Even the cheap good stuff runs over $12 a bottle. Which is probably a good thing as the cost of dropping $24 a week or so can get expensive.

You know that whole stop your Starbucks drinking thing for would-be millionaires? Well it’s twice that bad for wine. Which has always made me wonder: how much of the cost of the wine we buy is due to bottles and all that fancy packaging? I mean, what if they put the stuff in boxes….the good stuff, I mean? Couldn’t you knock off a few bucks? I know, the snobs out there are like “Oh, a box of wine, that is so low rent.” Well, maybe, but we live in an increasingly sensible society (OK, big assumption). I guess what I mean to say is, there seems like there’d be a demand for good wine in a box or a bag or wherever so that it’s cheaper. Screw what the snobs have to say. Wine is wine. It’s the stuff you drink that’s important, not the thing it comes in.

Well, I’ve pondered this time and again and have long expected some entrepreneur to come up with a good boxed wine Looks like my waiting is over. This piece over at Slate talks about a company in No Cal that is doing just that. A brand called Three Thieves is run by Napa Valley wine maker Joel Gott and venture capitalist (of course) and vineyard owner Roger Scommegna, and Charles Bieler, a New Yorker whose family used to own Chateau Routas, in Provence.

The Thieves made its debut in 2003 (in a jug, actually) and started to sell really well. And now others from this company and some in Australia are giving the drinking public what it wants. The article here discusses many of the new box/jug/tube wines and gives a nice little review of them. It’s good to see the marketplace at work. Now drink up!

Sake Shrine

by Neil Woodburn on

It is my belief that certain things should not be fermented and rice is one of them.

I’ve never been a big fan of sake and can’t think of a quicker way to ruin my sushi than a shot of this potent Japanese alcohol.

Like all specialty drinks, however, sake certainly has a faithful following of fanatics and connoisseurs–enough, in fact, that an entire museum in Berkeley, California is dedicated to the drink.

The Sake Museum features sake-making materials, various artifacts, and a short video on the history of sake in both Japan and America.

Most importantly, the museum has a tasting room. The 2,260 square foot room is built from Douglas Fir and decorated with a glass-tiled floor “inspired by Japan’s rice paddies.”

Oh, and it’s free. Don’t tell the frat houses up the street at Cal; the Sake Museum may just run out of its namesake by the weekend if word gets out.

Tequila Liqueur

by Erik Olsen on

An interesting post over at Luxist about a new tequia-based cream liqueur called Tequipal. The new beverage is a mix of blue agave tequila, cream and fruit juices, and comes in many delicious flavors including strawberry, mango, coconut and coffee. As soeone who dosn’t really like or drink tequla, I suppose I’d pass on this one, but I suspect some of you out there might already be heading to the store.

Ceviche Peruvian Style

by Adrienne Wilson on

Ceviche, I’m beginning to find is a lot like Caribbean & Latin American Carnivals. Everyone says theirs is the best and if it’s good ceviche it feels a lot like a carnival on your taste buds. I’ve had Peruvian style ceviche before and will admit it gives the others a run for the money. I know I’m no where near ready to head into a kitchen to try to prepare this fabulous dish, but if you’re up for a small challenge I hand this one off to you. Lima Delhi on blogspot cooks up pieces from Peru and India. In this particular blurb they give a round of sound for Peruvian Independence day and the secret recipe for ceviche! Contain your excitement and get into the kitchen!

y feliz independence dia! (Mi espanol es muy malo. Don’t laugh.)