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MUSINGS
the_maestro
3 days ago18 min read
Becoming a Certified Sommelier
"What all did this involve?" is a question many curious family members, friends, and fellow wine professionals ask about certification.
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the_maestro
Oct 1410 min read
Sommelier Studies: Nebbiolo, a Hometown Hero
Here's the next update of my Sommelier Studies series, focusing on one of my absolute favorite grape varietals.
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the_maestro
Aug 248 min read
Sommelier Studies: Toscana
The Maestro has decided he can't quit his love of learning, and I'm going "back to school," as it were––toward the end of this year, I'll...
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the_maestro
Apr 279 min read
Clues for the Clueless: Wine FAQs, Part 1
For the next few installments of the Maestro's "Clues for the Clueless," allow me to answer some of your most pressing wine questions.
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the_maestro
Oct 21, 202319 min read
Eleven Madison Park – New York, NY
Pre-disclaimer: At the risk of making it seem like this blog is only about restaurants granted three Michelin stars, this blog completes...
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the_maestro
Sep 15, 20238 min read
Noz 17 (and Depression) – New York, NY
Both of y'all loyal readers will have to forgive my spotty (i.e., completely absent) blogging for the better part of the last year. I...
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the_maestro
May 5, 202210 min read
Sonoma County and an Exercise in Wine Adjectives
People rightfully make fun of the highfalutin nature of descriptors for wine that wineries, critics, tasting room staff, sommeliers,...
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the_maestro
Jan 12, 20228 min read
The quiet perniciousness of cashless restaurants
The pandemic has upended much of our lives, and the hospitality industry is one of the primary victims. In the process, many restaurants,...
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the_maestro
Dec 31, 20219 min read
The 2021 Variant of the Big Drunk Gay Awards
Perhaps it was the sense of impending doom resulting from waking up every day in this pandemic, now again in a terrible phase, that...
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the_maestro
Dec 5, 202121 min read
Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark
Years before I came to understand what fine dining really meant––or rather, what it really could mean––my attraction to the best...
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the_maestro
Nov 7, 20217 min read
Table for One – The slight against solo diners
I have few particular complaints about my single lifestyle. It allows me to be nimble and spontaneous, easily adapt to new circumstances,...
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the_maestro
Mar 6, 20218 min read
Unboxing the Farm: a week with Stone Barns' "resourcED" Grocery Box
My mini-crusade to improve my choices and shift my life toward a more ethical food trajectory has involved a multitude of little...
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the_maestro
Feb 24, 20218 min read
Inspired Ingredients – Hakurei Turnips
Something I learned from my first visit to Stone Barns is how corporatized and streamlined our food experience has become. There are...
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the_maestro
Feb 22, 20214 min read
Table X @ Home – Salt Lake City, UT
One of the cooler trends we've been seeing emerge during the pandemic from restaurants are take-home, heat-and-eat style dinners. These...
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the_maestro
Feb 20, 20217 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Xiao Long Bao
Despite writing it up, I'd never posted this gem from back in the depths of Iowa quarantine in March 2020, but figured no time like the...
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the_maestro
Jan 9, 20216 min read
The Maestro's Big Drunk Gay Awards – 2020 Dumpster Fire Edition!
I really enjoyed issuing a series of absolutely meaningless "Big Drunk Gay" awards last year, highlighting the very best things I ate,...
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the_maestro
Sep 1, 20205 min read
The Maestro moves to Charlotte
Well kids, what can I say? Life is crazy, and my dearth of posts this past month was due in part to my grand adventure in Alaska, yes,...
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the_maestro
May 10, 20203 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Mother's Day Special
Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas and mama figures out there! It's been a wonderful day here in Cedar Rapids. Despite some really...
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the_maestro
Apr 20, 20205 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Pit Barrel Ribs
How are we lucky enough to have barbecue in our lives? I do not claim in the least to be a barbecue expert, so don't @ me, BBQ pros (very...
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the_maestro
Apr 17, 20204 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Greek Chicken Thighs
If you are like me, thirty-plus days of quarantine has begun to spark days of pronounced lethargy and depression––days where you stare...
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the_maestro
Apr 14, 20203 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
As long as we can't travel physically, we might as well travel culinarily! Korean food is having a real moment in the Unites States....
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the_maestro
Apr 13, 20203 min read
The Quarantini Series: Margaritas
We have been drinking a not-very-small amount during this fiasco, and margaritas seem to form the backbone of the consumption. Magically,...
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the_maestro
Apr 11, 20205 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Turkish Lamb Loin Chops
I wasn't planning on creating anything transcendental with this meal, so the Quarantine Cuisine series was supposed to next travel to...
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the_maestro
Apr 8, 20206 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Surf and Turf
Apologies for the delay in posting this next installment! The Maestro's computer suffered an unfortunate cracked screen, so a new one had...
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the_maestro
Mar 27, 20204 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Octopus and Mole Amarillo
This week I present a double dose of seafood, because our Fulton Fish Market order was particularly large (so we could trigger the free...
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the_maestro
Mar 21, 20207 min read
Quarantine Cuisine: Scallops
Well kiddos, as you may have noticed, the world has stopped moving. Restaurants and bars are closed, the stock market is crumbling, the...
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