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TRAVEL
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
Aug 184 min read
The Best Bites at the Iowa State Fair
The standard fair fare of corn dogs and funnel cakes can be found at countless stands, but certain pioneering purveyors push the envelope!
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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
Mar 1323 min read
Three Wineries in La Rioja
Until this spring, I’d never done a wine tasting visit to Europe. In fact, until January, I’d never formally gone wine tasting outside of...
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the_maestro
Jan 308 min read
New Zealand's Central Otago Wine Region
When you visit a locale that happens to make excellent wine, make sure you leave room in your suitcase. When I booked my January trip to...
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the_maestro
Dec 11, 20235 min read
Eat Like the Maestro at Miami Art Week
A few years back, the art world was shaken to its core when Italian absurdist artist Maurizio Cattelan duct taped a ripe banana to a wall...
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the_maestro
Nov 10, 202310 min read
Clues for the Clueless – Sushi in Japan
I like to think I am knowledgable about food and beverages. But sometimes one has an experience that reminds you just how little you...
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the_maestro
Oct 28, 20234 min read
Street Food in Omoide Yokocho – Tokyo, Japan
Tucked in the belly of the glistening skyscrapers of Shinjuku is Tokyo's own "Memory Lane," or Omoide Yokocho, a narrow alleyway housing...
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the_maestro
Jul 18, 202216 min read
Blue Hill at Stone Barns (2) – Pocantico Hills, NY
Regular readers of the blog have doubtless come across at least one of the reviews of my meals at the Stone Barns Center for Food and...
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the_maestro
Jun 29, 20224 min read
Eat like the Maestro in DC
Car Talk, my very favorite old NPR show, took calls from all over the country, and whenever Tom and Ray got a call from DC, Tom always...
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the_maestro
Jun 18, 20225 min read
The best lobster roll in Maine, Part 2
Once I'd dropped off my friend's new Bernedoodle puppy in Boston and enjoyed some culinary offerings in one of my favorite cities in the...
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the_maestro
Apr 9, 20223 min read
Eat Like the Maestro in Boston
Oooo kiddos––it's been a busy time in the Maestro's life, and I have a backlog of blogs that resembles a California freeway at 4pm. So...
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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 30, 20215 min read
36 hours of fantastic food and bev in Athens
I am woefully behind on blog posts owing to the end of the semester at Davidson and the ensuing whirlwind travel schedule. I know both of...
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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
Oct 5, 20219 min read
Finding the Best Lobster Roll in Midcoast Maine
The Maine coast has approximately 24,398,423,876,323,907 restaurants serving lobster. This is the land of “lobstah,” especially this time...
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the_maestro
Sep 12, 202111 min read
Is Las Vegas Undergoing a Culinary Revival? A Case Study
Back in the era of big name European celebrity chefs establishing outpost restaurants, in the heyday of places like the Bellagio, when...
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the_maestro
Jul 22, 20213 min read
Fonta Flora Brewery and Singlewyde Pizza at Whippoorwill Farm – Nebo, NC
North Carolina is the land of beer. I have five breweries within a five minute walk of my apartment. Charlotte has dozens in its city...
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the_maestro
Jul 5, 202114 min read
Our Culinary Adventure in Lima
Lima, Peru, a vibrant city of nearly ten million people, has earned a reputation as one of the culinary epicenters of the Americas, if...
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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
Dec 19, 20208 min read
Peumayén – Santiago, Chile
Yep, Chile! Here I am (or rather, there I was)! Many on social media were surprised to see that I had managed to get out of the country,...
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the_maestro
Dec 11, 20206 min read
Desert Bistro – Moab, UT
I gave myself a fairly open itinerary in Utah so I could sort of go where the wind blew me, as it were, originally planning to rent a...
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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 28, 20208 min read
#tbt: A day in Lugano, Switzerland
I have been spending a lot of time longing for the days when we could freely travel and see wonderful new places, and was reminded of my...
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the_maestro
Jan 31, 20203 min read
Presenting The Maestro's 2019 Big Drunk Gay Awards
Well folks, we have entered a new year, and even though I am one month late on the new year, it was just over one year ago that I created...
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the_maestro
Jul 7, 20198 min read
Wine tasting in Santa Barbara County
It’s been a while since I have had the opportunity to blog! Travels have been busy, and the bit of downtime I had in the last little...
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the_maestro
Jun 16, 20199 min read
The TWA Hotel at JFK – Boundless potential, Boundless Incompetence
Y'all may know that I am a major nerrrrrd for aviation. Ever since I was a kid, I couldn't wait to get on my next plane. I made paper...
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the_maestro
Jun 12, 20197 min read
Italy, Part 3 – Lost in Venice
The first UT Alumni Choir tour has sadly come to a close, and in the absolutely stunning city of Venice. We were up bright and early in...
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the_maestro
Jun 10, 20195 min read
Italy, Part 2 – Florence and Assisi
The party continues in Florence, where we spent the last three marvelous days touring, singing, and (of course) eating and drinking....
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the_maestro
Jun 7, 20193 min read
Italy, Part 1 – Roma
A delayed start to my trip blogging! We have been having a marvelous time in bella Italia, and it’s been difficult to have time to sit...
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the_maestro
May 29, 20192 min read
"Victory Lap" Trip Preview!
As many of you know, I've just graduated with my doctorate! As a little gift to myself, I've combined the planned UT Choirs tour to Italy...
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