Weekly A to Z, Jan 15th.
After another stunning collab at Tresind Studio to kick off my fine dining in 2022, we started out the week watching Spider-Man No Way Home in luxury, and I’ll definitely be returning to CinemaCity for the Azul lounge (and its licensed theater). #invited
While catching up on some future projects on Monday and Tuesday (2022 is looking good, y’all), on Wednesday it was over to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and then onto Rojac Vineyard, who make fantastic natural wines. After sampling a number of delicious varieties, we dined at in the winemaker’s home (they are one of the suppliers of wine to Hisa Franko), and then drove to Hiša Franko (the highlight of our trip).
On Thursday, hanging out with Ana Ros (!) all day was a dream. We started with a beautiful cozy breakfast in the restaurant, then went to Rosa di Gorizia, the radicchio/chicory supplier in Solkan (I had no idea how long these veggies take to produce). After a quick snack (and sneaking into Italy), we visited some of the Hisa Franko farmers with the freshly harvested chicory and enjoyed a late lunch featuring other vegetables grown on the land. In the evening, the degustation at Hiša Franko was a beautiful dinner, and I would absolutely encourage anyone to make the trip to enjoy a meal here to experience the warm generosity and spirit of the team in person. Here’s a link, if you’d like to see.
I’ve also collated my Slovenia trip as a highlight, should you want to check it out. Overall, a quick but brilliant visit and I feel lucky to have been included. #invited
Finally, to my fellow UGA fans and alumni — it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog!
Links, please.
Why you can’t trust restaurant reviews. Vice (Thanks for the tip, Liam!)
A professional baker reviews baking in films and TV. Vanity Fair
What’s your signature dish? (A: assisting in a great carbonara). GFY
What happened to PB&J? JSTOR
Do you agree with these rankings? OMAAT
Or these predictions about the F&B industry? Andrew Zimmerman
Make…everything a podcast? Podcastle AI
What IS gruyere? NYT
I would do anything for a waiter. Twitter
Frostings, ranked. The Takeout
People don’t talk like this in real life. New Yorker
Who is responsible for ‘dessert’ hummus? Eater
Virgilio Martinez talks about modern Latin food. Saveur
Paying for a stranger’s coffee isn’t the act of kindness you think it is. Medium
Getting a hamster drunk. The Atlantic
You might be buying fake bourbon. NYT
Interesting thoughts on Dry January. Eater
No one: ‘ ,’ Coca-Cola, ‘look at this!’ Yahoo
I’ll be recovering this weekend — maybe a hike, and hopefully a trip to Beefbar. Next week, IDK, maybe I should check out another country? Keep your fingers crossed for ‘warm’ weather in Estonia.
If you enjoy this newsletter and want to support me, consider sharing this newsletter on social media, ordering from these restaurants, purchasing my books (or these novels), or buying me coffee. Archives of the Weekly A to Z can be found here.
C.
