Food and Wine

Walk into their winery and feel the harmony: Larry gregariously chatting up customers, April quietly tending to business, their kids playing. More often than not, they’ll have a movie or a baseball game playing on the “big screen” on their north wall that hangs from the ceiling.

Originally sent exclusively to our A-List members December 2008. To become a A-List member, Click Here

Originally sent exclusively to our A-List members October 2008. To become a A-List member, Click Here

Originally sent exclusively to our A-List members November 2007. To become a A-List member, Click Here

I became a fan of Brimstone, the grill and bar at the Padre Hotel at 18th and H streets in downtown Bakersfield, the moment I set foot in the place. I suppose you could say I’d waited decades for that moment.

You don’t need boxing gloves if you’re looking for a total knock-out, just swing by Noriega’s and take on the traditional Basque Picon Punch.

Among French wines, only Bordeaux wines are classified, a monumental effort accomplished in 1855, and maintained to this day. Bordeaux, of course, is subdivided into various sub-appellations: Margaux, Pauillac, St. Estephe, Medoc, St. Emilion, and Pomerol among them. Only five Bordeaux wines are classified “First Growth,” the top tier, and these wines command huge prices...

The Crest Bar and Grill may be one of the best-kept secrets in Bakersfield. It’s one of those places that you’ve got to know where it is, and be purposely going there, to find it. No billboards or signs direct you. For longtime Bakersfield residents, the clue is in the name...

This time of year, the oven is certainly not our friend. When we see the words “pre-heat,” we flip the page in the cookbook, right?

Originally sent exclusively to our A-List members November 2006. To become a A-List member, Click Here