Angela and I don’t eat out every much, which surprises a lot of people when they hear me say it. And I’m not just talking about during the pandemic (we went to one restaurant for one lunch between March 2020 and May 2021). In general, we stay in. We’re introverts and really good cooks, we…
First, a little background on the business of wine bars. There is probably no harder way for a restauranteur to make money than to open a wine bar. Unlike a coffee shop, you can’t take it to go. Unlike a taproom, you’re making far less margin. And unlike the beer world, you can’t down three…
On the morning of Tuesday May 30th we got a phone call from the management of Toast Wine Bar that they would be closing after service that evening. I asked if I could announce it to the Twin Cities Wine Education fans to give them one last chance to enjoy, and they requested no. They…
Note from Jason: This profile is about one of my favorite people in the local wine scene. Erin Rolek represents the younger generation of sommeliers in all the best ways: fun, sassy, opinionated, but without the ego or pretentiousness that characterize much of the sommelier world. Her list at The Bachelor Farmer is not only balanced…
After a recent wine class, a student named Alyssa shared an exciting story. She was out for dinner with her boss, and her boss’ boss, and (you guessed it) the boss’ boss’ boss. It was a French-fusion-meets-steakhouse restaurant in Chicago with a pretty extensive wine program including two full time sommeliers on staff. As they…
Here’s the thing: I love eating out. I love supporting honest and true restaurants with chefs that give a damn. But I don’t like how much it costs. Always on the lookout for a bargain, I’ve figured out the perfect three day wine escape, which happens to be in Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth has one of…
