A toast to my first post

Creating this blog was a chance for me to blab about my two favorite things: eating and drinking. I mean, really, 5 O'clock really is the best time ever, and thank God it is around dinner time. Or, is that "Miller Time"?

Please find humor in what I say; challenge my cooking techniques; bring new ideas to the "table"; create your own review of my dishes and wine selections; tell me that the 2006 Tori Vineyard Zin from Wilson isn't good, but be damn well ready to back up your claim; be well read on Omnivore's Dilemma, Soul of a Chef (basically anything Michael Ruhlman), food blogs, food mags, and Food newspaper sections; be prepared to collect corks, menus, pictures, and even cocktail napkins. As I love my experience in food and wine (and other beverages), I want to make this a fun blog to read. And, of course, enjoy what I have to say - just like that perfectly cooked 6o-hour sous vide pork belly and seared scallop dish from Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, CA (hell, even if it wasn't cooked for 60 hours, it was damn well the best I have had).

Whatever your beverage of choice, please raise a glass and toast to my ramblings of cooking escapades, adventures in the $10 and under wines at Trader Joes, frequent excursions out to eat (and drink), visits to the famed farmers markets of Northern California, jaunts to the wine country, and most importantly, enjoying my favorite hour of the day. I hope it will become yours too. Oh, and don't forget the food.