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A Very Merry Holiday Season
Laurie and I just spent the past six weeks enjoying another epic holiday season! We are now winding down from the hectic pace and almost non-stop celebrations but also continuing to reflect fondly on an absolutely wonderful holiday season! Here’s a quick recap for you in case you weren’t here to enjoy it all with us! The 2025 holiday season kicked off for us on November 17 th when Laurie and I decorated the house for the season! We love getting an early start on the festivit

MarkG
Jan 93 min read


Wines for Your 2025 Thanksgiving Table
Thanksgiving is almost here, which means it’s time to plan for Thanksgiving dinner and in particular, what wines you plan to serve with your Thanksgiving feast! Here are four fantastic wines that will pair well with almost any Thanksgiving dish! While Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday, I also love Thanksgiving and the fact that it’s a holiday built around a huge feast to be enjoyed with family and friends! Laurie and I adhere to the traditional Thanksgiving menu – n

MarkG
Nov 21, 20254 min read


Eating Our Way Through Sarasota - Fall 2025 Restaurant Reviews
It’s time to review more Sarasota area restaurants! This time we’ll review a mix of new restaurants, as well as others that everyone raves about that Laurie and I decided we had to try based on the positive reviews. Do our reviews reflect what everyone else is saying? Read on to find out! Dining patio at Michaels on East in Sarasota, FL This summer has been usual and unusual in a number of ways. First, the rainy season came again in full force, with 51 inches of rain since th

MarkG
Oct 24, 20257 min read


Tasting Fine Wines with Friends
Is there anything better than sharing a nice glass of wine with friends? The answer is definitely – the one thing better than that is...

MarkG
Oct 3, 20257 min read


My Restaurant Pet Peeves - Part 5
It’s time for the final installment of my restaurant pet peeves blog series! It has felt really good to get all these pet peeves off my...

MarkG
Sep 26, 20255 min read


My Restaurant Pet Peeves - Part 4
Wow! I’m surprising myself with how many restaurant pet peeves I actually have – who knew? Anyway, welcome to the fourth installment of...

MarkG
Sep 19, 20254 min read


A Tribute to the Big Easy and Vieux Carre
20 years ago, this past weekend, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana which included a direct hit on the city of New Orleans. The...

MarkG
Sep 5, 20256 min read


My Restaurant Pet Peeves - Part 3
It’s time for the third installment of my restaurant pet peeves blog series! In addition to general restaurant pet peeves and restaurant...

MarkG
Aug 29, 20257 min read


My Restaurant Pet Peeves - Part 2
It’s time for more restaurant pet peeves, and I have a lot of them! This installment of “My Restaurant Pet Peeves” series will focus on...

MarkG
Aug 15, 20257 min read


My Restaurant Pet Peeves
OK everybody, it’s time to vent!! How many of you have gone to a nice restaurant and left feeling disappointed and let down by the...

MarkG
Aug 8, 20256 min read


Reviewing the Newest Additions to the Sarasota Restaurant Scene - Summer 2025 Edition
Here we go again! Since my last restaurant review update in April, Laurie and I have visited seven new restaurants that have opened since...

MarkG
Jul 25, 20257 min read


What I Miss and Don't Miss About Pre-Retirement Life
This week Laurie and I are celebrating our 4 th retirement anniversary! I thought this would be a good time to take a quick break from...

MarkG
Jul 4, 20257 min read


One Last Spring Fling!
Our niece Sara, and her husband Andy came down to Sarasota to visit us a couple of weeks ago. What better way to celebrate their visit...

MarkG
May 23, 20253 min read


My Two Most Memorable Blind Wine Tastings
Last week’s blog covered the basics of blind wine tastings, and how to plan and host your own. This week, I’ll share my two most...

MarkG
May 16, 20255 min read


Blind Wine Tastings - How to Plan and Host One
Do you think you could tell a Chardonnay from a Sauvignon Blanc without knowing which glass held which wine? How about a Pinot Noir from...

MarkG
May 9, 20254 min read
My Dream Dinner Party - With Famous Musicians
What if you could invite any four famous musicians, deceased or alive, to your dream dinner party? Who would you invite, and what would...

MarkG
May 2, 20255 min read


Reviewing the Latest Additions to the Sarasota Restaurant Scene
Laurie and I are having a difficult time keeping up with all the new restaurants opening in and around Sarasota – what a great problem to...

MarkG
Apr 11, 20258 min read


Sipping for the Season - Pairing Wine and Weather
Most people believe there are no seasons in Florida, and all we have is hot, sunny, humid weather year-round – they couldn’t be more...

MarkG
Mar 28, 20256 min read


The Absolute Best and Worst Florida Has to Offer - Part 2
For this week’s blog I’ll continue sharing my thoughts on the absolute best and worst that Florida has to offer. Let’s talk weather,...

MarkG
Mar 7, 20256 min read


The Absolute Best and Worst Florida Has to Offer
Florida is a wonderful, weird, fun, frightening, delightful, unpredictable and entirely unique place to live! And similar to every one of...

MarkG
Feb 28, 20256 min read
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