Whirlwind tour

Since I last posted I've been on kind of a crazy journey!
It would take hours to provide the kind of detail I'd like to, so I think I'll create a bulleted list of the highlights of the last month in terms of food/wine

1. Birthday! My wife threw a fantastic little dinner party for me and a few friends on March 9. On the menu were five spice duck, a vertical pinot noir tasting, and pear tart from the Dahlia Lounge followed by some sloppy Guitar Hero. Great stuff indeed
2. Birthday! My wife followed up the amazing dinner party on Friday with a really fun dinner with friends at http://www.baroloseattle.com The space is great, I love the lighting, and the menu looks great. The food was just ok and the service kinda sucked. Luckily I was with great friends and it just didn't matter! If you're considering Barolo...point your car northwest and hit http://www.volterrarestaurant.com/ instead.
3. Vancouver. This is a very special city for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Emily and I were engaged there. We went up for a night on our way to Whistler and had a great time. Met with some old mobile game cronies and then hit http://www.cincin.net for a nice little dinner at the bar. No, its not the newest, trendiest, or most interesting choice in Vancouver...but it is always good and the service rocks. We started with the Gnocchi con cinghiale (red wine braised wild boar) then followed it up with a large helping of Gnocchi con cinghiale! The wine menu is great, both by the glass and by the bottle. We tried a couple different things but settled on a barbera that was just right with the boar. Next time you roll Robson, stop at the Cin Cin bar for some boar and barbera, you won't be disappointed
4. Whistler. We went up for a nice little vacation with a heavy maintenance component. Had to get our act together and make some improvements to the condo and so we did just that. Didn't get everything done we wanted, but we are well on track. While in Whistler we actually ate in more than out, but we had one noteworthy meal with our friends Rob And Missy at Elements. This PACKED little tapas joint isn't much from the outside, but on the inside its absolutely buzzing with energy and the food was phenomenal. Its an eclectic mix of small plates with Asian influence and Canadian sensibilities (ie: great and varied meat)
5. Orlando. Yes, that's right, Orlando. Went for the big mobile show CTIA and while the show itself was pretty stale, the fact that I can go to a party thrown by MTV, featuring Grandmaster Flash and hang out with everyone I've ever worked with is pretty freakin fantastic. Great to see Levin, Alex G, Drew, Kate, Jeff C, Golden, Flanders, Aunkur, Peachey, a bunch of old Jamdat folks, and so many others was a blast. I did have one good meal while in Orlando, and it did not occur in a theme park. Drew and Kate invited me to http://www.sambaroom.net/ which serves solid Latin-fusion cuisine and the atmosphere is really fun. I had the skirt steak and some great Argentinian wine, Bodega Norton Privada which was a cab, malbec, merlot blend....niiiiice
6. Scotland, Part I: long story short, I went to my sister's wedding in Northeastern Scotland. The wedding was followed by a great dinner/reception where they featured Angus beef which is from the Angus region of Scotland. Great meal followed by very bad dancing.
7. Scotland Part II: Stayed two nights in Edinburgh and enjoyed some local fare. I can't say i'm going to miss meat pies or haggis, but I tried them and they're ok. The liver with bacon I think I'll probably skip next time.
8. London: $40 for a greasy breakfast complete with cold toast, beans, and something puck-like they call pudding? Blech. Here's my advice for eating in London: if the meal is on someone else's dime, find the Timeout magazine, select a restaurant that is expensive and highly rated, and be prepared to be underwhelmed. If you are paying out of your own pocket think about having something less than traditional such as pizza...http://www.strada.co.uk/ serves solid if less than inspiring Italian fare, some decent pizza, and good wines by the glass without breaking the bank.

So now I'm back, jetlagged, and glad to be within the range of Pagliacci. Hope life is treating you right.