Classic Wines

Employees always enjoy receiving gifts from their boss’s. Not only does it show appreciation for their hard work, it can also show how well a boss knows their employees. The Classic Wines team recently reviewed the VP Assortment steak gift package from... read more

To fry or not to fry, or to eat fried foods, or not to eat fried foods - such a dilemma! Fried foods are satisfactory, especially in calming post-Phillies party hangovers! Fried foods are visually appealing, too - golden and crunchy - you see something... read more

"Umami" (ooh-mah-mee) - sounds like a Hispanic pet name, or like maybe something Hispanic guys might say to a pretty gal walking by... "U-mami, estas sabrosa." While the word's real meaning doesn't take on a sexist twist, it does tu... read more

This past week was somewhat crazy - brains, kidneys, a marketing midterm (300 pages that I kind of read), the Phillies going to the World Series (Go Phillies!), an intense weekend at work, and a terrible cold. Due to this cold and the intense schedule,... read more

I can finally say that I am a true carnivore - I've eaten innards. I've consumed kidney and brain in a variety of ways (sort of...). I wasn't able to try all of the kidney dishes at school. I had one and it was ok. Then I had another which had a promin... read more

When I was but a baby in the kitchen (Freshman 1), we were introduced to culinary techniques. The first few classes were all about knife skills, and we all tried so very hard to make the perfect julienne or brunoise or batonnet. The instructor would wa... read more

Lobster meat... it is delicate, juicy, and highly addicting. Their meat is sweet in flavor and it blends gracefully with almost every single kind of cuisine and flavor on this planet... American or Maine Lobsters have edible meat in both their tail and... read more

In French "en papillote" means "in paper," although it is often translated to "in parchment." In this method, one makes a pouch out of parchment paper, seals it, and allows the heat of the oven to steam the comestibles. It is a cooking method that is e... read more

School has been a little hectic this semester, but I survived the game meats class... I made a chimichurri with boar tenderloin, which was actually quite good - and I was thrilled that my instructor understood my refusal to cook the species I chose for... read more

Ecommerce is a global behemoth. Websites like EBay and Amazon are so broad in their scope that the only limit is imagination. Some industries have taken to online shopping with fierce enthusiasm – electronics, cars, books, and music just to name a few.... read more

What is cooking? What do you think of when you find out that someone is in culinary school? What do you think this individual learns? The more common answers would be the mainstream type foods, pastas, steaks, chicken cacciatore, etc., right? I just go... read more

Oh, no! The end is coming - I can feel it! The weather is growing cooler and drier, and the yellow school buses are rolling about... It's the end - of New Jersey tomatoes, that is. For those not from the Philadelphia/Jersey area, the flavorful, summery... read more

It's Saturday night at Joe's Magnificent Steak House, and there are 20 active tickets being worked on at the moment. Everything is under control until suddenly two larger groups come in, one of eight and one of six. They are all seated and begin to rea... read more

"Verjus" or "green juice"... I kind of knew what it was, but not really. In fact, it was relatively unknown to us in the U.S. until very recently, for example, there is nothing in my cooking textbook about verjus - everything I found was on the interne... read more

When alcohol goes past its delicious stage, we get another useful kitchen ingredient: Vinegar. Vinegar is a result of a bacterial ambush in the alcohol, which turns the alcohol into acetic acid. When it comes to cooking with vinegar, there are many opt... read more

Let's talk about improving your meals with interesting marinades! If you've tried your hand at this before, you may know there are certain common dilemma's that trip people up. Here are a few problems and solutions to enhance your cooking experience - ... read more

Oh, no! It's here... the last official, unofficial "weekend of summer:" Labor Day Weekend. It's the end of BBQ party season, and people prepare to feast and enjoy their pools and backyards for the last time before winter rears it's cold, gray head. For... read more

This is a classic recipe for French Onion Soup. I got it from my On Cooking textbook and made a few changes from how I've seen chefs treat the soup. It yields approximately four quarts of soup. You'll need: Patience. The onions will have to cook slowly... read more

"Whaaaaah! Not another onion!" My poor little brain and eyes screamed as I slaved away in one of my internship sites. The onions were wet and released their potent fumes making my eyes tear near the point of temporary blindness, and my nose l... read more

Onions are one very important vegetable in the kitchen. Their sweetness while cooked makes it a must for almost any dish, and their heat and texture while raw make it a crunchy delight in any salad. However, onions are a little tricky to dice, making c... read more