Kathryn Hall Release Party

Hall Napa Valley, a leading luxury Cabernet Sauvignon producer, took its popular Kathryn Hall Release Party on the road to DC. I was lucky enough to attend this party with my friend, Matt, a professional wine educator.

When I first arrived, there were four wines available. The Walt La Brisa (2014) was a lighter chardonnay than I prefer, so I quickly moved on to the reds. There was a Walt Blue Jay Pinot Noir (2014) and two 2013 Cabernet's. The Cabs were by far the richest, fullest wines, and they were good enough to garner some acclaim.

We spent some time walking through and observing the rest of the attendees. It was an older crowd who was clearly very familiar with Kathryn Hall. Many were members of the wine club or invited to this party based on past purchases. Some were quite the aficionados.

Towards the middle of the event, we got to meet Kathryn Hall herself. As she spoke and talked about her wines, I thought we had tasted them all. But, lo and behold, the best had yet to come. The flagship 2013 Kathryn Hall Cab that was rated 98-100 points, in barrel, by Robert Parker had yet to be opened. This was a wine to savor.  The notes included blackberries and spice and as a full-bodied, high quality wine, it was clearly my favorite. Retailing at $165, I could see how this wine had been rated so highly. And after a few glasses, I felt almost ready to sign up for the wine club myself!

If you are looking for a high quality wine club, I would definitely recommend Kathryn Hall. Going into this event, I had never even heard of this winery and I left there impressed. We were even given her latest book, A Perfect Score. I'm looking forward to reading it while I enjoy one of her delicious cabs. And next time I'm in Napa, I'll be sure to look them up.

Full Disclosure: Although I was provided a complimentary ticket to this event, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

DC VegFest 2015

DC's biggest vegetarian festival, DC VegFest, went off without a hitch despite the impending hurricane and other storms! It was not the best weather, but, not surprisingly, the festival was still packed.

Without a doubt, the speaker lineup was the best ever. From speakers like Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby from Vedge in Philadelphia to Gene Baur of the Farm Sanctuary and David Carter, the 300-lb vegan, you really couldn't go wrong by stopping by the speaker tent.

Walking around I found some great vegan food vendors like South Block Juice Co.'s cold-pressed juice.

Nicobella's truffles were oh-so-scrumptious!

Cupcakes from the Bakeshop looked tantalizing.

There were some great vegan body product companies as well with lavender soaps and creams.

Non-profits like The Humane League, Humane Society of the U.S., and Sea Shepherd were in attendance.

Vegan clothing vendors like Herbivore were representin' as always.

There was even a new food vendor -- DC Ballers selling falafel and hummus sandwiches!

As always, the line for Vegan Treats was around the block!

And, of course, there were samples galore!  What a great time at DC VegFest this year! If you missed it, just be sure to mark your calendar for next year because it only gets better every year! See ya next time!

It's My Fourth Anniversary!

It's my four-year anniversary of blogging - my blogiversary! Four years went by quickly! And I still love blogging - imagine that! Here are my favorite posts from the past year -- my year in review:

Restaurants/Cafes (top 9)

• Cocobeet, Boston, MA
• Crossroads, Los Angeles, CA
• Elizabeth's Gone Raw, DC
• Grace Restaurant, Chicago, IL
• Great Sage, Clarksville, MD
• M.A.K.E., Santa Monica, CA
• Mellow Moods Cafe and Juice Bar, Shepherdstown, WV
• Omar's Rawtopia, Salt Lake City, UT
• Ovo Simply Veggie, College Park, MD

Recipes (top 8)

• Black Bean Soup with Cashew Sauce
• Flying Massaman Curry
• Home-style Pancakes with Blueberry Butter
• Polish Summer Soba Salad
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce
• Tex-Mex Casserole
• Tofu and Seitan Sausage Scramble
• Tomato-Basil Pasta
  

Food Products (top 7)

• JJ's Sweets Cocomels
• Joy Bliss Raw Chocolates
• Karma Wrapped Cashews
• Paqui Ghost Pepper Tortilla Chips
• Primizie Crispbread
• The Chia Co. - Oats and Muesli
• Undone Chocolate

Cookbooks (top 4)

• Oh She Glows
• Salad Samurai
• Thrive Energy
• Vegan Pressure Cooking 

Places to Visit

• Inn Boonsboro in Boonsboro, MD
• PIGS Animal Sanctuary in Shepherdstown, WV

Special Events

• DC VegFest
• Expo West

Thanks for continuing to read about my adventures. I look forward to sharing another year with you!

Baltimore VegFest 2015

Alright, so I'm a week late. I'll never win the award for breaking news. I'm just too busy! But, better late than never. Drum roll.....I come to you with less-than-breaking news that the Baltimore VegFest was AWESOME!

It was a fantastically beautiful day with nice cloud cover that kept the warm sun from beating down on everyone. When I arrived at 11 a.m., there was a line around the block to get in because everyone wanted one of the free goody bags that were only available to the first so-many people who arrived! Once that died down, there was a line around the VegFest for Vegan Treats baked goods. Not really a surprise there. Known for their inventive gourmet treats, Vegan Treats has quite a fanbase.

Strolling around the festival, I ran into old friends walking the show and working the booths. Nonprofits were there representing like Vegan Outreach, COK, and Burleigh Manor Animal Sanctuary. Burleigh brought a beautiful goat so me and my brother got a pic with him. Smile!

There were clothing companies with awesome clothing and beauty companies with cruelty-free goodies!

And, of course, there was food and lots of it. I gulped down a delicious juice from Juka Juice and had lunch from the Land of Kush. I quickly wished I had gotten the falafel though as it was loaded with fresh veggies!

The best new item I found there were these amazing caramel peanut butter cupcakes from Vegedible. They couldn't have been any better. Look for more from this budding baker soon!

The festivities included speakers as well, but I missed most of that! How could I listen to speakers when I was busy discovering two new kombucha shops!

All in all, it was a great time. I'm so happy to see the Baltimore VegFest grow and look forward to supporting it year after year!

2015 Natural Products Expo West Day 3

Wow! Okay, I'm officially exhausted. I think I walked that trade show floor at least three times to be sure I didn't miss anything. Thanks to everyone who made my experience what it was because it was an incredible show.  It is rumored that nearly 80,000 people attended! In my exhaustion, I still feel necessary to post my top picks of the last day, in no particular order. Enjoy!

#1 So Delicious CocoWhip

#2 Crude Juice (cold-pressed)

#3 Late July Bacon Habanero tortilla chips (yes, they are vegan!)

#4 Raaka chocolate (organic)

#5 Giv Quinoa Burgers

#6 Tofurky Slow-Roasted Chick'n

#7 Daiya Supreme Pizza (using Beyond Meat crumbles) (and they made cheesecake too!)

And here's my silly picture of the day! Till next year Expo West!

*Disclaimer: I make no claims that any of this is healthy. When I do my research on ingredients, I will decide whether I actually want to fully review these products or not based on ingredient and nutritional content.

2015 Natural Products Expo West Day 2

Today was yet another exhilarating day at Expo West! So much food and so much fun, yet so little time! Seriously though, there was plenty of time to try just about everything. Here are my top picks of the day in no particular order:

#1 Endangered Species Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa

#2 Amy's Kitchen Soups and Frozen Dishes

Quinoa, Kale, and Red Lentil and Chunky Tomato Bisque

 Chinese Noodles and Veggies in a Cashew Cream Sauce

#3 Hodo Soy Tofu Veggie Burger

#4 TaDah Foods Falafel Poppers (hummus inside the falafel!)

#5 Sweet Earth Tuscan Savory Grounds

#6 Follow Your Heart's new Vegan Cheese

And finally, here is my obligatory silly picture of the day. And, yes, their suits are inflated and equipped with a sound system.

That's it for today. One more day!

2015 Natural Products Expo West Day 1

I made it! With the snowstorm that just ripped through the country, it was somewhat doubtful that I'd make it here on time, but I did it -- I'm here! Because of all the ice and snow, I wasn't able to fly in until today so I only had three hours at the 2015 Natural Products Expo West, but what an amazing three hours it was!

This is the premier show for natural products and it's like a who's who of the industry. I'm always so energized to be around others who are as passionate about food as I am. So here are my favorite products of the day in no particular order.

#1 Way Better Snacks Sprouted Crackers

#2 Health Warrior Chia Protein Bars

#3 Field Roast Chao [Vegan] Cheese

#4 Miyoko's Creamery Cheese (nut-based)

#5 Coconut Bliss Salted Caramel Bars

That's it for day number one. More to come tomorrow and full reviews of products in the future. 

Oh, and of course, I ended up at industry parties afterwards. Now, I'm ready for day number two!