Mouthing Off

Photo © Martin Morrell

Piedmont, in northern Italy, is known for two things: wine and truffles. Traditionally, when people make pilgrimages to Piedmont, that’s why they come. They visit the vineyards and the wineries, they drink Barolo and Barbaresco, they eat pasta buried under snowdrifts of white truffle shavings and they laugh as they listen to that eerie whistling sound a bank account makes as it deflates, which is what happens when they pay for all those truffles. Here, wineries not to miss.

Giacomo Borgogno e Figli
At Borgogno, one of Piedmont’s oldest wineries (founded in 1761), a shop sells current bottles of its elegant Barolos, plus vintages going back to the 1960s. Cellar tours are just five euros. Via Gioberti 1, Barolo; borgogno.com.

Boroli
After tasting Boroli’s impressive Barolos and Barberas (make sure to try the single-vineyard Fagiani Barbera), travelers can eat at owner Achille Boroli’s nearby Michelin-starred restaurant, Locanda del Pilone. Fraz. Madonna di Como 34, Alba; boroli.it.

Michele Chiarlo
In 2011, this top producer opened the gorgeous Palas Cerequio resort adjacent to the renowned Cerequio vineyard. Guests can try excellent wines from the region, as well as Chiarlo’s own bottlings, in the on-site tasting room. Palas Cerequio, Borgata Cerequio, La Morra; palascerequio.com.

Elvio Cogno
Stop by this hilltop winery (tastings by appointment) for superb single-cru Barolos and a remarkable Barbera made from vines planted in the 1800s. Località Ravera 2, Novello; elviocogno.com.

Ceretto
Every wine made by this producer outside the town of Alba is impressive. So is the estate itself, which has a translucent, hemispherical tasting room that extends out over the vines, and a colorful chapel designed by artists Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett. Località San Cassiano 34, Alba; ceretto.com.

Fontanafredda
Unusual for top European wineries, the tasting room and shop here are open daily with no appointment necessary. Visitors can also take nature walks on the estate, originally a hunting retreat for King Vittoro Emanuele II. Via Alba 15, Serralunga d’Alba; fontanafredda.it.

Related: Bold Beers in the Land of Barolo

Red Carpet Cocktail Courtesy of Justine Sterling

On Sunday, star chef Daniel Boulud is hosting the only official East Coast Oscar party with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at his flagship restaurant, Daniel. The evening mirrors the West Coast’s most glamorous Oscars event, the Governors Ball, which Wolfgang Puck has overseen for the past 19 years. “I always envy Wolfgang Puck in Los Angeles, so I am very proud to be doing my share in New York,” says Boulud.

While Boulud might make it to Hollywood one day—spot his cameo in the in the film Final Recipe this spring—he’s going all-out for the Academy in New York. Boulud created nominee-inspired dishes, like the Life of Pi tiger shrimp samosas, as well as sparkling Red Carpet cocktails with a vibrant base layer of cranberry gelée, and a three-course dinner. Here, he offers tips for adapting his megawatt viewing party at home. MORE »

Red walnuts' bright hue gives party dishes a festive touch. / © Con Poulos

F&W Executive Food Editor Tina Ujlaki applies her incredible cooking knowledge to explaining what to do with a variety of interesting ingredients.

I was shopping for stemmed artichokes at Eataly the other day when I came across the most beautiful walnuts I've ever seen. They were grown and packaged by the appropriately named Sanguinetti family in the Central Valley of California.

When you see their vibrant purplish-red color, you would swear they had been dyed (like they sometimes dye pistachios). The color actually comes from their red-skinned Persian parentage. With closed eyes, these large walnut halves taste just like a very fresh, crisp version of the brown English walnuts we”re familiar with, but they're so festive for parties—especially in nut mixes, salads, brittles, barks, breads and in other baked goods. Here are a few recipes that I love that would show off their gorgeous hue:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers, Walnuts and Anchovies
Smoked-Duck Salad with Walnuts and Raspberries
Aged Gouda Biscotti with Walnuts

Related: Crunchy Nut Recipes
Fantastic Main Course Salads
Tasty Snacks

F&W’s Kate Krader hit New Orleans with locals like Treme’s Wendell Pierce as her tour guides. Here, her neighborhood guide.

© Paul Costello

French Quarter
I ate amazing pizza and house-made charcuterie at Domenica and got the scoop on the upcoming Treme cookbook from the book’s author, renowned local writer Lolis Eric Elie.

Historic District
At Bellocq bar, I drank icy rum cobblers with Treme star Wendell Pierce; he told me about his cool new chain of grocery stores.

Warehouse District
Over warm boudin and superb muffuletta sandwiches, Cochon Butcher’s chef-owner Donald Link gave me the scoop on the amazing pork he’s begun producing.

Bywater District
I got an insider tour of NOLA’s hottest area from big-deal developer Sean Cummings. A Bywater highlight: the great food-and-cocktail spot Maurepas Foods.

Related: New Orleans Travel Guide
Kate Krader's Insider Guide to New Orleans
Delicious Recipes from New Orleans Chefs

© David Malosh

“It is a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30 on account of your sister, your brother-in-law and your bottom,” admits Pippa Middleton in her new book Celebrate: A Year of British Festivities for Families and Friends, which will be released next week. Also a bit surprising: the socialite's kooky Halloween party tips.>>

Courtesy of New York Water Taxi

Driving around looking at the gorgeous amber, orange and sunset-colored leaves of deciduous trees is a familiar fall road trip, but a handful of enterprising boat companies now offer traffic-free foliage tours by water. For three upcoming Sundays (Oct. 21and 28, and Nov. 4), New York Water Taxi offers guided day trips leaving from Manhattan at 12:30 p.m., and gliding 60 miles up the Hudson River to West Point.»

Photo © St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

F&W's October issue looks at the wisdom of aging, from barrel-aged cocktails to timeworn spaces. Here, three beautifully renovated historic hotels.

St. Pancras Renaissance, London (photo)

Then: Built in 1873 as part of the city’s St. Pancras train station, the hotel offered central heating, a Moroccan-style coffee shop and an opulent restaurant—the height of Victorian-era hospitality and luxury.

Now: After a 76-year closure, St. Pancras has been carefully restored, including reproductions of the original glassware, with some modern design touches. A concession to the times: Rooms have iPads. stpancras.com.

The Algonquin, New York City

Then: A Jazz Age-era hotel and famous watering hole for the city’s intelligentsia, it was the site of Dorothy Parker’s Round Table. Owner Frank Case was known to offer free rooms to struggling authors.

Now: All 174 rooms have been renovated, some for the first time since the hotel’s 1902 opening. The Blue Bar has been updated, and the Oak Room cabaret turned into a lounge. algonquinhotel.com.

Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles

Then: Opened in 1946, the hotel became a favorite of 1950s Hollywood. Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis and Tony Curtis were regulars. Marilyn Monroe sat for one of her final photo shoots here and Grace Kelly stayed the night she won her Oscar.

Now: Recently renovated, the property has a new eponymous restaurant by Wolfgang Puck, who also masterminded the bar, lounge and room-service menus. A signature dish and locavore favorite: snapper crudo with Santa Barbara uni. hotelbelair.com.

Courtesy of Rustico.

Ray's top three sparkling wines under $20. Also, how to avoid fast-flying corks and unintentional champagne showers. »

Formally trained chef turned renowned grilling expert Adam Perry Lang recently published Charred & Scruffed, a perfect handbook for savory summer foods, with new techniques for cooking meat, fish and poultry on the grill, plus tips and tricks for fantastic sides. In an exclusive chat with Food & Wine Facebook fans this week, he revealed some of his best tips for Memorial Day weekend >