Wining & Dining in Franschhoek, South Africa

November 17, 2012 by B + B in Africa, South Africa

Yet another wonderful benefit of life in Cape Town is it's proximity to hundreds of the best wine farms on the continent. And, where there is good wine, there is good food. And where there is good food and good wine, B and I can usually be found. So, this weekend, the Bs and Mary packed up the Polo and headed to wine country for a little R&R and a lot of eating and drinking. We didn't have to drive far to begin the festivities - Stellenbosch is the first official wine-country-town and is only about 30 minutes outside of Cape Town on the way to Franschhoek, our final destination. So, by 10am we found ourselves sitting around a table at Ken Forrester, a small family-owned-and-run wine farm, sipping Chenin Blanc and other light white "breakfast wines." Another tasting followed at Kleine Zalze and before lunch on day one we were well into our best wine-tasting characters and had managed to "accidentally" leave several purchased bottles behind like a trail of bread crumbs (which we picked up on our way home a few days later).

We arrived in Franschhoek and amazingly found our way to Bedside Manor, our adorable home-away-from-home for the weekend. The owners are interior decorators and the house is very well done. Our favorite spot was the sun room looking out onto a side-yard garden. And, if the weather had been warmer, the backyard and pool would have been at the top of the list. To top it all off, we got a great deal and it was so much cheaper than most hotels in the area, with so much more to offer. Thank you Home Away!

Franschhoek is beautiful. It's Napa, but even more dramatic - or maybe the idea of drinking amazing wine overlooking picturesque vineyards in AFRICA just makes it seem that way. And, most of the wine farms are just that - small, family-operated farms. Our favorite vineyard and tasting was at Le Petit Ferme. The owner, who was a farmer in his earlier life, built the place by hand and gave us the tour personally. He loves the romance of wine making and gives all the credit to the French for doing it right. However, he did divulge that a massive insect outbreak in the mid-19th-century killed all the vines in the world with the exception of the US, so, technically, all wine currently grown in the world is from American plant stock. America... F#*k yeah! The French couple in our group was not amused. Either way, the tour, the owner's knowledge, enthusiasm and general awesomeness and the wonderful wine made for a great experience.

If we weren't spoiled enough already, Brendan and I splurged that night and treated ourselves to an amazing dinner at one of the best restaurants in Africa. To get snobby for a second... The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Frances has been named one of the 50 best restaurants in the world eight times and the Best Restaurant in Africa and the Middle East four times. The executive chef, Margot Janse takes traditional Cape-Malay to a fine-dining level, but makes sure that each dish has its own story. So, the dinner is an eating and educational experience all in one. The laid-back vibe of the restaurant and the friendly, communal wait staff made the 3.5 hour, 5-course meal and wine pairing fun and informal.

The next day brought more tastings, more delicious food and more memories with Mary (the ones we can remember at least). We tasted at Boekenhoutskloof and Moreson, sipped bubbly at Haute Cabrierre. We ate at Bread and Wine, Rueben's and the Cafe de Arte. We'd recommend them all with the exception of Rueben's, which felt a bit like a chain steakhouse (Rueben is actually a Cape Town institution, so hopefully no one is offended). We finished off the wine-tasting weekend with another drive through Stellenbosch to pick up our lost wines and visit beautiful Tokara - for a tasting and food. Our friends Chrissy from San Francisco (that we met in Kenya) and Ralph, an ex-professor from Durban with a soft-spot for science fiction drove out to join us. We celebrated with bubbles and dessert oysters and goofed around around on the vineyard's rustic, artsy playground.

Note that all the indulgence did have a price... I can't speak for Mary or Brendan on specifics, but I gained 3 kilos over the weekend, which when converted equals about 6 pounds. Yikes! Yoga anyone?

Kenyan BBQ

August 30, 2012 by B + B in Africa

Happy to report that our exuberance about Kenyan BBQ didn't go unnoticed by our Mountain biking partner, John. Here is the article he contributed for NPR's food blog, The Salt.

"So anytime there's nyama choma everyone's happy, I guess it's like barbecue [but] you don't barbecue for yourself, you call some friends, family over. It's not something you do on your own. It's considered to be a communal thing," he says.

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Is this Real Life?

July 12, 2012 by B + B in Colorado

On Sunday, we had plans to meet Jacque, Ryan, Oliver and Murphy in Telluride, another amazing ski town about 3.5 hours southwest of Crested Butte. And, to top it off, we had permission from Jim to take his 1986 red, convertible Alpha Romeo along for the ride. Now, there are some very sexy attributes to an Italian sports car with some "history" (there are also some less sexy attributes, which we'll get into later). But, on the way there, it was incredible. Beautiful weather, cool air, the sun on our shoulders, winding mountain roads and amazing scenery. We cruised into Telluride on a high from the drive. We were in love with the Alpha. And Telluride didn't look so bad either. The town and ski area are nestled in between steep, jagged mountains with Bridal Veil Falls, a 365' waterfall, at the center. Coloradans actually refer to Telluride as the Alps of the West as they more closely resemble the European mountain range than their American counterparts. European or American, they are stunning.

One of the great things about Telluride is the gondola system. Three separate gondolas take you from the mountain to town and even to the market. Imagine going to the grocery store via gondola! Pretty unreal. It also makes for safe travel, as we found out after a fun night on the town on our first night.

Monday morning was beautiful and beckoned us outside for the day with a hike up to Silver Lake. By far the most difficult hike so far on the trip, the Silver Lake trail is more like a game trail than a man-made hiking trail. It is decently steep and took us through several creek crossings, an Aspen forest and up about 2,500 feet of vert (vertical, for those new to Colorado terminology like me). In the end, like most things, it was well worth the work. Silver Lake is unbelievable. The water is crystal clear, with 20" trout swimming just below the surface and multiple waterfalls feeding the pool. And, with the exception of a few fishermen, we had it all to ourselves. Brendan decided to make his dad proud and stripped down to his skivvies to take a cold plunge while the rest of us cowards watched from the warm rocks on the bank. With some rain clouds looming, we packed up our stuff and headed down the trail. A few slips, loose rock and branches grabbed later, we were back where we started, amazed by how much easier it is to come down than go up and completely satisfied by the adventure. We headed back to the condo to freshen up, had a quick cocktail (Ryan and Jacque make the best Moscow Mules - vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime), and headed to dinner.

As many of you know, we LOVE food and appreciate great food experiences. So, I feel like we have to tell you a bit about our dinner. "There" is an Asian-influenced tapas bar in a small house in Telluride. The comic-book themed menu features everything from elk steam buns to king crab ramen to curried beef lettuce wraps. It's mountain meets Asian and it is delicious. To top it off, the owners / creative partners have created a "blacklist" cocktail menu that is full of unique concoctions that, despite odd pairings, had us all impressed (and maybe a bit tipsy). If you ever find yourself in Telluride, check it out. And, Texans will be lucky soon. "There" is opening a sister restaurant in Lowest Greenville in Dallas within the next six months. Yum.

Tuesday morning marked our departure and we were excited to get back into the Alpha for another romantic road trip. Unfortunately, the weather and the Alpha had other plans. The day we left, the temperature was a good 10 degrees warmer, with no cloud cover. Meaning, the warm sun that had kissed our shoulders on the way in was burning down on us. We stopped about half way home to grab a bite, cool off - I should mention the the Alpha has no A/C - and put the top up. Apparently, we were not the only ones hot and bothered. The Alpha refused to start. We realize that this is an entirely ridiculous and first-world problem, but being stuck in Montrose, CO was not what we had in mind to end the trip. Luckily, we made it home (with only one more breakdown along the way). Bottom line, if that's the worst of our problems, life is good. Very good.