The next time you’re at a sushi bar sharing a hot flask of sake between friends, or at a high-end sake bar sipping a daiginjo, keep in mind that the beverage you are enjoying has a history dating back several thousand years. Sake has a rich tradition dating back to 4000 BC. Over time the brewing process has evolved and there are many different types of sake available today. This post explains the different types of sake.

Rockport Massachusetts is on the tip of Cape Anne, a rocky peninsula 30 miles northeast of Boston.  Cape Anne was settled in 1624 and was the 3rd colony in New England, just after Plymouth and Nantasket.  Just west of Rockport on Cape Anne is the fishing town of Gloucester.  The movie The Perfect Storm was [...]

John Gauntner is to sake what Julia Child was to French cooking in America.  Widely known as “the sake guy”, John lives in Japan and has written five books on sake.  John has wracked up honors that have historically been awarded only to native Japanese such as the Award for the Promotion of Japanese Cuisine [...]

As I was driving to my next meeting in Toronto I stopped at my favorite cigar place in the entire world.  For cigar fans Frank Correnti Cigars on King St is the place.  I discovered them while living in Toronto in 2000 (I don’t know where Sam the shoe shine man from the Westin is [...]

The last place I expected to get good sake was on the Danforth in Toronto.  More commonly known as “Greektown”, this stretch of midtown Toronto has the highest density of Greek restaurants in North America.  After an amazing dinner on a warm summer evening with my colleague Pete and two clients, we stopped at [...]