Drink the Bottles

  Nori's Story Umami Sauce: The Condiment We Didn't Know We Needed Every now and then we come across a product that completely changes the way we think about an everyday meal. Nori's Story Umami Sauce did exactly that. If you've spent any time in the kitchen, you've probably heard the word umami tossed around. Often referred to as the "fifth taste," umami delivers that rich, savory flavor that makes foods more satisfying and memorable. While many ingredients naturally contain umami, finding a sauce that brings those flavors together in a balanced, versatile way isn't always easy. That's where Nori's Story comes in. A Sauce With a Story Before we even opened the bottle, one detail immediately caught our attention. Printed right on the label is a message from the company's founder: "If you don't love this sauce, I'll send you a personal apology video." That's not the kind of promise you see every day.  It's bold, a...

  This was our first experience with the wines offered by Scout & Cellar of Texas.  They seem to have a little bit of something for just about everyone, especially if you are budget-minded, as most of their offerings are in the $19 - $36 range.  At those prices you can find a daily drinker, no doubt!  This wine is the 2020 Fieldhouse 301 Red Wine (blend) from California.  You would typically find Cabernet Sauvignon in a red blend, but this one is a combination of Zinfandel (48%), Merlot (23%), Petite Sirah (12%), Carignan (9%) and Barbera (8%).   You don't find Carignan in too many California wines, even as a blending grape, so that was interesting to us.  This wine had a great medium purple color with blackberry, coffee bean and menthol nose.  With a lighter-to-medium mouthfeel, flavors of sweet blackberry preserves, roasted coffee beans, pepper and red licorice.  This is not a sugar bomb (if we have given that impression) but it i...