Food & Wine May 2025

2024 ARGENTO ARTESANO DE ARGENTO ORGANIC WHITE MALBEC ($15) White Malbec? Why not? This Malbec is made by crushing the grapes but not allowing contact between the deeply pigmented grape skins and the clear juice. It’s lively and medium-bodied, with apple and cherry flavors, and is made by one of Argentina’s foremost organic grape growers. AZUMAICHI EASTERN LEGEND JUNMAI GINJO SAKE ($40) The Japanese island of Kyushu is seen more as a source for shochu than sake, but the Gochoda Shuzo brewery makes a strong argument for the latter with this powerful but elegant sake, with its crystal-clear flavors. It’s stellar with sushi but would be great with teriyaki salmon, too. 2022 LOUIS LATOUR PERNAND-VERGELESSES EN CARADEUX PREMIER CRU ($65) I poured this gorgeous white at a seminar for…

Travelers, Not Tourists AS I WRITE THIS, I’m halfway through season three of the darkly comedic morality play The White Lotus, and things are not going so well for the show’s American characters vacationing at the titular wellness resort on the lush island of Koh Samui, Thailand. Part of the fun of watching is trying to decipher the clues hidden within each episode. Whodunnit? More like whogonnadoit. Something wicked this way comes. And what will become of Koh Samui after the season ends? If a recent surge of online search traffic is any indicator, tourism to the island in the Gulf of Thailand will soon spike. Will it be overrun like Maya Bay near Phuket was in the decade after the movie The Beach was filmed there? Last fall, I…

AFTER THE LONG, LANGUID SUMMERS I spent in Waipahu, Hawai‘i, between semesters of college on the mainland, my grandma and I had a series of prescribed rituals before she’d put me on the plane. Two or three days before I packed my bags, she would start gathering things from Longs Drugs or Don Quijote: foil bags of Lion Coffee, flat cardboard boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and cans of Spam (25% less sodium—our family’s preferred type) on sale for $1.99 or less. “It’s cheaper here!” she would exclaim. “You pay $5 on the mainland!” It was true, despite Spam being produced in Minnesota and Iowa. This fact was constantly shocking to my family in Hawai‘i, who could not fathom why I would choose to live in places with such cold…

YASSOU by Shaily Lipa Named after the casual Greek greeting, Yassou transports readers to Greece, where the cuisine is fresh and the sea is a true blue. Author Shaily Lipa shares traditional recipes inspired by her grandparents from Thessaloniki, embracing the simplicity and less-is-more approach of Greek cooking, from baked feta with jammy cherry tomatoes to salt-baked whole fish. PAKISTAN by Maryam Jillani Until now, there has never been a major cookbook about Pakistani cuisine—one tackling its history, regional diversity, and the people who have shaped its evolution. Pakistani writer Maryam Jillani takes readers through seven regions of the country with thoughtful essays and more than 100 recipes that define its cuisine, including street food, curries, and flatbreads. GHANA TO THE WORLD by Eric Adjepong with Korsha Wilson Chef Eric…

THERE’S ONE BIG REASON WHY I love road trips through Texas. The scenic landscapes help, but the joy of a long drive through the Lone Star State really comes down to the anticipation of stopping at a particular gas station—although “gas station” doesn’t quite do it justice. Buc-ee’s is a mega convenience store and rest stop known for its endless rows of impeccably clean bathrooms, hundred-plus pumps for refueling cars, kitschy country decor, and, most importantly, food. Walking into a Buc-ee’s is awe-inspiring. A human-size beaver mascot will likely be out front, and crowds of people stream in and out of multiple entrances at all times. Half of the store is dedicated to souvenirs like Buc-ee’s T-shirts and cheesy Southern knickknacks. On the other side, you’ll spy rows of…

MY KITCHEN’S OPEN SHELVING isn’t the most convenient storage solution. Although I’m able to put my favorite glassware and dinnerware on display, I’ve struggled to find a suitable way to store dry goods. Then I was introduced to Cliik, a new brand entirely focused on storage containers that are just as stylish as they are functional. Each Cliik container features a magnetic lid and base, allowing them to be stacked or placed side by side without the risk of toppling over. This design enables all three sizes to “click” together. The reusable containers are made from shatterproof Tritan plastic, which is FDA approved and BPA-free. Lids are available in three colors: orange, white, and green. I opted for orange, which adds a pop of warm color to my primarily white…