Recipe for a Columbus Wine Tasting Party...

Our wonderful neighbors invited us to enjoy food and wine last night. The wine was a real treat as was the food. Jen and her mother went on quite a "scavenger hunt" for all the right "ingredients".

• Prosciutto, chorizo, salmon etc. from Whole Foods



• Wine from Spagio Wine Cellars and expert advice from Sam the wine guy



• Cheese from the Curds and Whey at the North Market



• Great recipes and cooking from Jen and Laurie... like blue cheese pear tarts inspired by the blue cheese pear salad at Nordstrom, sausage balls inspired by the great state of Texas, and beer cheese inspired by some innovative German or maybe someone from Kentucky.

A fun night with my fantastic SIL

I am lucky to have a fantastic SIL (sister in law) and she came for a visit without BIL -- had to work:(. So with a babysitter on the schedule, we hit a few places in and around Columbus on Saturday night. We started out at Z Cucina and then moved onto Spagio Cellars and then had one last drink and a little dessert at my favorite, Alanas.

At Z Cucina, I definitely recommend the lemon drop martini, the beef carpaccio and the shrimp and gnocchi. (I went off the small plates menu.) Spagio Cellars is fun because you can select any bottle of wine from their great selection and for a small corking fee sit in the cafe and enjoy your bottle. Alana's as always was great and my favorite of the night. The flourless chocolate tort was very yummy.