Wichita tea: it’s in abundance, folks. And while I’m by no means an expert on this leafy beverage, I do appreciate a good brew on a warm summer evening. Or a rainy autumn morning. Or hell, any time of year. This month, I set out to investigate just where Wichitans can get that assam, oolong or darjeeling fix; to my pleasant surprise, the number of local options had me slightly overwhelmed! It would be quite an undertaking to list every choice, so instead, I picked some of the highlights and created a few categories.

The dirty martini is a polarizing drink. I was hooked from my first sip, but many of my friends have asked to try mine, only to shake their heads in disgust and say, “How can you drink that??”
Some of you might be wondering, what is a dirty martini? I know it sounds strange, but it’s simply vodka or gin, shaken with green olive juice, and garnished with two or three green olives. Some people might include vermouth, but I’m not a fan, and I always prefer vodka to gin. I’ve …

Score another point for great places to go in College Hill. Thanks to my fabulous friend Nicole, I went on a gastronomical adventure for lunch at Mike’s Wine Dive. Located at Douglas and Oliver, it has a simple charm that is woven throughout the look of the restaurant, the lunch and dinner menu, and, of course, the wine menu.
Because I went for lunch I was not able to partake in any wine but I did not leave disappointed – the food was downright delicious. My lunch buddies …

There are things I am not a fan of; balancing my checkbook (and the lack of adequate money to even justify keeping my account open), guys who wear socks with sandals and the Yankees are a few that come to mind. And then there are the things that I am a fan of; Funfetti cupcakes, “The Book Thief” and the ’80s are high on the list. But since this is not Facebook, I will get to my point, which is that margaritas always fall into the latter category.
Recently, however, an …

The fourth Thursday in April is my favorite holiday – it’s like Christmas, Fourth of July and St. Patrick’s Day all rolled into one. No, it’s not my birthday, or some obscure religious celebration. This is the date of the Midwest Winefest Walkabout, or WINEFEST, as my friends and I refer to it.
April 22, 2010 will be my seventh year in a row of attending the event, which is a fundraiser for the Guadalupe Clinic and the first of the two-day Midwest Winefest. Although I’ve heard great things about the …