What's your VI.Q.? Yo oenophiles... don't know about you, but I've had wine dinner fatigue for some time. In lieu of the usual thang, I've developed with @thewinegame and @vawine a kind of blind-tasting game show to test your Vintelligence Quotient. I'm debuting it at @perch_rva with @beth_dixon7 next Sunday and you should come. Official judges for this round include @shaylavarnado of @blackgirlswine, @daniellemmmarie of @williamscornerwine, @macklesmiff of @lauraleesrva, @hiphaedra of @styleweekly. But we need YOU to crown the People's Choice winner. Retail support by: @saisonmarket. Limited to 50 attendees. Check out the deets link in bio.

Boots n ducks n cooks n bikes. Some pix that tell the whole #lambstock story for me. No one is a spectator. There are no velvet ropes. When you’re this close to @mlwajda’s Ras el Hanout #ducks from @farmerjoesky, you honor them differently. You meet the people behind the process. You smell the drippings, stick a finger in the stew. You laugh at kids in sheep suits and grown-ups with meat-sweats in meteor shower euphoria. There are Cab Francs and frisbees. Tenderloins, telescopes, and fried lamb testicles. Families high on fellowship around a @cowboycauldron talk cocktails, others tend the @kudugrills and plan collabs. We feast on peaches, saber bottles of @barboursville, and cut a rug in @spacecowboynyc boots as the bands howl at a waxing gibbous. I praise the fates and raise a grateful toast to @bordersprings and @hungryasianrke for rolling out their @vawine-soaked red carpet in the sheep-dotted Blue Ridge. An extra shout to @dewildechris for loaning to us Trixie the Trailer, a 1950s vintage gem.

Two things that have nothing to do with one another... except that they were both delicious, made with love n labor, and served last night to @teresa__justis. Ever since my first rum-hammered enamoring by my all-time favorite pirate bartender, Brian Miller (now behind the bar at @majorfoodgroup’s #ThePolynesianTiki), I wanted proper #tiki mugs for home. Thus, this inaugural batch of tropical concoctions. The hula girl shattered on her way back from #Oahu, but the cats from @tikisgrill put a new one on my doorstep to complete the quartet. Mahalo! Meanwhile, @juliamoskin’s spectacular @nytcooking #gazpacho recipe turned pounds and pounds of bruised ‘maters hauled from @carytownfarmersmarket into a salmon-hued marvel (and a final resting place for that last nugget of @subrosabakery – croutons, baby!). A shout to #tesaurosaurus, my 6-yr-old who juiced all the tiki fruit and blended all the #tomatoes. #prouddaddy

Oooh. That moment when a big box o’ vino arrives on the doorstep. Excited to try my first sips of @tankwinery. Anyone know these cats from #Calistoga, #NapaValley. I’m def down with these fun labels and the whole #urbanwinery vibe. L-R: 2018 Karma Coma Supernova, 2018 Joy Ride Rosé, 2018 Skin Flick, 2018 Fast Machine, 2018 Fast & Loose. Who’s thirsty/curious enough to join me?

A fitting finale: proper festive #mesibah at @zahavrestaurant with @elizabethrestaurant_and_co. Besides the intoxicating flavors and boss service, watching somms @annababykitten & @jonesthewine duel new skool vs old school with the wine list = total delight. Grazie @thegordinier for the reco and @phillychefconference for the rezo. Extra kudos to the restaurant’s visionaries for showcasing Israel AND Palestine, because you can (and should) be for the best of both. #freepalestine is not anti-Israel... it’s #prohuman. #sofort #leicasofort

Stupendous affair at @phillychefconference with @thegordinier & @Elizabeth restaurant_and_co. Thank you @drexelfhm for hosting our motley trio of #MAD5 alums & @nomacph luvahs! Afterwards, this @leicacamerausa moment of reflection with a #Sofort and my first #BLT of 2019. Check out this Dagwood-sized delight at @hungrypigeonphilly. Never had bacon with a middle name before this thick-as-a-bookcover #johnlkingbacon. Good lawd. Diggin me some #Philadelicious

It’s all too easy to post pix of his pies. Because @pizzacamp makes the best I’ve had in America. (There, I said it.) @thegordinier can tag all the food pix... instead, I’m going with Joe Beddia’s dope shirt (#amarone #valpolicella!). Come to @phillychefconference’s Coffee & Donuts & Ice cream event with double authors and double books at @drexelfhm, Wed, July 17 @ 10am. I’m moderating a deep dive into Jeff Gordinier’s “Hungry” and @elizabethrestaurant_and_co’s “Burn the Place.” Join us for @lacolombecoffee @federaldonuts @weckerlys. DM me if you’d Ike to pose a particular question to Jeff and Iliana.