The Two-Lane Gourmet: Fine Wine Trails, Superb Inns, and Exceptional Dining Through California, Oregon, and Washington
Product Type: Book
Product Price: $16.95
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
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Description
The Two-Lane Gourmet is the first wine-and-cuisine guide to sample top estate vineyards, intriguing inns, and intimate dining in all three West Coast states, from Southern California to Washington.
Come along with bestselling author Tom Snyder on a delightful tour of more than two thousand miles of breathtaking wine country roads to enjoy hundreds of handcrafted wines, unique entrées, and gracious inns---all waiting for you to discover and appreciate them to the fullest. You’ll never be at loss for words---a primer on winetasting is included, along with a pronounciation guide to popular wines. Suggestions for food-and-wine pairings, together with sources for recipes created by blue-label chefs from Europe and America, are also covered.
So find a region in the contents that calls to you and set out on a grand tour of your own. Swirl, sip, choose from an astonishing variety of dishes, and doze off on 700-count Italian linen sheets while vineyards rustle in the night breeze just below your balcony.
Ready to unwind a bit? It’s all here, waiting for you, in The Two-Lane Gourmet. Lovely drives, good friends, fine wine, amiable conversation---this book is your passport.
Reviews
Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-01-03
Summary: "An Adventure of Epicurean Delights"
This is a very good book to have when traveling the wine country. I loved the Route 66 and the Pacific Highway guides and this book does not disappoint! With that being said, don't expect this book to be an atlas - a series of maps that can be had for $1.98 at any local gas station. While the book gives you phone numbers, addresses and websites (where available), the traveler is left up to their devices in determining the route chosen (as it should be). It's very apparent to me that the author put in a great deal of time and effort in researching the local wineries and dining establishments so, as a traveler, I won't have to waste my time on less than top-notch locations. Definitely a must have!
Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2007-12-31
Summary: "A Grand Tour of the Wine Country"
"The Two-Lane Gourmet:," detailing back-road wine trails, unique inns, and surprising restaurants is another fine work from author Tom Snyder. One reviewer called it an ambitious project, and it is! Reaching from Southern California, through Oregon and Washington, it samples extraordinary properties out of the thousands that exist. The idea is for readers to set up a base camp in any of the areas mentioned, follow a suggestion or two and then head out on their own, with enough information to ensure a lovely experience. For novices, (like me), Snyder introduces popular wines, local dishes (I loved the description of a brazed fiddlehead fern on his plan in Oregon) with his own brand of warmth and wit. The author has also thoughtfully provided Web addresses and phone numbers to help you stay in tough on unfamiliar roads. In short, this book is a grand tour, with wonderful places and memorable people not to be missed!
Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2007-12-11
Summary: "Spend the $12 on a bottle of wine"
I am disappointed by this book. In my past purchases at Amazon, I felt that the reviews I read accurately described the book. This time, I was let down.
To begin with, there are no maps in the book, not even rudimentary stick drawings of the locations. So what? you might ask. You can simply go on the web and get a map.
Yes indeed, I can. I can also simply go on the web and do a 10-minute search of the wineries in the area -- and would end up with more information.
Ah, but here you have a journalist with no attachments to the wineries. And here, Tom Snyder appears to be similar me. He likes most everything he eats and drinks. Every place has something to recommend it. So, according to this book, you can go to any winery and be ok. If that is true, why do I need this book?
He seldom writes more than a paragraph on any stop. On the longer reviews, he writes of chats with the owners, about their dedication to the art of vintage and fine food. No surprises there. We never get to hear about how junior failed as a small-appliance salesman, was bailed out by his rich parents and now charges outrageous amounts to gullible travelers while feeding them a line of bull.
This book appears to be simply a justification to the IRS that Mr. Snyder's vacations were indeed tax-deductible.
Furthermore, Mr. Snyder tells us in his book that we should go on the web to find more information. I say skip the book and go directly to the web.
