The Chef's Cellar

Nicolas Catena Zapata is an economist by trade. While living and teaching at UC Berkeley, he studied the wine makers of Napa Valley, and brought this knowledge home with him to the family vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina. Bodega Catena Zapata continues to collect international awards for wine making, and they make some of the most exciting wines available in Costa Rica.

This month, we are offering two different Chardonnays from Bodega Catena Zapata: Catena Alamos and Catena Chardonnay. We’re offering a special 2 oz pour of each, so you can try them both and compare.

Special pour: 2oz of Alamos and 2 oz of Catena Chardonnay $7

Catena Alamos             5 oz glass $6                Bottle $28

Catena Chardonnay      5 oz glass $8                Bottle $38

Ready, steady, go!

After seven years in business, I am finally breaking down, and doing a webpage for my restaurant, Ginger. It seems strange that someone who first started programming computers using punch cards and COBAL has managed, until now, to avoid using the Internet as a way to promote her business! I mean, I’m a classic ‘early adopter’. I have the Beta version of every gadget ever invented.  I’m still using my iPhone 1, for goodness’ sake! (Although, truth be told, it’s on its last legs.) And though I’ve been muttering for the last year or two that I really should get around to doing something about a webpage, it never seemed to make its way to the top of my to-do list. Until now.

So, with a little help from my friends, Carol Dintelman, who’s doing the techie stuff, and Jeff Lawrence, who shot some beautiful photos (for the low, low price of a couple of martinis!), we’re ready to roll out www.GingerCostaRica.com. It seemed like a timely idea to launch a blog as well. It gives me a forum to write about what’s going on at Ginger, and to answer a few of those questions that keep coming up as I wander from table to table, talking to guests.  Enjoy!