The chocolate & wine nuts that you are about to experience have been crafted by hand and created from the heart with love – Dipping The Vine

The Nut Lady

I met a fun and fabulous new friend who has a truly original and irresistible online gourmet shop called Dipping The Vine. Her name is Andi Oakes and she makes artisanal nuts – gluten, dairy and peanut free!

We’re not just talking a bag of mixed nuts here, DTV (link to facebook page) features delightful recipes of chocolate, wine and other savory spices, mixed with the nuts to create a flavorful nosh to have with drinks, accompany a cheese plate, dessert or just as a favorite snack.

The original idea came to Andi while in that open state of mind just before drifting off to sleep – although she was more than satisfied with the menu she’d prepared for a dinner party she was to cater the follow evening, this sudden thought of adding a chocolate and wine cocktail nut to the courses, just couldn’t be ignored. So she got up out of bed and started mixing and baking until – Voilà:Dipping The Vine was born!

I met Andi, appropriately in wine country, at a wedding in Napa Valley CA; although she resides in NY, so we conducted our interview via e-mail:

T & T: So, how long were you in the kitchen before the right recipe was met that night?

Andi: When the idea for chocolate and wine cocktail nuts popped into my head, I started experimenting at 11pm -The batch that hit the mark was at around 1:30 in the morning!

T & T: How long did it take to start marketing the product after they became a hit at the party?

Andi: I obtained my business license about 2 months after the party and then began dropping samples and business cards off at various vineyard tasting rooms, wine bars, cheese shops, anything that I felt was a click with the nuts.

Then I started taking photos and working on text for the online store, dippingthevine.com which took another couple of months. Marketing is really an ongoing process and I’m learning how important it is to stay active with it as much as possible – I learn something new just about every day

T & T: At this point you feature 3 varieties of Dipping The Vine mixes:

• The original recipe of Mixed Nuts with Red Wine, Cocoa & Spices: Walnuts, almond and pecans are coated in full-bodied red wine, earthy cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and fresh lemon zest.
• Cashews with White Wine, Cocoa & Curry: A bit more on the savory side, large raw cashews are blissfully coated with crisp white wine, cocoa powder and a tingling array of curry spices.
• Hazelnuts with Port Wine, Black Cocoa & Espresso: Natural hazelnuts are coated in rich port wine, black cocoa, espresso with a touch of fresh orange peel.

T & T cont: (All available I see, in a handy 3-pack).  Are you in the process of trying out new combinations?  And if so, anything you are ready to reveal at this time?

Andi: Absolutely! Right now I’m celebrating my second holiday season and it’s fantastically busy – I will keep the original three flavors through the new year and then when things quiet down a bit, I’ll have more time to experiment with new flavors. I plan on doing an Asian inspired cashew with cocoa, ginger and wasabi which is spiked with sake. And a sort of “romantic” almond with dark cocoa, lavender and champagne. The third new flavor is up in the air but I’m pretty sure it’s going to involve chocolate and Mexican chilies!

T &T: All of those sound amazing! Think I’m most intrigued by the lavender and champagne.
a: What is the hardest part of running an online culinary business?  b: What is the most satisfying part of running an online culinary business?

Andi: a) Getting it all done. In addition to hand-producing the product, I also do my own packaging, which is almost as labor-intensive as the nut making! Then there’s packing supplies, bookkeeping, invoicing and always being ready for orders at all times which absolutely have to be fresh.

b) When a customer tells me how much they enjoy the nuts or that they were a hit at a party or a perfect gift, all of the hard work is worth it. Upon tasting the nuts for the first time, one woman’s eyes lit up and she said “They taste like LOVE!”-I’ll never forget it.

T & T: Do you still cater private parties?

Andi: When I have time, I will still cater private parties mainly because I love it. I really enjoy personalizing events -The planning, the execution, even the hectic moments are so rewarding when a vision becomes a reality.

T &T: Anything else you’d like Tinsel & Tine readers to know about you and Dipping The Vine?

Andi: I guess that Dipping The Vine Chocolate & Wine Nuts go really well with a movie

T &T: What is your favorite Holiday Movie?

Andi: I’m still a sucker for Rudolph!

I would like to assure my readers that this is NOT a paid post. I met Andi, we hit it off, and I felt highlighting her business would be a perfect holiday post for Tinsel & Tine.  However, if you do try Dipping The Vine nuts or purchase a gift certificate for someone on your shopping list, I’d love for you to let me know.

They also offer up a large mixture of sandwiches for lunch as well, all of which are served on their house made fresh baked artisan bread.

Yesterday I stopped by for lunch to have their Tuna Melt Sandwich which is served on a toasted fresh baked Croissant. Filled with an ample amount of tuna salad, melted Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato it is the perfect lunch. All sandwiches come with a pickle slice, chips or fresh baked cookie and a drink. Be sure to check out their Quiche of the day.

You can also order one of their fresh salads or soup if you want something a little lighter. Don’t forget to pick up a dessert for later as they also have several fresh made cakes, cheesecakes or other scrumptious treats to choose from. Be forewarned, if you go right at lunch, there may be a wait for a table as they get busy and the space Is small. They sell out of many of their pastries early, so you might want to call ahead for a large order just so you aren’t disappointed.

Nicavid’s also does box lunch catering.

As their sign says, “Fresh baked smells 25₵, or free with purchase”.

Nicavid’s is close to the Medical center on Fredericksburg Rd. just outside Loop 410.
Monday-Friday 7am to 2pm
Saturday 8am to 2pm

210.349.2222

www.nicavids.com

If you want help getting exposure for your establishment,  please email me at johnnie@flicksandfood.com or give me a call at 210.617.3287. I have a large follower base. Looking forward to my next review!

Whenever we have the grandkids over for the weekend, they usually choose Red Robin for a place to go out to eat. It wasn’t always the place of choice mind you. They usually had thoughts of playgrounds, golden arches, and arcades. But we soon learned we needed to find a kid friendly place that was equally appealing to adults. This was how we came to find our neighborhood Red Robin; a place geared to all of us.

Red Robin had a large selection of kid meals; chicken fingers, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, etc. Add to this the pick your own sides, and what kid wouldn’t be happy. But their regular (read adult) menu is a nice selection as well. My favorite is always one of their gourmet burgers. This last visit I went for the build your own chicken burger, which was basically a traditional burger with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, pickles, onions and mayo on sesame seed bun.I also added cheddar cheese and little crunchy onions.  At Red Robin, the burgers are always perfect and juicy. And I don’t want to forget the thick cut bottomless fries. I can never eat all the fries they bring out, but if YOU do, they will keep filling up your basket with more fries until you can eat no longer.  A nice deal made just for the bigger appetite, right?

Red Robin also makes up some really good old fashioned malt shoppe shakes and malts in several flavors. And they offer many bottomless drinks as well. If you would like something with alcohol, they have that too.

Yes, Red Robin is a great choice for parents and grandparents wanting adult food at a very kid friendly place.

Red Robin makes sure they use the highest-quality ingredients.  And even more impressively, in 2010 the National Restaurant Association named Red Robin as the winner of the Restaurant Neighbor Award in the large business category for the work Red Robin does to support local communities through programs like the Kids’ Cook-Off and Child ID Kit Programs that support the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Special Olympics Tip-A-Cop events, and the Red Robin Foundation U-ACT Program.

I say, “Way to go Red Robin. Keep up the great standards and the great food”.

http://www.redrobin.com

Now I have been to BJ’s several times, so I was already pretty sure what I was hungry for. I really like their deep dish pizzas, and have tried several of them. The decision to be made was really which one of their many delicious pizzas would I choose for tonight? After pondering the menu, my choice became clear.  I wanted the BJ’s  classic combo, a combination of pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms. Most of their pizzas also have a nice helping of tomatoes, so I was getting my vegetables too! BJ’s pizza is really good if you are a deep dish pizza lover. The crust isn’t too thick and nicely browned to give it a little crunch. And they always make sure the pizza is covered with an ample amount of toppings, not too much sauce and the right amount of cheese.

I was well into my third slice of pizza delight when the waitress asked me if I wanted to have a  Pizookie® for dessert. Of course, my first thought was no, can’t, (correction) won’t do it. But the devil on my other shoulder said, “Oh yes you will”. And this time the yeses had it. So I ordered the Triple Chocolate Pizookie®.

What is this you ask? Well the Triple Chocolate Pizookie® is quite possibly the most decadent dessert on the planet. It is a large warm chocolate chip cookie served in a deep dish with two scoops of dark chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chunks, slathered in chocolate syrup and then, are you ready for this, a square of Ghirardelli dark chocolate on top. Heaven!!!! Everything chocolate for you chocolate lovers. Obviously this dessert was invented by someone who really understands the ultimate chocolate dessert; warm yet cold, crunchy yet chewy, creamy, syrupy and a whole lot of dark chocolate. You should probably go to the gym just reading about this dessert. If you don’t happen to like chocolate, there are other flavors to choose from like Red Velvet, Chocolate Macadamia Nut or Peanut Butter Pizookies®.

I know half of you have already started searching for a BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse in your area. Fortunately most of you will be in luck because BJ’s has locations in 13 states, and we have three right here in San Antonio. Of course there are many other great things on the menu you should try, right after you eat your Pizookie® of course. At BJ’s you will want to eat your dessert first and save room for your salad. BJ’s also has a selection of award-winning handcrafted beer on tap for you to try, several of which are seasonal. They even have hand-crafted root beer which is really awesome.

You can order on-line for your take-out at BJ’s and then either pick it up inside, or they will bring it to you curbside if you are in your jammies. Many of their restaurants can accommodate up to 100 guests, some even more for special events, so bring your business, birthday, football or graduation party here. And their “create your own” kids meal makes it easy to please those finicky eaters. An added feature is their large TV’s throughout the restaurant for viewing your favorite game.

http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/

One of my fans on Facebook suggested I go to la Madeleine and try this new seasonal salad called the Tomato Tartine. Her description of the salad sounded so good I had to go to la Madeleine the very next day for lunch.

This salad was a fresh selection of field greens with a nice helping of both red and yellow grape tomatoes, roasted balsamic-glazed mushrooms and bleu cheese. It was all brought together by a light bleu cheese vinaigrette. But it didn’t stop there! This was all topped off with a roasted basil tomato tartine (a French open-faced sandwich). The tartine consisted of a fluffy puff pastry topped with roasted tomatoes and basil. The salad was a very healthy portion which I found quite filling on its own, but of course you could also get a cup of one of la Madeleine’s famous soups if you need to have a little more.

Another seasonal salad being offered at la Madeleine this summer is the Balsamic Couscous Salade which sounded equally tempting. But I am very happy with the choice I made. It was a wonderfully light lunch for a hot summer day. Thank you Kathy Cunningham for letting me know about this lovely salad so I could share it with the rest of my fans. I hope all of you will take the time to stop in at la Madeleine and give these salads a try before they are no longer offered on the menu. Be sure to check out the pastry window after dining at la Madeleine and choose a couple of their scrumptious desserts to take home with you for later.

At la Madeleine you really can get a taste of the French countryside. Here you can find a nice selection of fresh salads, soups, hot and cold sandwiches, French specialty items, fresh baked bread and some really wonderful French pastries. You can also get heartier entrees if you are so inclined such as Chicken Pesto Pasta, Shrimp & Tilapia Provencal or one of my personal favorites, Rosemary Rotisserie Chicken.

La Madeleine is open for breakfast, lunch or dinner and they also do some awesome party trays for office or personal parties, birthdays or holiday celebrating.

La Madeleine has 60 locations in certain parts of the United States with three locations right here in San Antonio.

http://www.lamadeleine.com/