Whenever we think of Miami, we think of those times at Joe’s Stone Crab where we shared some delicious plates of Selects with our friends and tossed back a few cold ones. Now, we don’t even have to travel all the way to Miami to get a taste of those succulent claws. Joe’s Stone Crab delivers! (more…)

Tapas restaurants are very popular and crowded these days so it’s time to take it to the next level by hosting your own tapas party at your pad. Now, this isn’t going to be some boring chorizo and oversweetened sangria affair. You’ve got to do it right and have your guests thinking they’ve landed in Barcelona. (more…)

The Cheeky does not advocate that people go crazy on wine. If you evaluate it on a serving to serving basis (not ounce to ounce), you can easily see that you will quickly pay the equivalent price of a $200 whiskey on even moderately priced wine (when’s the last time you polished off a bottle of Johnnie Blue in one sitting?). The rub of it all, however, is that wine is tasty like a MoFo! So the Cheeky recommends eschewing expensive status bottles and going for bottles that represent value for a somewhat real world price.

Here’s one that we think fills this order in spades – Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon. While not cheap, at a typical store price of 50 to 60 bucks, it’s still not prohibitive for a cheeky dinner with good friends. Unlike the jammy mess that sometimes passes for Cali Cab, Darioush has a complex array of earth notes and slate, giving a taste that pairs wells with the best cuts of steak you can get your hands on (we know, since we had this with Sparks steaks…some of the finest). (more…)

Some folks seem to be confused as to what we’re exactly about here at the Cheeky. “Is it all about luxury and expensive items?” “Does being cheeky mean having status items like diamond-encrusted toilet paper?” Not at all we say. Cheekiness is about excellence. If excellence comes for free, we are happy to promote it. If the best Pinot Noir in the world costs 5 bucks, we would be fools not to drink it, and in fact, we would buy up the entire production run. Obviously, and not surprisingly, cheekiness generally costs a bit more than 5 bucks… (more…)

If you watch a lot of hip hop videos, you’d think Courvoisier might be our cognac of choice for cheeky lifestyle. Not so moFo. Here at the cheeky, we like the Hine. Forget that medicinal finish that some cognacs have, including the VSOP and XO Courvoisiers, Henneseys, and Remys. Hine is one smooth beverage. Leave that other stuff for the youngsters. This is the cognac Shaft or Superfly might have been sipping while flanked by a gaggle of fine ladies.

The bottle shape may remind you a little of Louis XIII, Remys ultra high end cognac, and its not inappropriate. This one is the class in the $40-$50 field. Great viscosity and a barely-sweet character balance the stiff alchohol content. Most cognacs have a darker pallette that is probably suited to cigars, a lifestyle we don’t practice here at the cheeky. This one is brighter in character and wine lovers, particularly fans of shiraz, may rediscover the possibilities and range that cognac can offer with the Hine.

Find the Hine here