I need not remind anyone that Die Mannschaft made an ignominious exit from the World Cup this year, one that stirred up much debate in Germany and giddy glee in Britain. For the first time since 1938, the team did not make it of the group stage. Löw and company lost to South Korea and Mexico, all the while playing with no heart, and left it to Croatia and France to contest the final, which was a satisfying spectacle all around.

After Germany’s exit, I was supporting Croatia, mainly because I like the way Luka Modrić plays, but the French side was better on the day. With Germany gone, I didn’t entirely lose interest in the tournament, but 2018’s World Cup will not be remembered as one of my favorites … a lot of the play was lackluster, Neymar was (and is) an idiot, and, well, Germany was definitely not Germany. We now wait for 2020 and 2022, and a better Mannschaft.

There’s more to life than Fußball, of course, and good wine and food are two vital components of an existence well lived. Angela and I were in Florida last week, there to visit my parents, who live in Clearwater, and my friend John Ryan, whom I have known since I was a child. We cooked steaks and opened a few bottles, and we made it to some restaurants, dining on fried chicken and shrimp cocktails and collard greens. One evening, Angela and I made the short drive to the Seminole Heights area of Tampa and ate at  The Refinery, where the pakora was overfried but a dish of pappardelle, black eyed peas, sauerkraut, bacon, dill, and crème fraîche was a revelation.

Pappardelle, black eyed peas, and sauerkraut … at The Refinery in Tampa.

The homemade pappardelle was to the tooth, the combination of crème fraîche, dill, and bacon amazingly comforting, and the black eye peas and sauerkraut? I would eat that by the gallons. Some olive oil and salt completed this surprise course. (The chef and owner of The Refinery, Greg Baker, attended high school with my friend Steven Eigenmann, the goalkeeper on my Florida club soccer team, who recommended we try the restaurant. I trusted him in goal, and I trust his palate.)

This Tomato Toast at Theodore Rex will have you smiling.

Back in Houston, Theodore Rex and a Rosé were on my mind. You can read my review of Justin Yu’s restaurant here, including a few words about Tomato Toast, and if you’re looking for a wine to share with good people, I recommend the Endless Crush, from Inman Family Wines.

Here’s a Rosé for you.