June travels

I had an opportunity to try the 2006 Joseph Phelps Insignia at a recent dinner in Ft Wayne, Indiana. The wine was great. While it had complex flavors, it had a pure and focused taste that made it special. However the real highlight of the experience was sharing the wine with 2 friends. Wine is meant to be shared. This wine is not secret and was very highly rated by the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate.

Also tasted 3 wines- Franciscan cabernet, Cain Cuvee and Merryvale cabernet. Not sure of the vintages but I think they were 2005. The restaurant did not put vintages on the wine list. We had to ask the waitress to check the vintage of every wine that interested us. The waitress was very accommodating but it was a slow process. None of these wines merit further drinking. They are examples of poor California cabs.

I am still trying to fill in the blanks for the trip to Europe.We are staying in Courmayeur, Italy on the first night. This town is in the Alps at the base of Mt Blanc. I love the Michelin Red guidebooks. However the Red guide for Italy is only in Italian. This makes things more interesting since my Italian is not good. To be continued.

At another dinner in Ft Wayne (800 degrees Wood fired Pizza) the wine list was not good and they would not let us bring a bottle. However the beers were great. They had 6 beers on tap. They gave me tastes in shot glasses to make my decision. I tried Dog Fish Head Poppa Skull. It had 10% alcohol. I did not like it. I also tried the Tyranena Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter. It was intriguing. I also tried the Stone Ruination IPA, 7.7% alcohol. It was OK but I settled on the Two brothers J Series Resistance IPA, 6.9% alcohol. I enjoyed it and it was the cheapest. $3 for 16oz. pour. Interestingly they charge by the alcohol contnent of the beer and you also get less of the beers with higher alcohol content. BTW the pizza was good.

Recipe of the Week
I started with a dozen clams in their shells. Put them in a large frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and covered the pan on medium heat. I added thin slices of garlic, half a clove, and fresh herbs - oregano and rosemary. I then added 2 chopped scallions and a zucchini diced up. Added a little more olive oil. At the end I added a chopped up a shitaki mushroom.

In a separate pan I seared 6 sea scallops and I prepared a wide noodle pasta, pappardelle. The clam mixture generated a beautiful broth from its own juies. When the clams are fully opened the dish is ready, about 10 -15 minutes. To serve - pasta in bowl with a touch of olive oil, top with clam mixture and top with 2 or 3 scallops. I am now getting my seafood from the jersey seafood guy at the farmer's market. Served with a green salad. BTW I always use extra virgin olive oil.

Any interesting white wine goes with the meal. I had Schiopetto Blanc Des Rosis 2007 13.5% alcohol from the Venezia area of Italy that I had in my cellar. I paid about $14 but it usually sells for more. Not sure of the grape but a full bodied white that we enjoyed.

Ft Wayne is also home to one of the most amazing chocolate shops to be found anywhere - DeBrand Chocolates. http://www.debrand.com/. They have several locations in Ft Wayne. The shops are elegant and have very nice seating areas where you can enjoy chocolate and they have a huge selection of chocolates to take home. They make a hot fudge sundae that is a definitive statement and sets a very high bar for hot fudge sundaes. I had vanilla ice cream in a dark chocolate cup with hot fudge, caramel and pecans. OMG. See above.
Ciao. I am practicing.