Pacific Northwest
Planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest in the next few weeks. Flying to Vancouver and going to Victoria, Seattle. Willamette Valley(Portland), Bend, Oregon and Ashland, Oregon. Looking forward to the trip. I have been trying to determine which wineries to visit during our time in the Willamette Valley. Possibilities -- Argyle, Domaine Drouhin, Ken Wright, Anam Cara, Domain Serene, Archery Summit, Sineann, Patricia Green -- Many wineries to consider. Any suggestions.
We have tried several Willamette Valley wines lately.
Eyrie Pinot Gris 2010 $15 OK pinot Gris. Not enough fruit.
Adelshem 2010 Pinot Gris $15 Liked this wine alot. Good fruit and acid with nice bouquest
Anam Cara 2007 Nicolas Pinot Noir $22. Enjoyed this wine. Oregon Pinot Noirs tend to have more acid and less fruit than California Pinot Noirs. Nice wine.
Farmers market haul today -- Cauliflower, Paula Red apples, prune plums -- plum torte time, corn, escarole, shitake mushrooms, carrots, cippolini onions, wahoo from NJ waters, flounder, and leeks. Dinner tonight fried flounder, corn on the cob, sauteed escarole, steamed cauliflower, buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes from my garden and carrots and toasted Italian bread. The Adelshem wine was excellent. Good acidity with nice fruit. Enjoyed it a great deal.
My friends came over for a crazy meal last week. Lobster and avocado salad, lamb kebobs, grilled vegetables, cheeses and wonderful wines. For dessert we had a vanilla cake with a chocolate ganache frosting. My wife had requested a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting but I got things reversed. The wines were awesome.
Prosecco riondo - Good basic prosecco. I am not a fan as I like Cava much more. OK. Slightly sweet.
Champagne Baron Dauvergne Brut Privilege $50 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay. Big wine with lots of flavor. Enjoyed.
1994 Podere Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Oldest Barolo I have ever tasted. It was very good. The fruit was still there and the wine drank wonderfully.
Acacia Lone Tree Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 $50 Enjoyed this wine. Nice fruit.
Scottsdale, Arizona tip. Champagne bar Nar-Cisse http://narcisse.drgtools.com/ in the Scottsdale Quarter mall. Excellent Champagnes by the glass. They have happy hour most days and I had a decent Spanish brut rose cava Campo Viejo for $4 per glass. They also had a Chateau St Michelle sparkling wine that I tasted and was not impressed. Not sweet with good fruit flavor. I also had small plates of food for $3 per plate. The place has a nice bar and lots of comfy tables.
Other wines
Domaine Le Fay D'Homme muscadet sevre et maine sur lie $10 Nothing special, unbalanced white wine that I would not recommend.
Chalone 2008 Chardonnay Estate $20 One of my favorites. Oak nicely integrated with fruit.
Next stop the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Summer Heat, NYC and Fireworks
NYC
It has been a hot few weeks around the country. Of course we chose to spend a few days in NYC in the middle of the heat wave.
Stayed at the NY Hilton at their Hilton Club time share facility. Everything was fine.We obtained a good deal because we agreed to listen to a a timeshare pitch.
We saw One Man, Two Guvnors on Broadway and were not impressed. In fact we can't figure what the critics liked. The star is personable and is funny when he improvises but overall it was not our kind of humor.
Ate dinner at Tertulia http://tertulianyc.com/ This is a small tapas restaurant in the West Village on 6th Ave near 5th street. We had ham croquettes, lamb breast with faro, roasted potatoes, and grilled mussels on toast mixed with stuff. The food was much creamier than expected. The croquettes were creamy inside, the potatoes had a creamy sauce over them and the faro was creamy.
The wine list did not look inviting. They did not have a reasonable cava and did not appear to have any sherry. We settled on a Spanish beer on tap. The board listed the beer as $7 or $9. We received small maybe10 oz glasses of beer. The check showed $9 for a beer. When I checked with the waitress, she informed that we had the large beer. Oh well. It is difficult to accept a meal when 3 small beers are $27, even in NYC.
The New Yorker highly recommends this place. I would not tell anyone to go there. No reason to go. We have been to Spain several times and have had great food all over the world. I am coming to the conclusion that "tapas" in the US is not what I want to eat. I am may be finished with tapas for a while.
We also had dinner at Traif. http://traifny.com/ This is a restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and is worth the trip. We had a very interesting meal with very good food. It is a small place and serves small plates. I won't call them tapas. We had an amuse bouche of watermelon gazpacho. Then we had strawberry cinnamon glazed baby back ribs $10, an arugula salad with berries $9, fried collar of hamachi $22, and broccoli rabe, porcini truffle toast, asiago cheese and a fried egg $12. All except the arugula salad were very good. The toast was exceptional; the truffle oil added that little touch. I was surprised that the chef did not add bacon. The hamachi collar was different but good. It was the collar bone with meat attached that was deep fried. Not heavy and fun to pick at.
The dessert was chocolate pudding with sour cherries and black sesame ice cream. It worked. We had a bottle of Dibon Reserve cava for $30. It was good but a touch sweet.
The restaurant is small and the service was very good. We received new plates with each dish and the cava glasses nice flutes. Some times wine glasses are not too good, if you know what I mean. We enjoyed it.
While I am on the subject, this weekend's WSJ had article by their wine person Lettie Teague on wine snobs. "In Defense of Wine Snobs. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304299704577502660282767838.html?mod=WSJ_0_0_WP_2507_RIGHTTopCarousel_1She is a wine snob and thinks that wine snobs have a place in the world and have been feeling a backlash lately. She is counter attacking the backlash. Interesting article.
Ate lunch at Mangia http://www.mangiatogo.com/on 57th street in Manhattan. I have loved Mangia forever. They have several location in Manhattan. The salad/food bar is exceptional. They have salads, desserts, sandwiches and main courses. In NYC for the quality of the food, the prices are reasonable. We had red snapper from the food bar with wild rice, a chicken quesadilla, and a lemon meringue tart. All was good. With coffee and a soda the meal was $22.
We also found the Food Hall at the Plaza Hotel. They don't have much of a website. They have a number of food shops such as maison du chocolat, Francois Payard bakery http://www.payard.com/ , Luke's Lobster and Todd English's Wine Bar, Cheese & Charcuterie Station, Sushi Bar, Burger Bar & Rotisserie, Asian Noodle and Dumpling Bar, Espresso & Tea Bar, Brick Oven Pizza, and a Fish and Seafood Grill.
We had a lobster roll, an organic ginger soda and potato chips for $17 at Luke's. The lobster roll was very good. It was basically lobster on a hot dog roll. Payard has ice cream sandwiches with french macaroons. We had the chocolate sorbet with cocoa nibs, $5. Run don't walk to Payard's for the ice cream sandwiches. Best thing we have had in a long time.
The Todd English place is very large but almost hidden. It looked interesting with one menu giving the selections for all of the different food stations. Lots of different places to sit.
We went to walk the Highline http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps , the new elevated park in Manhattan. It starts in the meatpacking district, west 12th street, and continues to around 30th street. There are permanent food trucks and gardens and places to sit. Cool place.
We decided to ride the Staten Island ferry. It is free and may be the best thing in NYC. WE hopped on late in the afternoon and motored past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The view of lower Manhattan was great. When we landed in Staten Island, we just got back on line and took the boat back. It is about 25 minutes each way. Take the #1 subway to the end at South Ferry.
BTW we saw the Queen Mary 2 on way back to Manhattan.
We visited MOMA(Museum of Modern Art). It is always fun to walk around. They have a beautiful garden and on Thursday evenings they have music. Nice ambiance. The only downside with the Museum is the price of $25 for adults. They have student rates and kids under 16 are free. Also Friday nights are free but the lines are enormous.
NYC note- the popularity of Halal food trucks is amazing. At 10pm at night almost 50 people were lined up for food.
Wines of the Week
My Cellatracker notes at https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&iUserOverride=215105&HideNullNote=0&T=1000
Protocolo Spain 2010 $6. A long time favorite, mostly tempranillo.
Chateau Larrivaux 2005 $12 Nice light Bordeaux. It was highly recommended for the 05 vintage. It is not as good as the 09 cheaper Bordeaux's but it has been improving the last few years and it was good the other night.
La Barotte 2009 Bordeaux $8. WAs written up in wine column. It was OK. Light, earthy with some fruit. Not really representative of the 09's.
Chateau Haut Barrail 2009 Bordeaux. $14.99. A very good Merlot based Bordeaux. nice fruit and and good structure. Some complexity. Tried twice.
Chateau Retout 2009 Bordeaux $17. Drank another bottle and liked it more this time. A little heavier than I originally thought. Great fruit and complexity. The Cabernet Sauvignon come through.
Fireworks
I was not terribly impressed with fireworks this year but I noted a trend. 2 major firework displays -San Diego and somewhere in Connecticut --had major problems due to computer issues. Think about that.
Farmers market
Todays's haul -- green apples, sour cherry pie, mushrooms, eggs, cucumber, potatoes, onions, little cherry plums, muskmelon, swordfish, clams, mahi-mahi, and flounder.
Good eating and try a bottle of rose with your meal. Don't be afraid to chill wine in the summer, even red wines. There are no rules.
Hope you had great 4th of July.
It has been a hot few weeks around the country. Of course we chose to spend a few days in NYC in the middle of the heat wave.
Stayed at the NY Hilton at their Hilton Club time share facility. Everything was fine.We obtained a good deal because we agreed to listen to a a timeshare pitch.
We saw One Man, Two Guvnors on Broadway and were not impressed. In fact we can't figure what the critics liked. The star is personable and is funny when he improvises but overall it was not our kind of humor.
Ate dinner at Tertulia http://tertulianyc.com/ This is a small tapas restaurant in the West Village on 6th Ave near 5th street. We had ham croquettes, lamb breast with faro, roasted potatoes, and grilled mussels on toast mixed with stuff. The food was much creamier than expected. The croquettes were creamy inside, the potatoes had a creamy sauce over them and the faro was creamy.
The wine list did not look inviting. They did not have a reasonable cava and did not appear to have any sherry. We settled on a Spanish beer on tap. The board listed the beer as $7 or $9. We received small maybe10 oz glasses of beer. The check showed $9 for a beer. When I checked with the waitress, she informed that we had the large beer. Oh well. It is difficult to accept a meal when 3 small beers are $27, even in NYC.
The New Yorker highly recommends this place. I would not tell anyone to go there. No reason to go. We have been to Spain several times and have had great food all over the world. I am coming to the conclusion that "tapas" in the US is not what I want to eat. I am may be finished with tapas for a while.
We also had dinner at Traif. http://traifny.com/ This is a restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and is worth the trip. We had a very interesting meal with very good food. It is a small place and serves small plates. I won't call them tapas. We had an amuse bouche of watermelon gazpacho. Then we had strawberry cinnamon glazed baby back ribs $10, an arugula salad with berries $9, fried collar of hamachi $22, and broccoli rabe, porcini truffle toast, asiago cheese and a fried egg $12. All except the arugula salad were very good. The toast was exceptional; the truffle oil added that little touch. I was surprised that the chef did not add bacon. The hamachi collar was different but good. It was the collar bone with meat attached that was deep fried. Not heavy and fun to pick at.
The dessert was chocolate pudding with sour cherries and black sesame ice cream. It worked. We had a bottle of Dibon Reserve cava for $30. It was good but a touch sweet.
The restaurant is small and the service was very good. We received new plates with each dish and the cava glasses nice flutes. Some times wine glasses are not too good, if you know what I mean. We enjoyed it.
While I am on the subject, this weekend's WSJ had article by their wine person Lettie Teague on wine snobs. "In Defense of Wine Snobs. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304299704577502660282767838.html?mod=WSJ_0_0_WP_2507_RIGHTTopCarousel_1She is a wine snob and thinks that wine snobs have a place in the world and have been feeling a backlash lately. She is counter attacking the backlash. Interesting article.
Ate lunch at Mangia http://www.mangiatogo.com/on 57th street in Manhattan. I have loved Mangia forever. They have several location in Manhattan. The salad/food bar is exceptional. They have salads, desserts, sandwiches and main courses. In NYC for the quality of the food, the prices are reasonable. We had red snapper from the food bar with wild rice, a chicken quesadilla, and a lemon meringue tart. All was good. With coffee and a soda the meal was $22.
We also found the Food Hall at the Plaza Hotel. They don't have much of a website. They have a number of food shops such as maison du chocolat, Francois Payard bakery http://www.payard.com/ , Luke's Lobster and Todd English's Wine Bar, Cheese & Charcuterie Station, Sushi Bar, Burger Bar & Rotisserie, Asian Noodle and Dumpling Bar, Espresso & Tea Bar, Brick Oven Pizza, and a Fish and Seafood Grill.
We had a lobster roll, an organic ginger soda and potato chips for $17 at Luke's. The lobster roll was very good. It was basically lobster on a hot dog roll. Payard has ice cream sandwiches with french macaroons. We had the chocolate sorbet with cocoa nibs, $5. Run don't walk to Payard's for the ice cream sandwiches. Best thing we have had in a long time.
The Todd English place is very large but almost hidden. It looked interesting with one menu giving the selections for all of the different food stations. Lots of different places to sit.
We went to walk the Highline http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps , the new elevated park in Manhattan. It starts in the meatpacking district, west 12th street, and continues to around 30th street. There are permanent food trucks and gardens and places to sit. Cool place.
We decided to ride the Staten Island ferry. It is free and may be the best thing in NYC. WE hopped on late in the afternoon and motored past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The view of lower Manhattan was great. When we landed in Staten Island, we just got back on line and took the boat back. It is about 25 minutes each way. Take the #1 subway to the end at South Ferry.
BTW we saw the Queen Mary 2 on way back to Manhattan.
We visited MOMA(Museum of Modern Art). It is always fun to walk around. They have a beautiful garden and on Thursday evenings they have music. Nice ambiance. The only downside with the Museum is the price of $25 for adults. They have student rates and kids under 16 are free. Also Friday nights are free but the lines are enormous.
NYC note- the popularity of Halal food trucks is amazing. At 10pm at night almost 50 people were lined up for food.
Wines of the Week
My Cellatracker notes at https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&iUserOverride=215105&HideNullNote=0&T=1000
Protocolo Spain 2010 $6. A long time favorite, mostly tempranillo.
Chateau Larrivaux 2005 $12 Nice light Bordeaux. It was highly recommended for the 05 vintage. It is not as good as the 09 cheaper Bordeaux's but it has been improving the last few years and it was good the other night.
La Barotte 2009 Bordeaux $8. WAs written up in wine column. It was OK. Light, earthy with some fruit. Not really representative of the 09's.
Chateau Haut Barrail 2009 Bordeaux. $14.99. A very good Merlot based Bordeaux. nice fruit and and good structure. Some complexity. Tried twice.
Chateau Retout 2009 Bordeaux $17. Drank another bottle and liked it more this time. A little heavier than I originally thought. Great fruit and complexity. The Cabernet Sauvignon come through.
Fireworks
I was not terribly impressed with fireworks this year but I noted a trend. 2 major firework displays -San Diego and somewhere in Connecticut --had major problems due to computer issues. Think about that.
Farmers market
Todays's haul -- green apples, sour cherry pie, mushrooms, eggs, cucumber, potatoes, onions, little cherry plums, muskmelon, swordfish, clams, mahi-mahi, and flounder.
Good eating and try a bottle of rose with your meal. Don't be afraid to chill wine in the summer, even red wines. There are no rules.
Hope you had great 4th of July.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Anguilla
Anguilla
They have tennis courts, kids club, rock climbing walls, state of the art
basketball court, 3 pools and 5 restarurants. Except for breakfast we did not
eat at the hotel. The restaurants were expensive and the main one was Italian,
which did not interest us. For the time of year their a good amount of people.
Chairs and umbrellas were provided on the beach and they provided bottled water
in ice buckets on the beach.
The hotel does not nickel and dime you and no one is looking for a tip. The
service is good. The manager is all over and tries to run a top flight place. He
saw me hitting tennis balls by myself and apologized for not playing tennis with
me. Next time he offered.
We ate at a number of restaurants.
Jacala - French restaurant on Meads Bay, 1/2 mile from the
Viceroy. The owner allowed us to bring a bottle of wine since we brought it from
home. It was a Chalone 2008 Chardonnay. He told us that if we bought a bottle on
the island he would charge us $70. The food was OK. I had a whole snapper
grilled. It was a tiny fish and I am not a big eater. My wife had crayfish
because they were out of lobster. Of course they did not tell us until we were
about to order. The service was very slow.
Gerauds http://www.anguillacakesandcatering.com/about.html
One of my favorite places. Geraud and his wife are delightful and so different.
I asked him to cater a dinner for us with the condition that we did not have a
way to heat the food. He made us chicken Caesar salads and a plate of cheeses
and meats. Brie, Swiss, pate, ham, turkey and of course french bread. For
dessert we had 2 chocolate mousse pastries. Everything was wonderful and
reasonable.
You can eat breakfast and brunch at Gerauds.
E's Oven - Geraud told us to go here. We brought our own
wine - no problem. I brought an 09 Bordeaux that was good. Chateau Les Eyquems.
See below.
We had red snapper. I had it grilled whole and my wife had fillet with some
sauce. Everything was good and the place is cute. No AC but we sat on the porch.
We had flour less chocolate cake for dessert.
Pimms - This is the restaurant at Cap Juluca, another of the
top hotels on Anguilla. The restaurant is right on the water. Our table was
actually sitting on rocks on the water. see below.They had a very good wine list
and there were several 09 Bordeaux's on the list that were reasonably priced.
They had a young wine person who was very knowledgeable. I ordered one bottle
that the list said was a St Emillion but when they brought the bottle it was a
generic Bordeaux. I asked about another wine and he brought it out. However this
wine was from 2007 and I did not want it. He was also embarrassed by the 07 so
he brought another bottle that he said we would enjoy - the Haut Caillou--
below. This wine was $75 on the list but he gave to me for $50, the price of the
wines that I was looking out.I thought it was a very nice gesture from one wine
guy to another. The wine had great depth, good fruit and was very good. I have
not been able to find a reference to it in the US. It is a Lalande De
Pomerol.
SunShine Shack - This small place is on Rendezvous Bay
between the Cuisinart Resort and the Great Anguilla Beach House hotel.
Rendezvous Bay is on the Caribbean side of the island and you can see St. Martin
from the beach. The water is gorgeous. Garvey? runs the shack. He has ribs and
chicken and will cook fish if you call in advance. There is one table and some
chairs. For $20 we had a plate of ribs and chicken and a beer and soda. We
chatted for a while and he gave us 2 beers for the road. Our kind of place. Food
good, ambiance - priceless.
Smokeys - This is another beach place down a small road to a
dirt road. It is a regular place despite its surroundings and is open for dinner
as well. They have music several times a week. WE had a fish sandwich which was
tasty. I believe it was mahi- mahi.
Wines of the week
Chateau Haut Caillou , Lalande de Pomerol 2009 $50 in a
restaurant.
Chateau Les Eyquems 2009 $13
Chalone Chardonnay 2008- A regular wine which we enjoyed as
usual. Brought to Jacala. Good fruit and oak integration.
Gilbert Picq Chablis 2010 $20 - Drank with Geraud's food in
our room. It was a decent Chablis but I expected more. It a slight alcohol
finish. Good fruit and mineral Chablis taste.
Codorniu Cava $7. A favorite for us. Crisp, fruity but dry.
Great bargain.
Les Vignes De Bila Haut Cotes di Rousillon France Michel Chapoutier-
white 2011.$11 The red is great. See last posting. The white is good
but something did not click. A blend of different grapes. Grenache Blanc,
Grenache Gris and Macabeu. Try it. Nice fruit and interesting flavor. Definitely
not a chardonnay.
Local Produce
Farmer's markets are in full bloom and my garden is doing great. Blueberries are in season in NJ. My Kale and lettuce have been great. I have an eggplant ready to pick and we picked our first cherry tomato the other day. I just bought the first sour cherries of the season. I am salivating over the thought my cherry tart.
Good eating and drinking. Enjoy.
Just returned from Anguilla. 6 days and 5 nights. We had a great time. Stayed
at the Viceroy. The hotel was truly wonderful. Breakfast was
included in our deal and everyone at the hotel was very nice. No pretensions.
Breakfast was a large buffet and the fruits were great. I pigged out on passion
fruit every morning except one when they did not have any. Our room was unreal.
Plunge pool on the terrace overlooking the ocean.The bathroom was huge.
Sandbar - This restaurant is in Sandy Ground which a harbor
with about 10 restaurants in the middle of the island. Sandbar serves small
plates and is rated the one of the top restaurants in Trip Advisor. It is a cute
place, right on the beach. The menu was small and interesting. Not local style
food. The female chef was from Canada. We had small plates of fried shrimp, polenta and duck pancakes. Everything was good and reasonable.
Farmer's markets are in full bloom and my garden is doing great. Blueberries are in season in NJ. My Kale and lettuce have been great. I have an eggplant ready to pick and we picked our first cherry tomato the other day. I just bought the first sour cherries of the season. I am salivating over the thought my cherry tart.
Good eating and drinking. Enjoy.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
09 Bordeaux; Baltimore; Atlantic City; Gardening
09 Bordeaux
I have been on an 09 Bordeaux tasting spree. Check out my notes.
In the last 2 weeks I have tasted:
Chateau Devise D' Ardilley
Chateau Retout
Chateau Ferret Lambert
Chateau Tour St Bonnet
Chateau L Argenteyre
Chateau Coudraire
Chateau Les Grand Marechaux
Chateau La Cardonne
https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&iUserOverride=215105&HideNullNote=0&T=1000
All are under $20. All were good, several excellent.
Dallas
Had the opportunity to eat at Bob's Steak and Chophouse www.bobs-steakandchop.com The food was very good. They have pickles in a jar on the table and they have a cooked carrot on your plate with steak. We had Ruffino Modus 2006, a sangiovese blend and a Chateau St Jean Belle Terre chardonnay. Both wines were very good.
Baltimore
I was down in Baltimore for the Preakness and had the opportunity to have some crab cakes and drink some interesting wine. I set up a tasting and we drank Chateau D' Ardilley, Chateau Retout and the Mondavi Oakville cabernet sauvignon. All wines of from 2009. I enjoyed all of the wines and being able to compare them was a treat. The 2 Bordeaux wines were mostly cabernet so the comparison was interesting. I found the Boredeaux wines to have more complexity. A shoutout to the Renaissance Hotel at the inner harbour. We tasted our wines in their bar overlooking the harbor.
Had lunch at the Baltimore Lexington Market at a place that specializes in crab cakes. Faidley's Seafood. It was good but not great. The ambiance at the market made the meal. faidleyscrabcakes.com
For dinner had a Barbaresco and the Conn Anthology 2007. The Conn was OK. It is a cabernet blend. The Barbaresco was a Marchesi D Barolo 2007. It too was OK. Maybe I wasn't in the mood after the wine tasting.
Atlantic City
The Borgata beckoned again so off we went for a night at the Water Club. We actually did not lose money gambling. We went over to the Revel and ate dinner at Amada, the new top of the line restaurant Jose Garces the Philly chef and restauranteur.http://www.revelresorts.com/dining/signature/amada The restaurant had been open for 6 weeks so it should have been up to speed. It is a Spanish themed place with Tapas as the main feature. We ordered the typical tapas. The potatos, clams and chorizo, black cod, chickpeas and spinach and ham croquettes. The wine list is very expensive even by AC standards as the cheapest bottle was $38. We ordered wine by the glass. My wine was a Spanish mencia grape blend and I sent it back. My wife had a Ribuera Del Duoro and then I ordered it as well. It was Ok and about $10 a glass.
The service was very slow and our cod did not seem to want to appear. After asking several times it was brought out and it was not good. It did not seem freshly cooked. We did not eat it. The manager came over and did not charge us; also bought us a dessert. It was a very nice gesture. The restaurant was beautiful as it overlooks the boardwalk about 6 stories up. It was a weirdly foggy evening and our view was fascinating.
I have been to the original Amada in Philly and was not overally impressed there. For tapas try Seville or there are a few places in NYC that are very good.Tia Pol tiapol.com
The Revel has improved a little since it first day but I think it still has a long way to go. The other fancy restaurants look to have boring menus. Marc Forgione has a steakhouse, oh well.
Restaurant Alert
If you live near White Plains, NY try Grace's Table graces-table.com My friend has opened up this restaurant and he is the chef. It has already received excellent reviews. I have not tried it yet.
Anguilla
I am off to Anguilla again. Will report back.
Wine of the week
Bila Haut 2010 $12 Southwest FranceM. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Vignes de Bila-Haut(France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon
Villages) . Great Rhone like blend. Parker went bonkers over it and it is a very good and reasonably priced wine. Check it out.
Gardening
My garden is starting out nicely. I keep adding plants.
I have been harvesting kale, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce and mesclun lettuce.
BTW the Summit, NJ farmers market is open again. I bought sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, clams, flounder, scallops, strawberries and peas. Peas were the big bargain at $2 per pound. Summer is here and my fish withdrawal pains are over.
Enjoy June. Drink wine, enjoy food and travel!
I have been on an 09 Bordeaux tasting spree. Check out my notes.
In the last 2 weeks I have tasted:
Chateau Devise D' Ardilley
Chateau Retout
Chateau Ferret Lambert
Chateau Tour St Bonnet
Chateau L Argenteyre
Chateau Coudraire
Chateau Les Grand Marechaux
Chateau La Cardonne
https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&iUserOverride=215105&HideNullNote=0&T=1000
All are under $20. All were good, several excellent.
Had the opportunity to eat at Bob's Steak and Chophouse www.bobs-steakandchop.com The food was very good. They have pickles in a jar on the table and they have a cooked carrot on your plate with steak. We had Ruffino Modus 2006, a sangiovese blend and a Chateau St Jean Belle Terre chardonnay. Both wines were very good.
Baltimore
I was down in Baltimore for the Preakness and had the opportunity to have some crab cakes and drink some interesting wine. I set up a tasting and we drank Chateau D' Ardilley, Chateau Retout and the Mondavi Oakville cabernet sauvignon. All wines of from 2009. I enjoyed all of the wines and being able to compare them was a treat. The 2 Bordeaux wines were mostly cabernet so the comparison was interesting. I found the Boredeaux wines to have more complexity. A shoutout to the Renaissance Hotel at the inner harbour. We tasted our wines in their bar overlooking the harbor.
Had lunch at the Baltimore Lexington Market at a place that specializes in crab cakes. Faidley's Seafood. It was good but not great. The ambiance at the market made the meal. faidleyscrabcakes.com
For dinner had a Barbaresco and the Conn Anthology 2007. The Conn was OK. It is a cabernet blend. The Barbaresco was a Marchesi D Barolo 2007. It too was OK. Maybe I wasn't in the mood after the wine tasting.
Atlantic City
The Borgata beckoned again so off we went for a night at the Water Club. We actually did not lose money gambling. We went over to the Revel and ate dinner at Amada, the new top of the line restaurant Jose Garces the Philly chef and restauranteur.http://www.revelresorts.com/dining/signature/amada The restaurant had been open for 6 weeks so it should have been up to speed. It is a Spanish themed place with Tapas as the main feature. We ordered the typical tapas. The potatos, clams and chorizo, black cod, chickpeas and spinach and ham croquettes. The wine list is very expensive even by AC standards as the cheapest bottle was $38. We ordered wine by the glass. My wine was a Spanish mencia grape blend and I sent it back. My wife had a Ribuera Del Duoro and then I ordered it as well. It was Ok and about $10 a glass.
The service was very slow and our cod did not seem to want to appear. After asking several times it was brought out and it was not good. It did not seem freshly cooked. We did not eat it. The manager came over and did not charge us; also bought us a dessert. It was a very nice gesture. The restaurant was beautiful as it overlooks the boardwalk about 6 stories up. It was a weirdly foggy evening and our view was fascinating.
I have been to the original Amada in Philly and was not overally impressed there. For tapas try Seville or there are a few places in NYC that are very good.Tia Pol tiapol.com
The Revel has improved a little since it first day but I think it still has a long way to go. The other fancy restaurants look to have boring menus. Marc Forgione has a steakhouse, oh well.
Restaurant Alert
If you live near White Plains, NY try Grace's Table graces-table.com My friend has opened up this restaurant and he is the chef. It has already received excellent reviews. I have not tried it yet.
Anguilla
I am off to Anguilla again. Will report back.
Wine of the week
Bila Haut 2010 $12 Southwest FranceM. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Vignes de Bila-Haut
Gardening
My garden is starting out nicely. I keep adding plants.
BTW the Summit, NJ farmers market is open again. I bought sugar snap peas, shitake mushrooms, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, clams, flounder, scallops, strawberries and peas. Peas were the big bargain at $2 per pound. Summer is here and my fish withdrawal pains are over.
Enjoy June. Drink wine, enjoy food and travel!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
April Showers bring May Flowers
The Wall Street Journal Weekend edition has a wine column written alternately by Lettie Teague and Jay McInerney. They are usually interesting. This Saturday's column by Ms Teague http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303916904577376161929250858.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5 is exactly what is right and wrong with wine writing these days. Her article is about German Rieslings. It highlights the difficulties of classifying Riesling wines. However her explanations of the terminology for German wines is confusing, if not misleading but the article is interesting an hopefully will convince more people to try German Rieslings.
However the main point that I take from the article is that one should not choose their wine by the grape variety but by the geographical area of where the grape variety is grown. For example New Jersey and New York can produce some good Rieslings but they can be very different from the Rieslings of Germany or Oregon. This week try a Syrah from California. They can be very good and are reasonably priced these days since it is not a popular wine. However Syrah is a major grape in wines from the Rhone Valley in France which are very popular.
Charleston
Recently had a chance to go to Charleston, South Carolina. Had dinner at a restaurant called Fig. http://eatatfig.com/This restaurant has received many excellent reviews. We ate at the bar. The food was pretentious and not very good.
The first dish was breast of beef with vegetables and some broth. The beef was fatty almost inedible. Not sure what the purpose of the dish was. It was highly recommended by our server the bartender. Not like me to follow a waiter's recommendation but this time I did.
The second dish was a fish stew that was OK but nothing special and you can see the presentation was silly. Hard to eat and did not showcase the fish under the mussels.
The wine list was overpriced so we ordered the cheapest bottle. When in doubt always order the cheapest bottle on an overpriced but decent wine list. Sure enough the wine was good. I did some checking on my Robert Parker phone app but we enjoyed the wine.
2009 Ponce Clos Lojen Bobal from Spain. It was a solid and fruity wine. It was about $35 in the restaurant and it retails for about $17.
Also had a chance to snack a the Bar at Husk. Everything was local and we had southern ham that was like serrano ham from Spain and we had a cheese plate with cheeses from Georgia. I had a local beer with the food. Everything was excellent.http://huskrestaurant.com/
Wines of the Week
It has been a busy few weeks for wines. On reviewing my list, we have been drinking very eclectic wines with mixed results.
I am trying a new approach to my wine review. I enter the wine reviews into Cellartracker. Cellartracker has detailed information on all wines and it also allows you to cross reference other people's review as well as professional reviews. The link below brings you to my notes on the wines that I have tasted. Let me know how this works.
https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&iUserOverride=215105&HideNullNote=0
Montgras Reserva 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Chile--
Patriota Tikal 2009 Argentina --
Sterling 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2010 Cantina Convento Muri-Gries Lagrein Alto Adige - Südtirol
Kim Crawford 2011 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Ondarre Mayor Reserva 2004 Spain
Kila Cava 2008 Spain
Ferrari Carrano 2007 Chardonnay
Productori Di Barbaresco Barbaresco 2007
Chalone 2006 Pinot Noir Estate
Chateau Haut Barrail 2009 Bordeaux
Barbera D Asti Les Ormes Michele Chiarlo 2009
La Foret Des Dames Sancerre 2011
Orlando Abrigo Nebbiolo 2008
Crios Torrontes Argentina 2011 Note that this wine was a major disappointment. I have had this vintage previously and it was good. Maybe a bad bottle.
Crios Rose Argentina 2011 Note this wine was a major disappointment. Not worth drinking. I have had previous vintages and they were much better.
Cotes Du Rhone Cypress Cuvee Kermit Lynch 2009
My garden is growing nicely. More details soon.
Enjoy Mother's Day. Surprise Mom with a new and different wine. Have her favorite wine in reserve since it is Mother's Day.
Enjoy.
However the main point that I take from the article is that one should not choose their wine by the grape variety but by the geographical area of where the grape variety is grown. For example New Jersey and New York can produce some good Rieslings but they can be very different from the Rieslings of Germany or Oregon. This week try a Syrah from California. They can be very good and are reasonably priced these days since it is not a popular wine. However Syrah is a major grape in wines from the Rhone Valley in France which are very popular.
Charleston
Recently had a chance to go to Charleston, South Carolina. Had dinner at a restaurant called Fig. http://eatatfig.com/This restaurant has received many excellent reviews. We ate at the bar. The food was pretentious and not very good.
The second dish was a fish stew that was OK but nothing special and you can see the presentation was silly. Hard to eat and did not showcase the fish under the mussels.
The wine list was overpriced so we ordered the cheapest bottle. When in doubt always order the cheapest bottle on an overpriced but decent wine list. Sure enough the wine was good. I did some checking on my Robert Parker phone app but we enjoyed the wine.
Also had a chance to snack a the Bar at Husk. Everything was local and we had southern ham that was like serrano ham from Spain and we had a cheese plate with cheeses from Georgia. I had a local beer with the food. Everything was excellent.http://huskrestaurant.com/
Wines of the Week
It has been a busy few weeks for wines. On reviewing my list, we have been drinking very eclectic wines with mixed results.
I am trying a new approach to my wine review. I enter the wine reviews into Cellartracker. Cellartracker has detailed information on all wines and it also allows you to cross reference other people's review as well as professional reviews. The link below brings you to my notes on the wines that I have tasted. Let me know how this works.
https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?Table=Notes&iUserOverride=215105&HideNullNote=0
Montgras Reserva 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Chile--
Patriota Tikal 2009 Argentina --
Sterling 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
2010 Cantina Convento Muri-Gries Lagrein Alto Adige - Südtirol
Kim Crawford 2011 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Ondarre Mayor Reserva 2004 Spain
Kila Cava 2008 Spain
Ferrari Carrano 2007 Chardonnay
Productori Di Barbaresco Barbaresco 2007
Chalone 2006 Pinot Noir Estate
Chateau Haut Barrail 2009 Bordeaux
Barbera D Asti Les Ormes Michele Chiarlo 2009
La Foret Des Dames Sancerre 2011
Orlando Abrigo Nebbiolo 2008
Crios Torrontes Argentina 2011 Note that this wine was a major disappointment. I have had this vintage previously and it was good. Maybe a bad bottle.
Crios Rose Argentina 2011 Note this wine was a major disappointment. Not worth drinking. I have had previous vintages and they were much better.
Cotes Du Rhone Cypress Cuvee Kermit Lynch 2009
My garden is growing nicely. More details soon.
Enjoy Mother's Day. Surprise Mom with a new and different wine. Have her favorite wine in reserve since it is Mother's Day.
Enjoy.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fort Wayne, Atlantic City, Nice Work If You Can Get It and the Flowers That Bloom In the Spring Tra La
Fort Wayne
Had a great meal at a friend's house in Fort Wayne. The menu was lobster salad, steaks, fingerling potatoes, string beans and key lime pie and citrus sorbet for dessert. I cooked everything except the steaks. We had beautiful night. It was warm enough to eat outside in March.
The wines were outstanding.
We drank:
Chalone 2007 Pinot Noir, California -- Year in and year out, I love this wine. The 07 is not the best but it a good fruity, spicy and complex Pinot Noir.
Chalone 2008 Chardonnay, California-- Same about this wine. The 07 and 08 vintages are great. The oak is beautifully integrated with the fruit. I usually do not like oaky wines.
Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2008, California --OK Pinot Noir. A little too fruity for me.
BV Georges De Latour 2008 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, California-- An austere cabernet with nice fruit and structure. However a very expensive wine; not worth the price.
Nickel and Nickel Branding Iron 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, California. This wine was a winner. The
BV did not compare. Fruit, complexity and fun to drink.
Damilano Barolo, 2006 Piemonte. Don't drink Barolos with California Cabernet Sauvignons. Barolos are tannic and reflect the terroir of Piemonte. This wine was good but the fruit of the California wines made it hard to appreciate.
We finished the meal with Debrand chocolates. Perfection.
Atlantic City
We went for a long weekend in Atlantic City. Stayed at the Borgata's Water Club. Very nice room with great view of Atlantic City. They have 2 indoor pools and I used the the one in the Spa on the 32nd floor. Swimming with a view!
We ate in Fornelletto, the Italian restaurant at the Borgata. http://www.theborgata.com/dine/fine-dining We shared a mixed salad, chicken breast Milanese with salad on top and fried calimari. Everything was freshly prepared and reasonably priced.
The wine list is good with many wines under $50. While $50 is cheap for a good restaurant, it still is alot of money to me. We ordered the cheapest red wine of the list, a Dolcetto d'Alba for $33. It was fruity and light. Perfect for the meal.
The next night, Monday, we ate at Izakaya, the Asian fusion restaurant at the Borgata.They have a special deal on Mondays with many small dishes for $7. Beer is $3.50 and wine by the glass for $7. We ordered small plates of salmon skewers, shrimp roll, mushroom dumplings, fried rice and baby back ribs. The food was yummy and we ordered the cheapest white wine on the list. $23. It was a Spanish white wine.
Again the wine was light and fruity.
We have always had very good meals at the Borgata. They seem to run lots of specials and the wine lists in the restaurants are huge and the typically have 50 wines under $50.
The Revel, a new casino on the Boardwalk, opened on one of the days we were at AC. It was a "soft opening". A very soft opening! The casino was open. Some restaurants were scheduled to open but the only food available was a taco truck in the hotel and a Belgian pizza restaurant with a limited menu. Go figure.
We left the Revel around lunch time because we were hungry. The hotel is beautiful and faces the ocean. It is the first AC hotel to actually try to incorporate the oceanfront into an advantage. Our first impression was not good. We did not feel welcome or any feeling of hospitality. Cold, sterile and no one really seemed to care except the guys making sure you paid $5 to park. Can't we have free parking for a "soft opening".
One of the stores at the Water Club is a wine shop with machines to allow wine tastings. For $3 I tried the Hall California Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. It tasted good. Fruit and structure. It sold for $40 a bottle ,which seemed reasonable. My wife tried another 09 Bordeaux, which we liked.
Nice Work If You Can Get It
A new/ old musical on Broadway, Nice Work If You Can Get It is in previews at the Imperial Theater. We saw it and enjoyed it. Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Broderick star. She is fabulous and he fits the role perfectly. The play is new but the songs are vintage Gershwin. Lots of dance numbers as the director Kathleen Marshall is also the choreographer. The play is funny; the music great. Let's see what the critics say.
We ate at Don Antonio on 50st between 8th and 9th Avenues. A new, small, trendy pizza spot with fried pizza dough as an option. Prices were reasonable, service good and we enjoyed the pizza. The fried pizza is a bit greasy but we also had a pizza stuffed with prosciutto, artichokes and warm salad.They had good wines by the glass. We had a Montipulicano d'Abruzzi and a Piemonte Nebbiolo. The Montipulciano was better.
Wines of the Week
Di Majo Norante Aglinico Molise Conterno Reserva 2009 $13 - Good southern Italian red wine. Mostly merlot and very good.
Pinot Blanc 2007 Chalone $5 (great deal)- Another Chalone wine that I like alot. Oak and fruit well integrated. This wine has a little age to it which made it even better.
Orvieto La Carraia 2010 $8 Italy-- Nice light white wine with some structure.
Chateau Mylord 2009 Bordeaux $11. Another good merlot predominate 09 Bordeaux. Enjoyed.
Farming
I have started my garden in March due to the early spring. Started with Kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, sage, Japanese eggplant, carrots, cantaloupes, zucchini, cabbage and walla walla onions.I have started about 2 months early. Will see what happens.
Enjoy!
Had a great meal at a friend's house in Fort Wayne. The menu was lobster salad, steaks, fingerling potatoes, string beans and key lime pie and citrus sorbet for dessert. I cooked everything except the steaks. We had beautiful night. It was warm enough to eat outside in March.
The wines were outstanding.
Chalone 2007 Pinot Noir, California -- Year in and year out, I love this wine. The 07 is not the best but it a good fruity, spicy and complex Pinot Noir.
Chalone 2008 Chardonnay, California-- Same about this wine. The 07 and 08 vintages are great. The oak is beautifully integrated with the fruit. I usually do not like oaky wines.
Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2008, California --OK Pinot Noir. A little too fruity for me.
BV Georges De Latour 2008 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, California-- An austere cabernet with nice fruit and structure. However a very expensive wine; not worth the price.
Nickel and Nickel Branding Iron 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, California. This wine was a winner. The
BV did not compare. Fruit, complexity and fun to drink.
Damilano Barolo, 2006 Piemonte. Don't drink Barolos with California Cabernet Sauvignons. Barolos are tannic and reflect the terroir of Piemonte. This wine was good but the fruit of the California wines made it hard to appreciate.
We finished the meal with Debrand chocolates. Perfection.
Atlantic City
We went for a long weekend in Atlantic City. Stayed at the Borgata's Water Club. Very nice room with great view of Atlantic City. They have 2 indoor pools and I used the the one in the Spa on the 32nd floor. Swimming with a view!
We ate in Fornelletto, the Italian restaurant at the Borgata. http://www.theborgata.com/dine/fine-dining We shared a mixed salad, chicken breast Milanese with salad on top and fried calimari. Everything was freshly prepared and reasonably priced.
The wine list is good with many wines under $50. While $50 is cheap for a good restaurant, it still is alot of money to me. We ordered the cheapest red wine of the list, a Dolcetto d'Alba for $33. It was fruity and light. Perfect for the meal.
We have always had very good meals at the Borgata. They seem to run lots of specials and the wine lists in the restaurants are huge and the typically have 50 wines under $50.
The Revel, a new casino on the Boardwalk, opened on one of the days we were at AC. It was a "soft opening". A very soft opening! The casino was open. Some restaurants were scheduled to open but the only food available was a taco truck in the hotel and a Belgian pizza restaurant with a limited menu. Go figure.
We left the Revel around lunch time because we were hungry. The hotel is beautiful and faces the ocean. It is the first AC hotel to actually try to incorporate the oceanfront into an advantage. Our first impression was not good. We did not feel welcome or any feeling of hospitality. Cold, sterile and no one really seemed to care except the guys making sure you paid $5 to park. Can't we have free parking for a "soft opening".
One of the stores at the Water Club is a wine shop with machines to allow wine tastings. For $3 I tried the Hall California Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. It tasted good. Fruit and structure. It sold for $40 a bottle ,which seemed reasonable. My wife tried another 09 Bordeaux, which we liked.
Nice Work If You Can Get It
A new/ old musical on Broadway, Nice Work If You Can Get It is in previews at the Imperial Theater. We saw it and enjoyed it. Kelli O'Hara and Matthew Broderick star. She is fabulous and he fits the role perfectly. The play is new but the songs are vintage Gershwin. Lots of dance numbers as the director Kathleen Marshall is also the choreographer. The play is funny; the music great. Let's see what the critics say.
We ate at Don Antonio on 50st between 8th and 9th Avenues. A new, small, trendy pizza spot with fried pizza dough as an option. Prices were reasonable, service good and we enjoyed the pizza. The fried pizza is a bit greasy but we also had a pizza stuffed with prosciutto, artichokes and warm salad.They had good wines by the glass. We had a Montipulicano d'Abruzzi and a Piemonte Nebbiolo. The Montipulciano was better.
Wines of the Week
Di Majo Norante Aglinico Molise Conterno Reserva 2009 $13 - Good southern Italian red wine. Mostly merlot and very good.
Pinot Blanc 2007 Chalone $5 (great deal)- Another Chalone wine that I like alot. Oak and fruit well integrated. This wine has a little age to it which made it even better.
Orvieto La Carraia 2010 $8 Italy-- Nice light white wine with some structure.
Chateau Mylord 2009 Bordeaux $11. Another good merlot predominate 09 Bordeaux. Enjoyed.
Farming
I have started my garden in March due to the early spring. Started with Kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, sage, Japanese eggplant, carrots, cantaloupes, zucchini, cabbage and walla walla onions.I have started about 2 months early. Will see what happens.
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Springtime; 2009 Bordeaux; Washington DC
2009 Bordeaux
As much as I tell myself to slow down on wine buying, I can't resist certain wines. I went to Costco last week and bought several wines. There are only 2 Costcos in NJ that sell wine and the are not the closest Costcos to me. Thus my trips are infrequent.
I bought a 2008 Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $37. The WA 95 rating intrigued me. I also purchased the 2011 Crios Torrontes $9.50, a favorite wine at a good price and 2 bottles of Chateau La Verriere 2009 Bordeaux $9.50.
Robert Parker came out recently with his bottle review of the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux. He rates the vintage as the best ever and has given very high ratings to many wines. Is this reality or hype? In a video Parker strongly defended his reviews.
I have tasted several 09 Bordeaux wines and I have a feeling that Parker is correct. The La Verriere from Costco was very good and I don't believe that this wine has shown up on anyone's radar screen. Try some 09 Bordeaux. Prices for the tops wines are crazy high but I have started to see a number of recommended wines for under $25. The wines are for everyday drinking as well as for special occasions. They are good to drink now or can be cellared. They have a nice balance between fruit and tannin.
As a reminder, wines from Bordeaux are blends of grapes. Some have more Merlot and some have more Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc is also used to blend and some wines are all Cabernet Franc. The wine blends tend to follow Bordeaux regions. St Emillion wines are usually Merlot based. Cabernet Sauvignon based wines come from other areas.
Washington DC
I had the opportunity to be in Washington DC last week. Had lunch at a meatball place. Clever operation. Pick a meatball and pick how you want to eat it. I had Italian meatballs on a roll with sauce. Classic and it hit the spot.
7th street near the Verizon Center is the new in spot. Lots of restaurants and other interesting shops. Also had the opportunity to eat at Zaytinya. Zaytinya.com The is a Middle Eastern restaurant serving small plates. It is trendy, reasonably priced and the food is good. We had stuffed eggplant, fried mussels, spinach pie, veal breast souvlaki and lamb kabobs. Everything was good but the fried mussels were excellent if you like that type of food. Crisp outside and moist and flavorable inside.
I also went to Zola Wine and Kitchen zoladc.com They had a wine tasting in the wine shop part of the store. I tasted several Duval Leroy champagnes. There was their regular cuvee, the 2004 vintage champagne and a demi-sec. All were very good but the vintage champagne stood out. It sells for about $60. I did not eat there but they have some interesting and reasonable food for lunch. Zola is a more formal restaurant a block away.
I also had the opportunity to go to Hanks Oyster Bar hanksoysterbar.com. This is another trendy restaurant with a little funk to it. Food is very reasonable and you can eat outside or inside. We were seated inside. The food came quickly and we had a lobster roll and fried oysters. Also had some onion rings and some local beer. As for dessert, well? I asked the waiter what they had for dessert and he said chocolate. I asked chocolate what and he said chocolate. He then explained that they do not have dessert. I said what is the point of eating without dessert. As he brought the check he gave us a small dish of chocolate chunks. Not sure if he was being nice or if this is given to everyone.
Wines
Chablis Domaine De Maligny 06 $15 An older white wine. It was very good. Try an older white wine and let me know.
Fireblock Dry Riesling $12 My wife loves this wine. I enjoyed it.
Jade Mountain Syrah 2003 Paras Vineyard Love this wine.
La Carraia Sangiovese 2009 $11. A well priced good chianti- like wine. Enjoyed.
Mirafiore Barolo $27 07 A good Barolo. Needs time but enjoyed immensely.
Anum Cara Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 $30 Really loved this wine. Lots of fruit but well balanced.
Michele Chiarlo Barber D Asti Superiore Le Orme $10 Enjoyed. Wine highly recommended by Wine Spectator as a top Piemonte value. I agree. Not a fruit bomb; good wine.
Edna Valley Vindeyard 2006 Syrah Paragon $6 Love this wine. Try a syrah. I got a bargain on this wine.
Alba Estate Chambourcin 2008 $16 New Jersey We enjoyed this wine. Somewhat tart but it has clean flavor and went nicely with chicken. Alcohol content was around 12%. Way to go New Jersey.
Virginia viognier. My friend brought over 2 Virginia wines. The viognier was light fruity and nice to drink. The Cabernet Franc was forgettable. Not sure of the vineyards.
Luigi Pira Margheria 2006 Barolo $32. Big wine and very tannin. I really love Barolos. This wine can evolve for years.
Ferrari Carano Prevail West Face; California 2005 half bottle $9 I got a very good price on this.The wine has not aged well. Grapey with lots of sediment. I have a few more bottles. We will see.
Recipe of the week
2 thin pork chops bone in center cut.
1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed with 1 tblspn olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon organo
Press chops into the breadcrumb mixture
Saute chops in some olive oil turn several times in a non stick frying pan until done about 8-10 minutes
Serve with warm potato salad
Microwave some Yukon Gold potatos until done; slice
Add potatoes to non stick pan, add olive oil and sushi vinegar (vinegar with sugar in it)
Add some sliced scallions.
If you need more details let me know. Be creative.
Enjoy.
As much as I tell myself to slow down on wine buying, I can't resist certain wines. I went to Costco last week and bought several wines. There are only 2 Costcos in NJ that sell wine and the are not the closest Costcos to me. Thus my trips are infrequent.
I bought a 2008 Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $37. The WA 95 rating intrigued me. I also purchased the 2011 Crios Torrontes $9.50, a favorite wine at a good price and 2 bottles of Chateau La Verriere 2009 Bordeaux $9.50.
Robert Parker came out recently with his bottle review of the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux. He rates the vintage as the best ever and has given very high ratings to many wines. Is this reality or hype? In a video Parker strongly defended his reviews.
I have tasted several 09 Bordeaux wines and I have a feeling that Parker is correct. The La Verriere from Costco was very good and I don't believe that this wine has shown up on anyone's radar screen. Try some 09 Bordeaux. Prices for the tops wines are crazy high but I have started to see a number of recommended wines for under $25. The wines are for everyday drinking as well as for special occasions. They are good to drink now or can be cellared. They have a nice balance between fruit and tannin.
As a reminder, wines from Bordeaux are blends of grapes. Some have more Merlot and some have more Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc is also used to blend and some wines are all Cabernet Franc. The wine blends tend to follow Bordeaux regions. St Emillion wines are usually Merlot based. Cabernet Sauvignon based wines come from other areas.
Washington DC
I had the opportunity to be in Washington DC last week. Had lunch at a meatball place. Clever operation. Pick a meatball and pick how you want to eat it. I had Italian meatballs on a roll with sauce. Classic and it hit the spot.
7th street near the Verizon Center is the new in spot. Lots of restaurants and other interesting shops. Also had the opportunity to eat at Zaytinya. Zaytinya.com The is a Middle Eastern restaurant serving small plates. It is trendy, reasonably priced and the food is good. We had stuffed eggplant, fried mussels, spinach pie, veal breast souvlaki and lamb kabobs. Everything was good but the fried mussels were excellent if you like that type of food. Crisp outside and moist and flavorable inside.
I also went to Zola Wine and Kitchen zoladc.com They had a wine tasting in the wine shop part of the store. I tasted several Duval Leroy champagnes. There was their regular cuvee, the 2004 vintage champagne and a demi-sec. All were very good but the vintage champagne stood out. It sells for about $60. I did not eat there but they have some interesting and reasonable food for lunch. Zola is a more formal restaurant a block away.
I also had the opportunity to go to Hanks Oyster Bar hanksoysterbar.com. This is another trendy restaurant with a little funk to it. Food is very reasonable and you can eat outside or inside. We were seated inside. The food came quickly and we had a lobster roll and fried oysters. Also had some onion rings and some local beer. As for dessert, well? I asked the waiter what they had for dessert and he said chocolate. I asked chocolate what and he said chocolate. He then explained that they do not have dessert. I said what is the point of eating without dessert. As he brought the check he gave us a small dish of chocolate chunks. Not sure if he was being nice or if this is given to everyone.
Wines
Chablis Domaine De Maligny 06 $15 An older white wine. It was very good. Try an older white wine and let me know.
Fireblock Dry Riesling $12 My wife loves this wine. I enjoyed it.
Jade Mountain Syrah 2003 Paras Vineyard Love this wine.
La Carraia Sangiovese 2009 $11. A well priced good chianti- like wine. Enjoyed.
Mirafiore Barolo $27 07 A good Barolo. Needs time but enjoyed immensely.
Anum Cara Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 $30 Really loved this wine. Lots of fruit but well balanced.
Michele Chiarlo Barber D Asti Superiore Le Orme $10 Enjoyed. Wine highly recommended by Wine Spectator as a top Piemonte value. I agree. Not a fruit bomb; good wine.
Edna Valley Vindeyard 2006 Syrah Paragon $6 Love this wine. Try a syrah. I got a bargain on this wine.
Alba Estate Chambourcin 2008 $16 New Jersey We enjoyed this wine. Somewhat tart but it has clean flavor and went nicely with chicken. Alcohol content was around 12%. Way to go New Jersey.
Virginia viognier. My friend brought over 2 Virginia wines. The viognier was light fruity and nice to drink. The Cabernet Franc was forgettable. Not sure of the vineyards.
Luigi Pira Margheria 2006 Barolo $32. Big wine and very tannin. I really love Barolos. This wine can evolve for years.
Ferrari Carano Prevail West Face; California 2005 half bottle $9 I got a very good price on this.The wine has not aged well. Grapey with lots of sediment. I have a few more bottles. We will see.
Recipe of the week
2 thin pork chops bone in center cut.
1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed with 1 tblspn olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon organo
Press chops into the breadcrumb mixture
Saute chops in some olive oil turn several times in a non stick frying pan until done about 8-10 minutes
Serve with warm potato salad
Microwave some Yukon Gold potatos until done; slice
Add potatoes to non stick pan, add olive oil and sushi vinegar (vinegar with sugar in it)
Add some sliced scallions.
If you need more details let me know. Be creative.
Enjoy.
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