Hubby and I are in Canada now, so I haven't been able to Tweet since this morning, infernal addictive application. If you're interested, you can follow me @RandomOenophile
Our journeys began Friday, when the day condensed to make it difficult for us to get out of the house in a comfortably early fashion. At least it wasn't like our last trip to the Pacific Northwest when, kid you not, we were running on to the plane in sock feet. In case you hadn't noticed, the flight from Atlanta to Seattle is long. Really long. Like, two more hours and I could've been in Europe long. The bratty eighteen-month-old whose parents somehow managed to ignore him didn't help.
But we made it and immediately attended to the pressing matter of finding late-night sushi. Okay, it wasn't really late night for them, but it felt late for us. We asked the trendy young man who had checked us in, and he sent us to Red Fin, where "Happy Hour" is from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. How great is that??? We each had a glass of the 2006 Abbey Page Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, OR) and shared a spicy crab roll and mixed sushi (four pieces of fish). The wine was a bit lighter bodied than I expected for this part of the world, but it went well with the food.
Saturday morning we popped awake at 6:30 and joined the rest of the jet-lagged East coasters at Pike Place for breakfast. We chose Le Panier, the "Very French Bakery," where we enjoyed coffee and ham and cheese croissants. Then it was off to Portland!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Random Thoughts: Twitter, A Growth Spurt, and Credit Crunched!
Wow, I've been a slacker, at least in the blogosphere!
The good news is that my practice has experienced a growth spurt. Or at least it did before Memorial Day. Now, between post-holiday malaise and some random maladies going around, I'm having a fairly quiet week. How have I spent my free time? Trying to chase down a new business credit card.
Random rant: Yep, I got credit crunched. I had a business credit card from Advanta. Well, I guess I technically still have it until my account goes *poof!* on the 30th due to their financial difficulties. Seriously, they gave me four days' notice! That's it! I admit, I'm not in as bad shape as some who rely on their business cards for operating costs, but I was counting on it for my conference in Seattle in June. Now I'm going to have to use a personal card for those expenses because I couldn't get a new business card by the time we leave for Seattle, um, today.
Yep, leavin' on a jet plane this evening. My plane reading? Principles and Practices of Sex Therapy, I kid you not. That's the fun of being on insurance panels: there's no telling what kind of issues come through the door.
I'm bringing my laptop with me, so I hope to update my blog as we go, but since internet and time may be limited, I also finally gave in and got a Twitter account. Uh huh, you can find me on there as @RandomOenophile (name: Cecilia Dominic). Now to find a good Twitter app for my crackberry...
The good news is that my practice has experienced a growth spurt. Or at least it did before Memorial Day. Now, between post-holiday malaise and some random maladies going around, I'm having a fairly quiet week. How have I spent my free time? Trying to chase down a new business credit card.
Random rant: Yep, I got credit crunched. I had a business credit card from Advanta. Well, I guess I technically still have it until my account goes *poof!* on the 30th due to their financial difficulties. Seriously, they gave me four days' notice! That's it! I admit, I'm not in as bad shape as some who rely on their business cards for operating costs, but I was counting on it for my conference in Seattle in June. Now I'm going to have to use a personal card for those expenses because I couldn't get a new business card by the time we leave for Seattle, um, today.
Yep, leavin' on a jet plane this evening. My plane reading? Principles and Practices of Sex Therapy, I kid you not. That's the fun of being on insurance panels: there's no telling what kind of issues come through the door.
I'm bringing my laptop with me, so I hope to update my blog as we go, but since internet and time may be limited, I also finally gave in and got a Twitter account. Uh huh, you can find me on there as @RandomOenophile (name: Cecilia Dominic). Now to find a good Twitter app for my crackberry...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Tasting Notes: Oregon and Washington wines at JavaMonkey
Talk about timing! Hubby and I are working on our plans for our upcoming trip to the Pacific-Northwest, and Jess decided to taste Oregon and Washington wines as part of her Thursday Wine Series! I know we just took a trip to California, but I have a conference in Seattle the second week of June, so we decided to make a trip of it since Hubby has relatives in Portland, I have friends there, and yes, we really like the area and the wines. Plus, I can count my plane tickets as a business expense. We'll have to work hard to empty out Bertha before we go -- oh, the sacrifices we make!
The evening began with the 2008 Snoqualmie Naked Gewurtztraminer (Columbia Valley, Washington), which had a lovely apple blossom and honey nose. The wine itself followed with a chewy, almost syrupy texture over a mineral backbone. I would call it interesting and have it as an aperitif.
Rating: Good/Very Good
The second wine, the 2007 Chehalem Willamette Valley Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon) was grapefruit on the nose. Another interesting texture that felt a bit fizzy, but still carried some of the bitterness of the grapefruit to the beginning of the finish with some of the citrus on the end. I rated it "Meh," but Hubby, who typically does not like Pinot Gris, deemed it "not bad," so I have to give it some credit there.
Rating: Meh to Not Bad
Another wine from Chehalem, the 2007 INOX Chardonnay, followed. This time, a mixed citrus nose preceded a somewhat acidic wine that had a little cream and steel to it.
Rating: Okay
Yay, reds! Yes another Chehalem, this one the 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir, was a typical Pinot with a lot of cherry and some earth.
Rating: Good
Another repetition, this one from Naked. I can't help but wonder, if they made Muscadine wines, would they label them Nekkid? The 2007 Snoqualmie Naked Merlot was black currant at the front, pepper in the middle, and butter on the finish.
Rating: Good
The closer for the night, the 2005 Orphelin (Columbia Valley, Washington), was a nice Rhone blend with 56% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, 8% Grenache, 4% Cab Sauv, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Touriga, and 1% each of Pinot Noir and Viognier. I'm picturing them tossing in individual grapes by the time they got to the end of that blend. All that made it a little raisiny, but it had good dark fruit.
Rating: Very Good
This tasting brought up a pet peeve. It drives me nuts when the distributors push one or two wineries so heavily, especially if I'm not a big fan, as I wasn't of the Chehalem wines. However, my sources tell me that the distributor kept her limited Oregon selection a secret until the day before the tasting, when it was too late for Jess to find other options. That said, it's nice to know which wineries to avoid.
The evening began with the 2008 Snoqualmie Naked Gewurtztraminer (Columbia Valley, Washington), which had a lovely apple blossom and honey nose. The wine itself followed with a chewy, almost syrupy texture over a mineral backbone. I would call it interesting and have it as an aperitif.
Rating: Good/Very Good
The second wine, the 2007 Chehalem Willamette Valley Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon) was grapefruit on the nose. Another interesting texture that felt a bit fizzy, but still carried some of the bitterness of the grapefruit to the beginning of the finish with some of the citrus on the end. I rated it "Meh," but Hubby, who typically does not like Pinot Gris, deemed it "not bad," so I have to give it some credit there.
Rating: Meh to Not Bad
Another wine from Chehalem, the 2007 INOX Chardonnay, followed. This time, a mixed citrus nose preceded a somewhat acidic wine that had a little cream and steel to it.
Rating: Okay
Yay, reds! Yes another Chehalem, this one the 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir, was a typical Pinot with a lot of cherry and some earth.
Rating: Good
Another repetition, this one from Naked. I can't help but wonder, if they made Muscadine wines, would they label them Nekkid? The 2007 Snoqualmie Naked Merlot was black currant at the front, pepper in the middle, and butter on the finish.
Rating: Good
The closer for the night, the 2005 Orphelin (Columbia Valley, Washington), was a nice Rhone blend with 56% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, 8% Grenache, 4% Cab Sauv, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Touriga, and 1% each of Pinot Noir and Viognier. I'm picturing them tossing in individual grapes by the time they got to the end of that blend. All that made it a little raisiny, but it had good dark fruit.
Rating: Very Good
This tasting brought up a pet peeve. It drives me nuts when the distributors push one or two wineries so heavily, especially if I'm not a big fan, as I wasn't of the Chehalem wines. However, my sources tell me that the distributor kept her limited Oregon selection a secret until the day before the tasting, when it was too late for Jess to find other options. That said, it's nice to know which wineries to avoid.
Restaurant Review: Violette
I was excited to have the opportunity to attend a dinner last week at Violette, a French restaurant just west of I-85 on Clairmont. The funniest thing was, until I got the invitation, I hadn't even noticed it was there, although I'd heard of it, and I drive by it almost every day on the way to the office.
The outside isn't very impressive, but the space inside is beautiful. The main dining room is cozy, and they have a lovely tree-lined patio for dining al fresco. We were in a side room, sort of a sun-room, with tall glass windows looking out through the trees. I could see the neighboring office building's parking lot, but the space was so nice and green and airy that I soon forgot I was still in the middle of the city.
I started the evening with a glass of French Chardonnay, the 2006 Laboure-Roi (Pays d'Oc). It was easy to sip with citrus over melon flavors, and I didn't taste any oak on it. I found winemaker's notes with further digging afterward (see: just now), and they refer to fermentations in tanks, which I assume means steel. It was smooth with a nice finish.
One of the fun things about these type of events is that appetizers are typically passed. We shared a salmon cake over greens, crostini with garlicky goat cheese with more greens, and pate with a horseradish mustard sauce. The salmon cake was the best of the bunch, although we also commented on how the goat cheese was flavorful without having that funky goat cheese taste, and everyone who tried the pate liked it and agreed that it did not taste like liver. The greens that came with everything were also very good. For dinner, I had the Filet d'Agneau au romarin, a grilled lamb loin with rosemary garlic jus and served with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes. The lamb was very tender and tasty, and the sides complimented it well. I also heard good reviews of the Filet de Saumon au sésame, or sesame- and peppercorn-crusted salmon with citrus soy sauce, and the Poulet Farci, a chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and garlic.
Since I ordered lamb, I went for a Syrah blend and got a Cotes du Rhone from the same winery. The dark fruit of the Syrah came through nicely, and it had enough acidity to stand up to the food. I searched online for the blend breakdown, but had no luck. If anyone has any more info, I'd appreciate it because I really liked it.
Of course I chose the chocolate mousse for dessert. It was served as a soft sphere on a plate with strawberries, and I thought that it was the perfect weight, not too heavy but also with enough substance to keep its shape. And yes, the chocolate flavor was deep enough for me, which is how chocolate mousse should be, and not messed up by any interfering tastes.
Overall, I think I still like Babette's Cafe better, and Atmosphere is still my favorite French restaurant in Atlanta by far, but Violette definitely goes on the list of places I wouldn't turn down an invitation to, and if I were to find myself in that part of town and jonesin' for French food, I would happily stop in again.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Very nice and romantic
Food: Very good
Wine list: Excellent in breadth, but they fall short on selections by the glass
Wait staff: Very Good -- seemed knowledgeable, but it's hard to tell when you're part of a large group how it works on the floor
Desserts: The chocolate mousse is good; what else could you possibly need to know?
Vegetarian friendly? Not really with one appetizer, a few salads, and one entree
Kid friendly? Probably not, but worth hiring a sitter so Mom & Dad can have a romantic evening out
Would I go back? Yes
The outside isn't very impressive, but the space inside is beautiful. The main dining room is cozy, and they have a lovely tree-lined patio for dining al fresco. We were in a side room, sort of a sun-room, with tall glass windows looking out through the trees. I could see the neighboring office building's parking lot, but the space was so nice and green and airy that I soon forgot I was still in the middle of the city.
I started the evening with a glass of French Chardonnay, the 2006 Laboure-Roi (Pays d'Oc). It was easy to sip with citrus over melon flavors, and I didn't taste any oak on it. I found winemaker's notes with further digging afterward (see: just now), and they refer to fermentations in tanks, which I assume means steel. It was smooth with a nice finish.
One of the fun things about these type of events is that appetizers are typically passed. We shared a salmon cake over greens, crostini with garlicky goat cheese with more greens, and pate with a horseradish mustard sauce. The salmon cake was the best of the bunch, although we also commented on how the goat cheese was flavorful without having that funky goat cheese taste, and everyone who tried the pate liked it and agreed that it did not taste like liver. The greens that came with everything were also very good. For dinner, I had the Filet d'Agneau au romarin, a grilled lamb loin with rosemary garlic jus and served with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes. The lamb was very tender and tasty, and the sides complimented it well. I also heard good reviews of the Filet de Saumon au sésame, or sesame- and peppercorn-crusted salmon with citrus soy sauce, and the Poulet Farci, a chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and garlic.
Since I ordered lamb, I went for a Syrah blend and got a Cotes du Rhone from the same winery. The dark fruit of the Syrah came through nicely, and it had enough acidity to stand up to the food. I searched online for the blend breakdown, but had no luck. If anyone has any more info, I'd appreciate it because I really liked it.
Of course I chose the chocolate mousse for dessert. It was served as a soft sphere on a plate with strawberries, and I thought that it was the perfect weight, not too heavy but also with enough substance to keep its shape. And yes, the chocolate flavor was deep enough for me, which is how chocolate mousse should be, and not messed up by any interfering tastes.
Overall, I think I still like Babette's Cafe better, and Atmosphere is still my favorite French restaurant in Atlanta by far, but Violette definitely goes on the list of places I wouldn't turn down an invitation to, and if I were to find myself in that part of town and jonesin' for French food, I would happily stop in again.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Very nice and romantic
Food: Very good
Wine list: Excellent in breadth, but they fall short on selections by the glass
Wait staff: Very Good -- seemed knowledgeable, but it's hard to tell when you're part of a large group how it works on the floor
Desserts: The chocolate mousse is good; what else could you possibly need to know?
Vegetarian friendly? Not really with one appetizer, a few salads, and one entree
Kid friendly? Probably not, but worth hiring a sitter so Mom & Dad can have a romantic evening out
Would I go back? Yes
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Random Thoughts: Where have all the book reviews gone?
I never thought I'd say this, but today, instead of reading my blog, I would rather you turn off the computer, put down the Blackberry or Sacred Useless-But-Entertaining Application Platform (otherwise known as the iPhone, the new techie drug of choice), perhaps even stop trying to get your Android phone to tell you which way is up (does not work when immersed in coffee), and go buy a book. Then read the thing. Talk about it. Discuss it with your friends over coffee, which is conveniently available in a lot of bookstores.
Still reading? First, thanks. Second, I don't blame you. I don't like people telling me what to do without explanations, either.
Sunday routines are sacred, even beyond the scope of worship services. Some people go to church, then go to brunch or lunch at their favorite place. Others take a walk, relax, pray or meditate at home, and then start to dread the return of Monday. Mine is to go to church Saturday evening so I can then sleep in on Sunday morning, cook brunch with Hubby -- with real bacon again! -- and enjoy the "lighter" parts of the paper such as the comics and the book reviews. So, I was horrified to open to the books section of the AJC, which is now thoroughly hidden in the middle of the glommed-together "Arts and Lifestyle" section, and see this:
They've replaced a whole quarter of the Books section with an advertisement!
Okay, now I'm pissed. First, the Books section was shrunk and stuck toward the end of the "Arts and Books" section, then it got harder to find, then the book reviews all came from other papers, and now they've completely cut one review as well as the fun "Book Clubs" section??? And, even worse, there aren't any fiction reviews outside of the brief blurbs in the paperbacks section.
I'm going to type this slowly for the people who are obviously running the decision-making process at the AJC now in language that their intellectually stunted minds can understand: Dude. Srsly. WTF???
There is one redeeming quality to this week's section. It looks like one reviewer is actually on staff at the AJC, and the other one wrote it "for" the Journal-Constitution, but she probably also wrote it "for" several other papers. Hey, at least there's contract work, right? That's what millions of Americans who have been laid off are saying these days, so it's quite reflective of the times.
Oh, and I tried to go online to the AJC's site to find book reviews. Let's just say they don't make it easy. At all. And people wonder why Southern accents are associated with lower intellectual abilities... Maybe they should ask the people who make the decisions about what gets shoved aside for advertising in the paper of this, the largest "true" Southern city (no, I don't count anywhere in Florida).
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to the two I ordered from Amazon to come in tomorrow. I'll probably end up reading them rather than the paper.
Fellow bibliophiles, please email the AJC or AccessAtlanta people, or whoever is responsible, and let them know you're pissed off as well!
Still reading? First, thanks. Second, I don't blame you. I don't like people telling me what to do without explanations, either.
Sunday routines are sacred, even beyond the scope of worship services. Some people go to church, then go to brunch or lunch at their favorite place. Others take a walk, relax, pray or meditate at home, and then start to dread the return of Monday. Mine is to go to church Saturday evening so I can then sleep in on Sunday morning, cook brunch with Hubby -- with real bacon again! -- and enjoy the "lighter" parts of the paper such as the comics and the book reviews. So, I was horrified to open to the books section of the AJC, which is now thoroughly hidden in the middle of the glommed-together "Arts and Lifestyle" section, and see this:
They've replaced a whole quarter of the Books section with an advertisement!
Okay, now I'm pissed. First, the Books section was shrunk and stuck toward the end of the "Arts and Books" section, then it got harder to find, then the book reviews all came from other papers, and now they've completely cut one review as well as the fun "Book Clubs" section??? And, even worse, there aren't any fiction reviews outside of the brief blurbs in the paperbacks section.
I'm going to type this slowly for the people who are obviously running the decision-making process at the AJC now in language that their intellectually stunted minds can understand: Dude. Srsly. WTF???
There is one redeeming quality to this week's section. It looks like one reviewer is actually on staff at the AJC, and the other one wrote it "for" the Journal-Constitution, but she probably also wrote it "for" several other papers. Hey, at least there's contract work, right? That's what millions of Americans who have been laid off are saying these days, so it's quite reflective of the times.
Oh, and I tried to go online to the AJC's site to find book reviews. Let's just say they don't make it easy. At all. And people wonder why Southern accents are associated with lower intellectual abilities... Maybe they should ask the people who make the decisions about what gets shoved aside for advertising in the paper of this, the largest "true" Southern city (no, I don't count anywhere in Florida).
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to the two I ordered from Amazon to come in tomorrow. I'll probably end up reading them rather than the paper.
Fellow bibliophiles, please email the AJC or AccessAtlanta people, or whoever is responsible, and let them know you're pissed off as well!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Review: Five Seasons Brewery and Tasting Notes: Italian Wines at JavaMonkey
I somehow ended up being double-booked last Thursday with an office happy hour at 5 Seasons Brewery at the Prado in Sandy Springs and the wine tasting at JavaMonkey. I was the only one at the office with a potential conflict when we decided on the date, and since getting my colleagues together after hours is almost as difficult as scheduling a dissertation committee meeting, I couldn't object too hard. Even so, I arrived on time, but about 10-15 minutes before anyone else from the office.
The restaurant has a lovely covered patio with a fountain, but as we found when we were seated, the noise level is too high to easily carry on conversation without shouting. So we moved inside, ordered drinks, and started the negotiations for appetizers. Since Five Seasons is a brewery, I decided to try the Kartoon Brune, a complex, Belgian-style ale. I love the St. Bernardus Abt 12 and found this to be similar in flavor profile. I'm not sure what the alcohol content is.
You may be familiar with the "Difficulty Principle of Appetizer Sharing:" for each additional person in the group beyond two, the difficulty of agreeing on an appetizer increases exponentially. I'll add that it gets more difficult the more years of education the individuals in the group have, which for our five, added up to multiple decades. We just ended up each getting a salad and one appetizer, which were then passed around. I got the Organic Farm Greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette as well as a special appetizer, Lamb Meatballs, which were served with "garlicky spinach" and some sort of tomato sauce. They were good, but definitely not lean meat. Other appetizers I tried included the Seared Jumbo Scallops, served with an orange glaze and farm micro greens, and the Wild Mushroom pizza. The scallops were cooked to the point that they came apart easily but were still tender in the middle, had a mildly spicy crust on them that balanced well with the orange glaze, and the greens gave it a nice texture. The pizza was good, too.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Casual and open; noise level outside is high, inside is medium
Food: Very good
Wine list: Limited; I'd go for the beer
Wait staff: Very Good, but the kitchen seemed slow
Desserts: Looked good (didn't try)
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat with four "Little Plates," three pizzas, and one entree
Kid friendly? Hmmmm... Doubt it
Would I go back? Yes
I arrived at JavaMonkey just shy of the 9:00 p.m. cutoff for starting wine tastings. I felt the need to catch up, so my notes were limited, and I'll be using Hubby's as well. The theme was Italian wines.
Carpene Malvolti Prosecco, Veneto:
This family created the Method Charmant. I found it to be well-balanced and drinkable with just a hint of vanilla sweetness.
Rating: Very Good
2008 MontAsolo Pinot Grigio, Veneto:
An oddly buttery Pinot Grigio, the wine rep said it would work well with spicy and saline foods. I could see that, especially with scallops. Hubby described it as "H20" and "Better than NASCAR," which he doesn't like. Right, we'll just go with my rating: Meh
2006 MontAsolo Merlot, Veneto:
Strike two for the MontAsolo winery. This one was pretty unexciting as well, just Merlot spice with a little fruit. Hubby noted that it wanted a good Italian-style pizza.
Rating: Meh
2007 Pietra Majella Montepulciano d'Abruzzo:
Rating: Good, but still not exciting.
2006 Castello Monaci "Liante": 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera
Dark fruit with a little chocolate, and some butter as well. Yep, this one's a "pie wine."
Rating: Very Good
Ca'Bianca Ante Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont:
Nice, smooth berry flavors.
Rating: Very Good
Yeah, I know, those were pretty sparse notes. I'll do better next time. The thing to remember about a lot of Italian wines is that they tend to be better with food because of their acidity. There are exceptions, of course. One trend that intrigues me is that West Coast wineries are now making forays into Italian varietals. On our most recent trip, we tasted some that were great, and some that were not so good, but all were interesting.
The restaurant has a lovely covered patio with a fountain, but as we found when we were seated, the noise level is too high to easily carry on conversation without shouting. So we moved inside, ordered drinks, and started the negotiations for appetizers. Since Five Seasons is a brewery, I decided to try the Kartoon Brune, a complex, Belgian-style ale. I love the St. Bernardus Abt 12 and found this to be similar in flavor profile. I'm not sure what the alcohol content is.
You may be familiar with the "Difficulty Principle of Appetizer Sharing:" for each additional person in the group beyond two, the difficulty of agreeing on an appetizer increases exponentially. I'll add that it gets more difficult the more years of education the individuals in the group have, which for our five, added up to multiple decades. We just ended up each getting a salad and one appetizer, which were then passed around. I got the Organic Farm Greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette as well as a special appetizer, Lamb Meatballs, which were served with "garlicky spinach" and some sort of tomato sauce. They were good, but definitely not lean meat. Other appetizers I tried included the Seared Jumbo Scallops, served with an orange glaze and farm micro greens, and the Wild Mushroom pizza. The scallops were cooked to the point that they came apart easily but were still tender in the middle, had a mildly spicy crust on them that balanced well with the orange glaze, and the greens gave it a nice texture. The pizza was good, too.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Casual and open; noise level outside is high, inside is medium
Food: Very good
Wine list: Limited; I'd go for the beer
Wait staff: Very Good, but the kitchen seemed slow
Desserts: Looked good (didn't try)
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat with four "Little Plates," three pizzas, and one entree
Kid friendly? Hmmmm... Doubt it
Would I go back? Yes
I arrived at JavaMonkey just shy of the 9:00 p.m. cutoff for starting wine tastings. I felt the need to catch up, so my notes were limited, and I'll be using Hubby's as well. The theme was Italian wines.
Carpene Malvolti Prosecco, Veneto:
This family created the Method Charmant. I found it to be well-balanced and drinkable with just a hint of vanilla sweetness.
Rating: Very Good
2008 MontAsolo Pinot Grigio, Veneto:
An oddly buttery Pinot Grigio, the wine rep said it would work well with spicy and saline foods. I could see that, especially with scallops. Hubby described it as "H20" and "Better than NASCAR," which he doesn't like. Right, we'll just go with my rating: Meh
2006 MontAsolo Merlot, Veneto:
Strike two for the MontAsolo winery. This one was pretty unexciting as well, just Merlot spice with a little fruit. Hubby noted that it wanted a good Italian-style pizza.
Rating: Meh
2007 Pietra Majella Montepulciano d'Abruzzo:
Rating: Good, but still not exciting.
2006 Castello Monaci "Liante": 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera
Dark fruit with a little chocolate, and some butter as well. Yep, this one's a "pie wine."
Rating: Very Good
Ca'Bianca Ante Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont:
Nice, smooth berry flavors.
Rating: Very Good
Yeah, I know, those were pretty sparse notes. I'll do better next time. The thing to remember about a lot of Italian wines is that they tend to be better with food because of their acidity. There are exceptions, of course. One trend that intrigues me is that West Coast wineries are now making forays into Italian varietals. On our most recent trip, we tasted some that were great, and some that were not so good, but all were interesting.
Lent is over...and there is much rejoicing! Oh, and recipes, too!
I always get a kick out of irony. Sometimes it even kicks me back.
Last Sunday started way too early, as Hubby and I decided to hit the 8:00 Easter Mass so as to minimize exposure to fussy children who were hopped up on the Easter candy they'd been downing all morning. We returned home mid-morning, and after making the components for and assembling the Black Bottom Banana-Cream Pie, which needed to chill, I started on brunch, which was to consist of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and grapefruit. Hubby pulled out the bacon, which he usually cooks because when I try to do it and pancakes simultaneously, the bacon tends to get burned, and gave it the nose test. He passed it along to me, and...bacon fail! I guess that's what happens when you keep it around too long and ignore it.
So Hubby rooted around some more in the drawer and came up with the veggie bacon -- fake-on? -- that we'd used for a recipe during Lent. It did in a pinch and gave us the chance to finish it, but that meant my Lenten sacrifice was prolonged, at least for another couple of hours. He ran to the Dekalb Farmers' Market and got five slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon for the Syrah-Braised Lamb with Olives, Cherries, and Endives we had for Easter dinner. A bite of that bacon is what I used to joyfully return to my omnivorous practice.
Now that you have the recipes for the main dish and dessert, here is the side dish:
Cecilia's Roased Potatoes with Green Garlic
Serves 4
1 dozen small red-skinned potatoes (about 1.75 lbs)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 bunch Green Garlic, greens sliced off, and bulbs chopped
1 Tablespoon Rosemary, chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Toss with the rest of the ingredients and bake in a baking dish for 40 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally.
Yeah, it's simple, but quite tasty.
And wine... Before dinner, we pulled out a bottle of our most recent wine club shipment from Sapolil Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. We happened to stumble into the winery when we were out there in 2007 and were so impressed with the reds, mostly Syrahs, that we joined their fledgling club. The "Papa Loves Mambo" is a blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Sangiovese, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, so it's fruity, smooth, and structured all at the same time. With dinner, we had the 2006 Syrah from Sapolil, which was a bit spicy but went well with the lamb.
Last Sunday started way too early, as Hubby and I decided to hit the 8:00 Easter Mass so as to minimize exposure to fussy children who were hopped up on the Easter candy they'd been downing all morning. We returned home mid-morning, and after making the components for and assembling the Black Bottom Banana-Cream Pie, which needed to chill, I started on brunch, which was to consist of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and grapefruit. Hubby pulled out the bacon, which he usually cooks because when I try to do it and pancakes simultaneously, the bacon tends to get burned, and gave it the nose test. He passed it along to me, and...bacon fail! I guess that's what happens when you keep it around too long and ignore it.
So Hubby rooted around some more in the drawer and came up with the veggie bacon -- fake-on? -- that we'd used for a recipe during Lent. It did in a pinch and gave us the chance to finish it, but that meant my Lenten sacrifice was prolonged, at least for another couple of hours. He ran to the Dekalb Farmers' Market and got five slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon for the Syrah-Braised Lamb with Olives, Cherries, and Endives we had for Easter dinner. A bite of that bacon is what I used to joyfully return to my omnivorous practice.
Now that you have the recipes for the main dish and dessert, here is the side dish:
Cecilia's Roased Potatoes with Green Garlic
Serves 4
1 dozen small red-skinned potatoes (about 1.75 lbs)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 bunch Green Garlic, greens sliced off, and bulbs chopped
1 Tablespoon Rosemary, chopped
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Toss with the rest of the ingredients and bake in a baking dish for 40 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally.
Yeah, it's simple, but quite tasty.
And wine... Before dinner, we pulled out a bottle of our most recent wine club shipment from Sapolil Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. We happened to stumble into the winery when we were out there in 2007 and were so impressed with the reds, mostly Syrahs, that we joined their fledgling club. The "Papa Loves Mambo" is a blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Sangiovese, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, so it's fruity, smooth, and structured all at the same time. With dinner, we had the 2006 Syrah from Sapolil, which was a bit spicy but went well with the lamb.
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