I've got a confession to make. Next to Zinfandel, Tempranillo may just be my favorite grape. Consequently, I was really ready to enjoy this past Thursday's tasting at JavaMonkey, for that reason and because I hadn't been out of the house all day.
The wines are all 100% Tempranillo and come from Spain, so I'll just list names and regions:
2007 Campos Reales (La Mancha):
This one has been a favorite in the past, so I'm wondering if this vintage may not be quite as good as previous ones. The nose is buttery and a little musky, and it opens up to blackberry. It is light to medium-bodied with a lot of cranberry and a little pomegranate. Someone designated it as "Ocean Spray [juice]" wine.
Rating: Good
Note: According to my blog archives, I reviewed the 2008 Campos Reales in April. It was bigger, fruitier, and more complex than this 2007. So, if you're looking for a good, basic Tempranillo, go for the 2008.
2006 Sierra Cantabria (Rioja):
Although it's from Rioja, it's not a Crianza. Blue/blackberry nose, and the middle has a nice structure from the oak. The problem with this one is the major pepper kick at the end that someone described as "caustic."
Rating: Good
2007 Emilio Moro Finco Resalso (Ribera del Duoro):
Dark fruit with a little toasted almond on the nose. Sour cherry and currant with a silky texture that again went a little rough on the finish. A second tasting later revealed that it had smoothed out, so just let it open.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2005 Urban Ribera (Ribera del Duero):
Can tell on the nose that this will be a "hot" one with 14.5% alcohol. The dominant flavor is blueberry. Someone designated it as "blueberry pie," but I didn't get enough butter for that.
Rating: Good to Very Good
2006 Codice Tinto (Vino de la Tierra de Castilla):
This one has a hot nose, too, but it smoothed out with some good swirling. In addition to its dark fruit, it has some clove, spice, and a little butter. This medium-bodied wine could have come earlier in the tasting.
Rating: Very Good
2005 Venta Mazzaron (Tierra del Vino de Zamora):
With its smoky nose and bacon overtones on the palate, this was the table favorite. The combination of fruit and smoke made me want to pair it with a Belgian entree, maybe cherries and meatballs (yes, that's a real Belgian dish).
Rating: Very Good
Random Thoughts:
A trio of Emory students came to the previous wine tasting, Blends, armed with camera and notepads to do a feature for the student paper. The next to the last paragraph cracked me up:
Although the relaxed venue was enjoyable, wine aficionados may not want to head to JavaMonkey. A fellow taster sitting next to me was rather pretentiously swirling and sniffing his wines, a behavior that may be common at many wine tastings, but which seemed out of place at this one.
Don't worry, wine aficionados, you can come sit with us. We sip and swirl non-pretentiously.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Girls just wanna have lunch
I had a minor medical procedure last Friday, which has dampened my wine drinking a little, so I've been recovering at home this week. My mom came on Sunday to help take care of me as well as so Hubby would catch a break with cooking and housework during a crazy work week for him.
On Tuesday, I was finally ready to venture out of the the house, so we went to lunch at Duck's Cosmic Kitchen. This was a place I'd driven by frequently and had seen the sign for, but hadn't tried until Hubby and I recently stopped in for a quick breakfast. The menu, although short, has a good variety of "bistro fare" including sandwiches, pizzas, and "small plates." They also have a different soup daily as well as other specials. Mom got the special sandwich, which had raw vegetables and hummus. She deemed it to be very good. I had the California pizza, which has chicken, mozzarella, garlic, avocado, and tomatoes as well as tomato sauce. I thought the presentation of the avocado, one long slice per quarter-slice of pizza, was a little odd, but the flavors worked well together. I also had a "Cosmic Side Salad" with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, blue cheese, and vinaigrette. I thought it was a good bistro-style salad, and the mix of textures and balance of flavors were just right.
Duck's does have a short beer and wine list. The reds are heavily weighted toward California, but the whites show more variety, and they even offer a rose and small bottles of sparkling. Even better, they suggest food pairings for the wine.
Dessert looked wonderful, especially the bittersweet chocolate pie, but alas, that will have to wait for another time. We did bring home a donut for Hubby to have for breakfast the next morning, and he was very happy. I've had the chocolate chip and walnut scone, and it was fresh-baked and really good.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Nice and casual; maybe a little too casual for a business lunch
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Limited, but not bad
Wait staff: Excellent, very warm but not hovering
Desserts: Look very promising
Vegetarian friendly? Yes
Kid friendly? Maybe? It is Decatur, after all.
Would I go back? Definitely!
When Mom's in town, shopping is definitely on the to-do list, so yesterday we ventured to Perimeter Mall and Nordstrom to check out boots. I would prefer to not shop in a high-end department store, but I wear a 10 1/2, and that's the only place I've consistently found cute shoes in my size. I had heard good things about the Nordstrom Cafe on the third floor, so we went there for lunch.
The cafe is set up cafeteria-style with sandwich/panini, salad, and "special" sections. They also offer pizza, pasta, and desserts. They have Roma Tomato Basil Soup daily as well as a soup special. I had the Chicken Mozzarella Ciabatta, which has thinly sliced grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, balsamic glaze, spinach, and pesto aioli served on a parmesan ciabatta with chips. I also got a cup of the Roma Tomato Basil soup. The sandwich was very good once I distributed the meat from where it was concentrated in the middle to the whole sandwich. I didn't really taste the balsamic glaze, but everything else tasted fresh. The soup was a little creamy, but the tomato flavor was not overpowered, and it had a nice texture, like thick tomato sauce. I also liked the parmesan cheese toast that came with it.
Mom had the Blue Cheese & Pear Salad in an attempt to be healthy. Overall, it was good, although the dressing and the candied walnuts likely sabotaged her efforts. Also, the pears looked and tasted like apples. That's not a switch I would have expected, at least not without notification.
Dessert was, sad to say, disappointing. We split a Tiramisu, and it was not what we expected. If there was any amaretto at all, it was a tiny layer on the bottom. The creamy part was very sweet and tasted like vanilla pudding rather than mascarpone cheese. I had been worried about sharing a dessert with my mother because it has been known to lead to a battle for the last bite, but we each ended up taking a couple of bites and leaving the rest. That, my friends, qualifies as an epic dessert FAIL.
The other thing to know about Cafe Norstrom is that they have wait staff to help clear the tables, refill water, and bring to-go boxes. They will leave a little tray at the end with a couple of chocolate mint sticks so that you'll leave them a tip. There's no chance to do so ahead of time, even if you pay with a credit card.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Somewhat noisy
Food: Good, but watch out for sneaky substitutions
Wine list: Tiny
Wait staff: Good, attentive
Desserts: The Tiramisu was meh; the cake pieces look huge, but I'm wary now
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat
Kid friendly? Yes
Would I go back? Maybe
Random note with intuitive ramble: The inspiration for the title of this blog post is from Weird Al Yankovic's 1985 album "Dare to be Stupid," on which he parodied Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Yes, I have the Weird Al album. My karaoke buddy Ms. Vegetarian and I did "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to much acclaim one evening. Another song that was received well was Peter, Paul, and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Mary Travers died yesterday at age 72 from leukemia. She will be missed, and I'm grateful to my parents for exposing me and BabySis to the music from their generation.
On Tuesday, I was finally ready to venture out of the the house, so we went to lunch at Duck's Cosmic Kitchen. This was a place I'd driven by frequently and had seen the sign for, but hadn't tried until Hubby and I recently stopped in for a quick breakfast. The menu, although short, has a good variety of "bistro fare" including sandwiches, pizzas, and "small plates." They also have a different soup daily as well as other specials. Mom got the special sandwich, which had raw vegetables and hummus. She deemed it to be very good. I had the California pizza, which has chicken, mozzarella, garlic, avocado, and tomatoes as well as tomato sauce. I thought the presentation of the avocado, one long slice per quarter-slice of pizza, was a little odd, but the flavors worked well together. I also had a "Cosmic Side Salad" with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, blue cheese, and vinaigrette. I thought it was a good bistro-style salad, and the mix of textures and balance of flavors were just right.
Duck's does have a short beer and wine list. The reds are heavily weighted toward California, but the whites show more variety, and they even offer a rose and small bottles of sparkling. Even better, they suggest food pairings for the wine.
Dessert looked wonderful, especially the bittersweet chocolate pie, but alas, that will have to wait for another time. We did bring home a donut for Hubby to have for breakfast the next morning, and he was very happy. I've had the chocolate chip and walnut scone, and it was fresh-baked and really good.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Nice and casual; maybe a little too casual for a business lunch
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Limited, but not bad
Wait staff: Excellent, very warm but not hovering
Desserts: Look very promising
Vegetarian friendly? Yes
Kid friendly? Maybe? It is Decatur, after all.
Would I go back? Definitely!
When Mom's in town, shopping is definitely on the to-do list, so yesterday we ventured to Perimeter Mall and Nordstrom to check out boots. I would prefer to not shop in a high-end department store, but I wear a 10 1/2, and that's the only place I've consistently found cute shoes in my size. I had heard good things about the Nordstrom Cafe on the third floor, so we went there for lunch.
The cafe is set up cafeteria-style with sandwich/panini, salad, and "special" sections. They also offer pizza, pasta, and desserts. They have Roma Tomato Basil Soup daily as well as a soup special. I had the Chicken Mozzarella Ciabatta, which has thinly sliced grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, balsamic glaze, spinach, and pesto aioli served on a parmesan ciabatta with chips. I also got a cup of the Roma Tomato Basil soup. The sandwich was very good once I distributed the meat from where it was concentrated in the middle to the whole sandwich. I didn't really taste the balsamic glaze, but everything else tasted fresh. The soup was a little creamy, but the tomato flavor was not overpowered, and it had a nice texture, like thick tomato sauce. I also liked the parmesan cheese toast that came with it.
Mom had the Blue Cheese & Pear Salad in an attempt to be healthy. Overall, it was good, although the dressing and the candied walnuts likely sabotaged her efforts. Also, the pears looked and tasted like apples. That's not a switch I would have expected, at least not without notification.
Dessert was, sad to say, disappointing. We split a Tiramisu, and it was not what we expected. If there was any amaretto at all, it was a tiny layer on the bottom. The creamy part was very sweet and tasted like vanilla pudding rather than mascarpone cheese. I had been worried about sharing a dessert with my mother because it has been known to lead to a battle for the last bite, but we each ended up taking a couple of bites and leaving the rest. That, my friends, qualifies as an epic dessert FAIL.
The other thing to know about Cafe Norstrom is that they have wait staff to help clear the tables, refill water, and bring to-go boxes. They will leave a little tray at the end with a couple of chocolate mint sticks so that you'll leave them a tip. There's no chance to do so ahead of time, even if you pay with a credit card.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Somewhat noisy
Food: Good, but watch out for sneaky substitutions
Wine list: Tiny
Wait staff: Good, attentive
Desserts: The Tiramisu was meh; the cake pieces look huge, but I'm wary now
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat
Kid friendly? Yes
Would I go back? Maybe
Random note with intuitive ramble: The inspiration for the title of this blog post is from Weird Al Yankovic's 1985 album "Dare to be Stupid," on which he parodied Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Yes, I have the Weird Al album. My karaoke buddy Ms. Vegetarian and I did "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to much acclaim one evening. Another song that was received well was Peter, Paul, and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Mary Travers died yesterday at age 72 from leukemia. She will be missed, and I'm grateful to my parents for exposing me and BabySis to the music from their generation.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tasting Notes: JavaMonkey Thursday Wine Series -- Blends
Last Thursday's wine tasting focused on blends of different grapes. I tend to like blends because they show the winemaker's creativity and style. It's like some magical alchemy, wherein the different grapes somehow keep their characteristics and become something more. Here are the wines:
2008 Côté Est, (Côtes Catalanes, Fr):
60% Grenache Blanc and Gris, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Marsanne
This one has a very floral nose that carried to the roof of my mouth on the first sip. It also had Meyer lemon, acidic but not harsh. Of note, it's imported by Eric Solomon. I had a chance to sip on this one for an hour while I waited for Hubby to arrive and was pleased that the floral and lemon smoothed out.
Rating: Very Good
2007 Kamiak Cellar Select White (Columbia Valley, WA):
60% Chardonnay, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Late Harvest Gewurztraminer
Mineral lime nose, but this "dense" wine (as Hubby called it) had flavors of caramelized sugar and melon. It was almost a dessert wine, but just as easily could pair with spicy food.
Rating: Very Good
2005 Tenuta Rapitalà Nuhar (Sicilia, It):
78% Nero d'Avola, 22% Pinot Nero
The nose, which promised dark cherry, teased because it fell flat on the palate. There was some spice and a bit of fruit on the edges. I heard comments that it tasted much better with cheese. The web site is funny for its tropical backgrounds and pictures of a serious-looking guy in a linen suit.
Rating: Good
2006 Château Saint-Sulpice (Bordeaux, Fr):
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc
The nose on this one had a little funky earthiness over the fruit, which had sharp acidity and currant/berry flavors.
Rating: Good
2007 La Posta Cocina Blend (Mendoza, Argentina):
60% Malbec, 20% Bonarda, and 20% Syrah
Blackberry nose, and the wine itself is a fruit bomb (but in a good way) with blackberry and blueberry. Very smooth and drinkable, this one was the favorite of the evening.
Rating: Very Good to Excellent
2008 Luzón (Jumilla, Spain):
70% Monastrell, 30% Syrah
Synthetic vanilla nose, big with dark fruit, cedar, butterscotch, and licorice.
Rating: Good
2008 Côté Est, (Côtes Catalanes, Fr):
60% Grenache Blanc and Gris, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Marsanne
This one has a very floral nose that carried to the roof of my mouth on the first sip. It also had Meyer lemon, acidic but not harsh. Of note, it's imported by Eric Solomon. I had a chance to sip on this one for an hour while I waited for Hubby to arrive and was pleased that the floral and lemon smoothed out.
Rating: Very Good
2007 Kamiak Cellar Select White (Columbia Valley, WA):
60% Chardonnay, 35% Sauvignon Blanc, and 5% Late Harvest Gewurztraminer
Mineral lime nose, but this "dense" wine (as Hubby called it) had flavors of caramelized sugar and melon. It was almost a dessert wine, but just as easily could pair with spicy food.
Rating: Very Good
2005 Tenuta Rapitalà Nuhar (Sicilia, It):
78% Nero d'Avola, 22% Pinot Nero
The nose, which promised dark cherry, teased because it fell flat on the palate. There was some spice and a bit of fruit on the edges. I heard comments that it tasted much better with cheese. The web site is funny for its tropical backgrounds and pictures of a serious-looking guy in a linen suit.
Rating: Good
2006 Château Saint-Sulpice (Bordeaux, Fr):
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc
The nose on this one had a little funky earthiness over the fruit, which had sharp acidity and currant/berry flavors.
Rating: Good
2007 La Posta Cocina Blend (Mendoza, Argentina):
60% Malbec, 20% Bonarda, and 20% Syrah
Blackberry nose, and the wine itself is a fruit bomb (but in a good way) with blackberry and blueberry. Very smooth and drinkable, this one was the favorite of the evening.
Rating: Very Good to Excellent
2008 Luzón (Jumilla, Spain):
70% Monastrell, 30% Syrah
Synthetic vanilla nose, big with dark fruit, cedar, butterscotch, and licorice.
Rating: Good
Belated Tasting Notes: Old vs. New World Wines at JavaMonkey
I was out of town for the August 20 wine tasting at JavaMonkey, so fellow oenophile Dan Browning took some notes for me. Hubby and I met Dan and his lovely wife Kirsten at a Feast wine dinner, and we're very happy to count them among our friends, especially with this shared interest. Dan did send me his notes almost immediately, so it's my fault that these notes are a little late. Thanks, Dan, for doing such a great job!
Here are Dan's notes:
Today I'm serving as substitute blogger for my good friend Cecilia Dominic the Random Oenophile, who decided to go chase tropical storms for her vacation. She will be cross-posting this entry on her blog, which you should read anyway because of its wealth of wine and food info. She usually recounts the fine bi-weekly wine tastings at one of our mutual favorite joints, JavaMonkey in Decatur, as well as her other oenophilic and gastronomic adventures. If you haven't been there, I strongly encourage you to go check it out – great wines and beer, excellent food, and oh yes, fine Free Trade coffee by the cup or by the pound.
Anyway, on to the wines. This week's tasting was billed as an “Old World v. New World” matchup, but of course Jess (the proprietor of said JavaMonkey) wanted to throw in a wrinkle, so the tasting was essentially a blind one, with the exception of identifying the predominant varietals of each wine. That is, we got a sheet with the six wines listed, two chardonnays, two sangioveses, and two syrahs, but that was it. We were left to deduce which wine was from the Old World (which, by the rules of the tasting, pretty much meant Europe) and which was from the New World.
Our first pairing was the aforementioned chardonnays. Chardonnay #1 was grassy, perhaps slightly vegetal (but in a good way – maybe a hint of green pepper?), with some overtones of pink grapefruit, a little lemony also, and it had some funkiness (again in a good way) and a nice long finish. This one was a double thumbs-up from all tasters with whom I spoke, and was one of my faves. I guessed this as an Old World (hereinafter OW v. NW).
Chardonnay #2 had more of a green apple flavor up front (thanks to Kurt for identifying the correct apple varietal). It definitely showed some oak barrel aging (unlike Chard #1), and had a slightly shorter finish than #1. It was also a bit sweet, almost a candy apple flavor but not quite that sweet. It was good, but the other Chard was my preference. I guessed NW.
Sangiovese #1 was a light to medium bodied red, very smooth, with a slightly tart flavor – sour cherries was the best description I could come up with. It had some “legs” - for the uninitiated, “legs” refer to the coating trickles left on the inside of the glass after swirling the wine up the sides of the glass. The viscosity of the wine thus observed is a rough measure of its alcohol content (or ABV), i.e., the longer the legs, the higher the alcohol content. As a general rule, OW wines are lower ABV than NW wines. My guess here was OW.
Sangiovese #2 was darker, very big and punch on the nose with more legs. It was a little “hot” (in terms of ABV, not just temperature, although I could have done with having the reds served closer to “cellar temperature of about 65 degrees Fahrenheit). It was chewy and sticky, definitely peppery, with more of a dark cherry flavor. I picked up some tannins (but not too many); others noted a hint of anise. I guessed NW.
Syrah #1 was a little hot on the front of my tongue, and it was hard at first for me to pick out any distinct flavors as the high ABV smacked me upside the palate at the beginning. I eventually settled on “dark berries” as the flavor-in-chief, with some chocolaty aspects as well. There was definitely a lot going on with this wine, although it was just a bit too fruit-forward and high intensity for my tastes – I'm guessing, however, that this would have been Cecilia's favorite of the evening. I guessed NW.
Syrah #2 was perhaps my favorite wine of the evening. It was dark and slightly sweet, with big legs, but not quite as in-your-face as #1. I got some dark berries again – but that's characteristic of the varietal – maybe blackberries in this one, or perhaps blueberries also. There were also some tannins and a little minerality, but not so much as to overwhelm the other flavors. I also got a hint of anise on the sides of my tongue as I tasted this one. I guessed OW.
Now for the revealing of the hidden truths. First, I must pat myself on the back for going 6 for 6 on the OW v. NW identifications (not that they were particularly difficult). Here's the full lineup:
Chardonnay #1 was Verget Macon-Villages 2007, Burgundy (France)
Chardonnay #2 was Mark West Central Coast (California) 2008
Sangiovese #1 was Stella 2007 from Puglia, Italy
Sangiovese #2 was Niner 2006 from Paso Robles, California
Syrah #1 was Clos LaChance Black-Chinned Syrah 2006, from California's Central Coast
Syrah #2 was Saint Cosme 2008, Cotes-du-Rhone (France)
I hadn't thought about this until now as I was looking over the lineup, but Jess (and Joe, wine rep from Prestige Wines, who is always a fine source of knowledge) chose all of their New World wines from one specific region, the Central Coast of California (Paso Robles is pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the Central Coast). Very sneaky of them...
That's my report from the wine tasting. Thanks to CD for allowing me to fill in for her in her absence. And thanks to you readers for letting my indulge this diversion into another of my life's passions. Salut!
Here are Dan's notes:
Today I'm serving as substitute blogger for my good friend Cecilia Dominic the Random Oenophile, who decided to go chase tropical storms for her vacation. She will be cross-posting this entry on her blog, which you should read anyway because of its wealth of wine and food info. She usually recounts the fine bi-weekly wine tastings at one of our mutual favorite joints, JavaMonkey in Decatur, as well as her other oenophilic and gastronomic adventures. If you haven't been there, I strongly encourage you to go check it out – great wines and beer, excellent food, and oh yes, fine Free Trade coffee by the cup or by the pound.
Anyway, on to the wines. This week's tasting was billed as an “Old World v. New World” matchup, but of course Jess (the proprietor of said JavaMonkey) wanted to throw in a wrinkle, so the tasting was essentially a blind one, with the exception of identifying the predominant varietals of each wine. That is, we got a sheet with the six wines listed, two chardonnays, two sangioveses, and two syrahs, but that was it. We were left to deduce which wine was from the Old World (which, by the rules of the tasting, pretty much meant Europe) and which was from the New World.
Our first pairing was the aforementioned chardonnays. Chardonnay #1 was grassy, perhaps slightly vegetal (but in a good way – maybe a hint of green pepper?), with some overtones of pink grapefruit, a little lemony also, and it had some funkiness (again in a good way) and a nice long finish. This one was a double thumbs-up from all tasters with whom I spoke, and was one of my faves. I guessed this as an Old World (hereinafter OW v. NW).
Chardonnay #2 had more of a green apple flavor up front (thanks to Kurt for identifying the correct apple varietal). It definitely showed some oak barrel aging (unlike Chard #1), and had a slightly shorter finish than #1. It was also a bit sweet, almost a candy apple flavor but not quite that sweet. It was good, but the other Chard was my preference. I guessed NW.
Sangiovese #1 was a light to medium bodied red, very smooth, with a slightly tart flavor – sour cherries was the best description I could come up with. It had some “legs” - for the uninitiated, “legs” refer to the coating trickles left on the inside of the glass after swirling the wine up the sides of the glass. The viscosity of the wine thus observed is a rough measure of its alcohol content (or ABV), i.e., the longer the legs, the higher the alcohol content. As a general rule, OW wines are lower ABV than NW wines. My guess here was OW.
Sangiovese #2 was darker, very big and punch on the nose with more legs. It was a little “hot” (in terms of ABV, not just temperature, although I could have done with having the reds served closer to “cellar temperature of about 65 degrees Fahrenheit). It was chewy and sticky, definitely peppery, with more of a dark cherry flavor. I picked up some tannins (but not too many); others noted a hint of anise. I guessed NW.
Syrah #1 was a little hot on the front of my tongue, and it was hard at first for me to pick out any distinct flavors as the high ABV smacked me upside the palate at the beginning. I eventually settled on “dark berries” as the flavor-in-chief, with some chocolaty aspects as well. There was definitely a lot going on with this wine, although it was just a bit too fruit-forward and high intensity for my tastes – I'm guessing, however, that this would have been Cecilia's favorite of the evening. I guessed NW.
Syrah #2 was perhaps my favorite wine of the evening. It was dark and slightly sweet, with big legs, but not quite as in-your-face as #1. I got some dark berries again – but that's characteristic of the varietal – maybe blackberries in this one, or perhaps blueberries also. There were also some tannins and a little minerality, but not so much as to overwhelm the other flavors. I also got a hint of anise on the sides of my tongue as I tasted this one. I guessed OW.
Now for the revealing of the hidden truths. First, I must pat myself on the back for going 6 for 6 on the OW v. NW identifications (not that they were particularly difficult). Here's the full lineup:
Chardonnay #1 was Verget Macon-Villages 2007, Burgundy (France)
Chardonnay #2 was Mark West Central Coast (California) 2008
Sangiovese #1 was Stella 2007 from Puglia, Italy
Sangiovese #2 was Niner 2006 from Paso Robles, California
Syrah #1 was Clos LaChance Black-Chinned Syrah 2006, from California's Central Coast
Syrah #2 was Saint Cosme 2008, Cotes-du-Rhone (France)
I hadn't thought about this until now as I was looking over the lineup, but Jess (and Joe, wine rep from Prestige Wines, who is always a fine source of knowledge) chose all of their New World wines from one specific region, the Central Coast of California (Paso Robles is pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the Central Coast). Very sneaky of them...
That's my report from the wine tasting. Thanks to CD for allowing me to fill in for her in her absence. And thanks to you readers for letting my indulge this diversion into another of my life's passions. Salut!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Dangerous Magic in Two... One...
Before I get to posting seriously, I'd like to thank Dave Kell of the inDecatur blog (see "Favorite Blogs" for a link) for organizing and putting together the Decatur Bloggers' tent at the Decatur Book Festival. It's fun to meet other Decatur bloggers and to have the opportunity to talk to people about the Random Oenophile blog. I spent an hour there today (Saturday) and will be there from 3:00-4:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Normally I hate August. It's hot. It's humid. It lasts forever. But one redeeming quality of the month is that it's restaurant week somewhere in Atlanta. Just as the various restaurant events work their magic to take our minds off of the misery of August, I couldn't help but notice how the Concentrics designers combined elements to create effects that ranged from sleight of hand to grand illusion. Not that that's a bad thing; for me, eating out should be an escape from reality beyond just not having to cook or do dishes.
Concentrics Restaurant Week brought me and Hubby to Two Urban Licks. The hostess desk is back-lit or surround-lit or, well, you get the idea, in lurid red. I'm not sure of the effect they're going for, but it makes me a little nervous, like I'm being purified under red light by the trendy patrol. Once we make it past that point, it's much easier to relax, especially when walking around the open kitchen in the center of the room, where chef Cameron Thompson surveys his domain. We're shown to a booth along the wall, and our very friendly server appears almost immediately to take cocktail orders. Although we're there for restaurant week, and they're not part of the prix fixe, we can't resist the Salmon Chips, or smoked salmon, capers, and red onions served on large potato chips:
It's the first fun surprise of the evening in that I think I was expecting chips made out of salmon, and this feels somehow elegant and decadent at the same time, like a grown-up play on the "fish and chips" concept. But that's the fun and magic of Two Urban Licks: the exaggeration. Everything in the restaurant combines to make you feel small and big at the same time. For example, there are large flower sculptures on the wall that could be Shirley Franklin accessories, but the view off the patio is a gorgeous one of the Atlanta skyline. Entree portions are huge, as you can see from the Bistro Steak:
Oh, and did I mention that was just two thirds of it? I forgot to take a picture before starting to eat it. I got another two meals out of the tender meat and potatoes.
Dessert portions are more reasonable, as you can see with the Spicy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with Espresso Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce:
The "spiciness" of the cakes is sneaky in that it shows up on the side of my tongue and in my throat after I swallow the bite. At first I think I'm allergic to something in it, but once I figure it out, I'm kind of like a little kid: "Do it again!" I need the ice cream, which, unfortunately, is made with real espresso. It's not a nice surprise when I pop wide awake at 4:00 the following morning.
One interesting thing about Two Urban Licks is that they have a "wall of barrels," from which they serve the wine. I have the Steele Cabernet Franc (Lake County, California), which is a little rough until it opens up to its dark fruit, but the finish is gorgeous and long with the fruit fading into cedar and vanilla. It's a good pairing with the steak.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Intimate but open, medium-high noise level
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Interesting
Wait staff: Very Good to Excellent
Desserts: Stimulating (would like to go back to try the Nutella bread pudding)
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat
Kid friendly? No
Would I go back? Yes
Midtown Restaurant Week brought us to another Concentrics restaurant, One Midtown Kitchen. I'll admit, we were drawn by the special of the evening, Memphis-style barbecue ribs served with a watermelon-corn salad and fries. I'll go ahead and get the picture out of the way here:
If Two is a journey into a culinary wonderland, One is a smooth ride to the heart of a bustling urban restaurant. This time the light illuminating the valet circle is a cool blue, and inside beyond the heavy curtains is somewhat dark. It's kind of like the culinary version of Space Mountain. To continue the analogy, the atmosphere is busy almost to the point of being chaotic which contrasts to the attentive service, so I'll let you figure out the hospitality sleight-of-hand there. Again, it's not a negative reflection on the restaurant at all; I'm impressed that our server is able to stay warm and friendly in spite of a packed house and being constantly in motion aside from when she pauses at tables. She even corrects the mistake that another server made with my black fig salad with good efficiency.
The ribs themselves are very good. I thought that Memphis-style meant a dry rub, but these have a sauce that is tangy with a little bit of a kick, which is cooled by the watermelon-corn salad. The wine, the 2005 Rojo Grenache Tempranillo also balances them nicely with its raisin/concord grape nose and smooth palate with hints of berry. Yes, I have the warm chocolate torte with mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. Thankfully there's no insomnia this time.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Busy, medium-high noise level
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Good variety
Wait staff: Excellent
Desserts: Very Good
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat
Kid friendly? No
Would I go back? Yes
The only complaint I have about both these restaurants is the noise level. It seems that more could be done to dampen the cacophony because it's not very conducive to an intimate date-night dinner. One is worse than Two in that respect; I found myself escaping to the bathroom to give my ears a break. It could have a little to do with how busy it was, but others have shared that opinion as well. I admit to some sadness as well that tonight was Trois', the third restaurant in the series, last one.
The bottom line is that if you're looking for an escape from reality with good food and wine, One Midtown Kitchen and Two Urban Licks are good options.
Good news! I now have a web site where you can learn more about me and even read some of my fiction.
Normally I hate August. It's hot. It's humid. It lasts forever. But one redeeming quality of the month is that it's restaurant week somewhere in Atlanta. Just as the various restaurant events work their magic to take our minds off of the misery of August, I couldn't help but notice how the Concentrics designers combined elements to create effects that ranged from sleight of hand to grand illusion. Not that that's a bad thing; for me, eating out should be an escape from reality beyond just not having to cook or do dishes.
Concentrics Restaurant Week brought me and Hubby to Two Urban Licks. The hostess desk is back-lit or surround-lit or, well, you get the idea, in lurid red. I'm not sure of the effect they're going for, but it makes me a little nervous, like I'm being purified under red light by the trendy patrol. Once we make it past that point, it's much easier to relax, especially when walking around the open kitchen in the center of the room, where chef Cameron Thompson surveys his domain. We're shown to a booth along the wall, and our very friendly server appears almost immediately to take cocktail orders. Although we're there for restaurant week, and they're not part of the prix fixe, we can't resist the Salmon Chips, or smoked salmon, capers, and red onions served on large potato chips:
It's the first fun surprise of the evening in that I think I was expecting chips made out of salmon, and this feels somehow elegant and decadent at the same time, like a grown-up play on the "fish and chips" concept. But that's the fun and magic of Two Urban Licks: the exaggeration. Everything in the restaurant combines to make you feel small and big at the same time. For example, there are large flower sculptures on the wall that could be Shirley Franklin accessories, but the view off the patio is a gorgeous one of the Atlanta skyline. Entree portions are huge, as you can see from the Bistro Steak:
Oh, and did I mention that was just two thirds of it? I forgot to take a picture before starting to eat it. I got another two meals out of the tender meat and potatoes.
Dessert portions are more reasonable, as you can see with the Spicy Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with Espresso Ice Cream and Raspberry Sauce:
The "spiciness" of the cakes is sneaky in that it shows up on the side of my tongue and in my throat after I swallow the bite. At first I think I'm allergic to something in it, but once I figure it out, I'm kind of like a little kid: "Do it again!" I need the ice cream, which, unfortunately, is made with real espresso. It's not a nice surprise when I pop wide awake at 4:00 the following morning.
One interesting thing about Two Urban Licks is that they have a "wall of barrels," from which they serve the wine. I have the Steele Cabernet Franc (Lake County, California), which is a little rough until it opens up to its dark fruit, but the finish is gorgeous and long with the fruit fading into cedar and vanilla. It's a good pairing with the steak.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Intimate but open, medium-high noise level
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Interesting
Wait staff: Very Good to Excellent
Desserts: Stimulating (would like to go back to try the Nutella bread pudding)
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat
Kid friendly? No
Would I go back? Yes
Midtown Restaurant Week brought us to another Concentrics restaurant, One Midtown Kitchen. I'll admit, we were drawn by the special of the evening, Memphis-style barbecue ribs served with a watermelon-corn salad and fries. I'll go ahead and get the picture out of the way here:
If Two is a journey into a culinary wonderland, One is a smooth ride to the heart of a bustling urban restaurant. This time the light illuminating the valet circle is a cool blue, and inside beyond the heavy curtains is somewhat dark. It's kind of like the culinary version of Space Mountain. To continue the analogy, the atmosphere is busy almost to the point of being chaotic which contrasts to the attentive service, so I'll let you figure out the hospitality sleight-of-hand there. Again, it's not a negative reflection on the restaurant at all; I'm impressed that our server is able to stay warm and friendly in spite of a packed house and being constantly in motion aside from when she pauses at tables. She even corrects the mistake that another server made with my black fig salad with good efficiency.
The ribs themselves are very good. I thought that Memphis-style meant a dry rub, but these have a sauce that is tangy with a little bit of a kick, which is cooled by the watermelon-corn salad. The wine, the 2005 Rojo Grenache Tempranillo also balances them nicely with its raisin/concord grape nose and smooth palate with hints of berry. Yes, I have the warm chocolate torte with mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. Thankfully there's no insomnia this time.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Busy, medium-high noise level
Food: Very Good
Wine list: Good variety
Wait staff: Excellent
Desserts: Very Good
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat
Kid friendly? No
Would I go back? Yes
The only complaint I have about both these restaurants is the noise level. It seems that more could be done to dampen the cacophony because it's not very conducive to an intimate date-night dinner. One is worse than Two in that respect; I found myself escaping to the bathroom to give my ears a break. It could have a little to do with how busy it was, but others have shared that opinion as well. I admit to some sadness as well that tonight was Trois', the third restaurant in the series, last one.
The bottom line is that if you're looking for an escape from reality with good food and wine, One Midtown Kitchen and Two Urban Licks are good options.
Good news! I now have a web site where you can learn more about me and even read some of my fiction.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
What I did on my summer vacation.
According to my Blogger dashboard, this is my 100th post! Thanks to all you readers who allow me to think that my musings are actually interesting. Hubby tells me that the inside of my head is a "strange and wondrous place," so maybe I'm not so odd after all.
Just as I came back to a pile of work to catch up on, I have a lot of fun things to write about. So here goes...
We had a great time down in Destin, Florida, where the condo only had dial-up internet access, and 3G has not arrived yet, so internet communications were very limited. Yes, it was vacation.
The biggest excitement of the trip was probably the appearance of Tropical Storm Claudette. I sat on the beach Sunday afternoon and watched her approach:
And surround:
We still had a great time in the company of the Vegetarian Couple in spite of some rain and wind on Sunday evening and Monday. Ms. Veg particularly enjoyed the storm because they just don't get tropical storms or hurricanes in her home state of Indiana. She went out on the beach and pretended to get blown around by the storm like a Weather Channel reporter.
Of course we ate out a few times in Destin. My parents took us to Cafe Grazie the night we arrived. It's an Italian place just across the street from Destin's venerable seafood restaurant The Back Porch. We sat outside on their patio, and with six of us eating, got a good sampling of the menu. I tried to be healthy and order the Grazie Cannelloni, pasta stuffed with lobster, crab, scallops, and shrimp in a cheese sauce, with marinara instead of the Alfredo sauce. I found the marinara to be too salty. My mother got the recipe without alteration, and it was very good. Other dishes tried included the Eggplant Parmesan, Mediterranean Chicken, and the Shrimp and Tomato pizza. Everyone declared their dishes to be good, although Hubby's Shrimp and Tomato pizza came with all the shrimp in the middle with the tomatoes closer to the edge, which was interesting. The desserts were very good, although the Chocolate Decadence, rather than being a layer cake, was more of a dense Bundt cake with chocolate ganache. It was still good. We ordered the house Chianti, so I'm not sure what it was, but I'd suggest going for one of the bottles off the menu. It still went well with the food.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Traditional Italian restaurant inside; patio is nice
Food: Good
Wine list: Decent
Wait staff: Good
Desserts: Very Good
Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Kid friendly? Apparently.
Would I go back? Yes
Hubby and I made it to a family favorite, AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar, which is on Destin Harbor. He got raw oysters, which he said were good. I tried one, but I'm a fan of them fried. I didn't feel like a sandwich, so I got the fried oyster platter, which came with fries, hush puppies, and cole slaw. It was very good, with the oysters fresh and on the small side and the coating was perfectly crunchy. The fries were okay. Overall, it was good, although a little overpriced. My other complaint about AJ's is that the inside temperature of the restaurant is frigid, not a nice surprise for people in summer clothing.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Casual, cold, a little noisy, but nice view of the harbor
Food: Very good
Wine list: Basic; go for the frozen drinks or beer
Wait staff: Very Good
Desserts: Unknown
Vegetarian friendly? Not unless vegetables swim.
Kid friendly? Yes
Would I go back? Yes
We decided to go a bit more upscale for dinner on our last night in Destin, so Hubby found The Marina Cafe, which had options to satisfy the seafood lovers as well as the Vegetarian Couple. It, too, is on the harbor, with a nice view. The host sat us at a table by the window so we could watch the light on the water and lust after the yachts docked outside.
We shared a bottle of wine, a steely, crisp white with nice citrus, but after they took the menus, the bottle remained tantalizingly out of reach, and of course it's not on the online menu. I just called and was told it was the 2006 Chateau Graville-Lacoste (Bordeaux).
Hubby and I shared the Gulf Shrimp and Lump Crab Spring Rolls, which were served with a lightly spicy Asian slaw and tangy sweet chili sauce. I continued the Asian theme with the Romaine Lettuce salad with radicchio, red bell pepper, radishes, grape tomatoes, and ginger vinaigrette and had the Grilled Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, served with ginger-soy butter, stir-fry vegetables and basmati rice for dinner. Hubby had the Pan Seared Yellowedge Grouper with a blue crabmeat crust, lemon beurre blanc, and basil mashed potatoes and said it was good. Our vegetarian friends got pizzas, one Margherita and one the Artichoke Heart pizza with caramelized onions and roasted sweet peppers but without the apple-wood smoked bacon. Everyone was pleased with their meal, although they found the Artichoke Heart pizza to have been overcooked and charred on the bottom. To be fair, they didn't say anything, so the staff didn't have a chance to correct it.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Medium dark and a little noisy; dress is "resort casual"
Food: Very good
Wine list: Very Good
Wait staff: Very Good
Desserts: Did not try, didn't see dessert menu
Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Kid friendly? No
Would I go back? Yes
We missed the JavaMonkey Old vs. New wine tasting that Thursday (guest blogger's notes to follow later this week) and decided to do our own, so we got four bottles from Chan's Wine World, which is on the right in a strip mall just after you cross the Mid-Bay Bridge from Niceville. They have Friday tastings, and we plan to attend one the next time we're there. They didn't have the wines that JM was tasting that night, but they were very knowledgeable and suggested alternatives.
I wish I could tell you more about the wines, but we tasted them on the beach, and a storm blew up. We and the Vegetarian Couple grabbed wine, cheese, towels, and crackers and ran across the sand, up the stairs, and into the gazebo where people leave their shoes before going on the beach. We had to entertain ourselves while we waited for the storm to blow through, of course, and unfortunately there wasn't any wine left for tasting more thoroughly afterward. Here they are:
Old World white:
2007 Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages (Bourgogne)
New World white:
2007 A to Z Chardonnay (OR) -- unoaked
This one was a tie with two of us liking the old world and two liking the newer one.
Old World red:
2006 Ferraton Père et Fils Côtes du Rhône Samorëns
(100% Grenache)
Knowing that Côtes du Rhônes tend to be Syrah blends, we got the 2002 Fife Syrah at the recommendation of Chan's sister for the New World wine, so this one probably wasn't a fair match-up. This Mendocino Syrah was the favorite of the evening, rich with really ripe fruit.
When we weren't drinking and eating, we were on the beach, so it was a very relaxing trip. The fun didn't stop there, either. On the way back through Alabama, we stopped in Opp (yes, that's a real town) at Hook's Barbecue (no web site). It was such a pretty day, we decided to take our food to go and picnic at Frank Jackson State Park, which only costs a dollar to enter and has ample picnic tables. Unfortunately, it also had a really stiff breeze, but we just held on to our pulled pork sandwiches, which were tender and served with the perfect amount of sauce, beans, and slaw, and enjoyed watching the breeze ruffle the water on the lake:
I'd like to thank my parents for allowing us the use of the condo when they had to go back early and the Vegetarian Couple for joining us and making the vacation that much more fun. See y'all on the beach next year? We'll stop at Chan's and get wine!
Want to know what goes on in my head on a day-to-day basis? Click here to follow me on Twitter! Wine tasting notes, restaurant comments, and random thoughts in 140 characters or less.
Just as I came back to a pile of work to catch up on, I have a lot of fun things to write about. So here goes...
We had a great time down in Destin, Florida, where the condo only had dial-up internet access, and 3G has not arrived yet, so internet communications were very limited. Yes, it was vacation.
The biggest excitement of the trip was probably the appearance of Tropical Storm Claudette. I sat on the beach Sunday afternoon and watched her approach:
And surround:
We still had a great time in the company of the Vegetarian Couple in spite of some rain and wind on Sunday evening and Monday. Ms. Veg particularly enjoyed the storm because they just don't get tropical storms or hurricanes in her home state of Indiana. She went out on the beach and pretended to get blown around by the storm like a Weather Channel reporter.
Of course we ate out a few times in Destin. My parents took us to Cafe Grazie the night we arrived. It's an Italian place just across the street from Destin's venerable seafood restaurant The Back Porch. We sat outside on their patio, and with six of us eating, got a good sampling of the menu. I tried to be healthy and order the Grazie Cannelloni, pasta stuffed with lobster, crab, scallops, and shrimp in a cheese sauce, with marinara instead of the Alfredo sauce. I found the marinara to be too salty. My mother got the recipe without alteration, and it was very good. Other dishes tried included the Eggplant Parmesan, Mediterranean Chicken, and the Shrimp and Tomato pizza. Everyone declared their dishes to be good, although Hubby's Shrimp and Tomato pizza came with all the shrimp in the middle with the tomatoes closer to the edge, which was interesting. The desserts were very good, although the Chocolate Decadence, rather than being a layer cake, was more of a dense Bundt cake with chocolate ganache. It was still good. We ordered the house Chianti, so I'm not sure what it was, but I'd suggest going for one of the bottles off the menu. It still went well with the food.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Traditional Italian restaurant inside; patio is nice
Food: Good
Wine list: Decent
Wait staff: Good
Desserts: Very Good
Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Kid friendly? Apparently.
Would I go back? Yes
Hubby and I made it to a family favorite, AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar, which is on Destin Harbor. He got raw oysters, which he said were good. I tried one, but I'm a fan of them fried. I didn't feel like a sandwich, so I got the fried oyster platter, which came with fries, hush puppies, and cole slaw. It was very good, with the oysters fresh and on the small side and the coating was perfectly crunchy. The fries were okay. Overall, it was good, although a little overpriced. My other complaint about AJ's is that the inside temperature of the restaurant is frigid, not a nice surprise for people in summer clothing.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Casual, cold, a little noisy, but nice view of the harbor
Food: Very good
Wine list: Basic; go for the frozen drinks or beer
Wait staff: Very Good
Desserts: Unknown
Vegetarian friendly? Not unless vegetables swim.
Kid friendly? Yes
Would I go back? Yes
We decided to go a bit more upscale for dinner on our last night in Destin, so Hubby found The Marina Cafe, which had options to satisfy the seafood lovers as well as the Vegetarian Couple. It, too, is on the harbor, with a nice view. The host sat us at a table by the window so we could watch the light on the water and lust after the yachts docked outside.
We shared a bottle of wine, a steely, crisp white with nice citrus, but after they took the menus, the bottle remained tantalizingly out of reach, and of course it's not on the online menu. I just called and was told it was the 2006 Chateau Graville-Lacoste (Bordeaux).
Hubby and I shared the Gulf Shrimp and Lump Crab Spring Rolls, which were served with a lightly spicy Asian slaw and tangy sweet chili sauce. I continued the Asian theme with the Romaine Lettuce salad with radicchio, red bell pepper, radishes, grape tomatoes, and ginger vinaigrette and had the Grilled Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, served with ginger-soy butter, stir-fry vegetables and basmati rice for dinner. Hubby had the Pan Seared Yellowedge Grouper with a blue crabmeat crust, lemon beurre blanc, and basil mashed potatoes and said it was good. Our vegetarian friends got pizzas, one Margherita and one the Artichoke Heart pizza with caramelized onions and roasted sweet peppers but without the apple-wood smoked bacon. Everyone was pleased with their meal, although they found the Artichoke Heart pizza to have been overcooked and charred on the bottom. To be fair, they didn't say anything, so the staff didn't have a chance to correct it.
Score card:
Atmosphere: Medium dark and a little noisy; dress is "resort casual"
Food: Very good
Wine list: Very Good
Wait staff: Very Good
Desserts: Did not try, didn't see dessert menu
Vegetarian friendly? Yes.
Kid friendly? No
Would I go back? Yes
We missed the JavaMonkey Old vs. New wine tasting that Thursday (guest blogger's notes to follow later this week) and decided to do our own, so we got four bottles from Chan's Wine World, which is on the right in a strip mall just after you cross the Mid-Bay Bridge from Niceville. They have Friday tastings, and we plan to attend one the next time we're there. They didn't have the wines that JM was tasting that night, but they were very knowledgeable and suggested alternatives.
I wish I could tell you more about the wines, but we tasted them on the beach, and a storm blew up. We and the Vegetarian Couple grabbed wine, cheese, towels, and crackers and ran across the sand, up the stairs, and into the gazebo where people leave their shoes before going on the beach. We had to entertain ourselves while we waited for the storm to blow through, of course, and unfortunately there wasn't any wine left for tasting more thoroughly afterward. Here they are:
Old World white:
2007 Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages (Bourgogne)
New World white:
2007 A to Z Chardonnay (OR) -- unoaked
This one was a tie with two of us liking the old world and two liking the newer one.
Old World red:
2006 Ferraton Père et Fils Côtes du Rhône Samorëns
(100% Grenache)
Knowing that Côtes du Rhônes tend to be Syrah blends, we got the 2002 Fife Syrah at the recommendation of Chan's sister for the New World wine, so this one probably wasn't a fair match-up. This Mendocino Syrah was the favorite of the evening, rich with really ripe fruit.
When we weren't drinking and eating, we were on the beach, so it was a very relaxing trip. The fun didn't stop there, either. On the way back through Alabama, we stopped in Opp (yes, that's a real town) at Hook's Barbecue (no web site). It was such a pretty day, we decided to take our food to go and picnic at Frank Jackson State Park, which only costs a dollar to enter and has ample picnic tables. Unfortunately, it also had a really stiff breeze, but we just held on to our pulled pork sandwiches, which were tender and served with the perfect amount of sauce, beans, and slaw, and enjoyed watching the breeze ruffle the water on the lake:
I'd like to thank my parents for allowing us the use of the condo when they had to go back early and the Vegetarian Couple for joining us and making the vacation that much more fun. See y'all on the beach next year? We'll stop at Chan's and get wine!
Want to know what goes on in my head on a day-to-day basis? Click here to follow me on Twitter! Wine tasting notes, restaurant comments, and random thoughts in 140 characters or less.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Missing Oenophile?
Dear fellow oenophiles,
Life is good in that my business has taken off, and Hubby and I have both been working probably a little too hard than is good for us. Consequently, we're going to be taking some time for much-needed rest, relaxation, and minimal computer interaction. Will be back in the "real world" on Saturday, August 22. Until then, please drink good wine, eat good food, and have fun!
Sincerely,
Cecilia Dominic
The Random Oenophile
Life is good in that my business has taken off, and Hubby and I have both been working probably a little too hard than is good for us. Consequently, we're going to be taking some time for much-needed rest, relaxation, and minimal computer interaction. Will be back in the "real world" on Saturday, August 22. Until then, please drink good wine, eat good food, and have fun!
Sincerely,
Cecilia Dominic
The Random Oenophile
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