Category: Lifestyle

Becasse

This post was cribbed from Dani’s Blog

We met Pamela in the lobby at 5:30 and headed over to Bécasse for dinner. The restaurant recently relocated from a 90 seat location to a 24 seat spot in an upscale mall. After passing through a wrought iron door threaded with ivy and then walking down an exceedingly long hallway decorated with trees whose seasons changed, we approached the main seating area.

The room was cozy, plush, and a bit avante garde. Service was friendly rather than formal.

Pamela had never had a tasting menu before, but we talked her into the nine course menu degustation, which turned out to be 12 courses with 12 matching wines. She acquitted herself quite well.

The food was frankly a bit disappointing. While each plate was beautiful, and the individual ingredients were exotic and interesting, no dish ever combined to be more than the sum of its parts. There were no home runs.

Nevertheless, it was a delightful meal, with great conversation and a relaxed atmosphere.

Many hours later we strolled home, enjoying the cool night air.

Kable’s

Kable’s is the fine dining restaurant at the our hotel, the Four Seasons Sydney. Although the hotel has a spectacular view of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour, Kable’s, surprisingly, doesn’t, as it is located on the mezzanine of the lobby. (I’ve included some views from our room instead.)

After our long night and a busy day walking around town, we decided to take advantage of the proximity of Kable’s, and had a lovely dinner. The menu consists of fair-sized tasting plates, with an emphasis on sashimi and other fish dishes with Asian-influenced preparations. Although there is an umpteen course tasting menu with matching wines, it’s also a good place for a light meal, with each plate costing just $15.

 

Sushi Pop

At last! There’s a sophisticated and trendy restaurant in Orlando. Sushi Pop in Oviedo combines highly creative sushi with a touch of molecular gastronomy and an anime-inspired decor to create a top notch experience worthy of New York City. Highlights were:

  • Edamame with garlic salt
  • Ceviche roll (hamachi with avocado, tempura shallots and chipotle lime sauce topped with flounder, siracha hot sauce, micro cilantro, Hawaiian pink salt and wedge of lime)
  • Hot Mess roll (smoked salmon, avocado and tempura flakes with maple soy, topped with baked tuna, salmon, yellowtail, flounder, spicy mayo, smelt roe, scallions and rendered bacon)
  • Hamachi Kama (grilled yellowtail collar glazed with sweet soy, topped with toasted garlic, scallions, lime wedge and ponzu dipping sauce)
  • It’s No Yolk (fresh cubed salmon tossed with lime juice, olive oil, shallots, thai basil with sunny side egg of sweet coconut milk and mango puree, served with seaweed rice cracker)
  • Maple ice cream with candied bacon

The seating is a combination of tables, couch-like booths and bar stools. Servers wear individual quirky costumes. Anime plays on flat screens, and the wall art is manga. Reservations are a must, as the place was packed, inside and out, during our three-hour gastronomic tour. Highly Recommended.

Thirst of the Nation

Last night Linda and I went to a charity fundraiser, Taste of the Nation, at the Marriott World Center. Similar events are held in cities around the country. It’s one of those events where a few dozen restaurants and wineries set up tables in a convention center and donate their food and wine, while donors eat, drink and bid on silent auction items to raise money. (Let’s set aside the irony of doing this to stop childhood hunger.)

I can’t speak too harshly of this event, because it was for charity, and because the restaurants and especially Marriott put a tremendous effort into it. And the food was fantastic. I’ve been to dozens of such events, and this was the best food I’ve encountered.

The problem was the wine. There almost wasn’t any. Or anything else to drink, for that matter. With hundreds of guests, I doubt there were a dozen bottles on offer. In fact there was such a shortage of beverages that soon lines formed at the Nestle water products table!

This had a secondary disastrous effect, because the silent auction is, let’s face it, fueled by intoxication. And with the auction ending at 9:30, but the VIP spenders arriving at 6:00, I doubt there were many left to bid. I can’t say for sure, because we left after sixty minutes and went to the Vineyard Grill at the Ritz Carlton. For a bottle of wine.

Stuffing Meat Loaf

Linda made a new meat loaf recipe last night that’s the best I’ve tasted. Rather than bread or cracker crumbs, it uses Stove Top Stuffing mix:

  • 2 lbs ground round
  • 1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 medium finely chopped onion
  • 2 or 3 finely chopped celery stalks
  • Ragu Chunky Marinara
  • 2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsps brown mustard
  • Cavendar’s seasoning
  • Top with bacon and ketchup

Bake one hour at 400 degrees.

 

Lemon-Free Hummus

Because Dani’s roommate is allergic to citrus (and several hundred other things) they’ve discovered some interesting alternative recipes. Today she made this, which I think I like better than regular hummus.

Recipe

19 oz can of chick peas
3-4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
7 or 8 shakes of Moroccan Road (or cumin)
1/2 tsp organic garlic
1 or 2 shakes of garlic powder

1. Drain and rinse chick peas.
2. Place in medium microwave safe bowl with lid
3. Add a drizzle of olive oil and stir chick peas
4. Microwave for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
5. While chick peas are still hot, add at least two tablespoons of olive oil to begin and blend using immersion blender
6. Add balsamic, garlic, garlic powder, and cumin to taste
7. Finish blending
8. Chill before serving

Hummus made from the above ratios is thicker than traditional hummus, more like a spread.

Asiate

The reviews of Asiate all said it had a great view. That’s all they said. So I was a little worried about making it our final meal on this New York trip. But it was right across the street from our hotel, on the top of the Mandarin Oriental in the Time Warner Building, so we gave it a shot. It turned out to be a good choice. The sashimi appetizer I had was the best ever, and I eat a lot of sashimi. The tuna was perfect–buttery and plentiful–and it sat on a bed of complex ingredients and sauces. The salmon entree was also quite good. And as you can see, the view can’t be beat.

A nice end to a nice trip. We packed a lot into these three days in New York.

l’Atelier NYC

We finished our last full day in New York with a visit to Joel Robuchon’s l’Atelier in the Four Seasons Hotel. I really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and great food at l’Atelier. We’ve tried them in London and Las Vegas, and this one was just as good. The servers are friendly and informative, and the sushi bar-like setting is unique.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Some Broadway shows have plots so convoluted that it requires advance study to follow them. This is a not a problem for Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The entire plot may be summarized as: three drag queens and a bus.

That’s not to say the show isn’t fun. It is. Filled with stunning costumes (cupcakes, human paint brushes, a dress made of flip flops), top notch musical performances, and a collection of pop hits from the 70s and 80s, the show will delight anyone who enjoyed La Cage Aux Folles (although that show actually has a deep story).

As good as the cast was, they were at times upstaged by the bus. It twirls, spins, opens up, hangs over the front rows of the audience, serves as an anchor for a twenty foot long high-heeled shoe, and eventually every surface of it is revealed to be a video wall. If it sounds tacky, it is, but all in good fun. The audience ate it up.

Earlier in the day we had lunch at Jean Georges, one of our favorites, and New York’s best lunch deal. It was a novelty to simply walk downstairs from our room to go to the restaurant.

Then we went for a long walk in Central Park. I’d never really had a chance to explore before, and we climbed to the top of Belvedere Castle. It was fun, but hot, and we all needed showers when we got back to the room.

Our late dinner after the show was at db Bistro Moderne. So nice to be in a town where you can make an 11pm dinner reservation and not be keeping the waiters up late.

Eleven Madison Park

A few months ago Linda and I went to Eleven Madison Park with our friends Ron and Bev, and had the best meal of our lives. So it was with some trepidation that I made a reservation for a return visit during this trip. Everything was so perfect in that earlier meal that I was afraid we were set up for disappointment. But it was just as perfect on this visit. Both food and service were just as delightful.

The amazing thing about the food here is the number of discrete flavors identifiable in each and every dish, and then the way they come together into something greater than the individual elements. Through about twenty different offerings on the tasting menu, each course offered new tastes, as there were few repeats from our previous visit. This time we had the matching wine pairing, which was also a little bit of genius. Definitely our favorite restaurant anywhere.

Road Trip Wrap Up

10 Days, 11 States: Chicago IL, Detroit MI, Cleveland OH, Pittsburgh PA, Hot Springs VA, Beckley WV, Asheville NC, Sevierville TN, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Jacksonville FL and home to Orlando. A little over 2000 miles.

Attraction Highlights

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Forbidden Caverns, and The USS Yorktown aircraft carrier and USS Clamagore submarine at Patriots Point.

Hotel Highlights

Best service and amenities were at the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland, with its club lounge. Best room was the condo at The Residences at Biltmore.

Restaurants

We tried to find the best restaurants in the places we stayed, but only hit two home runs on the road trip. Here’s how I’d rank them:

Excellent

Very Good

Good

Mediocre

 

Matthew’s

We arrived in Jacksonville in the afternoon and went to Matthew’s for dinner. It was an excellent meal, and it was nice to end our road trip on a high note. The six course tasting menu was well thought out and very reasonably priced, as was the wine pairing. Our server, Kelly, was super, and had a lot of fun with the wine pairing when she figured out I was into wines, bringing options for each course. As a result, I ended up with a lot of interesting things to try matching with the food, all for $70. Quite a deal:

  • Moet & Chandon Imperial (89)
  • King Estate Pinot Gris (87)
  • 2009 Domaine Napa Chardonnay (93, like butter cream frosting)
  • King Estate Pinot Noir (89, earthy finish)
  • ZD Cabernet Sauvignon (92, really chewy)
  • 2006 Abbaye de Saint-ferme “les vignes du soir” Bordeaux blend (89, minerals)
  • Fonseca 20 year tawny (90, carmel)
  • La fleur d’or Sauternes (84, chlorine)
  • Alvear’s Fino Montilla (not my thing!)

Coincidentally, we learned that the highly regarded pastry chef at the Peninsula Grill in Charleston where we dined last night came from this Jacksonville restaurant!

Yorktown and Clamagore

Dani was up late editing her Duchess of Malfi video, so she slept in, and when she got up we walked a few blocks to The Pit Stop Deli for some tasty sandwiches. Then we drove across Charleston’s impressive Bridge to Patriot’s Point to see the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier and the USS Clamagore submarine.

The Yorktown offers a half dozen self-guided tours. We wandered through many levels, seeing the mess, galleys, bunks, sick bay, surgery, x-ray room, radar rooms (one full of giant racks, one with red lights and many small screens), navigation room, bridge, helm, and flight deck. It was neat to see all this sixty year old high tech equipment. The tour is definitely not ADA compliant, as there are many ladders, both up and down, and many water tight doorways with six inch sills.

On the other side of the quay we descended into the USS Clamagore, the last of the navy’s diesel powered submarines. This was an even more interesting sub tour than the U-boat in Chicago, because it is nearly unaltered from its original condition. That means you have to swing up and through the many watertight hatches that separate the compartments. I think this sub is similar to the one Tom Gottshalk served on. I can’t imagine how crowded it must have been with a full crew, as some of the corridors were so narrow that both my shoulders touched.

Both ships were really interesting tours, and the breeze from the ocean kept the 90 degree day pleasant.

Dinner at Peninsula Grill in our hotel, voted Charleston’s best restaurant every year since 2001, was very good. The highlight was the Madeira tasting flight:

  • 1969 D’Oliveiras Sercial Reserva
  • 1981 Barbieto Verdelho
  • 1968 D’Oliveiras Boal Reserva
  • 1875 Barbieto Malvasia

Asheville, NC

Before checking out from The Homestead we had breakfast in the dining room and used our resort activity credit to take the shuttle up to the ski lodge and try our hand at archery. Lots of fun, but we made it a quick stop, because we didn’t want to get sun-burned. Then we headed south through the Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains to Asheville, North Carolina.

Along the way we stopped at the King Tut Drive In for an authentic drive-in experience, complete with car hop service. The menu is extensive, to say the least.

In Asheville we checked in to a lovely one bedroom condo at The Residences at Biltmore, and then drove to Greenlife, a Whole Foods spinoff, to pick up some supplies for breakfasts.

We had an excellent dinner at Fig, a nearby bistro. It was the cheapest, and one of the best meals of the trip.

After some chill time back at the condo, we headed for the local cineplex, and the 12:04am showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2.

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Today we visited The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one of Alcorn McBride’s largest midwest installations. We were greeted by Meredith, the curator of the new Women in Rock exhibit, who gave us a fabulous personal tour of the exhibit. Then we spent about two hours touring the rest of the exhibits on our own, finally meeting Rob, the technical manager, for a peek backstage. They have the largest stack of installed LightCues that I’ve seen.

Throughout our time at the museum I was impressed by how the exhibits engaged their guests. The artifacts are really interesting, and the interpretive material is just the right amount— informative without being overwhelming. I was also impressed by how friendly all of the employees were. A very nice attraction.

We had a late but light lunch at Shooters on the water, and watched a really, really large ship squeeze under the railroad bridge and up the river.

Dinner was at Michael Symon’s Lola. It’s on 4th Avenue, a cute pedestrian street with lots of restaurants. Good meal, but not sure how he won the James Beard award as the best chef in the midwest.

Fourth of July in Evanston

We decided to avoid the traffic and stay in Evanston for the Fourth of July. Dani made her traditional berry and jello flag cake, I grilled some steaks, Linda made Julia Child’s sauteed pearl onions, and we watched the spectacular Evanston beach fireworks show from the balcony.

Julia Child’s Sauteed Pearl Onions

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.

Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet.

Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated.

 

The Girl and the Goat

The Girl and the Goat is the new restaurant by Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef. Barely open a year, it has already won a James Beard award, and is the hottest restaurant in Chicago. I reserved our table three months in advance.

I was a bit wary of going the day after Moto, and some of the menu items seemed a bit scary (oven roasted pig’s face). What a delightful surprise this restaurant turned out to be! We loved all the plates we shared. We tried all three fresh baked breads of the day. Each was served with two different accompaniments, such as Worchestshire butter. Our favorite dishes were:

  • Wood fired chicken with fried pickles and grilled naan.
  • Sauteed cauliflower with pickled peppers, parmesan cheese, mint leaves and pine nuts.
  • Goat belly confit with lobster and crab.

Service was really professional yet friendly, and the vibrant environment and wood smoke filled room is the perfect setting for such fun and tasty food. The Girl and the Goat is a new Chicago favorite.


Moto

Saturday night we made our annual visit to the molecular gastronomy weirdness that is Moto. We often use a limo service to get to Chicago, because the cost for a town car is about the same as a cab. But every once in a while they run out of town cars, and we get a stretch limo, as was the case last night. It was fun playing with the inscrutable controls and watching a movie on the way.

At Moto we had the 20-course grand tasting menu. It sounds like a lot, but most courses are only a couple of bites or sips, and it takes almost five hours, so you don’t leave feeling stuffed. We also had the matching wine pairing, 14 small samples of wines.

Moto was packed, and they turned the tables of those having the ten-course menu twice. I felt that the service wasn’t quite as fun and the food not quite as consistent as in the past. There were still some wonderful courses, but also a fair number of neat looking but not particularly awe inspiring dishes. The wines seemed better than usual, though, and all of them perfectly matched their courses.

I managed to photograph most of the courses, but forgot a few. Favorites: Pretzel soup, baseball snacks, most of the red meat courses, the banana split and the smores bomb. Big misses: Shrimp and grits, cookie crumbs.

Moto isn’t the sort of place I’d go more than once a year, but if you haven’t tried molecular gastronomy, it’s definitely worth the experience.

Broccoli and Cauliflower and Carrots, Oh My

For dinner I fixed Tiger Butter curry chicken along with two new side dishes. THey both turned out pretty good. Another ten servings to add to Dani’s freezer.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients

  • white rice
  • broccoli florets
  • cauliflower florets
  • olive oil
  • onion, chopped
  • cheese, cubed
  • can condensed cream of chicken soup
  • bacon
  • crushed Club crackers
  • fresh tarragon
  • allspice

Directions

Cook rice. Steam broccoli and cauliflower.

In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil. Add other ingredients. Transfer the entire mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish and sprinkle the crackers on top.

Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 30 minutes.

Orange Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

  • 1 pound baby carrots
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tsp of five spice

Directions

Place carrots in a shallow saucepan, and cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain, and return carrots to pan.

Pour orange juice over carrots, and mix well. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, butter, and salt. Heat until butter and sugar melt.

Hall and Oates at Ravinia

Here’s a trivia question for you:

What is the biggest selling musical duo of all time?

Awww, you peeked. Yup, it’s Hall and Oates. Don’t bother to try to guess who’s number two. (It’s The Pet Shop Boys.) Clearly, there are not a lot of musical duos.

When we were at Ravinia for Deep Purple last week, I thought it was sold out. Turns out, though that the lawn can hold a lot more people. I mean, a LOT more people:

Basically, Hall and Oates is mostly Hall (the blond with the personality, who sings almost every song). Of the eight piece band, the sax player and lead guitarist do most of the heavy lifting. They put on a good show, but were hampered by audio problems that kept the crowd from really getting into it until the end of their less than 90 minute set.

Before the show we talked our way into the Park View restaurant, although our reservations were really for the Mirabella buffet downstairs. Really impressive food for a seasonal restaurant staffed by college kids.

Leaving the concert during the second encore was a good move, as we rolled home on the Metra train as thousands of people gathered to wait for the next one.

Painting

Last night an impressive storm blew through Evanston, knocking out our power five times. This morning 48 buildings on the Northwestern campus were still without power, according to an email sent to Dani. Fortunately, Dani’s German class was unaffected.

The storm left a gorgeous morning in its wake, and I took advantage of it to walk up to Expo Paint on Green Bay near Central Avenue, a mile or so to the north.

Along the way I was surprised to see how many large tree limbs were down, on lawns, the sidewalk, and in the roads. The storm must have been a lot stronger to the north. City crews were already clearing away the bits and pieces, and the park was full of day camp kids enjoying a truly beautiful day.

My mission at Expo Paint was to buy some paint to match the ugly green color that’s coating the walls of the condo bedroom. This is necessary because one of Dani’s roommates used double stick tape on the walls, and it’s removed large chunks of the textured surface. I dropped off a chunk at Expo and went over to the market to get some fresh baked bread while I waited. In a few minutes they called me and said my paint was ready.

I guess they scanned the paint chip I took them, because the match is almost exact. Let me tell you that lugging a gallon of paint for a mile is not fun! Now the trick is to get the paint on so that it matches the original texture. My first attempt with a brush failed, so I went back to Ace Hardware for a roller.

For lunch Dani and I went to Cafe 527. It’s a new Asian place that had the nerve to open next door to the popular Joy Yee’s Noodle Shop. The plan seems to be working, as 527 was packed. The Korean BBQ taco I had was delicious, filled with bulgogi beef, kimchee, rice and cilantro, and served on seaweed rather than a tortilla. The miso shrimp salad was also tasty, although the shrimp was the least interesting part. The crunchy lettuce and cabbage mixture was enhanced by green peppers, scallions, and edamame. It went well with a miso based honey mustard dressing.

My other home improvement project was accomplished a lot quicker than the paint touchups. I ordered a wallpaper mural for the bare spot over the sink. It took about a minute to install, and really makes the kitchen look nice.

The rain is teasing us this afternoon, looking threatening, but then barely sprinkling. For dinner I’m fixing hamburgers unless it’s pouring, in which case they will turn into meatloaf.

Basil Chicken, Sweet Potato Casserole, Brussels Sprouts

Basil Chicken

I thought I had memorialized Linda’s Basil Chicken recipe on this blog, but apparently not, so here’s my version:

Ingredients

  • Boneless chicken breasts
  • Onion
  • Lemon
  • Basil leaves
  • White Wine
  • Milk
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper or Poultry Seasoning

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts. Sauté the onions in oil, add chicken breasts and sauté until brown. Remove breasts, place basil leaves on them. Deglaze the pan, add white wine, lemon juice and a dash of milk, and reduce. Pour over breasts and basil.

To accompany it, I made a…

Sweet Potato Casserole

This turns out fluffy enough that it’s almost a souffle with a topping:

Ingredients

  • 4 cups sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Five spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • Five spice

Directions

Boil chunked potatoes and mash. Add sugar, beaten eggs, vanilla extract and five spice. Some recipes add milk or butter but I didn’t. Mix and place in baking dish.

For topping, mix brown sugar, flour, butter and pecans. Layer on top of sweet potatoes.

May be refrigerated until time for dinner.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, or until brown.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper

Cut brussels sprouts in half, toss ingredients together.

Roast at 375°F, cut side down, 15 minutes, flip, roast ten minutes more.

Cleaning House

In other news, today I had Dial-a-Maid come for four hours and unearth the condo. The sink is now white again.

Lock & Lock Korma

One of my missions this year in Evanston is to make lots of one-serving meals for Dani’s freezer. I ran errands to Ace Hardware and Whole Foods, returning with about 50 pounds of stuff in the poor shopping basket cart. After restocking the fridge I set out to make Lamb Korma with Moroccan basmati raisin rice, sweet potatoes and Caesar salad.

I boxed the leftover rice and korma into some nifty containers I got on Amazon. They’re called Lock & Lock (not a great name, I know) and are very durable, microwave and freezer safe, and they have a gasket that seals them completely with locks on all four sides. I bought them because of the good reviews on Amazon, without completely understanding what they were, but they’ve worked out perfectly. The ones I got are fairly small, about 3x5x2 inches, so just right for one entree serving. Five down, about a zillion to go.

Father’s Day at The Stained Glass

Dani and I spent a pleasant day in Evanston before the start of summer session at Northwestern. We walked up to Al’s Deli for lunch. Al’s is an interesting place, because it sounds very American, but is, in fact, French. They make wonderful soups, and sandwiches on  baguettes or croissants.

On the way back, we picked up Dani’s German class notes and restocked at CVS. In the evening we swapped some books at Market Fresh Books and then had dinner at our favorite Evanston restaurant, The Stained Glass, where we were served by our favorite waiter, the extremely knowledgeable wine instructor, Scot Morton.

 

Bull and Bear

Ron organized a last dinner before my trip to Evanston, and we met at The Bull and Bear at the Waldorf Astoria. Dani flew in Friday, so she was able to join us. The five of us spent a lovely five hours in the private room, with great service by Arnaud. Even though Chef was out of town, Arnaud found plenty of interesting selections to keep the courses coming.

The Wines

We need to stop pouring the Burgundies first! These were mostly great wines, but the memory of the 49 Burgs blew everything else away. Those two continued to evolve for hours. I selected six wines from our cellar, and Ron matched them:

Mumm de Cramant Champagne (Ron)
Citrus, cream, 93

2005 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne (Ron)
Ash, vanilla, floral, lemon, hibiscus flower petal flavor, expect butter but ends with citrus peel, 96

2001 Ch. Carbonnieux (Steve)
corked

1949 Liger-Belair Charmes-Chambertin (Steve)
Earth, complex, bacon fat, campfire smoke, iron, mushroom, citrus, forest floor, dried fruits, vanilla, dessert room at Berns (bananas foster and barrel), slightly faded, 96

1949 Ponelle Corton Clos de Roi (Ron)
Cherries, rose petals, soy sauce, meat, mint, sawdust, fruity, smoke, fresh, 98

1955 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve (Steve)
Young, peppers, fruity, leather, 95

1965 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon California Mountain (Steve)
Dusty, wax, musty, black pepper, 88

1962 Château Gruaud Larose (Steve)
Leather, worchestshire sauce, soy, complex but unusual, (low fill) 90

1966 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion (Steve)
Lead pencil, peppers, tobacco, 95

2000 Ch. Pavie (Ron)
Parker 100
Meaty, vanilla, chewy, lanolin, very tannic, candy, a huge wine, drinkable in 2044, 96

1983 Ch. Suideraut (Ron)
Peach, citrus, dried orange peel, 90

1982 Bodegas Toro Albala Montilla-Moriles Don PX Gran Reserva (Steve)
Syrup, chocolate, raisins, 92

Mussels!

When I was at Publix I spotted these frozen mussels and thought I’d take a leap of faith. Wow! Linda fixed them on some scampi flavored pasta and they were delicious, as good as at a restaurant. They’re made by Bantry Bay. Two servings for $8, what a deal.

They went great with the Burgan’s Albarino from Spain. $14 from B-21 and rated 90 by Wine Advocate.

As a side we had a vegetable souffle from Garden Lites. This is also a delicious dish, and turns out with a nice crust, even when microwaved.

I’ll classify this blog entry as “cooking” but it’s more like heat and serve!

Blind Misconceptions

For our Wine Syndicate group’s quarterly dinner we challenged ourselves to correlate price with quality. We failed.

Meeting at The Capital Grille, we poured six pairs of wine, completely blind except for knowing the wines’ prices, but not which price went with which wine. The results were eye opening. Here are the six flights, and how things turned out:

1988 Haut Brion Blanc ($490) vs. 2006 Ramey Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay ($50)

The group unanimously preferred the Ramey (ash, oak butter, opulent, 95 pts), and thought it was the better wine! After a couple of hours the Haut Brion became a lot more interesting (waxy, candy, minerals, gigs, nuts, vanilla, honey, 90 pts), but my scoring was unchanged. No one caught the almost 20 year spread between the wines, and everyone thought the Ramey was a white Burgundy.

1973 BV Special Label “Burgundy” ($75) vs. 1983 DRC Echezeaux ($680)

This was the only flight where the group was evenly split as far as popularity. Most identified the true Echezeaux (mint, delicate, 93 pts), and Debbie named the BV Special Label (redwood, sweet, 92 pts). Good job Debbie!

1979 Opus One ($357) vs. 1979 Inglenook Petite Sirah ($30)

The group unanimously preferred the Inglenook (paint thinner, wood, figs, 89 pts). This was the first vintage of Opus (mint, vanilla, pencil shavings, 87 pts), and it was the worst wine of the tasting.

2007 Jean Royer Chateauneuf Prestige ($40) vs. 1989 Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle ($230)

The group almost unanimously preferred the Hermitage (meat, smoke, bacon fat, mint, 90 pts) which was correctly identified by Ron. Good job Ron! The Chateauneuf was odd (candy, berries, fruit wrap, jam, smoke, 88 pts).

1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild ($900) vs. 1991 Dominus ($220)

The group unanimously preferred the Dominus (green pepper, gravel, lead pencil, mint, 97 pts) and thought it was old world and the more expensive wine! The Mouton (coffee, smoke, tar, green peppers, rubber, bacon, smoke, 95 pts) was a Parker 100 point wine that everyone thought was new world! To make matters worse, Ron, Bev, Linda and I had tasted both of these wines at events within the last two months, and none of us identified them or had them associated with the correct continent!

1963 Graham Port ($300) vs. 1992 Guenoc “Port” ($20)

A solid majority identified the real port (soft, delicate, complex, red-wine nose, 92 pts). The Guenoc (woody, 90 pts) was a fine product but was overshadowed by a great vintage of the real thing.

The Bottom Line

Out of six flights, we were unanimously wrong half the time, identifying the cheaper wine as the more expensive! Spend those dollars wisely, folks!

Cocina 214

Most restaurants open to indifference and close within a year. But every once in a while someplace hits upon exactly what the public wants and is an instant success. Cocina 214 is not a place I would have predicted would fall into the latter category, which is why I’m not in the restaurant business.

Located on an obscure side street off of Park Avenue in Winter Park, it’s even hard to find the door. But last month, when we heard about the place opening online and checked out their interesting modern Tex Mex menu, we decided to try it before they went out of business. No worries there. When we arrived today for lunch the valet was having trouble finding places to park cars, and there were at least a hundred people packing the restaurant’s dining rooms. Clearly there is an unsatisfied demand for gourmet Mexican food in this town.

Everything we had was good, especially Linda’s ceviche, and her chicken quesadilla, which was the best quesadilla I ever tasted — except for the ones Linda makes herself (and this one probably had about 5000 fewer calories). I also liked my fish tacos, and the verde y verde salsa we ordered was a great blend of lime, cilantro and jalapeno.

Prices were reasonable. Our waiter should return to whatever his former profession was, but I noticed that everyone working the dining rooms, kitchen and front desk seemed to be really happy to be there. The place is pretty noisy when it’s full, so I recommend dining outside on the patio.

In case you’re wondering, Cocina is Spanish for kitchen and 214 is the area code for Dallas, which is not where this restaurant is. But it’s definitely worth checking out Cocina 214 in Winter Park.

Nine 18

One of the under-appreciated restaurants in town is actually the closest to us (well, not counting sneaking in the back entrance to Victoria & Alberts). It’s Nine 18 at the Grand Cypress Golf Resort. The restaurant used to be The Black Swan, but about ten years ago they changed the name and reduced the prices, while keeping the menu pretty much the same. I’m not sure how that worked out for them, because the place is still usually empty, but they need to stay open to cater to their resort guests. Anyway, you can reliably get an almost great meal there for a reasonable price, and the service is terrific.