The belated thanksgiving post

Although it's almost winter holiday season, I thought I'd share some of the things we cooked for thanksgiving this year. We tried a few different things and most of them were a hit with the guests.

Some of my family members do not enjoy the traditional turkey. Their prejudice, if you will, is that the meat is dry. Ours never is, but their minds are made up... :) Our solution to the problem is to cook a turkey roulade with traditional herbs for us, and something else for the rest of the crew. We rotate between most of the other available proteins out there. This year, we chose Cornish hens with a garlic, salted pork and plantain stuffing.

The side dishes consisted of traditional mashed yukon gold potatoes, mashed roasted sweet potatoes and traditional stuffing. One new side dish we attempted was mashed celery root and apple pureé. Personally, I did not enjoy it. The rather strong licorice taste of the celery root is more than I enjoy. You might love it.

We also decided to change things up a little bit on the dessert side. We decided to make apple pie empanadas (turnovers) instead of the traditional pie. Most of my family loves a crunchy crust, so that was the easiest way to guarantee crunchiness for everyone :)

Our mid-day snack consisted of a rather lavish French plate of various cheeses (Camembert, Brie, Eppoisses, Roquefort), Pâtés (Champagne, Duck liver mousse), and warm Foie Gras with a currant and pomegranate reduction sauce. The Foie Gras was a big hit, and it paired with the burgundy wine and the sauternes exceptionally well.

If you'd like to try these, here are the recipes:

Roast Turkey Roulade with herbs

Ingredients:

1 turkey breast
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoon of thyme (approx.), finely chopped
4 cloves or garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of old bay seasoning

butcher's twine

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F

Mix the garlic, the herbs and the spices with some of the kosher salt. Use the salt to grind the garlic and the herbs together to mix in the essential oils with the salt. (Feel free to use a herb/spice mixture that you like).

Using a boning knife, or a thin sharp knife, remove each breast meat from the breast bone, retaining the skin.

Place the breast skin side down and using the same narrow knife, butterfly the breasts around the thicker part to make them about 1/2 inch in thickness. You can also cover the breast with plastic wrap and pound each breast out to achieve the same thickness.

Distribute half the garlic and herb seasoning mixture as evenly as possible.
Roll the breast onto itself to form as even a roll as possible. You can tuck the ends into the roll to make it more uniform.

Using the butcher's twine, tie up the roulade to form a small roast.

Brush or massage the skin with half of the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Repeat the same procedure for the second breast.

Place the roulades on a roasting pan, skin side up and roast in the oven until the meat registers about 140°F around the center. About 30 minutes. Turn the roulade upside down and bake for another 10 minutes, or until it registers about 155°F.

Remove from the oven, and rest on a plate, skin side up, for about 10 minutes.

Remove the butcher's twine and cut into 1-inch slices.

Any gravy you like would go great with it. you could also make a mushroom-herb gravy or a sage butter sauce.

Roasted Cornish hens with mofongo stuffing

Mofongo is a Caribbean side dish served in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. It is essentially a mashed plantain ball seasoned with garlic, salted pork and the local adobo all purpose seasoning. It can be served soft with fried pork or chicken, or fried up with consomme or soup. It has a savory, starchy flavor that is well complemented by the garlic.

Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens (look for them packaged in pairs in the poultry section)
3 teaspoons of adobo seasoning (Goya brand on the ethnic aisle) OR
equal parts of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder,
oregano, salt and pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter

For the stuffing:

3 light green plantains. They should look like a large green banana.
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
about 4oz. of salted pork (preferably with some meat), soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes. Drained and chopped into 1/4 inch strips. (Bacon also works fine for this)

olive oil

Coarse salt (like kosher)
Vegetable oil (for frying)

Special equipment:

- Mortar and Pestle. Medium to large ones (> 1 cup ) work best for this.
It might be possible to achieve close enough results with a food processor, but I have never tried it.

Preparation:
Preheated oven set to 450°F

Wash and clean the hens. Pat dry and season with the adobo to taste. brush or rub the skin with the oil (or butter). Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the stuffing.

Cook the salt pork or the bacon in a skillet with about a tablespoon of oil set to medium heat until most of the fat has been rendered out and the pieces are crisp. Drain the pieces on some paper towels.

Prepare a dutch oven or any other deep cooking vessel with about 1-inch of oil set to 350°F

While the oil heats up, peel and slice the plantains by cutting about 1 inch off each end, then making two shallow lengthwise cuts on each side. The idea is to cut deep enough to peel the skin, but not too deep as to cut the plantain in half. Using your thumb or a butter knife (thumb preferred), lift the skin on one end and run the thumb lengthwise to lift the peel off the fruit until it falls off.

Cut the peeled plantains cross-wise into 1-inch discs.

Place the cut plantains in the oil for about 3-4 minutes. The idea is to blanch the plantain so that the inside is soft and the outside has a light golden color, but it is not very crispy.

Pull the pieces from the oil and drain in paper towels. Do them in batches until all of them are cooked.

Pull the hens from the refrigerator.

Place about a good pinch of salt on the mortar. Add some chopped garlic and mash using the pestle. Add some pork and about 3-4 pieces of plantain (start with the coolest ones first), depending on the size of your mortar and mash the mixture together. Add more plantains if you can. If the mixture seems dry, drizzle some olive oil to moisten it.

Pull the mixture from the mortar and use your hands to form a ball (careful as the mixture might be quite warm). If your mortar is small, make more and add to the ball to get the size you need to stuff the cavity. If the ball is too warm, set aside for a minute or so. Repeat the same to make another ball for the second hen.

Note: Plantains lose moisture very fast in this application. If they dry out, the starches solidify and the texture will be crumbly, which makes it difficult to work with. They will taste fine and re-hydrate while in the hens, but forming the ball will be a pain. It is best to work with the plantains while they're still warm because they are more pliable. Use the olive oil to keep the plantain mixture moist, or cover with plastic wrap if you need it to cool.

Stuff each hen's cavity with the plantain stuffing ball until it is full, but not tight. Place hens in a roasting rack and roast for about an hour, or until they register about 160°F at the thigh joint. Pull from the oven and cover with foil for about 5-10 minutes.

Using a large knife or a cleaver, cut each hen length wise and serve each half with your favorite gravy (plain old brown gravy works fine for me) and your favorite side dish.

Serves 4

Celery root and apple Pureé (Ina Garten)

Seared Foie Gras with a currant pomegranate reduction sauce.

Ingredients:

1 tube or Foie Gras (D'Artigan in my case) or a medium size foie gras, deveined and cut into 1/4 inch slices.

1/4 cup of dried currants
1/2 cup of red wine (Pinot variety preferred)
1/4 cup of pomegranate liqueur

Preparation:

Place the currants, red wine and pomegranate liqueur in a small sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3, about 15 minutes.

Note: you must work fast, or you will wind up with very expensive melted fat on the pan!

Heat a small non-stick frying or sautee pan over medium heat. Place each foie gras slice on the pan for about 5-10 seconds until it starts to melt, flip and repeat. Remove from the heat into a serving platter. Repeat for the number of slices you plan to serve (no more than 2/person).

Drizzle with the reduction sauce and serve as is, or with sliced country bread and a glass of Sauternes or a glass of Burgundy.


Apple Pie Empanadas

Ingredients:

1 pack of 4-inch empanada wrappers
(Goya found in the frozen section.
You would also use large round wonton wrappers)

1 large egg
1 tablespoon of water

Apple pie filling (use your favorite recipe)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 cup light brown sugar
4 Granny smith apples
1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in water

Two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper

Oven set to 375°F

Preparation:

In a nonstick pan, cook the apples, sugar and spices until tender. About 10 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the liquid and set aside to cool.

Whisk in the water and the egg to make an egg wash.

Using a lightly dusted surface and a rolling pin, roll out each round to about a 6-inch disk.

Place about 4 teaspoons of apple pie mixture in the lower half of the disk, leaving about 1/2 inch edge all around.

Brush the egg wash on the lower half of the disk.

Fold the upper half onto the lower half, meeting the edges to form a half moon shape. Try to get as much air out of the pouch as possible.

Press the edge lightly with a fork to seal the empanada.

Place the empanada on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash if desired for a crunchier top.

Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the empanadas and bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly blistered.

Let rest for about 5 minutes and serve as is, or with vanilla ice cream

On the wine side, we had:

2000 Pierre Morlet Brut 1er Cru Millesime (Champagne)
- This was a "new try" from a small grower in the Reims region. Very crisp with apple notes. It had a pretty good bead, good acidity and a short finish. Definitely good as a starter, but would work just fine with chicken or fish. Not easy to find, but definitely worth the cash.

2005 Frederic Magnien Morey-St.-Denis (Burgundy)
- A little young, but still showed lots of promise. The fruit was relatively well concentrated for such a young wine, and the tannins were pretty well balanced. In a few years, this wine should be excellent. I wish I could afford to get a whole case of this!

2000 Kracher Trocken No. 9
- This is a German wine in the sauternes style. It was recommended to us when we went out to get a bottle of Yquiem about 4 years ago. It is a beautiful example of a sauternes. Good grape concentration. Very good acidity balance with a nose of citrus and apples. It was excellent with the Foie Gras.

Well, I hope you have a chance to try one these recipes and/or wines.

I have to start thinking of what protein to serve next year, and what desserts to cook for the upcoming holidays.

Later,

A little beer tasting.

Last week, the office crew decided to do an impromptu beer tasting with a main focus on German seasonal brews and as few odd-balls just for good measure.

We tried:

Ayinger Oktoberfest
Ayinger Brau Weisse
Aventinus
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
Anchor Porter
Weihenstephaner Korbinian

And the odd-balls...

Trader Joe's vienna lager (Marzen)
Budweiser American Ale
Michelob Porter
Black label (yes, I know...)
(I'm not linking the Black Label. It's for your own good)


That last one was bought as a joke for one of the guys that constantly reminisces about his college days and black label. I tend to associate BL with piss, so that should sum it up.

We started with the German examples.
First came the Ayinger Marzen. It was pretty well balanced and it was a crowd favorite. It lacked that "malty" character that I like on the Paulaner Oktoberfest, but Overall, nose and flavor profile was very good.

Second was the Hacker-Pschorr. For some reason, this is not a mark that I enjoy. I have tried their Hefe-weissen, and I find it "lacking". This Marzen fell under the same general category: "Needs something". I would not get this again. There are better examples for a better price, IMO.

Next, the Ayinger Brau Weisse. This was a late addition (along with the Aventinus and the Black Label), and it was a very good one. It had a very good nose, and a great fruit and spice flavor reminiscent of the exotic combos usually found on Belgian whites (like Hooegarten). I could have easily stayed drinking this one, but alas, only two bottles for 6 people :(

The Anchor Porter followed. I was pleasantly surprised. Great roasted malt flavor, and enough body to define it as a porter without weighing it down. A new favorite of mine (still, Sammy Smith's Taddy Porter is my hands-down favorite). Probably the best American Porter I have tasted. I hear the Brooklyn Porter is good, but I have not checked it out yet.

I have this "thing" with modern American brews and their liberal use of finish hops. Sometimes, it is obvious that the finished product would be superior if they have skipped the damn step, but such is life. You know that bitter finish you taste at a micro-brew place that reminds you it's not Bud? That's what I'm talking about. It has its place, and it is on the IPA brewing style. That's it! Everywhere else it's just a deterrent from the actual flavor of the beer. You heard of Pete's wicked poo? they put that flavor in everything, and that's reason #7462 why I will not spend a dime on Pete's anything.

Next, we tried the Aventinus and the Korbinian. I like the Aventinus because it reminds me of those tasty Belgians like Chimay that I like so much. The fact that it is a German brew (with their strict laws) makes it very interesting, and definitely a winner. It is a bit scary at over 8% ABV. You must respect it. The rest of the guys were kind of knocked back by the heavy clove taste from the bottle fermentation. It's not for everybody :)

The Korbinian was much more in line with the traditional doppel bock style (see Celebrator), and it was definitely good. Very good balance of yeast, malt and hops with a slight bite in the finish. Very good, but I still like Celebrator better. The rest of the guys except one liked this beer also. The one guy that didn't loves the Celebrator as well.

After a pretzel-eating break and a nature call, we checked out the other stuff. Remember that Black label? I poured it in a cup and gave it to the aforementioned buddy. He proclaimed it wasn't bad, and everyone that was in on the joke immediately laughed. I think we caught him off guard because he maintained that it wasn't as bad. I took a sip of it, and I'm still regretting it! Compared with all the other stuff we've had until this point, the black label was absolute garbage! It has a nose that reminds you of pissed-on bar floors, and a taste of warm miller(or bud) mixed with honey or some other sweet thing. Definitely disgusting. Worth the money for the joke, though :)

The Bud American Ale was a beer that I almost wanted to like. I've been waiting for them to actually make a good beer, and the fact that they're willing to try to compete with the likes of Sam Adams gives validity to the changing palate of the American consumer. The beer has a very nice color, a nice head, and a good hoppy nose. The flavor, however, seems muted, and the finish almost IPA hoppy. The moment you drink it, you think "Okay, where's the rest of it?" It lacks something, and the finish is that micro-brew finish hops thing I already bitched about. It almost overpowers the flavor of the beer, as if to make you forget what you just drank. I still give them a B+ for effort. I think it is a good first pass, but it needs work. Everyone agreed that, compared to Sam Adams, it wasn't as good.

If you suffered through that last paragraph about the Bud, then you know what I'm going to say about the Michelob Porter. Good first attempt, but it needs work. This was definitely a Porter designed for the Bud crowd. Too subdued, almost tasting like a dark lager. The malt was too light, and again, the finish hop flavr came back on this one. Same rant here: I had such high hopes for this line... Maybe the others are better?

The Trader Joe's marzen also suffered from the same "toned down example" syndrome of the two above. Everyone else agreed as well. It was almost like a nice alternative lager rather than a good marzen. It is a low-priced beer supposedly made by a decent micro brew company. Maybe the price constraints don't match the labor of the process? I suspect either the target palate doesn't really like a marzen, or the cost of making a true marzen is too high. Who knows?

At the end, the rankings were almost unanimous:

1. Ayinger Heffe-Weisse
2. Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen
3. Anchor Porter
4. Korbinian
5. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
6. Aventinus
7. Trader Joe's Vienna Lager
   
8. Michelob Porter
9. Budweiser American Ale
10. Black Label

Some people liked the Korbinian more than the Anchor, but I think it is mostly about style preference rather than quality. Porter is not everyone's favorite.

I can't wait to do this again!

Later,

Restaurant Week Foray #1: The Left Bank

Restaurant week is upon us on once again in the Boston area. It is nice to check out more places "on the cheap". This time, we traveled out of the city to a place called The Left Bank located in the Stonehenge Inn in Tyngsboro, MA close to the border of NH. It is positioned as one of the hidden restaurant jewels in the area. It boasts a large wine selection and a Wine spectator award of excellence. We have friends that live close by, so it seemed like a good choice.

They have a very extensive wine list of primarily "A" list wines. The wine list seemed more "vertical" than usual. They have all the usual big name suspects from California and Bordeaux. The red Burgundy selection was very small for some reason. The Spanish selection was also a little light. The Australia section seemed ok, but I can't remember. In the interest of being fair, I looked at the red wine selection only. Their while wine list might have been different.

If you are looking to do a vertical tasting of many high-end wines, this is the place to go. If you're looking for lots of variety and some of the new players, you will probably not find it here.

The RW menu consisted of either Ceasar salad or potstickers for the starter, Steak, Salmon or Fetuccini for the second course, and Sorbet or a Banana spring roll for dessert. Out of the four of us, three stayed with the RW menu, and one went off-menu. I went for the Caesar salad, the steak, and the spring roll.

The salad course was very good. The truffle oil gave the salad an extra bit of earthiness to go with the Parmesan cheese. I'm not a big fan of Romaine lettuce ribs, and they kept them to a minimum. The Steak was undercooked on all three cases. We ordered medium-rare, medium well and medium. Every single one of them came one-notch back (medium-rare was rare, and so on). The accouterments were very meager for the amount of steak, which was a little disappointing. Being a "veteran" of RW outings and this is the one part where restaurants don't skimp. I wasn't looking for buffet portions, but something that matched the amount of steak would have been nice. It just seemed odd.

The other thing that was a disappointing was the wait staff. They simply disappeared in between . The place seemed busy, but not full by any means. Maybe they're not used to having that volume of people at a given time, or maybe they thought that we were not going to order anything else since we ordered from the prix fixe menu. They probably would have done more drink business with us if they stopped by from time to time. Their loss, I suppose.

Would I go back? sure. It is tough justifying the trip for me having similar places in the city, but if you live in the area, it is certainly a good place to visit.

Later,

EVOO

If you live in the Boston, you have probably heard of EVOO restaurant in Somerville. It is classified as an "eclectic and creative" restaurant that seems to be focused on interesting combinations (like nectarines with thyme and garlic flan) and organic ingredients.

The starters (Fried oysters with apple bacon salsa, Rabbit confit salad) were actually quite good. I was pleasantly surprised that the confit salad actually worked because I was wary of the rosemary dressing working with the port-soaked dried cherries. The wine list had some interesting choices, but for the most part it was "adequate". We stuck to wines by the glass. We had a French Sauvignon Blanc that worked great with the oyster dish. I had a glass of a Cote du Rhone that was good, but not memorable. The Lady had a California Pilot Noir that also pretty decent.

The Main entrées were a mixed bag. My lady got the "Duck, duck, goose", and I got the "Lamb two ways".
The Duck dish was very well executed. Consisting of Goose breast, Confit of duck and foie gras with lentils, haricot-verts, escarole and a sherry-ginger sauce. It was very delicious!
My dish, on the other hand, was disappointing. It was supposed to be a southwest-inspired dish consisting of ribs with adobo sauce, and a lamb empanada. The Adobo ribs were cooked more in the style of a lamb chop. They were also a little too fatty, and to put the nail in the coffin, the adobo sauce tasted more like BBQ than a southwest flavor. Not at all what I had hoped :(

The waiter was very courteous and friendly, but the overall pace of the place is very slow. The Kitchen seems a bit small, so I don't know if that is the root of the cause, but I would hope that they get it sorted out. Looking online for opinions, These things seems like common issues among consumers.

While I don't dislike the place, there are so many other great places in the city that supersede it. I think if wind up returning to the place, I would probably stick with the Duck dish, or something a little more traditional. There are so many good restaurants in the Boston area these days, so I don't think I will be making it back here any time soon.

A nice summer meal

My lady and I have this very good friend that just came back from visiting family in England. We try to help her our with her ongoing love/hate relationship my her motorcycles (yes, more than one...), and in return she gets us all kinds of good stuff when she travels. Nice deal if you ask me :) This last time, it was no different. She bought me a bottle of one of my favorite scotch whiskies: Isle of Jura Superstition, and some organic Stilton cheese.

I figured the proper thing to do was to make some accoutrement for steak, so we made a blue cheese butter sauce to go with our Rib-eye steaks. It was phenomenal (yes, heart attack on a plate, but oh-so-delicious). we also made Prosciutto-wrapped figs with stilton, and those never disappoint either. We had it with an old standby on the lower price scale: 2003 Chateau Greysac Medoc. I think it is a very good bargain at around 20 dollars. I find it very well rounded with good tannin structure and a perfect finish. I was quite surprised when I discovered it that is was so accesible. I really should have bought a case!

The previous night we tried a new wine: Two Hands Brave Faces. This is a new-world style wine with lots of fruit, full-on attach at the front of the palate, and a deep purple color. I'm not the biggest fan of new-world style wines (I did not care for a bottle of Quintessa I had in California), but I am amenable to the Rhone blends made in the new world style. It is more than the Greysac at mid 30's, but definitely worth a try if you like that style.

My lady was "complaining" that I have a pile of Nicolas Potel wines I haven't touched. I keep telling her that those babies are for long term study! :) I tried finding some of his 2005 Clos St. Denis, but they're almost impossible to get, and the prices are prohibitive. I don't clear that kind of cash.

Later,

The (short) disadvantage with motorcycle gear

While I really can't complain much about my height, I find that sometimes it is a bit painful being shorter than the average American male. Demographically, it is changing, but sometimes you cannot escape it. This is very true in the world of protective motorcycle gear.
I was looking around for a decent pair or riding overpants. Preferably leather. I discover than Icon is now selling these really nice leather overpants that also have the ability to attach to my riding jackets (both Icon). I get really excited and start looking for a pair, only to be disappointed with the fact that they come only in tall and taller size! And, as you can imagine, leather pants are not the kind of product you can take to the corner shop to be "taken in" :)

There are some short inseam offerings from other companies like Joe Rocket, but the issue is that you have to compromise. You cannot get exactly what you like from these places. And I'm not dissing JR. Their stuff is pretty good. It is the fact that I can't get what I actually want. You can, of course, have someplace live Vanson or Dainese custom-make you a pair, but we all know that's not going to be cheap! The one thing that doesn't make much sense is that there are a very large number of riders that are below the 34" inseam that a lot of vendors put out in the US market, so I don't think sales numbers would be the problem.

I wound up getting a pair of Joe Rocket overpants. So far, I have mixed feelings about them. For one thing, the inseam still seems a bit large when walking (they're fine when I'm on the riding position), and they seem a little too baggy. I should expect this with overpants, but to me, they still feel like they're too big. I had somewhat similr issues with my first jacket, but I find it easier to deal with longer and normal sleeves than it is to walk with long pants... :)

It's part of the game. I just have to accept it, or pay through the roof for custom fitted equipment.

Later,

SD: Part 2

I'm back from San Diego, and I already miss it. I can understand the allure of the place with the picture perfect weather patterns and the never-ending activities. I just wish I could make it work for me in a permanent way :)

We went to the restaurant at Del Coronado (the wrong one), and it was pretty good. We had plans to go to the 1500 restaurant, and instead went to the one next door! Newbie mistake, I suppose... I stayed with the restaurant week menu this time because it seemed pretty good. My one disappointment was that my steak was overcooked. This seems to be a prevalent issue with the restaurants in the area, not just this one. They offered a Kobe beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon and Gorgonzola butter. I ordered it medium-rare, and I got it medium-well. I asked the waiter if I had mistakenly ordered like I got it and he said no. I ate it anyway because it was good, but I was still disappointed.

The next day, we decided to skip a big dinner and head over to a wine bar in the same hotel called ENO. There are a few locations scattered around the country. The wine flights and the cheese flights were very well executed. The wine list was better than I've seen in other places, but a little too focused on the local wines. The selection of imported wines was pretty good, but the french side seemed focused on the usual suspects (really high-end items and the brand names everyone knows). I guess it is what sells, right?
The cheese side was one where I felt good that they stayed local. I tried this beautiful Gorgonzola from Oregon that was a great match for the wines and the membrillo (quince paste). I also tried an aged Jack that tasted like a young Parmesan. I also found a local farm-aged cheddar that rivalled the stuff from England. In all, a very good experience.

The other west coast peeve I have (first being the inability to cook meat properly) is the lack of selection in wines. I managed to talk to a few vendors in the area, and a few things seem to cause the problem (at least in the SoCal area):

- Plenty of California wines available
- The added cost of shipping to the west coast
- The high demand in the east coast

So I guess I'm part of the problem :)

One thing I really wanted to do but was impractical (this time) was to rent a motorcycle and ride through the coastal highway. I would have loved that very much. The problem was that I could not find a local rental place that had sport bikes. You could find a Harley pretty much down the street, but that's not what I wanted to ride. There is one popular place that delivers, but it is not worth it for just one day. Maybe next time I can arrange the transportation based on the bike :)

These things are 'solvable', so if that's all I have to complain about Southern Cal, I guess that's a good thing. I also tried my exit strategy as an early relocation option, but it failed.

I can't wait for my next trip! I hope it happens more than 8 years apart...

Later,

San Diego: Rekindling of an old flame

My lady and I are in San Diego on a 50/50 (B/P) trip. it has been a long while since we've been to SoCal, and we almost forgot how much we like this place.

We're lucky enough to be right in the heart of downtown in a nice waterfront hotel that's minutes from everything. To make things even better, it's restaurant week!

So far, we have sampled a small amount of places like Nobu at the hard rock hotel, Frank's mexican food joint on Fifth, and a corner diner on G street next to a mall. we also checked out a local pancake place called Richard ... pancake house. the place has lines that reach around the corner, even on weekdays. it's a small place, but they don't skimp on the portions. the pancakes were good, but I liked ones from the diner to be better IMO. the corned beef hash (guilty pleasure) was different than what I'm used to, and didn't kill my stomach as usual. They blended everything more, and I think that made a big difference.

Nobu was an odd experience. I'm used to California wait staff being laid back and a little slow compared to the people in the east coast. My waiter was a little loopy and more in pace with east coast guys, so we felt a little rushed (the place wasn't even 50% full). The food was mostly good. there were some rolls that seemed average like the spicy tuna roll, and others that were just perfect, like the yellowtail jalapeño roll. we also ordered their signature dish (black cod miso) and it was spot on. the waiter suggested the vegetarian version of the same dish, and that was disappointing. The eggplant lacked the saltiness of the cod, crucial to the balance of the dish.

We also visited the nine-ten restaurant in La Jolla to sample their restaurant week menu. I skipped the first course to get their truffle risotto appetizer, and it was a good choice. They did not skimp on the truffles, but the rice was a little under-cooked. the flavors were well balanced, however. It reminded me of a similar (but better) dish I had in Paris.
The second course was a braised short rib with baby vegetables that was well executed. It paired nicely with the California Pinot suggested by the staff. Although we're about to burst at this point, we decided to try a bite of the third course. I chose the lime semifreddo, and the picked the milkshake and beignets. it was so good, we managed to somehow make room for it :)
We have plans to visit the restaurant at El Coronado this thursday. I'll report on it later,

Craigie Street Bistrot

I'm venturing over to the place tonight with mixed feelings. Mainly because of the online reviews I have seen. They seem to be a little "bipolar" (I loved the place..., ...the place was horrible!), so that spooks me a little. I tend to be the "devil's advocate" so when I see a bad review, I always think that there's some level of truth to what I read. We have a late (9:30) reservation with some friends from Europe, so at least I know they're used to late dinners :)

The restaurant a few blocks away from Harvard Square in what is basically a neighborhood section in the basement of an apartment building. Think "Laundry room at a large college dorm" size. There is no room for a bar or anything else except less than 15 tables. There is also no parking. They have 3 spots allocated from the building parking lot (which is not much). Most of the street parking is permit only, but you can find some spots about a block away.

When we arrived, the maitre 'd was MIA for a little bit, but once he arrived, we were seated promptly. Our waitress was very pleasant, but she had a bit of habit of interrupting our conversation. I would not characterize her as rude, more like "on auto pilot" :)

We started with a bottle of Gosset Brut and two starters: Foie gras terrine and marinated Octopus. The champagne held its own against the octopus marinade. The Foie gras was not an issue since it goes very well with bubbly. It was my first time trying the Gosset, and I was very impressed with the balance of acidity and taste. The nose had just enough amount of yeast to be noticed, but not overpowering.

For the meals, all of us at the table picked one of:

• Pork three ways
• Hanger steak
• Seared scallops

I had the steak with a little bone marrow, foie gras onions and a parsnip puree. The meat was done medium rare (as it should be), and the flavor was fantastic. The onions had just enough richness, and the parsnip was very well balanced. The pork looked beautiful (I almost got it), and everyone thought it was great. The scallops were huge, but tender and sweet. We washed the whole thing down with a 2003 St Emillion that complemented everything very well (even the scallops) with a very nice blackberry and light caramel nose, balanced tannins and good amounts of fruit.

For dessert, we had a mango and rhubarb dessert with a ginger ice cream that was lovely. The other guys has the chocolate profiteroles that I did not try, but looked very nice. We were having such a good time that we noticed that we were hanging out with the crew! We basically closed the place down, and they didn't throw us out.

I am somewhat relieved that I did not live one of the negative experiences I've read about online. I would characterize it as what I remember Hamersley's bistro in the early days, but in a smaller setting with slightly less trained staff. While the prices are typical French restaurant, they're not as evil as I had originally envisioned (cheaper than Hamersley's IMO). I would certainly go back.

Later,

Virtualizing servers

I have decided that with the rising cost of everything, it is time to start reducing the amount of systems I have running in the house. The nature of my work requires me to have several systems for different purposes. On top of that, I have a MythTV system setup throughout the house, plus the personal systems for my lady and I. I think overall, there are at least 5 systems running 24/7 at any given time (which is a lot, to say the least). If I could reduce one or two of them, that would make a nice difference in power and noise.

I am trying to accomplish this using the VMware server product. I didn't look at Xen just because it seemed a lot easier to setup a VMware system, and the tools are more mature. Ironically, I found out that some people have been successful running MythTV backends inside of a Xen VM. Maybe if I'm ambitious enough...

I made up a linux VM to run FC8 that would replace the existing main server in the house. This server provides SSH, web, DHCP and DNS access to the house. The host system is on a fixed IP address, so that should be a problem.

As of today (May 10th), the work on it has been slow, but relatively painless. I need to take a VM snapshot of the base install and then continue migrating the stuff from the other server. I'm also trying to enable IPv6 on the linux systems I have just for the experience.

Bummed about my new helmet

My lady got me a very nice helmet for the holidays. I basically told her what to get me based on some research I did on the 'net. The problem is, it's so damn noisy!
My first helmet (HJC CL-14) had a lot of flaws, IMO, but for the price, it is a very good helmet.

I relied primarily on the reviews found on webBikeWorld. I have never been steered wrong by them. After looking at many brands, I went with the Shoei RF-1000. The fit is great. It has a lot of decent features, and it's very lightweight. I picked one of the new modes with a nice graphic (Artifact TC2). Based on what I read, the helmet was relatively quiet, and it would be a nice fit for my head shape. When I got it, I was very excited and couldn't wait to use it.

The first time I put it on and went for a ride, I immediately noticed the noise. Mind you, I wear earplugs while riding to help attenuate the noise, and I could still hear enough of it to be annoying. I immediately placed the blame on myself thinking that maybe I had my earplugs in incorrectly (which would cause more noise instead or reducing it), or I had the helmet chin guard tilted, etc. Unfortunately for me, none of that was true. I still have my old helmet, and I tried them both on the same day. The difference was very obvious, and definitely not what I wanted to hear (no pun intended). I noticed that the source of the noise is air entering the bottom of the helmet. This is a typical problem with motorcycle helmets. I have yet to compare the height of these helmet to see if that's the main difference. Regardless, I'm pretty bummed :(

It really sucks when you want (and expect) something to work the way you envision, only to be let down.

Naturally, since I waited so long to try it (I had no choice), I cannot return it. Now, my choices are to attempt fixing the problem with add-ons (there's a cover for the bottom of the helmet that acts as a wind diffuser), or give up and sell it.

Later,

On beers

I have a co-worker and friend who is a very good beer maker, and a little bit of a beer nut. I love beer in the summer, but I'm more of a wine and scotch kind of guy. But I'm up for whatever....

Some weeks ago, we were talking about what we think are good beers. The one thing we agreed was: mass produced American beers are just not that good. I find them too one-dimensional. I am very sure a lot of people would disagree, but I have this thing about flavor, and "general purpose" American beers have none that I could find.

In terms of style, I tend to like:

• Belgian ales
• German Marzen (Oktoberfest)
• Double Bock
• English Ales
• Stout

My faves are Chimay, Hooegarten, Affligem, Duvel, and the occasional Lambic for Belgians. Related to those are the traditional items from Unibroue in Quebec. It is as close to an American brewed Belgian style ale as I have been able to find.

Paulaner and Spaten are my favorite German marzen. I have tried Sam Adams and Harpoon Oktoberfest, but I don't think they cut it.

Bocks are kind of a new thing for me. I find myself constantly going for Celebrator as my benchmark bock. Paulaner Salvator is also very good, but still not a Celebrator. I liked the Aventinus wheat doppelbock a lot, but with the current grain shortages couples with the ever-so-weakened dollar make it an expensive proposition at 4 dollars a bottle.
On a related note: while checking out opinions of bock, I stumbled into a review of an American double bock that was rated high by the pundits. It was the Thomas Hooker Liberator Double Bock. This took me a while to find, and I bought three. This beer (at 9 bucks a whack) made the Aventinus look like a bargain. While the beer is very well crafted, it is still not as good as the German ones, in my opinion. I found another Thomas hooker beer (American pale ale) while looking for this one. More on it later. My friend's benchmark is the celebrator also. He has not tried the Aventinus, and I hope he does. I gave him one the Thomas Hooker bocks to try, and I have not told him about my thoughts on it because I don't want to bias his mind.

On the British ale category, I love the Samuel Smith line, followed by Boddington's, Old Speckled hen and Fuller's. I prefer these on tap, but Sammi smith on tap in the US is close to impossible This is one category where the American handcrafted beers seem to do well. The Sam Adams isn't bad. the Anchor steam is pretty good, although is has that overly hoppy finish that makes it taste more like an IPA than a traditional Pale Ale. I like IPAs, but I don't like their taste when I'm expecting something else.
As I mentioned earlier, I found a Thomas Hooker American pale ale which looking for the bock. Not cheap either at 9 or 10 dollars a 6-pack, and I didn't think it was that great. It had the same bite at the end I associate with the micro-brews I don't like. Compared to the Samuel Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale, it's not that good. It reminds me of an expensive version of Sam Adams

This is another category where I find the originals doing better than the copiers. Even with the inflated prices (about $12 for four), they are still cheaper than anything you buy at the bar. The way I see it, I'd rather drink less good beer than more mediocre beer. :)

I'm not a stout expert, but I like some of the smaller kids on the block. I like Guiness on tap-especially while visiting the UK-but I like Murphy's more. Beamish is also nice, but a little harder to find. On the non-standard types, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal stout and Young's double chocolate stout in the can are great examples of each category. Besides micro brews, I haven't had a good American example. I hear the Brooklyn brewery dry stout is supposed to be pretty good.

My "mindless summer lager" beer is the lesser known Mexican lager called Sol. I can't stand Corona, but this stuff is drinkable, and very good on a hot summer day by the pool. I know that compared to the other stuff I mentioned, this stuff is still technically "crap", but to me, it still beats Bud and the other mass producers of mindless lager. Hey! Nobody's perfect! :)

I do wind up with some general purpose lager when I host parties and the like. Some people just like them. I wind up using them for Bratwurst cooking. The hops give the brats a great flavor. To me, that's the best use for mass-produced american lager.

That's what I like on beer these days. My taste changes from time to time, but overall, these are the styles I stick with. If you have a recommendation, drop a comment.

In fact, I think I will have my last Affligem while catching up on the last Formula 1 race!

Later,

'Tis the season to ride the bike!

Ahh... I'm so happy that the motorcycling season has started. I really miss riding my bike during the winter months. I try from time to time when the roads are dry, but riding in 20°F weather is just not fun at all. No matter how much you bundle up! Right now, the two biggest issues are:

• Dirty (sandy) roads
• "Rusty" drivers that "forgot" about motorcyclists

If you're what we call a cager (car driver), please, keep an eye out for us! I know it's tough, but take a moment to look twice. I have to admit that even I get caught off guard sometimes while in the car. I have to keep reminding myself to spend an extra second to take another look. As a rider, I try really hard to make myself as visible as I can by shifting position so the guy in front of me and the guy trying to make a left turn can see me.

I also admit that not all of us are nice enough either. I wish we all were better at it. Just remember: car beats bike every time. We don't have airbags or crumple zones. Just a helmet and (some of us) leather gear to help with the abrasions.

The one thing that annoys me the most is the people behind me with what I call "severe intestinal problems" that are basically riding my tail, as I can make the guy in front of me move any quicker. What they don't understand is that I can brake significantly faster (and shorter) than they can, so if something goes bad, they would eventually make it worse. I try to turn back and give them a look from time to time (sometimes they don't even notice what they're doing), and some react accordingly. Others don't, and that's too bad. Enough ranting :)

If you're a New England rider and are looking for an online place to meet others, I can suggest the Monster board and the rider forums. The first one is mostly Ducati oriented, but everyone's pretty friendly.

If you're considering joining the growing segment of drivers riding, do yourself a huge favor and take proper training. Riding is loads of fun, but it puts you at a disadvantage against car drivers. I know in some states it is optional, but believe me, it is money very well spent. I did and it made me a more aware and hopefully a safer rider.

Another fun thing (if you like to try that kind if stuff) is a track day or a racing school. My lady and I did the beginner school course from Penguin racing in Loudon, NH. We had a fantastic time! I wasn't even close to the fastest guy in our class, but I wasn't the slowest either. I learned a lot of good cornering techniques as well as a better understanding of bike settings like suspension, braking, etc. We're actually considering doing it again this year.

I'm also lucky enough to attend a MotoGP race this year at IMS. I'm really looking forward to it. The atmosphere is always great (from what I hear) and the accessibility to the racers is supposed to be very good as well. I which I could go to Laguna Seca also, but that's asking a lot :) I'll post some pics when I return from the trip (Sept).

I guess that's what I like today.

Later,

Last trip to NYC

My lady and I just returned from our last trip to NYC. It has been quite a while since our last visit. The place is still a load of fun for us. We're "foodies", so the place's vast amount of dining choices are a paradise for us.

This time, we had plans to visit more places, but she was a little sick, so we had to cut down on some of the plans.

Our first stop was Junior's on times square. I heard of the place before, but never made it in. We tried their signature devil's food cheesecake, and it was very good. For those who don't know, it is basically a cheesecake inside a devil's food cake. It was a good thing we shared one piece, for it was huge! For actual food, I had one of their steakburgers, and it was done very well. It was a little to thick for my normal liking, but the preparations and seasoning were very good. Definitely worth another visit.

In the evening, we went to the Flute Champagne bar in Gramercy before attempting to head over to the Blue Ribbon sushi. I think we were there a little too early, so it felt like were were part of the "older" crowd. I have been in a grower Champagne kick lately, so I was hoping that they would have a decent selection by the glass, but alas, that was not to be. Their list focuses on all the usual suspects everyone knows and wants. There was one grower label that I tried, but it seemed average at best. The ambiance was nice, but a little too dark (it was hard to read the menus!).

We left there in the hopes of making it to the Blue ribbon sushi, but the lady wasn't feeling all that good, so we bailed.

The next day, we had a great time shopping around soho and the village, and we stumbled on an old standby, Balthazar's. I went there the first time we went to the city, and we had a fantastic meal. This time, we decided to go in (no reservations) for brunch. The place was booked until 3PM! Luckily, the wait for the bar was less than 15 minutes, and they serve the same stuff. The bartenders were great. Very attentive, and always available to answer questions.

Since Champagne goes so well with eggs, I decided to have some (after a great Bloody Mary) with breakfast. They had Pol Roger Champagne by the glass, and I decided to try it. This one is usually about 60 dollars a bottle, so any time I can try wines in this range by the glass, I'm there. It reminded me a little of the Pierre Peters I had a few months back (and I now like very much). I will try to get me a bottle of this for further evaluation :)

After a great brunch, we made the mandatory stop by their bakery for some chocolate bread, and some brioche.

Following a similar routine to the previous night, we met a friend at a local wine bar before heading out to dinner. I was trying to find out about this bar I saw in a podcast sometime around November/December, and coincidentally, it was a the Blue Ribbon wine bar (different from the sushi place). The space was sooo small, it almost felt uncomfortable. I think there are actually less than 15 seating positions in the entire place. You could probably fit 25 people crammed in before the fire marshal shuts you down! The menu was pretty extensive, and they had a flight of three grower champagnes (notice the trend?) .

Fleury Pere NV:
This was my favorite of the three. It had light notes of almond and apple. A little ginger. The finish was a little short, but I don't know if it was because it was an open bottle. I think the avg for this is in the 30-40 dollar range, so it it relatively accessible.

Laherte Freres:
This one seemed good also, but not as notable as the first one. It had more yeast on the nose, nut nothing crazy. Again, good but not great.


Larmandier-Bernier rose de saignee
This was the most intriguing visually (nice frosted bottle), but it found it uninteresting. Too subtle in my opinion for a rose.


I made reservations at BLT Prime for dinner that night. The place was fabulous! The Sommelier was very friendly, and the wait staff was very attentive. We shared a rib-eye with two sides. It was cooked to perfection and served in a cast iron plate that kept it warm, while not over-cooking it. The white asparagus wrapped in spanish ham was a great compliment to the steak. The Nuits St. Georges burgundy we picked was a great match to the meal. At one point we noticed other people staring at us. I think it was because we were enjoying our food a little too much, or people don't order 20 oz steaks (we share it) there...

The prices were very good (for a steak house). I would certainly recommend the place to anyone. Give it a shot if you go there.

We hope to go back soon to see a play (MacBeth with Patrick Stewart), and keep exploring the vast restaurant landscape of NYC.

Later,

Champagne Tasting Party

We had the champagne tasting party at last! Everyone enjoyed themselves quite a bit.

I kind of overdid the buying of champagnes for the party. In the end, we drank less than 12 bottles from a total of above 20. The food was also a big hit. I cooked up a storm over the 3 days before the party. I wanted to make sure everyone had enough to go with all the champagne I was planning to serve!

The wines we sampled were:

• Laurent-Perrier Ultra Brut
  
• Gloria Ferrer Blanc de noirs
• Duval-Leroy NV Brut
• Pierre Peters Gran Cru NV Blanc de blancs
• Nicolas Feuillatte NV Rose
  
• Ruinart NV Rose
• Egly-Ouiret Vignes de Vigny
• Rosa Regale Brachetto (for desserts)

The vast majority of people liked the first one (much to my surprise). The reviews painted this one as a "not for everyone" type of champagne. I picked it up to make things interesting. It is very dry, since it has no dossage. It goes very well with some of food items I didn't think it would work with. I paired with popcorn, which is a very easy food to pair with sparkling wine. The choice went quite well.

The G-F is a very easy to drink choice. Good amounts of acidity, a very nice berries nose and a very smooth finish. I heard nothing bad about it. It was my second time tasting this wine, and I think that it is a very good value for the dollar($19).

Duval-Leroy is an old favorite of mine. I've mentioned it before. For some guests, it was the first time they've tried it, and they loved it also. It was a good pairing with the truffle oil risotto.

Pierre Peters is a new discovery for me. It is a very good example of a blanc de blancs from a "grower" house. Citrus and pineapple nose with a pleasant notes of bread and light lemon. Beautiful finish. Great for an appetizer or sushi. It's a little pricey these days ($55), but still well worth it.

The N-F Rose is a good rose for the money, and it pairs good with food. People liked it, but didn't love it. I have to admit: I felt the same way. This might offend some pundits, but I find Rose wines to be uninteresting. Sparling rose are all the rage now, and I think they're overrated. I still enjoy traditionally blended sparklers more.

Most of the guests didn't get to taste the Ruinart. They were starting to leave by the time I opened it. I had such high hopes for this bottle (since I almost visited the house on my trip to France), but I was disappointed. The bottle wasn't bad, but it had no great characteristic. It was average at best, compared to the other wines we had. The few guests that had it pretty much agreed. When you pay about $70 for a bottle of bubbly, "uninteresting" is not the quality you want to get out of it!

Lastly, the Egly was a nice surprise. One of the guests told me they were going to bring it. I researched it, and found it to be intriguing. It's 100% Pinot Munier, which is a "balance" grape with a grassy taste (as normally used for blending). This grower over-ripens the grape, which eliminates most of the grassy flavor. The wine had a subtle floral nose that was very unique. Nothing over-powering, but nonetheless present. The taste was more on the lines of light pears and mild biscuit. It was noticeably sweet compared to the other wines we had, but still delicate. The finish was a little short, but I didn't mind. I do not know the cost, but I think it is around $50. Not an everyday item, but very interesting indeed.

The day after the party, I opened one of the wines we never got to serve. It was a Pierre Gimonnet 1er Cru Blanc de blancs. I was a recommendation from a vendor I visited while seeking Pierre peters. It is a decent example of a blanc de blancs, but nothing exciting. I would rather have the Pierre Peters any day. This is also a pricey bottle at $55, so I would not go out of my way to have this again.

The labels for most of them are here. Some of them don't like the harvesting process, so they might look a little faded.

Spanish Grenache: Pretty good!

I discovered Spanish Grenache wine (granacha) sometime before the holidays. My first one was the Bodegas Zabrin Atteca 2005 old vines. I would characterize it as a "new world" style wine with loads of upfront fruit. Very intense flavors of cherry, blackberry, and I found a light note of toffee. I think Robert Parker gave it a 90 score, so the stuff flew off the shelves. I managed to score about 5 bottles. I have seen the 2006 around 15 bucks, which is a good buy.

While looking for it, I saw the Las Rocas 2005, which is cheaper than the Atteca, and pretty close to it in my opinion. The bonus being that it is pretty readily available. I had some tonight with grilled steak tips and vegetables, and it worked very good.

Notice a trend? it's like I'm behind the ball on these things! I guess it is because I tend to know what I like, and I stick to it for as long as I can. I'm trying to venture outside of the comfort box, and it's bringing me to these little discoveries.

St. Valentine's

By design, the whole St. Valentine's thing is such a farce. It's pretty much a commercial "day" designed to make you shell out your money. If you truly love your special someone, you don't need a day dictated by someone's balance sheet to show it. I was laughing inside watching all the fools at the store picking up cheesy cards and flowers at the last minute. I guess I feel bad for both: The guys because they feel like that's the day they have to "express" how the feel (or else), and the ladies because they have been conditioned to expect this non-sense. Heck: if you think a once-a-year expense on flowers, chocolate, and who knows what else is a good measure of how much he really cares about you, I got news: It shouldn't and it most probably isn't.

I decided (for once in a loooong time) to play along for a bit and do something nice on V-day for a change. I decided to prepare a nice meal and enjoy our time together.

We love French cuisine, so I went around looking for a crispy duck recipe. I found several, and most were very good. I settled for a crispy duck with pears and green peppercorns recipe, and it was a great hit. I took the potato cakes from another recipe and paired them with a garlic aioli (from yet another recipe), and it was pretty good. To celebrate, we decided to finally drink a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee that we bought a long while back to celebrate another occasion. It was the first time I've had a oak cured champagne, and it was very good. Definitely a different experience from the normal champagne fare, but certainly worth it. The chardonnay grape loves oak, and this pretty much proves it. It had a beautiful deep golden color and hints of honey, apple and citrus that worked well with the pear and the apple from the duck dish. The potato cakes didn't compliment much the champagne, but that was pretty much expected. The meal was great, nonetheless, and I got a new wine refrigerator/cellar anyways, so I'm happy!

If you like duck, I highly recommend the recipe. It is simple to make, and it is a wonderful hit. Duck breast is easy to obtain these days, and there's nothing to do for the preparation. Follow the recipe, and save the duck fat. That stuff is gold!

Well, I hope you had a great Valentine's as well-and for the right reasons!

Remembering the fun of skiing!

Sometimes, life throws stuff at you, and you become so involved with the "stuff" that you cast other things aside. For me, one of those things was skiing. Last year, I didn't ski once. The year before, I think I went 3 times. Compare that to the previous 8 years that I used to go skiing about 10-12 times on average. Sad, isn't it.

This weekend my lady and I went to visit a friend of mine that has invited us to his ski place for over 2 years. The ride was long, and on the way up, I was second-guessing myself. I got to the slopes sometime around noon, and went skiing. I was very apprehensive about getting back to the slopes (although I wanted to go down the hardest trail on the first pass), but after two runs, it all came back. It was so much fun! Almost like finding an old friend. I skipped lunch (which in retrospect was a bad idea) because I didn't want to stop. Naturally, I ran out of steam after about 5 or 6 runs in the span of about 2.5 to 3 hours. My boots were also punishing me for not using them in such a long time, so that didn't help either. I did do the aforementioned run, btw. That was a leg killer! I wanted to go back once more, but my older, more reserved self cautioned me against pushing too much on my first time. Leaving on the meat wagon would have been a big buzz-kill...

Needless to say, we had a great time at the slopes, and during apres-ski. I was a great feeling that (as I mentioned) I had completely forgotten. After this weekend, we are definitely going to try to get out and ski more often!

As good as I remember it

I was very happy today. I managed to get a pair of bottles of the wine I had for our anniversary.

I decided to splurge on our anniversary dinner and get a really nice bottle of Burgundy wine. I got really interested in Burgundy wines after hearing a few podcasts from Grape Radio about the wines, the makers, and the complexity of the Pinot Noir grape. I'm usually more of a Meritage-style wine kinda guy, but I was intrigued by what I heard.

Out of pure luck, I picked a bottle of Nicolas Potel Clos Saint Denis Gran Cru 2003, and I knew I had made a great choice when the sommelier complimented the choice. I've been to this place before and I trusted the sommelier's opinion. The wine worked great with everything we ordered! From the Foie Gras to the dessert, everything paired so good with the wine. We were both very happy with it. To top it off, I finally gave my lady a diamond ring, so the night was very special for both of us.

I tried getting the wine locally to no avail. 2003 Burgundy (apparently) is tough to get because the year wasn't that great, so the quantities are limited. After much searching online, I fond a place that carried it and shipped to my place. I got two bottles - not surprisingly for less than I paid at the restaurant - and they arrived today.

Tonight, my lady and I had a great dinner and we had one of them. Just as lovely as I remember it. Loads of fruit, lovely tannins, and a beautiful finish. It worked great with the reduction sauce on the steak and with the chocolate cake. Although not as good as with the dessert we had for our anniversary dinner. I searched around and found that the '03 was rated very high by the usual suspects.

I just saw that the '05 is supposed to be superb. If you can splurge, I'd suggest you try it. The guys from Berkeley Wine shop apparently have the '05. Let me know what you think.

Bioshock

After playing the game to completion, I believe it was very good. I feel that I got my money's worth.

The weapon/plasmid concept was almost reminiscent of an RPG, but with the fast pace of a shooter. The idea of the camera and baddie research makes it almost a side quest by itself, which was cool. Towards the end, the game dynamic is a little repetitive, but that's a typical issue with FPS games. It doesn't really bother me that much.

The story line was very well developed, and my only regret was that they didn't "run with it" as far as they could have. The end gives you a feeling that there's more to come from the story line. Let's hope it is true.

Now, back to COD4 online!

Champagne

A little before the holidays, I started to pay more attention to champagne.

Like most people, I paid attention to the usual suspects. My favorite used to be Veuve Clicquot NV yellow label, which is what most people know from the maker. About 2 years ago, I discovered a (then) mostly unknown maker called Duval-LeRoy, which immediately became my favorite. Today, they're getting very good publicity and fantastic reviews, so I don't think they will stay under the radar too long.

I started reading and learning about "Grower Champagne", and I was intrigued. I heard about three that were very well regarded. All of them Blanc de Blancs:

Gaston Chiquet
Pierre Peters
Jean Milan


I haven't been able to find the Gaston Chiquet. The grower has a very small operation, so the amount of bottles that come in as very small. I managed to find the standard (blended) type, but it is nearly as good as the Blanc de Blancs. I had the Pierre Peters, and it was as good as the reviews implied. It has a light citrus smell with a little hint of yeast. The taste is one of mild pineapple and citrus, and the acidity is perfect. The only bad thing is that the prices are set to jump about 30% this year due to all the "usual suspects" like a weak dollar and high fuel prices.

I have found a few other grower Champagne makers, but I haven't tried them yet. The plan is to have a tasting party and break them there. I hope they're as interesting as the ones I've had to this point.

One thing that became very obvious to me is that Champagne is a much more versatile drink than I thought. Blanc De Blancs pair very well with dishes that go with high acidity wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. After all, Blanc de Blancs are pure Chardonnay. Rose and Blanc de Noirs are great for a mid-weight meal like grilled chicken with a mild sauce as well. Based on a recommendation, I tried the California Gloria Ferrer NV Blanc de Noirs, and it was much better than expected. I found later that it has been getting great reviews. For about 20 dollars, it's a great deal.

My last bit is about dossage. For those that do not know, most sparkling wine making that follows the Methode Champenoise do a sediment purge after the first fermentation, and they usually have to add a small amount of wine to compensate for the lost volume. Most makers add a bit of sugar with the wine to trigger a second fermentation. The amount of sugar added is what is called the dossage, and it is a volumetric measure. Each class (Brut, Demi-sec, Dux) has a range, and most makers use different amount within the range. I have found that for most people, the amount of sugar almost dictates how much they like the wine when they do not know the brand they're drinking. I would think that makers would publish this information on the bottle, and in the end it would help sales. That's just my 2 cents :)