The Wine That Saved Thanksgiving

As the saying goes, corked bottles happen. It's got nothing to do with the producer, so I won't name which wine it was that we had to dump down the drain after a sip confirmed what the nose suspected, which is that cork taint had rendered the bottle -- the bottle that we'd planned on consuming alongside our Thanksgiving dinner -- undrinkable. We didn't have a back-up second bottle of that same wine, so we stood staring at our rack wondering what to open.

To the rescue: The 2008 Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. It didn't disappoint. From its whiffs of berry to its pleasant flavors of tart cherry, green tomato and light tannins, it was a pleasure to drink. You could say it was the wine that saved Thanksgiving.

This wine retails for approx. $35.

Bottom Line: Thumbs up.

-Photo Courtesy Rodney Strong Vineyards

White County Wine

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http://getawaysforgrownups.com/wine-road-white-county-georgia/

Carnival Cruise

My article about cruising from Charleston, SC aboard Carnival for Where2NowMag.com is now posted:

On Carnival, Affordable Way to Refresh and Rejuvenate

And here's a link to my story about the same trip that was published in Sunday Paper:

Sail Away.

H. Harper Station

Now open in Atlanta: H. Harper Station. Billed as "a modern watering stop serving the finest libations and tasty bites" the concept is an upscale bar that also happens to be a restaurant. The emphasis is on the bar...in the description of the place, the menu with 40+ cocktails, and the fact that the boxcar-shaped building is visually dominated by a long bar behind which sit dozens of bottles of top-shelf spirits.

Which brings us to our sidebar topic:
What kind of a nincompoop brings a baby to a bar?
We were seated a few tables away from a couple with a baby in arms. Of course, within about six seconds that baby starting fussing. Newsflash: Some of us aren't interested in paying $14 for a cocktail that we'd anticipated sipping peacefully in a swanky setting, but then instead find ourselves listening to a baby howl and watching as it's paraded up and down the center aisle in a feeble attempt to calm it. Now instead of sipping that cocktail, we're holding the cold glass to our foreheads and groaning from a sudden-onset headache. I can guess what happened: Young couple heads out for the evening to check out the newest establishment in town without knowing what to expect. They discover it's not a family-friendly place, but shrug and ask for a table anyway. "After all," they think, "our baby is so cute." The hostess suggests perhaps they'd be more comfortable at another restaurant, but the couple doesn't take the hint. So let me spell it out plainly: Do not bring babies or young children to H. Harper Station. GET A BABYSITTER. You'll have a more enjoyable date night and won't infuriate fellow patrons.

Opened Sunday, November 7, Reynoldstown’s newest drinks and dining destination offers dinner service Tuesday through Sunday. Inspired by speakeasies and southern diners, Chef Duane Nutter, Mixologist Jerry Slater and Chef Reggie Washington have crafted a menu that blends southern and international influences. The extensive beverage menu features over 40 cocktails and punch bowls, 16 craft beers and 30 sustainably-grown wines by the glass.

Last night's amuse bouche paired soft cheese, pecan and honey:
Root vegetable salad ($7) features roasted beet, shaved radish, petite lettuce, goat cheese, parsnip chip and roasted carrot vinaigrette:
Key Party ($10) combines Ransom Old Tom gin, Bonal Gentiane-Quina, honey syrup and Regan’s bitters:
Lamb sausage ($9) with curry applesauce and fennel potato salad:
Parsnip and fennel soup ($6) with toasted almonds and paprika oil:
Bison short rib ($22) with black-eyed peas--arguably, the best black-eyed peas I've ever had-- broccoli raab, honshimeji mushrooms, preserved lemon and cherry cola:
Turnpike grits with crab ($6 for a side dish; a small tasting portion is pictured). So good I devoured every bite before Dean could dip his fork into the dish:
Mac & Cheese with barbecue sauce ($3 for a side dish; a small tasting portion is pictured):
Bottom Line: Masterful cocktails expertly served alongside delicious upscale fare in an adult-oriented environment. Some menu items are pricey, but values can be found. H. Harper Station is a great option for date night or meeting up with friends to reward a hard day's work.

Albany, Georgia

This post has been moved:
http://getawaysforgrownups.com/where-to-eat-albany-georgia/

Grecian Gyro

Last evening we dined at the Tucker location of Grecian Gyro. (Dean says he wishes that he'd known about the place sooner!)

Nick Koulouris opened the first Grecian Gyro in 1982. Today the family-owned and operated business has three locations and is offering franchise opportunities. Nick's son Pano runs the Tucker location and says that he first noticed the building ten years ago while riding his bike around the neighborhood. "I saw it and thought it would make a good Grecian Gyro," he says. It was a KFC and then a series of Mexican restaurants before he took ownership.

The menu offers traditional Greek wraps with nine different meat options (beef and lamb, chicken, steak, pork, sausage, fried fish, tuna, feta and veggie), which can be ordered individually or with sides.

Souviaki plate with hummus and spanakopita (spinach and feta cheese baked in a flaky phyllo pastry) ($8.79):
Gyro plate with Grecian potatoes and Greek salad ($8.79):
The dessert menu includes Baklava pastry with phyllo dough, nuts and honey ($1.96).

Bottom Line: Tasty traditional Greek dishes at value prices served in a friendly, fast-casual environment.

West Egg Café

On Saturday morning we headed to West Egg Café for breakfast.

We arrived shortly after 9:30 a.m. and joined a crowd waiting for tables. The small reception area houses an 'old-fashioned' photo booth, where folks can get a strip of four black and white snapshots for $3. Frankly, I was surprised by how many people actually got their photos taken during the time we sat waiting for a table—well, we never actually got a table; the hostess showed us to the deli counter. It seems like we should have been able to seat ourselves at the counter without waiting a half-hour, since those particular seats had been empty all along.

The restaurant consistently gets great reviews and the food is indeed tasty. The breakfast menu may list some items that also appear on Waffle House menus, but the quality of ingredients and preparations is far superior at West Egg Café. This is breakfast as it's meant to be.

I got an egg, turkey sausage and cheese on an impressively fluffy biscuit ($4). Dean ordered the Blue Plate with two fried eggs, sausage and creamy, delicious roasted garlic grits ($6.25).

I also ordered a cafe au lait. The problem I had with it applies to the restaurant overall: The gimmick stood in the way of practicality. The coffee arrived in an over-sized, thick ceramic mug with a tiny handle that proved awkward to hold and difficult to use. So, I asked for a 'to-go' cup and was presented a paper cup with a plastic "sippy-cup" lid, the standard vessel that celebrities seem to be always photographed holding. Since I didn't need the plastic lid, I suggested the server save it for future use, but instead she tossed it onto the counter and later into the garbage. What a waste.

The restaurant's retro-funky farmhouse-industrial décor looks cool yet somehow becomes impractical in the execution: The bar stools are cold and uncomfortable, the silverware is presented in ridiculous little wooden boxes, the coffee mugs are inexcusable, the photo booth and a re-purposed library card file cabinet consume too much space in the reception area and so on.

The folks who populated the dining room on this particular visit came off as pretentious blowhards. This West Side neighborhood restaurant strives for a down-home country vibe yet attracts uppity city folks who strive to be seen at the trendiest scene. The question is, will they continue to visit West Egg Café when some other new breakfast restaurant seizes the spotlight? Only time will tell.

Bottom Line: Good food, but eating it requires tolerating pretentious patrons—at least until the next breakfast hot spot is crowned.

VINI - Bulgarian Wine

"Bulgaria is among the top 15 wine producing and exporting nations," according to press materials from Bulgarian Master Vintners, a Sonoma, California-based wine importer headed by Vance T. Petrunoff. Perhaps, but I'd never had an opportunity to taste any wines produced from that country until recently--and now I'm a big fan.

VINI, the leading Bulgarian wine brand sold in America, produces Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaker is Miro Tcholakov.
The Sauvignon Blanc boasts crisp citrus, fresh melon and pleasant mineral notes. It paired great with Greek Spaghetti and would also suit fish, poultry or shellfish.
The Merlot offers balanced berry/cherry fruit and tannic notes. It was awarded "Best Eastern European Red" and 88 points at the "2008 World Value Challenge" hosted by the Beverage Testing Institute. It paired well with stuffed eggplant and would also accompany slow-roasted lamb, veal or duck.

VINI wines are produced and bottled in in the Thracian Valley which has a rich history as a premium wine producing region dating back to 1,000 B.C. In fact, some of the oldest known grape seeds and wine goblets were recovered from Thracian tombs in this region. For more information visit bulgarianwine.com.

These wines retail for approx. $8.

Bottom Line: Thumbs up. Amazing, impressive quality at a bargain price.

Drinkology

Physical aspects of "Drinkology: The Art and Science of the Cocktail, Revised Edition" are appealing: The hardcover book measures 5.25- by 6.5-inches and is thus easy to hold and the font size is such that even my forty-something eyes can read the darn thing without a magnifying glass. But of course a book cannot be judged by its cover or even after flipping through a few pages.

Author James Waller writes in his preface, "All too often, when things change, they change for the worse. Fortunately, in the world of cocktails, that's not been the case. Over the seven years since the first edition of Drinkology was released, cocktail culture has changed enormously--and for the most part, enormously for the better. Seven years ago, it was difficult...to find any brand or type of bitters except good old Angostura. Now, numerous specialty ships carry a range of these essential elixirs." He also notes that rye whiskey and absinthe are increasingly available, folks today care more about proper mixing and publishers more frequently print cocktail stories. In short, cocktail culture has evolved and this book has been updated to celebrate these developments. The author makes a compelling case to buy the updated version of the book even if you own the original.

After covering bar essentials and basic bartending, chapters are organized by alcohol: beer, brandy, champagne and sparkling wine, gin, liqueurs, rum and cachaca, sake (a chapter that's entirely new), tequila, vodka, whiskey and wine. The book closes with chapters focused on temperature: frozen and hot drinks. There's also a very brief glossary.

My copy happened to arrive in the mail on a day when my husband and I were debating the proper formula for a margarita. This book offers a simple 3-2-1 ratio: 3 oz. white tequila, 2 oz. Cointreau or triple sec and 1 oz. fresh lime juice. Shake with ice and garnish with a lime wedge after straining it into a salt-rimmed glass. We skipped the salt and adjusted the triple sec higher to suit our personal preferences, but the straightforward approach beat the heck out of that recommended on my husband's iPod app which used awkward off-beat fractions (e.g., third of an ounce) as measurements.

Among the book's 400 recipes:

Love Potion
1.5 oz. lemon-flavored vodka
3/4 oz. Chambord
3/4 oz. cranberry juice
Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Continental
2 oz. light rum
1/4 oz. green creme de menthe
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/4 oz. simple syrup
Lemon twist
Rim a chilled cocktail glass with the lemon twist. Combine the other ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into the glass. Garnish with the twist.

Income Tax Cocktail
1.5 oz. dry gin
2 teaspoons dry vermouth
2 teaspoons sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. orange juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

"Drinkology: The Art and Science of the Cocktail, Revised Edition" retails for approx. $22.50.

Bottom Line: A worthwhile addition to the cocktail book oeuvre.

Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto

Courtesy Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto

When samples of Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto products recently arrived, unpacking the box spurred mouthwatering anticipation. Literally. Each flavor seemed more promising than the next. With 13 different temptations, the challenge became: Where to begin?

Before grabbing a spoon, let's first clarify distinctions:

* Ice Cream is made from cream, milk, sweeteners and other flavorings that are whipped during the freezing process so that up to 60% of the product volume is air.

* Gelato is also made from cream, milk, sweeteners and other flavorings but whipped so that only 20% of air gets into the product. It's thus denser and has more intense flavor than ice cream.

* Sorbet contains no milk. It's made from fruit purée and other flavorings such as herbs and spices.

The Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto product literature explains, "We source the globe in order to find the most select ingredients, enhancing our recipes with only natural, raw elements." Only freshly pasteurized milk that's free of rBGH and rBST growth hormones is used and there's no high fructose corn syrup.

My samples, which arrived packed in dry ice, were rock solid, which seemed to suggest they were in prime condition. But scooping proved difficult and, rather than feeling smooth and creamy in the mouth, the product sat in chunks and shards melting on the tongue. I shoved the containers into my freezer and left them for two days. That proved sufficient time for them to settle into proper form so that they scooped easily and offered a divine mouthfeel. This matter of consistency shouldn't be an issue if you purchase containers at a grocery store; however, if you find the product consistency questionable, check to ensure your freezer temperature is adjusted correctly.

I was eager to test all the flavors, so opened all the containers and lined them up across my counter. I planned to take a spoonful from each, but after only four tastes my tongue was overwhelmed. Each delightful flavor was so robust it warranted individual evaluation, thus the experimentation stretched across several days.

Obviously, I have my own personal flavor preferences: I will always choose chocolate over vanilla, caramel over fruit, candy over nuts. Thus while unpacking the sample box I suspected which flavors would stand out as personal favorites and in general my suspicions proved correct. There were also some tasty surprises. So while you could peruse the selections at your grocery store and grab whatever sounds most appealing and be perfectly satisfied, trying something beyond what normally makes your list can yield some real pleasant treats.

Among my discoveries:

Gelato:

Dulce de Leche — I'd guessed that Double Dark Chocolate would rank as my No. 1 favorite, but this most won over my taste buds instead. It tastes like caramel but is cool, creamy and unlike the candy has the advantage of not sticking to your teeth.

Mediterranean Mint — Most mint flavored products have a chemical quality, but this tastes like fresh-picked herb. Chocolate chunks add a sweet crunch.

Tahitian Vanilla Bean — Smothering this vanilla perfection with processed chocolate sauce would be a real shame. It deserves to be savored on its own or paired with top-quality homemade desserts.

Double Dark Chocolate — Any chocolate lover will love this and I'm no exception. Because I prefer my frozen treats to have a smooth texture, however, I do wish that there was a Dark Chocolate gelato flavor available without the addition of chocolate morsels ramping it up to "double."

Caramel Cookie Crunch — Swirls of caramel and chocolate cookies in a vanilla base. All good.

Belgian Milk Chocolate — Mild chocolate flavor suggests an upscale gourmet Wendy's Frosty.

Black Cherry — All the flavor of a bowl full of cherries (sans pits!) topped with a dollop of cream.

Toasted Almond — Soft nutty flavor without any bitter notes had me coming back for more.

Sicilian Pistachio — While I hate pistachios, this was tasty enough to have me reconsidering former rants against the green nut.

White Chocolate Raspberry — A flavor match made in heaven.

Sorbetto:

Blood Orange — OMG, yum!

Hill Country Peach Champagne — The addition of champagne softens the peach flavor so the fruit is pleasant without slapping you in the face.

Roman Raspberry — Summer in a bowl.

Available flavors that I did not test include Cappuccino, Caribbean Coconut, Chocolate Hazelnut and Tiramisu gelato and Lisbon Lemon, Malaysian Mango and Sonoma Strawberry sorbetto.

Bottom Line: Delicious high-quality frozen treats. Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto can be a healthier choice than ice cream for dessert because intense flavor makes it easier to feel satisfied while consuming smaller portions.

Atlanta Dining

A chef who requested anonymity recently shared some insights with me that I find interesting enough to share. The chef, who has worked in upscale restaurants across Atlanta, says that dining habits differ from Downtown to Midtown to Buckhead.

"Downtown diners want mainly beef, salmon and chicken," he says. "I couldn't sell lamb. But Buckhead diners tend to be a little more adventurous with more diverse tastes. In Buckhead, people like lamb, veal, fois gras--which we couldn't give away Downtown--and we sell a ton of chicken livers."

"I think it’s definitely that the Downtown clientele is more dominated by business travelers and conventioneers for whom dinner out is simply food--they're going out because they're hungry and on the road. If you have that clientele you can never take plain food off the menu because for them food is not the topic of conversation; they just want to eat and go up to their room to call home or work. In Buckhead it's more local people; they're not looking for Caesar salad and steak, they want to try something different. Their focus is more on the food."

"Midtown skews kind of younger; they're more adventurous in a different way in that they're willing to try new things."

"People tend to know what they like and as a chef you have to be aware of and pay attention to that: You have to be aware that only five to six miles away people have different eating habits. Most people are not driving 20 to 30 minutes to go to dinner, they're going out in their neighborhood."

Such differences may explain in part why chefs bounce from restaurant to restaurant across the city, as they seek a variety of challenges during their careers.

Mirassou Wine Dinner at Woodfire Grill

"You can have an amazing food and wine experience without it being an expensive wine," said David Mirassou, who represents the sixth generation of America's oldest winemaking family. As part of a promotional tour celebrating Mirassou's 156 years of winemaking, last evening Mirassou hosted a wine dinner for select members of the media and bloggers at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. "We're at one of the top restaurants in the country," he said, "and we're pairing this great food with wines that are all priced under $12."

While the wines were all impressive on their own, the food pairings showcased nuances in each varietal. "Your job as a chef is to get the best quality ingredients and then somehow come to an understanding of what makes a really great ingredient into a great dish," said Chef Kevin Gillespie, who heads up the kitchen at Woodfire Grill and rose to stardom as Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season Six Fan Favorite. Gillespie, who recently teamed up with cookbook author David Joachim in a two book deal, explained that to prepare for the wine dinner he "staged the wines in a sequence that made sense and then constructed dishes for a progression and transition that would flow as fluidly as possible." His goal: "To make dishes that fully accentuate the natural flavors." Mission accomplished:

Amuse
Charred local peach, spicy pepperonata and pecorino di puglia.

First CourseCrisp fried laughing bird shrimp with confited shrimp salad, ginger, chile and meyer lemon vinaigrette paired with 2008 Mirassou California Sauvignon Blanc. My favorite course of the evening; the complex textures of the dish married perfectly with the crisp, sprightly wine.

Second Course
Pan roasted day boat scallop, sweet potatoes, winter squash, black lentils, pear and cashew salad and green chile jus paired with 2009 Mirassou California Pinot Grigio. "Scallops are in season right now," said Gillespie. "The lentils' earthy quality and inherent buttery texture of the cashews and scallops" matched with similar notes in the wine.

Third Course
Border springs lamb crepinette, cured olive tapenade, lemon cream and mint paired with 2008 Mirassou California Pinot Noir. Mirassou ranks as the best-selling California Pinot Noir in America, a fact that leads to "other wine producers' Pinot envy," laughed Mirassou.

Fourth Course
Wood grilled local bob white quail and smoked pork belly, roasted local okra, hakurei turnips, lacinato kale and chicken jus paired with 2008 Mirassou California Merlot. "We're known for pork belly," said Gillespie. "Both the pork belly and quail are local. We definitely subscribe to the belief 'if they grow together they go together' and these balance since the quail is extremely lean and the pork belly extremely fatty." The dish mirrored the complexities of the merlot, which offered balanced fruit and tannins and a silky rich mouthfeel.

Fifth Course
Wood grilled border springs lamb leg, roasted local pac choi, mixed young beets, parsnip puree and cardamom lamb jus paired with 2008 Mirassou California Cabernet Sauvignon. "We separate the muscles of the lamb leg to get one muscle," says Gillespie. It's grilled for a texture similar to steak. Vanilla notes in the parsnip puree accented similar notes in the wine. This full-bodied, fruit-forward Cab won over one blogger at the dinner who claimed never to have liked a Cab previously.

Dessert
Peach streusel cake, almond mascarpone mousse, peach puree, peach ice cream and feulletine crumble paired with 2008 Mirassou California Riesling. The wine's peach notes were accentuated by this dessert.

Mirassou explained that the company's winemaking goal is to produce consistent wines across vintages.

Bottom Line: David Mirassou says value wines can pair with upscale food, and he definitely proved it consistently over multiple courses expertly conceived and prepared by Chef Kevin Gillespie.