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RT @coreymintz: Please be temporary Yung Sing. You are the saving grace of the Baldwin Restaurant Slum
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Weakly Wine Report - vol. 2 (evolution, whites, Alsace, Brass 1010, chinese food and petrol!)
Basic progression of the wine drinker I have always thought that the progression of a developed wine drinker (“developed” equals drinks and talks a lot about wine) is the following: an event or series of events that equate to having a major, breakthrough red-wine drinking experience; then declaratively loving wine from there but pursuing wine via continued pursuit of primarily red-wine drinking; as love develops it can perhaps angle toward the begrudging of white wines— as in “wine love” equals “red-wine love”; cont’d devotion evolves toward expansion of knowledge about wine in general; with wine knowledge one inevitably encounters the marvel and range of white wine; nirvana: diverse wine-drinking that allows for balanced drinking of reds and whites. If you have not experienced this nor care for any of these developments, please don’t worry nor take it the wrong way. Wine love is wine love. I am just pointing out that I sometimes think some wine drinkers think that white may be a lesser glass than a red. It is not— whether a simple, cheap white or a lavish ($$) one. This post will mention a few simple entrees in to approachable and diverse whites. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer from Alsace I had an new-producer lunch at Brasserie 1010 on Monday, and we each had a different white with our lunch. I had the pleasure of consulting Paul a great producer with long hair and our new producer Colin on the wine choices. One of us was due to have the lighter fare of fish, thus calling for a leaner and drier wine, whereas the other of us two both opted for richer dishes— I the chicken and Paul the pork sandwich— yet still opted for whites. This is because a) the daytime is a heckuva good time for a glass of white, and b) richer dishes still allow for whites, and 1010 happens to have a wonderful selection of these denser whites that align well with non-fish/non-oyster, less obvious white-wine foods. Colin had the fish, and so he had a new zealand sauvignon blanc— was an obvious and great choice. I don’t recall the brand unfortunately, but it was perfect: scents of damp grass and gooseberries, and peach and green apple hints on the palate with light lemon peel zing at close. This one wasn't too crisp— you will get crispier Sauv blancs from other regions (though including NZ), namely the Loire valley in France. You would want an actual crisper dry white at 1010 if you do the oysters there, or if you are seeking a more cutting and bright white experience— they have a great selection of these, try a Loire/Sancerre or Pouilly-fume from their list. All French zingers. Paul had the 1010 special that day, the pork sandwich. Was clearly a restrained, French version of basically a bbq’d pork sandwich. Delicious btw, get it if you have the chance. This is a rich dish, and it is of course a meat dish, but it is generously perfect for a rich white-wine partner.
Paul started with the Hugel Gewurztraminer, and it was an excellent and appropriate choice, but it was disappointing. Gewurtztraminer is a common recommendation of mine. It is a standout from the northeastern region in France, Alsace. In Alsace, which borders Germany and is heavily influenced by German wines, you get delicious pinot gris, pinot blanc, reisling and gewurztraminer. These wines can be bone-dry or they can be off-dry (honeyed on the mid-palate but then finish refreshingly) or they can be relatively sweet. Gewurtztraminers are simply magnificent when they are balanced and true to their nature. They are very floral on their nose and are well known for having an overt and enticing scent of lychee nut. In the mouth they are always dense but dynamic, with passion fruit or maybe apricot, mineral, spice, and then there’s lush honeyed backbone, and then it can dry with orange-citrus acids at close. But the lychee and fruit flavors keep echoing. And because of this, it is great with richer, sometimes slightly sweeter foods, and is well regarded to couple with asian foods: everything from rich cheese (the ultimate fondue wine!!), to being heavenly with pork indeed, to sweet and sour and spiced foods (chinese, thai). Paul’s Hugel Gewurtz at 1010 was off actually because it was too much in the middle, didn’t have the dynamism that a gewurtz should offer: its floral qualities were too neutral and the exotic honey tones too lazy (cloying) and then even the acids that should close it out were too light. But that says nothing of the Pinot Blanc we had!! Pinot blanc from Alsace is basically right in between Pinot gris and gewurtztraminer, flavor-wise. It is a bit less full and exotic than Gewurtz and it has some of the dry greener qualities that pinot gris has. The key thing that Pinot blancs have— and you really only can get em from Alsace, for the most part— is a little bit of petrol hints, mainly on the nose but there’s a unique ‘slippery’ texture to it in the mouth. Beyond that you’ll again have floral notes and then melon and possibly honey and then, like, good pinot gris and other dry whites, minerality or limestone. Brighter citrus-like notes close. Specifically, we had the Trimbach Pinot blanc at 1010. Trimbach is a producer that could possibly be the greatest combo of value and quality that exists in the white wine world. If you are having the brique poulet at 1010, w/o question during the day, jump on it, get a bottle. Last, Pinot Gris from Alsace may be one of the most underutilized white-wine choices there is. Without yummy Pinot gris from alsace there is no Pinot Griggio from Italy. Pinot Gris from Alsace can be a tiny bit weightier than its Italian counterpart. You’ll find a little more green apple with pinot gris, but what makes it lovely is you’ll still get the honeyed presence. In order to recognize an Alsatian wine, you’ll notice they always come in the tall, slender bottle-type— and their labels generally have a much more german-ness and regality than others. Try them. They’re not invariably great— but when you get that wonderful alliance between floral traits, exotic fruit, honeyed richness, nut, and all that with a refreshing quench on the finish, you are probably drinking an Alsatian white.
Undercover with a Michelin inspector : The New Yorker
via newyorker.com
Clicking on the image will take you to John Colapinto's fascinating article - it's the first time a journalist has hung out with someone from Michelin.
Out to Dinner - Henry's in Delray Beach, Florida
Because I eat here a lot I thought this would be a good 1st Posterous post. Food is great and reasonably priced. Henry's Restaurant web site. And, the friendly bartenders make very friendly martinis.
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Jeff & I tried sushi rolls, miso soup & cold Asahi at Fish in a Bottle in Placentia tonight. Excellent!
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Granville raves about Little Nest (and uses one of my photos!)
Commercial Drive's Little Nest offers incredible food in a casual setting, catering to families, people watchers and foodies alike
I now have another reason to frequent Vancouver's Commercial Drive: Little Nest, a neighbourhood restaurant and café serving gourmet food in a casual, family-friendly environment.
Walk into Little Nest and you'll find families eating together, kids running around, and friends chatting. With its casual retro decor of old wooden tables, chairs scattered about, and wide array of toys and stacks of magazines, it's not fancy, but it's comfortable.
And what you’ll find in this casual restaurant is incredible food. Little Nest's menu is written on two floor-to-ceiling chalkboards and changes regularly based on what's in season. The restaurant strives to use as many fresh, organic and local ingredients as possible, and quality is king (meaning no frozen or pre-packaged crap).
Fresh from Granville Online's blog, there's a rave review about one of our favourite restaurants: Little Nest, just off Commercial Drive. It takes family-friendly to a level that will spoil you for other restaurants, without skimping on a sumptuous brunch menu that never gets old.
A year or two ago, I was there with Alex and the kids, and happened to shoot a few photos of their incredible muffins. At the time, I was pretty happy with the shots - and so, apparently, were the nice folks at Granville, as they asked permission to use one.
Here's the original of those chocolate-banana-hazelnut muffins (and you can find the others here). If that doesn't make your mouth water, then friend, you have no taste buds.
Birthday party at The Rathskeller
On Saturday Yasamin and I left Lukas at home and went downtown to a German restaurant to celebrate James White's 40th birthday. We had really fun! The schnitzel I had was OK, but the beer selection there is excellent. Best of all was that we enjoyed the German atmosphere with a reggae band playing in the background.
