On Monday night, I had what was quite possibly the best single-bite dish that I have ever had in my life. An "amuse" is simply a one or two bite item, served by a chef at the beginning of a meal. The intent is to get your palate "primed" and ready to enjoy the meal you are about to consume. Most of you know that Monday night was Carnivorale, a One-Night-Only restaurant put on by some friends of mine that are amazing chefs. The 7 course meal was out of this world, but I want to focus on one bite- the first one.
It was a quail egg, cooked to perfection, topped with duck egg hollandaise, caviar, and shaved black truffles. One of the guys putting this on called it their "$20 spoonful", and he wasn't kidding. The cost of the ingredients alone was around that mark I'm sure. It was rich, succulent, a touch salty, and flat out delicious.
If I would have paired wine with it, I would have gone with Champagne. However, a spatlese level riesling was what was in my glass, and it did just fine!
Tomorrow, we study Left Bank Bordeaux.
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thoughts from the weekend...
This last weekend, I worked at the underground restaurant (www.danssouslaterre.com) as a sommelier on both Friday and Saturday nights. For those that thing being a sommelier is all fancy wines and great food, I would disagree. It involves lugging cases of wine up and down several flights of stairs, digging around in dirty basements to see what sort of inventory is really there, and getting pretty sweaty. Oh, and it comes with the added bonus of twisting your knee, and barely being able to walk the next day.
However, there is quite a bit of fancy wine and food involved, too- it ain't all bad! If you haven't been to one of the underground restaurants, you should check it out. This weekend was the first attempt at a more "fine dining" atmosphere, and I think they did really, really well. It wasn't cheap (ended up being roughly $150/person plus tip), but the food was amazing- it's crazy what those guys can do with lamb. The wine pairings were, ahem, pretty good too! I really like seeing people try something they have never tried before (this weekend, I rolled with Rivaner, a rose Cava, and even a white port), and really enjoying it!
Sunday, I watched Josh Freeman (former KC boy, and K State player) lead Tampa to a victory, and called my dad about the Wildcats beating the Jayhawks. No comment for you Mizzou fans out there. Oh, and I drank Bud Select after helping a friend move some furniture into my basement. (By the way, the friend also left a large portion of his gun supply and ammo. If you were thinking about breaking into my house and stealing my wife, my dog, or my wine, I would advise against it. We're even more heavily armed than before.)
Tonight, Carnivorale! www.makeminemeat.com
I really hope to see you there, it's going to be a great time! Undoubtedly my posts tomorrow will be a bit late, as I don't think this thing will get over until 2 or 3 a.m. This big boy will be sleeping in.
Have a great evening, and Cheers!
However, there is quite a bit of fancy wine and food involved, too- it ain't all bad! If you haven't been to one of the underground restaurants, you should check it out. This weekend was the first attempt at a more "fine dining" atmosphere, and I think they did really, really well. It wasn't cheap (ended up being roughly $150/person plus tip), but the food was amazing- it's crazy what those guys can do with lamb. The wine pairings were, ahem, pretty good too! I really like seeing people try something they have never tried before (this weekend, I rolled with Rivaner, a rose Cava, and even a white port), and really enjoying it!
Sunday, I watched Josh Freeman (former KC boy, and K State player) lead Tampa to a victory, and called my dad about the Wildcats beating the Jayhawks. No comment for you Mizzou fans out there. Oh, and I drank Bud Select after helping a friend move some furniture into my basement. (By the way, the friend also left a large portion of his gun supply and ammo. If you were thinking about breaking into my house and stealing my wife, my dog, or my wine, I would advise against it. We're even more heavily armed than before.)
Tonight, Carnivorale! www.makeminemeat.com
I really hope to see you there, it's going to be a great time! Undoubtedly my posts tomorrow will be a bit late, as I don't think this thing will get over until 2 or 3 a.m. This big boy will be sleeping in.
Have a great evening, and Cheers!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Fort Hood, Redneck Moments, carnivorale
First and foremost, I want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those hurt and killed at Fort Hood yesterday. It was a senseless disaster.
On a lighter note, I had two simultaneous "Redneck Moments" this week, and I have been anxiously waiting for Friday to come, so I can tell about them. First of all, I was looking out the back window of my house on Monday evening. I saw that one neighbor who lives behind us was raking and blowing leaves in his back yard. He then proceeded to jump the fence, steal 4 or 5 pieces of firewood from the house next to him, put the leaves on top of them, dump gas all over it, and light the whole pile on fire. Now, I don't know if you remember, but there was about a 30 MPH wind that day. Not good.
While this was going on, my brother called me. He and his family live right across the street from our parents, and he is a veteranarian in the KC area. On sunday, our folks called him, and said that they were down the street where a deer had just been hit by a car, and he should go look at it. He jumped in his SUV, drove down there, and pulled up to see the police shooting the deer. He asked the officer "So, what are you going to do with that thing?" The officer told him that animal control was on the way, and it was their problem. My brother then talked to the animal control folks, and was allowed to take the deer home. He dressed, cleaned, and processed the deer while it was hanging from the rafters in the garage, resulting in 42 lbs of meat in their fridge. They even ate some of it that night.
Yes, my neighbor burns stolen wood with gas on a windy day, and my brother eats road kill. I definitely live in Missouri.
In honor of this, I'm recommending PBR as your drink of choice for the weekend.
Finally, check out www.makeminemeat.com
These are some friends of mine that are putting on a "one night only" restaurant this coming Monday. I know it's a bit steep, but the menu is awesome, and the wine pairings (done by yours truly) will be amazing as well. I really encourage you to go ahead and spend the money- it's going to be an epic evening.
See you there.
Cheers!
On a lighter note, I had two simultaneous "Redneck Moments" this week, and I have been anxiously waiting for Friday to come, so I can tell about them. First of all, I was looking out the back window of my house on Monday evening. I saw that one neighbor who lives behind us was raking and blowing leaves in his back yard. He then proceeded to jump the fence, steal 4 or 5 pieces of firewood from the house next to him, put the leaves on top of them, dump gas all over it, and light the whole pile on fire. Now, I don't know if you remember, but there was about a 30 MPH wind that day. Not good.
While this was going on, my brother called me. He and his family live right across the street from our parents, and he is a veteranarian in the KC area. On sunday, our folks called him, and said that they were down the street where a deer had just been hit by a car, and he should go look at it. He jumped in his SUV, drove down there, and pulled up to see the police shooting the deer. He asked the officer "So, what are you going to do with that thing?" The officer told him that animal control was on the way, and it was their problem. My brother then talked to the animal control folks, and was allowed to take the deer home. He dressed, cleaned, and processed the deer while it was hanging from the rafters in the garage, resulting in 42 lbs of meat in their fridge. They even ate some of it that night.
Yes, my neighbor burns stolen wood with gas on a windy day, and my brother eats road kill. I definitely live in Missouri.
In honor of this, I'm recommending PBR as your drink of choice for the weekend.
Finally, check out www.makeminemeat.com
These are some friends of mine that are putting on a "one night only" restaurant this coming Monday. I know it's a bit steep, but the menu is awesome, and the wine pairings (done by yours truly) will be amazing as well. I really encourage you to go ahead and spend the money- it's going to be an epic evening.
See you there.
Cheers!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
French wine primer- Bordeaux part one
This is going to be a daunting task- breaking French wine into bite-sized pieces that are easily read on a blog. However, I will try.
When looking at France, it is tough to determine which area is the most important. Therefore, I will start with the largest fine wine region in the world- Bordeaux. Located in the southwestern corner of France, not far off the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux has roughly 15,000 growers that sell to wineries producing between 500 and 800 million bottles of wine annually. The are covered by Bordeaux is bigger than all of the wine growing regions of Germany combined, and nearly 10 times as large as the area covered by vineyards in New Zealand! The area definitely is affected by the maritime influence of the Atlantic Ocean (so much so that the name Bordeaux is roughly translated "along the waters"), as well as that of the Gironde river- which splits into the Dordogne and Garonne rivers in the middle of the area. These rivers basically split Bordeaux into three different areas- the "Left Bank", which is the area to the west of the Gironde; "Entre-Deux-Mers", which is the area between the Dordogne and the Garonne; and the "Right Bank", to the east of the Girone and Garonne. We will deal with each of these areas separately over the next couple of weeks.
Since about 80% of the wine coming from the region is red, that is what we will be focusing on in the near future. Bordeaux is essentially planted with 5 red grapes- Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The most widely grown grape is Merlot, which is followed by Cabernet Sauvignon. Virtually all of the wines coming from Bordeaux are a blend of these grapes, very few being singular varietal. There are some white grapes grown there as well, most commonly Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Ugni Blanc. The bulk of the soil in the area consists of gravel, with the exception of the Right Bank, which is mostly clay.
Because of the detail involved, we will look at the Left Bank next week, and discuss the Classification of 1855.
In the meantime, go find a bottle of Bordeaux- your local retailer can help, and drink it. Specifically, get something from the Haut Medoc, or the Medoc. Then you will have a better understanding of our lesson for next Thursday.
Cheers!
When looking at France, it is tough to determine which area is the most important. Therefore, I will start with the largest fine wine region in the world- Bordeaux. Located in the southwestern corner of France, not far off the Atlantic coast, Bordeaux has roughly 15,000 growers that sell to wineries producing between 500 and 800 million bottles of wine annually. The are covered by Bordeaux is bigger than all of the wine growing regions of Germany combined, and nearly 10 times as large as the area covered by vineyards in New Zealand! The area definitely is affected by the maritime influence of the Atlantic Ocean (so much so that the name Bordeaux is roughly translated "along the waters"), as well as that of the Gironde river- which splits into the Dordogne and Garonne rivers in the middle of the area. These rivers basically split Bordeaux into three different areas- the "Left Bank", which is the area to the west of the Gironde; "Entre-Deux-Mers", which is the area between the Dordogne and the Garonne; and the "Right Bank", to the east of the Girone and Garonne. We will deal with each of these areas separately over the next couple of weeks.
Since about 80% of the wine coming from the region is red, that is what we will be focusing on in the near future. Bordeaux is essentially planted with 5 red grapes- Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. The most widely grown grape is Merlot, which is followed by Cabernet Sauvignon. Virtually all of the wines coming from Bordeaux are a blend of these grapes, very few being singular varietal. There are some white grapes grown there as well, most commonly Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Ugni Blanc. The bulk of the soil in the area consists of gravel, with the exception of the Right Bank, which is mostly clay.
Because of the detail involved, we will look at the Left Bank next week, and discuss the Classification of 1855.
In the meantime, go find a bottle of Bordeaux- your local retailer can help, and drink it. Specifically, get something from the Haut Medoc, or the Medoc. Then you will have a better understanding of our lesson for next Thursday.
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Smoking Ban
This is less about wine, and more about a topic that has definitely chapped some hides in the STL area. Yesterday, a ban on smoking in most public places in Saint Louis City and County passed. The law will take effect on Jan 2, 2011.
My quick thoughts:
-Since I'm not a smoker, I'm glad this passed. I visit a lot of restaurants and bars for my job, and I don't like coming home smelling like an ashtray.
-There will be outcries about "they're taking away our freedom!" from the smoking population. This isn't true. You can still smoke, just not in certain areas.
-There have already been outcries of "This is the end of democracy". Nope. There was a democratic vote. Only 20% of the County's roughly 705,000 registered voters turned out. If you don't like the results, you should have voted. If you did vote, you should have gotten more people to vote on your side. For the record, I had to work yesterday, and didn't vote. Much like the Presidential vote, I accepted whatever happens (I did vote in that one.) That's the way a democracy works- the people decide. Right or wrong, we must deal with the choice.
-I hope this doesn't turn anyone off to reading my blog. If the ban wouldn't have passed, I would have said "oh well", and moved on with my life. I try not to put very many of my political or religious views on here. This just happens to be a big time vote in the STL restaurant scene, and would have been remiss not to bring it up.
So, tonight either celebrate, or drown your sorrows with a glass of 2007 Lockwood Block 7 Pinot noir. This is a new item put out by Lockwood, and tastes about twice what the price is. It should cost you around $20 retail, and is delicious.
Cheers!
My quick thoughts:
-Since I'm not a smoker, I'm glad this passed. I visit a lot of restaurants and bars for my job, and I don't like coming home smelling like an ashtray.
-There will be outcries about "they're taking away our freedom!" from the smoking population. This isn't true. You can still smoke, just not in certain areas.
-There have already been outcries of "This is the end of democracy". Nope. There was a democratic vote. Only 20% of the County's roughly 705,000 registered voters turned out. If you don't like the results, you should have voted. If you did vote, you should have gotten more people to vote on your side. For the record, I had to work yesterday, and didn't vote. Much like the Presidential vote, I accepted whatever happens (I did vote in that one.) That's the way a democracy works- the people decide. Right or wrong, we must deal with the choice.
-I hope this doesn't turn anyone off to reading my blog. If the ban wouldn't have passed, I would have said "oh well", and moved on with my life. I try not to put very many of my political or religious views on here. This just happens to be a big time vote in the STL restaurant scene, and would have been remiss not to bring it up.
So, tonight either celebrate, or drown your sorrows with a glass of 2007 Lockwood Block 7 Pinot noir. This is a new item put out by Lockwood, and tastes about twice what the price is. It should cost you around $20 retail, and is delicious.
Cheers!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Honey, can we make this for Thanksgiving?
This is the recipe for a "Russian Doll" style dish- basically a Turducken that is way, way over the top. I have no idea what wine to pair with this thing- maybe just Pepto. In fact, I don't know what about half of the things in the dish are. It sounds crazy though. This is taken from Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany, and the recommended cooking time is "Roasting for 18 hours".
Stuff a large olive with Capers and a clove.
Place the olive inside a bec-figue.
Place the bec-figue inside an ortolan.
Place the ortolan inside a Lark.
Wrap the lark in vine leaves and place inside a large thrush.
Place the thrush inside a plump quail.
Wrap the Quail in bacon, and place inside a plover.
Place the Plover inside a lapwing.
Place the lapwing inside a partridge.
Place the partridge inside a woodcock.
Place the woodcock inside a barded teal.
Place the Teal inside a well-hung guinea fowl.
Garnish the guinea fowl, and place inside a duck.
Place the duck inside a plump chicken.
Place the chicken inside a large, high pheasant.
Place the Pheasant inside a goose.
Place the goose inside a large turkey.
Place the Turkey inside an enormous Bustard.
Who's in? You bring the plover, the lapwing, and the barded teal. I'll bring the chicken, the duck, and the turkey.
Cheers everyone, have a great day!
Stuff a large olive with Capers and a clove.
Place the olive inside a bec-figue.
Place the bec-figue inside an ortolan.
Place the ortolan inside a Lark.
Wrap the lark in vine leaves and place inside a large thrush.
Place the thrush inside a plump quail.
Wrap the Quail in bacon, and place inside a plover.
Place the Plover inside a lapwing.
Place the lapwing inside a partridge.
Place the partridge inside a woodcock.
Place the woodcock inside a barded teal.
Place the Teal inside a well-hung guinea fowl.
Garnish the guinea fowl, and place inside a duck.
Place the duck inside a plump chicken.
Place the chicken inside a large, high pheasant.
Place the Pheasant inside a goose.
Place the goose inside a large turkey.
Place the Turkey inside an enormous Bustard.
Who's in? You bring the plover, the lapwing, and the barded teal. I'll bring the chicken, the duck, and the turkey.
Cheers everyone, have a great day!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Various Thoughts from the Weekend
From Friday Night (worked as sommelier at the Entre Underground Restaurant):
-It's amazing what the clandestine chef can do with such little resources.
-Sometimes solving a problem is as easy as looking around, seeing who isn't doing anything, and sending them to fix it for you.
-Pork Belly may be the end of me
-Just because you are about 118 years old doesn't give you the right to rudely interrupt a chef's verbal presentation of a dish. 3 times.
-Besides good wine, sometimes PBR is the right choice.
From Saturday:
-SoCo's Gyros are really, really good.
-Evidently, according to my friend, block parties are different in Missouri than they are in California.
-Allowing your 11 year old boy to dress up like a female hooker is disturbing, and just plain wrong.
-I have a neighbor that looks just like Gene Simmons with full makeup on.
-Dear ignorant other neighbor- when you piled burning embers in the middle of the street and caused a pot hole last year, I'm fairly certain that the same action will have the same result this year. That's why I snapped at you. I don't like my tax dollars paying for your drunken stupidity.
-The end of daylight savings time should always fall on a weekend that includes a block party- it makes getting up for church on Sunday much easier (I have to stay up late, and make sure that Dumb and Dumber don't burn my house down.)
From Sunday:
-Rams fans are very fair weathered. Folks, they won- quit complaining.
-Two sermons in one day can be a bit much.
-Dear lady at my tasting- Just because there was red wine in your glass doesn't mean it is tarnished, and can never hold white wine in it. Just rinse it out like everyone else does.
-Dear guy at my tasting wearing black jeans, red burgundy mock turtleneck, and black vest- NO.
-Veritas is a wonderful little business, run by great people. Everyone from Saint Louis that reads this should go there, look around, and buy something.
That's all I got for today. Regarding wine, if you can find it check out the Montes "Folly" Syrah- it is big, dark, jammy, and chewy. Great for a cold autumn night.
Cheers, and enjoy this weather folks!
-It's amazing what the clandestine chef can do with such little resources.
-Sometimes solving a problem is as easy as looking around, seeing who isn't doing anything, and sending them to fix it for you.
-Pork Belly may be the end of me
-Just because you are about 118 years old doesn't give you the right to rudely interrupt a chef's verbal presentation of a dish. 3 times.
-Besides good wine, sometimes PBR is the right choice.
From Saturday:
-SoCo's Gyros are really, really good.
-Evidently, according to my friend, block parties are different in Missouri than they are in California.
-Allowing your 11 year old boy to dress up like a female hooker is disturbing, and just plain wrong.
-I have a neighbor that looks just like Gene Simmons with full makeup on.
-Dear ignorant other neighbor- when you piled burning embers in the middle of the street and caused a pot hole last year, I'm fairly certain that the same action will have the same result this year. That's why I snapped at you. I don't like my tax dollars paying for your drunken stupidity.
-The end of daylight savings time should always fall on a weekend that includes a block party- it makes getting up for church on Sunday much easier (I have to stay up late, and make sure that Dumb and Dumber don't burn my house down.)
From Sunday:
-Rams fans are very fair weathered. Folks, they won- quit complaining.
-Two sermons in one day can be a bit much.
-Dear lady at my tasting- Just because there was red wine in your glass doesn't mean it is tarnished, and can never hold white wine in it. Just rinse it out like everyone else does.
-Dear guy at my tasting wearing black jeans, red burgundy mock turtleneck, and black vest- NO.
-Veritas is a wonderful little business, run by great people. Everyone from Saint Louis that reads this should go there, look around, and buy something.
That's all I got for today. Regarding wine, if you can find it check out the Montes "Folly" Syrah- it is big, dark, jammy, and chewy. Great for a cold autumn night.
Cheers, and enjoy this weather folks!
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