Alright folks, it's time for me to get serious about this health thing. I will still be blogging on here as frequently as possible, but please check out my new project:
http://www.ninja-fingers.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 Favorites
I guess, since this is a wine blog, I need to do some wine and food-related stuff regarding favorites of 2009. These are just some of my best moments of the last year or so:
Favorite Glass of Wine- Drinking Gruet Demi-Sec, and eating Foie Gras on crackers in a hotel room at the Moonrise on my anniversary with my beautiful bride.
Favorite Bottle of Wine- 2004 Coulee de Serrant that I was able to get on the cheap at work. It's weird stuff, but a stunning wine.
Favorite Bite of Food- the quail egg, topped with truffles and duck egg hollandaise at the Carnivorale Dinner
Favorite dinner- Getting multiple apps at Niche and at Sidney St. Cafe on my birthday, despite the deluge of rain
Favorite Bad Dinner- the "King Crab Leg" incident at the Lumiere- it just makes me laugh.
Favorite newly discovered restaurant- Nachomama's.
Favorite Restaurant- Niche
Favorite new hangout, where everyone knows your name- 33 wine bar
Favorite place to go to be shocked- Atomic Cowboy
Favorite good idea, that didn't work out as planned- Mad Men night at Eclipse
Favorite food issue that I controlled- not drinking regular soda for all of 2009
Favorite "wrong time of year" meal- making Cassoulet in the middle of the summer, when it was crazy hot outside, for Julia Child's birthday
Favorite new foodie book- What to drink with what you eat
Favorite funny moment- Getting griped at for bringing Doritos to the Slow Food luncheon
Favorite guilty pleasure- Five Guys Cheeseburgers
New favorite "layup" dinner- Beef Bourguignon
Favorite Food and Wine Pairing that I did- Pride Syrah with Barbecue at Christmas
Favorite dinner with people I love- Eating by the ocean in Mexico for my sister's birthday.
Favorite new cocktail name- Donde Estan mis Pantalones
Favorite new cocktail- This changes everytime I go into Taste by Niche, and try something new.
Favorite old-school cocktail- Manhattan
Favorite beer- Left Hand Milk Stout
Favorite new website- www.sipofknowledge.com :)
Favorite new industry-related tv show- Three Sheets
Favorite show that I wish they made more of- No Reservations
That's all folks. Here's to an even better 2010. Raise a glass tonight, have fun, be careful, come back alive.
Cheers.
Favorite Glass of Wine- Drinking Gruet Demi-Sec, and eating Foie Gras on crackers in a hotel room at the Moonrise on my anniversary with my beautiful bride.
Favorite Bottle of Wine- 2004 Coulee de Serrant that I was able to get on the cheap at work. It's weird stuff, but a stunning wine.
Favorite Bite of Food- the quail egg, topped with truffles and duck egg hollandaise at the Carnivorale Dinner
Favorite dinner- Getting multiple apps at Niche and at Sidney St. Cafe on my birthday, despite the deluge of rain
Favorite Bad Dinner- the "King Crab Leg" incident at the Lumiere- it just makes me laugh.
Favorite newly discovered restaurant- Nachomama's.
Favorite Restaurant- Niche
Favorite new hangout, where everyone knows your name- 33 wine bar
Favorite place to go to be shocked- Atomic Cowboy
Favorite good idea, that didn't work out as planned- Mad Men night at Eclipse
Favorite food issue that I controlled- not drinking regular soda for all of 2009
Favorite "wrong time of year" meal- making Cassoulet in the middle of the summer, when it was crazy hot outside, for Julia Child's birthday
Favorite new foodie book- What to drink with what you eat
Favorite funny moment- Getting griped at for bringing Doritos to the Slow Food luncheon
Favorite guilty pleasure- Five Guys Cheeseburgers
New favorite "layup" dinner- Beef Bourguignon
Favorite Food and Wine Pairing that I did- Pride Syrah with Barbecue at Christmas
Favorite dinner with people I love- Eating by the ocean in Mexico for my sister's birthday.
Favorite new cocktail name- Donde Estan mis Pantalones
Favorite new cocktail- This changes everytime I go into Taste by Niche, and try something new.
Favorite old-school cocktail- Manhattan
Favorite beer- Left Hand Milk Stout
Favorite new website- www.sipofknowledge.com :)
Favorite new industry-related tv show- Three Sheets
Favorite show that I wish they made more of- No Reservations
That's all folks. Here's to an even better 2010. Raise a glass tonight, have fun, be careful, come back alive.
Cheers.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2009, 2010
It would appear that in the blogosphere, most people are doing recaps of the last year and decade. The decade recap would take too long- so the highlights are that, since 2000 I have moved from Kansas to California to Arkansas to Texas, studied under a pastor for a year, met the right girl, got married, got a dog, moved to Boston, got another dog, switched careers, moved to Saint Louis, bought a house, started a consulting company, and am now sitting here. My family has seen the birth of 4 nieces and 1 nephew, my dad has been laid off twice and beat cancer, by brother (through the grace of God) defeated alcoholism, got married, and moved. My sister got married, moved twice, and is now training for a triathalon. My mom started a company and still makes the best sausage/egg casserole out there. Whew.
The funny thing about 2009 is that not a whole ton happened for us. Sure, I got my CSW and Certified Sommelier designations, but the biggest thing that happened in our home was that my wife got a new job. She spent 5 years working in retail, and almost no holidays at home. In the summer, she got a job at a logistics company and now works M-F, 7-4 with holidays off. It's a great thing!
The restaurant scene in STL has seen the closing of Pitted Olive, The changeover of the Shaved Duck, and the opening of Niche Taste bar, and Brasserie. We have also seen Pi storm onto the scene, whipping the collective pizza tails of most other restaurants. 33 turned everything on it's head by starting the Dorm Room Dinner series. The stalwarts have stayed the same- Sidney St, Monarch, Harvest, Frazers, etc have all continued to pump out great food for their pricepoints.
All that being said, I'm excited about 2010. Our pastor challenged us to summarize what we think the next year will mean in one word. My word is "Change", and not in the Obama sense. I mean that I want to change the way I view my marriage, health, job, and friends. I want this to be a positive thing. I want to be a thinner, healthier, more loving, less stressed person one year from now.
That all starts on Monday. Until then, it's enjoying a great steak tonight, some Champagne tomorrow, and watching football on Friday.
Did you buy your NYE bubbly yet? You had better hurry!
Cheers.
The funny thing about 2009 is that not a whole ton happened for us. Sure, I got my CSW and Certified Sommelier designations, but the biggest thing that happened in our home was that my wife got a new job. She spent 5 years working in retail, and almost no holidays at home. In the summer, she got a job at a logistics company and now works M-F, 7-4 with holidays off. It's a great thing!
The restaurant scene in STL has seen the closing of Pitted Olive, The changeover of the Shaved Duck, and the opening of Niche Taste bar, and Brasserie. We have also seen Pi storm onto the scene, whipping the collective pizza tails of most other restaurants. 33 turned everything on it's head by starting the Dorm Room Dinner series. The stalwarts have stayed the same- Sidney St, Monarch, Harvest, Frazers, etc have all continued to pump out great food for their pricepoints.
All that being said, I'm excited about 2010. Our pastor challenged us to summarize what we think the next year will mean in one word. My word is "Change", and not in the Obama sense. I mean that I want to change the way I view my marriage, health, job, and friends. I want this to be a positive thing. I want to be a thinner, healthier, more loving, less stressed person one year from now.
That all starts on Monday. Until then, it's enjoying a great steak tonight, some Champagne tomorrow, and watching football on Friday.
Did you buy your NYE bubbly yet? You had better hurry!
Cheers.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thoughts on the Holidays, etc...
It's amazing to me that it's almost 2010. Didn't Arthur C. Clarke say that we were supposed to be running around in spaceships and stuff by then? I don't have a spaceship, or one of those silver jumpsuits that you are supposed to wear on them. Oh well.
So, Christmas was last week, in case you didn't notice. My wife and I flew to Houston, and I noticed a few things:
-Southwest airlines, although they are the cheapest and let your bags fly free, is truly the Cattle Car of the industry. I have never been so crowded and uncomfortable on a flight. Being a dude with broad shoulders, those seats are really horrible.
-Sometimes a bottle of Pinot Noir that was bought at a grocery store tastes just fine with a steak, especially if everyone is laughing and enjoying themselves.
-I'm constantly humbled at how much my In-laws really care for us, and want us to be comfortable and happy.
-I got the chance to see an old friend that is going through some struggles. He brought along his two daughters, whom are very sweet. I got to learn how to speak "parent code" very quickly. Example- we went to a liquor store, so I could grab a couple of bottles of wine for dinner that night. I thought they would stay in the car, but they wanted to come in. "What is a liquor store?" one daughter asked. "It's kind of like a candy store, for adults" was the reply.
-We went to a Delbert McClinton concert (look up his song "Rita Goes Away"- it's classic). Instead of having an opening band, they showed a 40 minute documentary about harmonicas. Now, if I would have been watching this on the History Channel, I would have totally been engrossed. However, I was getting ready for a country and blues concert. Cool documentary, bad timing.
-There's a place called Downing Street Pub in Houston- look it up. This is the type of place that STL needs! Please, someone loan me a million dollars, so I can get one going!
-Looking at my calendar, I realized that I have something scheduled every night this week, until Saturday. One of these parties just might not make the cut.
-If you read this, you probably like wine. Go buy some bubbly wine to open on New Years. It doesn't have to be expensive. Just throw it in the fridge, pop it at midnight, and help me bring in a year that is going to be fantastic. 2010 is the year when the recession ends, I get skinnier, my customers buy a lot of great wine from me, we actually travel some of the places we always say we are going to, and I learn to chill a bit.
-How far into 2010 is it appropriate to say "Happy New Year"? I think only a week or so, but I have gotten it in February before.
That's all I got for today. This week is funny, as pretty much all wholesalers are done selling for the year, and most retailers are done buying. Every year, I have bosses that push hard for sales the last week of the year. They rarely materialize.
So, Christmas was last week, in case you didn't notice. My wife and I flew to Houston, and I noticed a few things:
-Southwest airlines, although they are the cheapest and let your bags fly free, is truly the Cattle Car of the industry. I have never been so crowded and uncomfortable on a flight. Being a dude with broad shoulders, those seats are really horrible.
-Sometimes a bottle of Pinot Noir that was bought at a grocery store tastes just fine with a steak, especially if everyone is laughing and enjoying themselves.
-I'm constantly humbled at how much my In-laws really care for us, and want us to be comfortable and happy.
-I got the chance to see an old friend that is going through some struggles. He brought along his two daughters, whom are very sweet. I got to learn how to speak "parent code" very quickly. Example- we went to a liquor store, so I could grab a couple of bottles of wine for dinner that night. I thought they would stay in the car, but they wanted to come in. "What is a liquor store?" one daughter asked. "It's kind of like a candy store, for adults" was the reply.
-We went to a Delbert McClinton concert (look up his song "Rita Goes Away"- it's classic). Instead of having an opening band, they showed a 40 minute documentary about harmonicas. Now, if I would have been watching this on the History Channel, I would have totally been engrossed. However, I was getting ready for a country and blues concert. Cool documentary, bad timing.
-There's a place called Downing Street Pub in Houston- look it up. This is the type of place that STL needs! Please, someone loan me a million dollars, so I can get one going!
-Looking at my calendar, I realized that I have something scheduled every night this week, until Saturday. One of these parties just might not make the cut.
-If you read this, you probably like wine. Go buy some bubbly wine to open on New Years. It doesn't have to be expensive. Just throw it in the fridge, pop it at midnight, and help me bring in a year that is going to be fantastic. 2010 is the year when the recession ends, I get skinnier, my customers buy a lot of great wine from me, we actually travel some of the places we always say we are going to, and I learn to chill a bit.
-How far into 2010 is it appropriate to say "Happy New Year"? I think only a week or so, but I have gotten it in February before.
That's all I got for today. This week is funny, as pretty much all wholesalers are done selling for the year, and most retailers are done buying. Every year, I have bosses that push hard for sales the last week of the year. They rarely materialize.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Holiday Spirit(s)
My two families are really interesting, especially when it comes to the differences in how we spend the holidays. This is even more evident when it comes to how wine is involved with each family. For example, we just spent the weekend in KC with my parents, my grandmother, my brother and sister, and their respective families. On Saturday evening, by dad looked over at me, and said "Well, I guess we should go ahead and pick out the wine for dinner"- we were eating in an hour and a half, and we were going to have Barbecue. He then said "Pick out whatever you want- the cellar is yours". In the past, this would not have been a very exciting proposition. Five years ago, my parents had the greatest collection of cheap, crappy wine that I have ever seen. Since then (and since I have started selling wine professionally), they have changed their tastes, and their price point. Now my dad has a collection of about 130 bottles, 99% of which I would be more than glad to open on any given day. For appetizers, I chose a bottle of Oregon Pinot Gris for my mom, as that is just about all she will drink, and a bottle of Fisher Unity Napa cab for me and dad. My brother doesn't drink, and my sister only likes moscato when it comes to wine. With dinner, to match the spicy barbecue, I grabbed a Pride Syrah. It matched perfectly, and we were tempted to open another bottle. Later in the evening, my dad said "how about an apertif"? I corrected him, called it a digestif, and poured him some limoncello, myself some Navan (he loves that stuff, and always has some on hand- it's not bad at the end of the night), and some Moscato for the ladies. It was a pleasant way to add wine to a meal that you normally wouldn't care about wine with. The point to all of this is that my dad and I have something in common that we can talk about in wine- he is interested in learning, even if the rest of my family doesn't give a rip.
My in-laws are a different story. Even when they lived in Monterey, CA they didn't care much about the wine industry. They have a little bit on hand, and it's a mixture of "okay" and "decent". Because they focus on other things when it comes to entertaining (they cook really well), they don't spend much energy or money on their in-house wines. They will each have maybe a glass with dinner, and that's about it. After dinner drinks are all but non-existant there. This isn't a bad thing, it's just how they are. In fact, I don't even know if they will have a Christmas tree, whereas my mom has one that looks like it came straight out of Martha Stewart Living.
Neither approach is better or worse, just different.
Have a Merry Christmas- don't stress too much, and drink something good.
I'll be having Champagne, whether anyone drinks it with me or not.
Cheers.
My in-laws are a different story. Even when they lived in Monterey, CA they didn't care much about the wine industry. They have a little bit on hand, and it's a mixture of "okay" and "decent". Because they focus on other things when it comes to entertaining (they cook really well), they don't spend much energy or money on their in-house wines. They will each have maybe a glass with dinner, and that's about it. After dinner drinks are all but non-existant there. This isn't a bad thing, it's just how they are. In fact, I don't even know if they will have a Christmas tree, whereas my mom has one that looks like it came straight out of Martha Stewart Living.
Neither approach is better or worse, just different.
Have a Merry Christmas- don't stress too much, and drink something good.
I'll be having Champagne, whether anyone drinks it with me or not.
Cheers.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thoughts on the weekend...
This weekend was pretty dang busy. I worked as a sommelier at a private dinner on Friday night, travelled to KC on Saturday, then back home on Sunday. Some thoughts on the weekend:
-There is a saying that "The Lord works in mysterious ways". I found this out, again, over the weekend in reference to my little sister. Now, a lot of you who know me know that I'm a Christian, and that I'm fairly involved with my church. I rarely bring religious-type stuff up on this blog, since I recognize that I have followers that don't follow the same views that I have. I simply don't want people to think "oh cool, a blog about wine", and then I whack them with religion. These sort of bait-and-switch tactics aren't my style, so I don't do them. That being said, if you don't care to hear my view on this particular subject, you might want to skip to the next paragraph, where there is wine-related matter. Some of you also know that I have a sister that lives in the Wichita area. She is a stay at home mother with three little girls, and my brother in law is a high school teacher and basketball coach. To say that they are on a limited budget is putting it mildly. Frankly, I have no idea how they even survive. Last week, I was talking to her on the phone, and she lamented about how her minivan was broken again, and had now idea how they would be able to afford a new car. I would have loved to help her, but I'm a bit strapped for greenbacks myself these days. That night, a friend of theirs called, and said that they were bringing pizza over for dinner. They showed up with a bunch of people, and up into their driveway rolled a beautiful, slightly used Tahoe. Essentially, some friends of theirs from their church, and from a high-school ministry that they are involved in all pitched in and bought my sister's family the car, as well as money for insurance and taxes. Some might say that it's a really neat story about the generosity of others. I agree, but I also think it was God providing something that my sister desperately needed.
-Pride Syrah is a fantastic wine, and it goes great with Barbeque!
-Sometimes, Grandma gifts aren't the most useful, but they are the best.
-Working a private dinner for a bunch of drunk Democrats, when you are a Republican, can actually be a lot of fun.
-My wife said she was in her "happy place" last night- curled up on the couch with a comfy blanket and our dogs, a stomach full of Chinese takeout, napping while football played on tv. I liked that.
-Do they ever really sell the statues of dragons, rattlesnakes, fairys, etc that are at truckstops?
-I might have recommended it before, but go out and get "What to Drink With What You Eat". It's a fantastic book about food and beverage pairing.
-Evidently, dogs don't like Scope.
-I was tempted to get a bulldog over the weekend, buy my neighbors would have been pissed.
That's all folks. Blogging will be spotty this week, with travelling, Christmas, and everything else going on. If I don't see or talk to you, then have a very Merry Christmas!
Cheers!
-There is a saying that "The Lord works in mysterious ways". I found this out, again, over the weekend in reference to my little sister. Now, a lot of you who know me know that I'm a Christian, and that I'm fairly involved with my church. I rarely bring religious-type stuff up on this blog, since I recognize that I have followers that don't follow the same views that I have. I simply don't want people to think "oh cool, a blog about wine", and then I whack them with religion. These sort of bait-and-switch tactics aren't my style, so I don't do them. That being said, if you don't care to hear my view on this particular subject, you might want to skip to the next paragraph, where there is wine-related matter. Some of you also know that I have a sister that lives in the Wichita area. She is a stay at home mother with three little girls, and my brother in law is a high school teacher and basketball coach. To say that they are on a limited budget is putting it mildly. Frankly, I have no idea how they even survive. Last week, I was talking to her on the phone, and she lamented about how her minivan was broken again, and had now idea how they would be able to afford a new car. I would have loved to help her, but I'm a bit strapped for greenbacks myself these days. That night, a friend of theirs called, and said that they were bringing pizza over for dinner. They showed up with a bunch of people, and up into their driveway rolled a beautiful, slightly used Tahoe. Essentially, some friends of theirs from their church, and from a high-school ministry that they are involved in all pitched in and bought my sister's family the car, as well as money for insurance and taxes. Some might say that it's a really neat story about the generosity of others. I agree, but I also think it was God providing something that my sister desperately needed.
-Pride Syrah is a fantastic wine, and it goes great with Barbeque!
-Sometimes, Grandma gifts aren't the most useful, but they are the best.
-Working a private dinner for a bunch of drunk Democrats, when you are a Republican, can actually be a lot of fun.
-My wife said she was in her "happy place" last night- curled up on the couch with a comfy blanket and our dogs, a stomach full of Chinese takeout, napping while football played on tv. I liked that.
-Do they ever really sell the statues of dragons, rattlesnakes, fairys, etc that are at truckstops?
-I might have recommended it before, but go out and get "What to Drink With What You Eat". It's a fantastic book about food and beverage pairing.
-Evidently, dogs don't like Scope.
-I was tempted to get a bulldog over the weekend, buy my neighbors would have been pissed.
That's all folks. Blogging will be spotty this week, with travelling, Christmas, and everything else going on. If I don't see or talk to you, then have a very Merry Christmas!
Cheers!
Friday, December 18, 2009
How we met
For some reason, I have been telling the story of how I met my wife a lot lately, so I figured I would tell it here as well. In 2000, I moved to Denton , TX to study under a pastor for a year. During that time, a friend of mine was working with the college ministry at the church. He was taking a group of college kids to do a mission trip in Kentucky, building a house for Habitat for Humanity. Because I was fresh off my stint as a mountain guide, I had a lot of experience doing teambuilding activities with groups. My buddy asked me to do that with his group of college students. While doing a "trust fall", I noticed a cute girl that was crying because she was scared of heights, and the activity wasn't exactly in her wheelhouse. I mentioned later to my friend that I thought she was cute. "She's too young for you" was his reply. At the time, I was 23 and she was 19.
I didn't really think much else about that girl for a few months. That summer, I moved into a duplex with some friends. I had heard a rumor that there were "hot college chicks" that lived in the other half of the building. Being curious if this was true or not, I grabbed an icecream cone, walked next door, and knocked on the door. Lo and behold, the cute girl from the teambuilding exercise opened the door. She may not say this, but I was smitten.
We started dating shortly afterwards, were engaged 7 months later, and married in May of 2003.
I literally married the "Girl Next Door". I wonder if it was my sparkling personality, or the fact that I liked icecream?
Go fall in love this weekend by drinking Tikal "Amorio". It is a big, bold, delicious malbec from Argentina. Your retail cost should be roughly $30.
Cheers.
I didn't really think much else about that girl for a few months. That summer, I moved into a duplex with some friends. I had heard a rumor that there were "hot college chicks" that lived in the other half of the building. Being curious if this was true or not, I grabbed an icecream cone, walked next door, and knocked on the door. Lo and behold, the cute girl from the teambuilding exercise opened the door. She may not say this, but I was smitten.
We started dating shortly afterwards, were engaged 7 months later, and married in May of 2003.
I literally married the "Girl Next Door". I wonder if it was my sparkling personality, or the fact that I liked icecream?
Go fall in love this weekend by drinking Tikal "Amorio". It is a big, bold, delicious malbec from Argentina. Your retail cost should be roughly $30.
Cheers.
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