Not wanting to be a "beer poser"

Something that I have noticed when some of my "normal" friends come to an event that is flush with my "wine geek" friends is that they normally try to bring an impressive bottle of wine. Sometimes this works out well, but often, we look down our nose with the snobbery we say that we eschew, and think "oh, that's cute" in regards to the bottle they bring. Hey, at least I'm admitting it. Wine folks are a funny crowd. They ALL say that they aren't snobs. They ALL say that they don't want to be pretentious. However, I dare you to roll into a meeting of Saint Louis Wine Therapy with a bottle of Yellow Tail, Beringer Stone Cellars, or Rombauer (gasp!!!) and see what happens. They will be cordial, but nobody will touch the damn stuff. It's not the person who brought it's fault- they just didn't know.

I found myself potentially on the other side of this situation not too long ago, regarding beer. Being in this industry, I have quite a few friends that are into beer (check out my buddy Mike's blog www.stlhops.com), and that get together to play cards/trivia/rockband every once in a while. Another guy that I know gave me a bottle of beer that I knew nothing about. I didn't know if it was a "nice" beer or a "oh, that's cute" beer in the eyes of my beer geek friends. I literally worried about showing up with what I thought was a nice bottle, and have them view me as a beer poser. Therefore, I did what I suggest to my friends regarding wine- I drank it with some friends that know less about beer than I do. This way I wouldn't be tempted to show off the next time the beer guys got together, and I saved myself from being "that guy".

Last night, I talked to Mike about the beer in question. He undoubtedly knows more about beer than anyone else I know. However, he had never heard of it. I told him about my dilemma, and the solution. He agreed- that sometimes the best thing you can do is drink the bottle with some people that will truly enjoy it, and not over-analyze it.

Cheers!

The Restaurant I Wanted To Hate...

...But didn't.

On Saturday night, the Mrs and I were looking for something to eat after I had done a wine tasting in Chesterfield. Now, if you aren't from Saint Louis, this might not mean much to you. Let me explain. Chesterfield Valley is an area located on the very Western edge of the St. Louis metroplex, and is home to what is (I have heard, cannot confirm) supposedly the longest strip mall in America. Literally every convenience is here- Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, and Sam's are all located within less than a mile of each other. There is literally an example of every type of chain restaurant that you can imagine, and most have multiple examples represented. As someone who champions the small, independent, family owned businesses of our great country, it's areas like this that I really despise. It's the type of place where everyone drives a Lexus, but nobody owns it. Too much convenience, no soul.

We mentioned that we were hungry, and literally had Babbo's Spaghetteria recommended twice in 45 seconds by people at the tasting. "Surely there can't be decent Italian in the Valley" I thought to myself. But, hunger overtook pride and we made the trek.

Upon entering, my snobbery continued. No bar? No seating area? Great. The hostess was very pleasant, even though the place was busting at the seams at 8:30 on a Saturday night. She assured us that the wait would be "no more than 15 minutes" and asked us if we would like a glass of wine. I ordered one, and we stood at one of the two cocktail tables available to wait at. To my surprise, we were seated within the time it took me to take a second sip of wine.

The ambiance at Babbo's isn't for those looking for a quiet, white tablecloth date night. There is roughly seating for 100 people at mainly 4-top, wooden tables, and a visible bustle and energy in the room. The wine list is all-Italian, and even though you get a menu, it is also posted on a gigantic chalkboard on one wall. The tables were set with small water goblets- each containing the necessary fork, spoon, and knife, and water comes in a chilled bottle pre-set on the table. The rusticity of the table set up is actually charming, and doesn't come across as lazy or cheap.

Okay, so I was starting to gain confidence at this point. Our server was efficient, friendly, and didn't pull the whole "I like everything" when asked. He actually had an opinion and recommendations, which I followed.

The first course of Bruschetta was really simple, well made, and delicious. The diced tomatoes had been tossed in some sort of vinaigrette, and my wife and I literally fought over the scraps left on the plate.

Salads are enormous. I ordered the "Del Pietro", which was lightly dressed, not soaked, and had a nice brightness to it. Sure, it was Iceberg and Romaine, but that's okay- it was only like $3 or $4.

The real surprise came with the entrees. I followed the server's lead, and ordered the House made lasagna. One of the greatest compliments that I can give to lasagna is that it tasted like something you would eat at a friend's grandma's house. So many restaurants try to make these 18-layer, heavy as a brick lasagnas with all kinds of weird stuff. This one wasn't in that mode at all. It was a bit lighter, the beef had a nice crumble, and you could tell that they didn't just slop it out of a pan. They took the time in the kitchen to put the piece in the oven for a few minutes to get the edges crispy. It wasn't "gooey", and I really appreciated that!

The Margherita pizza was pretty darn good, too- fresh tomatoes and basil on top of slightly greasy cheese and crust that actually had enough salt in it.

At this point, we were almost to the point of conceding that the $10 lasagna and $8 pizza were well worth their price, but wait...what about dessert? The only item offered was tiramisu. A Ha! We would get them on this one! Nobody does Tiramisu well in the Midwest.

Dang, we were wrong. It wasn't frozen (my pet peeve) and it wasn't boozy (my Wife's pet peeve). We finished the piece before the server could check on us.

So, there it is folks- there really is well made food for a decent price, with just a touch of someone's Italian grandmother available in Chesterfield.

Cheers!

Thankfulness and looking forward to 2011

The rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated. I know I have been quiet, but in retrospect, the last couple of weeks have brought some craziness:

I was in a tornado

I had surgery on my abdomen

We decided to step down from leadership of our church community group

I found out a dear friend has cancer

The weather has been less-than-spectacular

Frankly, I have every reason to bitch and moan. However, I will choose not to. I have noticed lately that people have been talking about how bad 2010 was for them. I can't say it was the best year I have ever had (per my last post), but some amazing things really did happen. In that spirit, I want to list a few of the things that I am thankful for, and looking forward to this year.

I am thankful for my beautiful, wonderful wife. During my surgery she was amazingly sweet and supportive. I am also proud of how she is starting to step out of her own personal comfort zone, and try Roller Derby. It's really fun to see her "find her voice" as she turns 30 this year.

I am thankful for my family. My father has proven to be a great business partner, and has done a great job selling for a guy that has never held a sales position before. My mom has also been very patient and understanding when I don't talk to her about "other stuff" during the day. My sister and her family are continuous examples of how to live within your means, and how to truly live a faithful life for God. My brother and his family have dealt with a job loss with faith and aplomb, and I look forward to a repeat of our BBQ Road Trip again this year.

I am thankful for Peggy, the first employee of Harsha Wines in St Louis. She works like a rock star, and is proving to be one of the smartest decisions I have made in running the company. I look forward to her building a successful route on her own, and achieving some of the wine educational goals she has set for herself.

I'm even thankful for those dogs. As much as I act like I don't like them to Nicole, she knows I'm joking.

I'm looking forward to building relationships with new accounts this year. We have already added Truffles, Scottish Arms, and soon Milagro to our business partners- This means we have even more fun, locally owned, quality places to eat! I'm thankful for the friendships that I have developed- people like Jeff at 33, Rich at St Louis Wine Market, Jim at Atomic Cowboy, Anthony at Five, Chris Spina, and a host of others are people that I now consider friends that I just happen to be lucky to do business with.

I'm looking forward to developing my wine, beer, spirit, and food knowledge even more this year. This will come only through my friendships with people in each of these communities that are incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. I also want to get my CWE and CSS (Certified Wine Educator, and Certified Specialist of Spirits) by the end of the year.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with Harsha Wines this year. We were fortunate to turn a profit (albeit a infinitesimally small one) in 2010, and we hope to add another full time salesperson and a full time delivery person by the end of the year.

Finally, I'm grateful for the opportunity to get paid for writing for Avid Magazine. If you haven't seen it yet, check out www.avidmagazine.com for a preview- it's cool.

Let's make this a great year. It's up to you to decide to do so.

Cheers!

2010 in "Snapshots"

Looking back at 2010, I would say that it has been a tough year, but also a lot of fun. I'm going to do the requisite blog post of reviewing the year in terms of snapshots- I'm going to pick some of my favorite moments from each month, and talk about them, and what beverage was in my hand at the time.

January- The moment that sticks in my mind from January was the night my neighbors decided to have a "progressive" dinner. We started at our house for apps, went to another house for entrees, and to a final one for dessert. One of my neighbors loves this whiskey-based stuff called Sweet Lucy. The snapshot is of us trying to drink this crap, while he also tried to teach me to play guitar. It was a lot of fun.

February- one thing that we did in February was go to the Dorm Room dinner put on by the guys from Niche. At the dinner, Gerard served the most over-the-top thing I have ever eaten- Two peanut butter cookies with about 2 oz of foie gras and a moscato gelee in between. I think I was drinking Spanish wine, but it didn't matter. That wonderfully obscene dish still makes my stomach hurt.

March- On March 17th, I played hooky. That was Saint Patrick's day, and I went to a party that my friend Sara was throwing. The mental image of that fantastically fun, sun-soaked day was watching a 50-something year old woman dance with a 20-something year old guy, and she was wearing only a bra and jeans. Gross? Yes. Fascinating? You bet. I'm sure I had a beer in my hand, and it was probably a can of Guinness.

April- April was a great month, and I'm having trouble picking one particular moment. One is my birthday party, which was amazing. However, the next day after a crawfish boil and riesling tasting, we went out to Farmhaus with my friends Bill and Ellie- the snapshot was Bill demanding in beer-soaked logic that their soon-to-be-born baby be named Megatron. I think I was drinking Schlafly something.

May- The snapshot of May came on May 7th, when I turned in my notice from Premier Cru. I left the office, returned a plant for my wife, and then had a terrible Mexican lunch. I sat there, scared as hell, drinking a Bud Light, wondering if I had just made the biggest mistake of my career. It wasn't.

June- June was a crazy month, as we were getting then Epiphany Wines off the ground. The snapshot is from when my folks brought over a couch from KC, and we sat on it, toasting the new company with a bottle of bubbly. Little did we know what we were in store for!

July- this was another month full of snapshots. In fact, I have two. One was sitting at the noodle bar of Momofuku in New York, eating one of the best things I tried in 2010- their ramen bowl with pork belly, drinking a Shiner Bock. The other came on my BBQ Road Trip with my brother- standing in front of Jerry's in Memphis, "drinking" a Dreamsicle Supreme with some of his friends. It was fantastic!

August- the snapshot from August came when I had a cup of coffee in my hand. That was the morning that I was talking to my friend Ben on the phone, and the Fed Ex lady showed up with a certified letter. Uh oh. That letter was the "Cease and Desist" from Parker Station winery- we had to stop using the name Epiphany in our business. Oh well, truth be told I like "Harsha Wines" better.

September- The moment that sticks out in my mind from September is when we took my parents out for an outstanding and fun meal at Niche for their anniversary. We had great wines (04 Baumard Quarts du Chaume stands out in my mind), and Gerard really took care of us.

October- I can't bring up the month of October without talking about Tour de Moose. Man, I both loved and hated that day. The snapshot is watching my sweet bride sing karaoke at DD's lounge, while drinking Bombay and Tonics with my friend Ned.

November- For some reason, I was fairly grumpy in November. Maybe it was stress, working 60 hour weeks, or just the weather turning. At any rate, I had a great time with my family at the In the Vineyards event. Too many wines to list, but it was a really fun evening.

December- The image burned in my mind came yesterday. My parents got my nieces a Wii. All three of them squealed, starting hugging each other, and fell on the ground. At that time, my brother's 2 1/2 year old son did a flying, get-fined-in-the-NFL style leap on top of them, and they all laughed. It was such a great moment watching childish innocence in action. Beverage-wise, I had a Diet Coke in my hand.

This has been a great adventure of a year. Thank you to all my friends and family for their support of my insane ideas. I love you all, and here's to an "epic" 2011.

Cheers.

Thankful for Generous Food and Wine Friends

I'm a blessed man. Not only do I have an awesome bride, a family that loves me despite my multitude of mistakes, a great little house, two dogs that like me, a growing business, and a car that gets me from here to there, but I also am surrounded by friends that share the same passion for food and wine that I do.

Seriously- the people that I often hang out with to eat good food and drink good wine are some of the most generous people I have ever met. In fact, it's crazy how much more giving they are than a lot of the "church people" I'm in contact with. I have wine buddies that regularly open $60-$300 bottles of wine, just to share. I have a friend that footed a $100 dinner bill for me, so I could experience a fantastic meal this week. This is a great group of people that I know, and am proud to call them my friends.

So, in the Christmas spirit, I want to publicly thank Ned, Kelly, Bill, Ellie, Mike, Irene, Eliot, Amy, Izek, The moved-away Tony and Janet, Steven, Jeff, Mike, Dylan, Chad, Chris, Kris, Shannon, Jonathan, Jim, Peggy, Patrick, KBO, Lou Jack, and anyone else that my coffee-fueled brain has skipped for the drinks and bites to eat this year. I'm really glad that you are in my life- you rule.

Cheers! Don't slip on ice today.

Winter Whites

Hello all,

Yeah, I know it's been a while. Running a company during the holidays leaves little free time to pound out inane thoughts on the interwebs.

Today, let's talk about white wines for the winter. I know it's about 3 degrees outside, and the last thing on your mind is a cool, refreshing glass of sauvignon blanc. However, the winter time does lend itself to some really fun whites. It's not like people completely stop drinking white wine between December and March, so you might as well drink the good stuff! Think about these:

Bubbly- Anyone who knows me for more than about 2 hours knows that I love bubbly wines. Saturday night, the mrs and I had a late dinner reservation, so we stopped at a wine bar. Did we drink Syrah, Cabernet, or a 17% ABV Zinfandel? Nope. They were warning of some weather apocalypse outside, so we drank Champagne, and it was delicious. Although bubbly should be drank year round, I think this is the perfect time to open Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, or any other sparkling wine with a loved one.

Chardonnay- Yes, you read that correctly. I'm a wine guy, and I'm saying it's okay to drink Chardonnay. In fact, a lot of the restaurants are putting out dishes this time of year with a ton of butter, cream, etc in them. The perfect match to these dishes is a chard with a touch of oak to it. Many of the big, heavy wines that you used to see coming out of Cali are much more restrained now. Also- don't fear white Burgundy. They are delicious, and if a restaurant or shop is carrying them, there's a good chance that someone on staff can tell you about that wine.

Riesling- I'm suggesting this for two reasons. First of all, this is a high-acid wine that cuts right through the fat of heavy, wintery dishes. Also, riesling is produced where it's cold. See? People in Germany, Alsace, and Upstate New York are producing white wine- it must be okay to drink in times besides the summer. Although they aren't made from Riesling, there are also similar wines from Savennieres, Quarts du Chaume, and Coulee de Serrant that fit the bill for the same reasons.

So, there you have it. Definitive, unarguable proof that it's okay to drink white wine in December.

Cheers.

Enough Already

Last year, I noticed a trend starting that irritated me from the beginning. This has nothing to do with wine, but rather with the use of the word "Epic". That has become part of our current vernacular, meaning great, awesome, amazing, etc. I understand if people used it, like, once a year. However, now people have started using it to mean anything that is basically slightly better than "good."

Can we just all agree to quit using the word? Thanks.

Also, it would be great to consider when to use words like "awesome" (which I am guilty of- but not nearly as often as I thought. I used it twice on Twitter in November- once in reference to Cook's night out, once in reference to a friend of ours that really does cause awe with her dedication to a charity.) Another one is "Amazing". do that many things in life really cause you to be amazed?

I realize this post sounds grumpier that it should. I'm actually in a really good mood today. I am just trying to figure out another adjective to describe the Dorm Room Dinner last night, prepared by Anthony Devoti from Five. The courses were well thought out, delicious tasting, and had a bit of whimsy that was fun to be part of. Was it Epic? No. Was it Awesome? I guess not. Was it a really fun evening that I would love to repeat? Absolutely.

So, if we could all just quit diluting these words, that would be awesome.