Cheers to Good Wine and Good Friends

So life’s year begins and closes;

Days, though short’ning, still shine;

What, though youth gave love and roses,

Age still leaves us friends and wine.

- Thomas Moore

(He was an Irish poet so I guess you should read this with an Irish accent)

That’s pretty much all I need to be happy – good friends and good wine. As 2012 comes to a close I am overjoyed to say that I have many amazing friends and have tasted many delicious wines. Below are some of my favorite discoveries from this past year and are my top picks to ring in 2013.

 

I recommend starting off the evening with something light and fun like a Lambrusco. This is a red slightly sweet sparkling wine that I normally drink in the summer but NYE is a perfect excuse to grab a bottle. I wouldn’t buy a super cheap Lambrusco but you don’t have to break the bank on this one either. Anything between the $12 - $16 price range should be good. Consider Cavicchioli & Robanera Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro.

Tasting notes: light, sweet, effervescent

I’m usually not a big white wine drinker, but for those of you who are, Sonoma Curter Russian River RanchesChardonnay is an easy crowd pleaser and can be found at most liquor or grocery stores.

Tasting notes: Medium bodied; great balance of fruit, acidity; clean finish with hints of minerality.

I have two red wine suggestions to cover varying prices ranges.

 

Oops wine is one of my fave recent discoveries. It ranges from $11 - $14 depending on the varietal and the store. The labels are super cute and tell the story of how the grapes were discovered and turned into wine. I love the Voluptuous Beauty - Cabernet Franc Carmenere which gives a mouthful of dark fruit, pepper, and a hint of oak. The straight up Spicy Splendor - Camenere is great as well. It’s similar to the Cab Franc blend but a bit bolder and spicier.

 

My second red pick is the Highway 12 2010 SonomaRed Blend which ranges from $22 - $26. This blend is 77% Merlot, 12% Cab Franc and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Syrah. I absolutely adore this wine. It’s a perfect blend!

Tasting notes: strong dark fruit, well balanced tannins, and a hint of chocolate. 

 
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the bubbles. After dinner and to toast to the New Year I recommend Freixenet Sparkling Cordon Negro BrutCava. Yes, I’ve had better sparkling wine and champagne but for only $12 you can’t beat this. You can also find this at most liquor or grocery stores. 

Tasting notes: crisp, clean, medium bodied, light citrus notes

           

 I hope you have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve. Cheers!

No more chocolate for me...

Being a self-proclaimed wino, I've been to several wine tastings in my life. Restaurants and wineries alike often serve chocolate as a wine pairing. I've always been hesitant in eating chocolates with my vino. It coats your mouth with a sugary wax and robs your palate of the full flavor of the wine. I used to think... these wine professionals must know what they are doing, I must be missing the bigger picture, maybe my palate is not developed enough. So I would pop that waxy desert in my mouth and wash it down with the burgundy blood of life.... until I recently came across this quote that changed my life.

"I don't know who came up with the idea of pairing chocolate with Cabernet Sauvignon. Perhaps it was the same lunatic who gave us 'surf and turf.' All I know is that chocolate and Cabernet are about as compatible as Dick Cheney and Lady Gaga. The bitter sweetness in one obliterates all the nuanced fruit in the other, leaving one with a dry, dusty palate. So please, please, no more pig-outs with Chateau Margaux and Hershey's Kisses." - Randy Sheahan, Quarterly Review of Wines - 2010

Yes, that's right, I will now feel completely assured in my choice to no longer accept chocolate with my wine.

Cheers!

Taste of Cruzado

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a Foodie Blogger event at Cruzado Restaurant in Midtown, Atlanta. Owner Grace Lee, Chef Patric Bell, and the entire Cruzado team has an impressive dedicated vision for creative Cuban food.

I have enjoyed food, wine, and fun at Cruzado on multiple occasions. You can feel it in the food that creativity and passion is not only accepted but encouraged.

At the event, Taste of Cruzado, Chef Patric prepared a menu of Cuban inspired food that represented the spirit of the restaurant.

The first dish was Guasacaca with Yuca Frita, which is similar to guacamole without the jalapeno and sans chips, sub thick cut yuca (potato root veggie).

Dish number two was Nuyorican-style Chicken Soup. Nuyorican is a hybrid of Puerto Rican and New York style chicken soup. Even though the soup looked simple, the broth was packed with flavor.

 

Shrimp Ceviche was the third taste of the evening, which was also my favorite. The appetizer was balanced with a pleasant sweetness from pineapple with an unexpected kick of spice (not sure from what - but it was yummy).

The fourth dish was Papa Rellena which is a lightly fried ball of potato stuffed with succulent beef and cheese.

Ham and Potato Croquettes was the fifth course followed by Rice Fritters with black bean sauce.

The last dish of the night was Queso Frito with green mayonnaise. This was my second overall fave tasting of the event. I even had seconds. Fried. Cheese. Need I say more?

 

And for desert....(drum roll).... Fried Key Lime Pie. It was quickly flash fried so the pie in the middle was still solid and chilled but the outside was warm and crisp. Yum!

If you love food and passion, and admire a passion for food, then you MUST visit Cruzado.

Click here to check out my friends at Cruzado on CBS Better Mornings.

Salud!

A Vacation Close to Home

We took a trip to Germany this weekend. And by Germany I mean Helen, GA. Close enough right? My boyfriend had never been to Helen so we took a weekend vacation to the North Georgia Mountains for Oktoberfest.

The first night we enjoyed dinner at the Nacoochee Grille, which is a bit more on the high end in comparison with the rest of the area. I must say how refreshing it is to dine at a nice restaurant without having to deal with all of the high prices, formalities, and stuck-up restaurant staff. It's a true gift to find that balance of being able to offer good food at a great price, all while supplying a welcoming and unique atmosphere.

We had to wait about a bit for a table so we sat outside on one of the numerous rocking chairs, sipping vino from one of the many local wineries. Waiting for a table ended up being a blessing in disguise. We enjoyed the company of several other couples on the porch and got to know various travelers from all over the country.

At our table I did my best to explain to my Turkish boyfriend the concept of southern food. I was nervous that he wouldn't like it. For our first appetizer we had braised duck tacos, served with lettuce, avocado, tomato, and red onion. They didn't look very fancy but they were some of the best tacos I've ever had. The duck was cooked perfectly and the toppings really balanced the heavy nature of braised duck.

For the second app we ordered a small cup of the corn and trout chowder. All I can say is “yum!” I'm sure that little creamy and smokey cup of deliciousness was like 5,000 calories, but it was worth it.

The boyfriend ordered Baked Rosemary chicken with fries and I had Jerk Trout with collard greens and mashed potatoes. He raved about his chicken - however I still think I made the best choice, as usual.

The trout was seasoned well, without over-powering the fish, and the sides were so good I could have licked the plate! The chicken dish I will admit was cooked to perfection, juicy on the inside and crispy and charred on the outside. The epic downfall was that the fries were well below par, a bit cold and lifeless. And since we are fry connoisseurs, that was a pretty big mistake.

The next morning we hiked Anna Ruby Falls (to work off that chowder). I honestly think we went up there on the perfect day of the year. Temperature was in the upper 60's and sunny and it wasn't super crowded.

The rest of the weekend we spent eating cheap German food, bratwurst and schnitzel, and drinking beer with family and friends.

Overall, we loved the food and wine and we definitely had fun! Prost and Zum Wohl!

We're so glassy - Guest Blog Post

Whether you are or are not gluten-free, this is a great blog post for an easy, healthy, and tasty recipe. This post features some of fave foods - spinach and pear salad with feta and avocado - but it also features me! What more could you ask for?

"We're so glassy" http://whymeglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/10/were-so-glassy.html

Maybe I Was Wrong

In an earlier post, I cautioned against trying new things when you have already found something you really like (which is also great relationship advice!). My boyfriend and I had previously had a less than satisfactory experience trying new dishes at Ecco, one of our fav dinner spots. After the first bite we instantly wished we had ordered our old faithfuls. During a more recent dinning experience at Ecco, my theory was proved wrong, or at least partially wrong. Sometimes trying new things can be good. Who knew?

 We had consumed a lot of red meat as well as a good amount of seafood in the days prior and wanted something different. I ordered Roasted White Oak Pastures chicken and my boyfriend ordered Grilled Coho salmon. Chicken and salmon in general sound a bit boring to me, so we weren't expecting much. Oh how we were surprised!

The chicken skin was so crispy, the inside so juicy, and the sauce was light and fresh with mint and radishes as garnish. I finished the entire thing and just barely restrained myself from licking the bones.

The salmon was equally impressive. It had the smokey flavors of grilled red meat but the texture was light and flaky. And who doesn't like a dish that comes with roasted chanterelles and a potato puree (aka mushrooms and mashed potatoes)?

Lesson learned. Here is my revised advice on venturing to unfamiliar plates:

If you are going out with a good friend or significant other and generally share your entrees like we do, tyring new things is best done half-way. Meaning one of you order the go-to dish you know is fantastic, and the other one tries a new dish. Next time just switch up who orders the new one. It's less risky and you just might find a new favorite that way.

Oh, and the wine was great too. We sipped on a 2007 Más de Leda Tempranillo. It was an easily-drinkable medium bodied wine with dark dried fruit on the finish that paired well with both the chicken and the salmon.

My favorite app and then some

I recently took my mother to one of my favorite local gems, Top Flr. I love this place for its consistently delicious food. The service can be spotty but if you go early or during the week it's usually pretty good.

This place has one of my favorite appetizers in Atlanta - tuna tar tar on crispy flatbread with avocado, mache, and drizzled with spicy aoli.

Top Flr also has one of my favorite salads in this city, mixed greens, goat cheese, and pistachios topped with a heavenly lavender dressing.

On this visit I tried the sea scallop entree for the first time. They were not the best or freshest scallops I've had but they were cooked well and had good flavor in the absence of a sauce.

To accompany the scallops we ordered sides of quinoa and kale. Of the two the kale was preferred for its flavor and better pairing with the scallops.

Our wine pairing for the evening was a familiar favorite of mine, the Columbia Valley "Lenore" Syrah 2009. It's not fancy, just a decently priced, pleasantly tasting, easily drinkable wine.

Istanbul Not Constantinople

On our first night in Istanbul, we took a boat ride on the bosphorus to dinner before heading out for the night. It was truly a storybook evening.

Iskele, the restaurant where we dined, had amazing food with a view to match.

 Now that the scene has been set, I will get to the food part. Warning: don't read this on an empty stomach. It will be torture.

Our first dish was one the Turkish call lekarda balık. Balık meaning fish and lekarda being the type of fish. This is hands down my favorite seafood appetizer of my life thus far. It's sushi grade, similar to tuna, and melts in your mouth like butter. It doesn't need seasoning or sauce, just a bit of olive oil and the flavor is perfect.

Next we devoured perfectly fried mussels. Light batter, crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. It was served with a horseradish-like sauce on the side.

Most meals in Turkey are served family style, and Iskele was no exception. The dishes just kept on coming. This is definitely my favorite way to enjoy food.

Another star of the table was the calamari grilled in a light brown butter sauce. The dish possessed the perfect amount of sweetness while maintaining a fresh light flavor.

A simple yet great addition to the table was a dish with two types of lightly fried whole fish - barbunya are the red-ish ones and istavrit are the silver. Beautiful presentation and oh so tasty!

With our bellies full of magnificent seafood, our story book evening continued with VIP access to the Pink Martini concert and the same breath-taking view of the bosphorus.

As the Turks say - çok güzel!

Dinner and a Movie

My boyfriend and I have "dinner and a movie" down pat. We live 0.7 miles from the Midtown Promenade and it's a beautiful walk. We always eat at Après Diem before the show. This spot has an eclectic atmosphere, exotic clientele, and fabulous patio.

For the most part, the menu does not take part in the “seasonal, sustainable, local”trend and has been relatively unchanged in the few years we have frequented this place. However, the food is simple, consistent, and well prepared. Recently we have been impressed with the fish of the day, always fresh, accompanied with plenty of veggies, and simple but well seasoned.

To support their eclectic and artistic atmosphere, Après Diem hosts an impressive jazz night on Wednesdays. If you like good music, you should definitely check this out.

We were very pleased not only with the food on our latest dinner and a movie night, but also the movie. To Rome With Love was one of the best movies of it's kind I've ever seen. It was beautiful, clever, and witty. The cast was perfect and the writing was even better. Woody Allen is brilliant. Enough said. Click here for more info about the film. Go see it!

Optimistic for the Optimist

The short and sweet of it: Fresh sustainable seafood, good variety in menu but not too much to overwhelm. Unique simple décor, welcoming atmosphere, good use of space.

After being lead through a beautiful dinning room with high ceiling and perfect lighting, we rounded a corner and were sat in a separate area being the main bar. It was a bit too dark and the AC unit above us and kept blowing out our candle. Our server seemed a bit frantic that he was given a new table and didn't stop to greet us for a good 5 minutes. It took a while for things to get going in a positive direction, but it was all uphill from there.


We started off with mussels in a green curry sauce. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce was a good accompaniment, and one that I've never had.








As a second course we ordered the Little Gem Salad and the Shoestring Fries (unfortunately for my figure, I am a french fry connoisseur). The salad was a delicious “fancy caesar ” with whole anchovies and shaved parm on the top. The fries were crispy and had a great flavor but the fine cut made them cold almost immediately as they hit the table. Their saving grace was the lemon aioli, a unique perfect balance of flavors.


















My entree won the gold medal for the night, although they were both impressive. I had seared rare tuna with charred octopus and crispy potatoes. My boyfriend had wood fire grilled halibut in a red wine fish bordelaise, and it was a close second. Both dishes were simple, fresh, and sophisticated.

We had the lemon tart for desert. I have to say that I left unsatisfied with the last course. It was a bit boring and lacked finesse and creativity.

The wine pairing for the evening was a 2009 Cotes du Rhone. The wine menu was decent but nothing to get excited about. Although I definitely want to try one of their tempting cocktails next time. Needless to say, we will return to the Optimist.