Archives for 2009

2007 Rockpile Zinfandel Seghesio Family Vineyards

Seghesio Zinfandel

Seghesio Zinfandel

Bright berry flavors reminded me of Grandma’s juicy raspberry pie.  The word ‘succulent’ might have never applied to a wine better than this one.   This Zin feels thick and sorts of coats your mouth in a most appreciated way.  Tasted peppery and clove nuances.  Amazingly well-balanced with solid tannins.  A big, bold Zinfandel that delivers.

92-Point Wine Spectator

About $30.

The Chickie Award – Top Recipes of 2009

Hey foodies, post a link to the recipe on your website/blog that you consider to be your best and get a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

By 12/31/09, leave a comment on this post letting me know which recipe on your site you’d like considered, and you could win!

Top 10 recipes will be featured in a special post.

* Open to US and Canada residents only. Contest ends 12/31/09 and entries must be received by then.  Winner will be selected at my discretion by 1/15/10.  Open to FOODWINECHICKIE Twitter followers only.

Have a Penchant for Fabulous Food? Café Panache Delivers

Have a Penchant for Fabulous Food? Café Panache Delivers

Our party of four was greeted warmly upon arriving at this cozy, upscale restaurant and was seated at a table with great chairs.  Yes, I’m mentioning chairs as I believe restaurants often omit splurging on this important décor item.  The smallish space boasts a hip and wealthy crowd (can you say “Real Housewives of New Jersey”?).  Since Café Panache is a BYOB, we’d brought four wines to enjoy.

The first wine we opened was a terrific Prosceco – La Marca Di Conegliano Valdobbiadene.

Tuna Tartare

Tuna Tartare

The second wine we uncorked was a 2003 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon.  We drank it with our starters, which were outstanding: Tuna tartare with wilted seaweed on an avocado and wasabi puree, a wild mushroom and arugula salad with shaved parmesan and a pan-fried pulled pork cake.  The tuna was served in a very generous portion and was a great contrast to the wilted seaweed.  The intriguing pulled pork dish was simply great.  Pulled pork was formed into a patty then breaded and pan-fried to create a crispy exterior.  The huge parmesan shavings on the wild mushroom salad were delectable.

The third bottle we enjoyed was a 2004 The Dead Arm Shiraz and it was served with our entrees: A perfectly-seared loin of venison, braised short ribs with dark beer and black molasses, a stellar mustard seed-crusted and sautéed calves liver, and a special of the evening, a crispy John Dory on a bed of wonderfully al dente farro.  Braising the short ribs in beer and molasses is a great way to prepare this popular dish – nice twist by Chef Kevin Kohler.  The star of the evening was the sautéed calves liver.  This dish was

Short Ribs

Short Ribs

simply divine.  Perfectly cooked to ensure its tenderness, and full of peppery flavor.

Our final wine was a 2003 La Chapelle de Calon and we drank it with our desserts: a cheese plate with solid options, a white chocolate mousse and a crème brulée.  The mousse and the crème brulée were standard and okay.

I made a reservation well in advance for this popular restaurant and had very limited options, so plan ahead if you want to dine at Café Panache on a weekend night.  The restaurant occupies what was formerly a Long John Silver’s, but you’d never guess it by the beautiful décor and warm atmosphere.  If you haven’t dined at this restaurant, definitely put it on your radar for special occasions.

130 East Main Street
Ramsey, New Jersey
(201) 934-0030

2003 La Chapelle de Calon Saint-Estephe

Really enjoyed this wine.  It’s a good example of a Saint-Estephe Bordeaux, especially for a second wine.  Bold berry flavors and a super smooth finish that’s completely satisfying, particularly at about $25.

La Marca Di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco

La Marca Prosecco

La Marca Prosecco

The pale yellow Prosecco is a great find and a smart buy at around $12.

The La Marca Di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco is light, crisp and offers a pleasant dry finish that’s citrusy and fresh.

This sparkling wine is affordable enough for any occasion, but could easily be featured at special events.

90 Points – Wine Spectator

2003 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon – Alexander Valley

Silver Oak Cabernet

Silver Oak Cabernet

This dark ruby wine is a big mouthful of ripe berries with woody herb nuances.  It offers soft-ish, refined tannins but, if I must be critical, an understated finish.  Somewhat pricey at around $80, but an overall very good wine.

Will Make Suicidal Drive for Food and Wine

Tonight, my party and I have dinner plans at Cafe Panache, about an hour away in Bergen County, and I’m going to fight the snow blizzard to get there just so I can uncork the 2 wines I purchased for the evening.  Crazy?  Only if the food turns out badly of if my wine is corked.  After all, 5-6 inches have already fallen in the last 3 hours.  How much worse could it get?

Can't-Miss Offer from Cult Vines

2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon

A while back I wrote about CultVinesCabernet and Roussanne and they just sent me a very neat offer that I thought I’d pass on:

“Send some Holiday Cheer and receive Gary Vaynerchuck’s Book, “Crush It” for free!

Well folks, it’s that time of the year again, but this year we’ve got great news! After two long years in french oak, our 100% To Kalon Cabernet has been released and boy does it taste fantastic! We’ve already received rave reviews, such as this one. http://corkd.com/x1NBzS3 Cork’d | Wine Reviews for 2007 Cult Vines Cabernet Sauvignon (94 points)

Anyway, for the month of December, we’re celebrating by offering two promos. For every order of our white or red, we’ll throw in Gary’s new book “Crush It”. Its’ a great read and inspirational for anyone looking to have a great 2010. And, if you order at least 6 bottles, use coupon code promo30 and we’ll give you an additional 30% off our wine!”

I’m in!

Suggestions for a Neat Night in the West Village

Last Saturday night, seven of us went to the West Village to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday.  We wanted an affordable dinner, then to visit a few bars as a group.  Yes, we’re drinkers.  No, we can’t/don’t want to drink like we’re still 20 years old.  We wanted to go to places that could accommodate seven of us to a decent level of comfort while still being fun.  Here are the places we visited that I know some of you looking for a great night out with friends would also enjoy:

Agave

Agave

Agave: 140 7th Avenue South (Charles & 10th Streets.):  This casual, buzzing southwestern restaurant offers creative Mexican food that is straight-forward enough for your entire party to enjoy.  Agave, as the name suggests, offers a great variety of margaritas, including the tasty prickly pear margarita that a couple of us loved.  Winning appetizers are the freshly made guacamole, the blue crab chipotle spinach dip and the pork carnitas.  Some of the entrees we opted for are the skirt steak and mushroom quesadillas, the squash blossom tacos, the slow braised beef enchiladas and the Santa Fe Sheppard’s pie.  Overall, the food is good, the space is inviting and the crowd is varied and fun (tequila helps).

Riviera Café & Sports Bar:  225 W. 4th Street (at 7th Avenue South):  Sport bar with tons of TVs and perfect to catch a game…ANY game…ALL games.  Fun wait staff, cold beer and not over-crowded.  Good spot to end the evening.

Downtown Galway Hooker: 133 7th Avenue South (7th avenue at Charles Street):  Can you say “FUN”!?  Irish bar, fun atmosphere, youngish crowd (mid-20s – late 30s), great to catch a Fighting Irish game on a Saturday night.

Galloway Hooker

Galloway Hooker

There are tons of fun places to go to in the West Village, and the above are solid choices for your next night out in Manhattan.  Cheers!

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant – Irish Food Revisited

I recently attended the Executive Girlfriends Group’s  annual meeting in Orlando at beautiful Omni Champions Gate Resort.  While the event was a great networking opportunity, one of the highlights was the fantastic dinner that Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon of Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant personally prepared for our group.

When we were informed that our group dinner would be at an Irish restaurant in Disney’s Pleasure Island, I was skeptical of the meal we’d be sharing, but was I pleasantly surprised by the restaurant, the staff and the food.

First, the pub is neat!  There’s a large bar area with a multitude of beers on tap with a great vibe about it.  The restaurant is expansive and features several semi-private areas, one of which our group occupied on our visit.

As the custom menu was presented to us, I still wasn’t sold on the idea that Irish food could be elevated to a level beyond stew and sheppard’s pie.  Boy was I in for a treat!  The four-course menu featured creative options that had me intrigued.

Raglan Scallops

Raglan Scallops

For the first course, we could opt for either a seared scallop on pea puree with a smoked salmon salad with crème fraîche or a heritage tomato salad with shallots and balsamic glaze.  I adore scallops so chose that option.  The scallops were perfectly seared, I wasn’t happy with the pea puree as there wasn’t a whole bowl of it for me to devour and the smoked salmon was perfectly fresh and flavorful.  My peers who had the tomato salad were also very pleased.

Raglan Risotto

Raglan Risotto

The second course was a velvety butternut squash and cinnamon soup which was wonderful.  For the entrée course, we were offered a choice of duck, risotto or turbot.  The duck course consisted of a breast and confit of duck in a lentil and spring onion bulb stew.  The risotto featured wild mushrooms and asparagus with parmesan shavings, and was the entrée I opted for.  I love risotto, and this version was perhaps the best I’ve ever had. It was perfectly creamy with a bit of a bite and was loaded with mushrooms and huge shavings.  The chef personally recommended the turbot and many guests tried an enjoyed it very much.  It was served with a wild rosemary and saffron sauce, so not sure how you could go wrong!

The desserts consisted of a chocolate fondant with stout ice cream (to die for) and a baked pear and almond tart with vanilla pod ice cream.

If you’re near Orlando or have an opportunity to be in town, be sure to put Raglan Road on your list of must-try restaurants.  I’m a convert and now can appreciate how modern, fresh and perfect Irish food can be…or at least Chef Kevin Dundon’s Irish food.