Food and Wine Blog

Submitted by The Cheap Gourmet

The purpose of pairing wine with food is to compliment and enhance the aroma and flavor of both the food and wine. In the past, the general rule of thumb was to pair red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. Today, wine pairing is based on the components and flavors of the food being served.

There are a few basic guidelines to follow when pairing wine with food. First, pair the flavor of the wine with the flavor of the food being served. Pair delicate wines with delicate flavors, medium-bodied wines with medium to slightly intense flavors, and heavy-bodied wines with strongly flavored foods.

To make wine more compatible with foods, pair wines that imitate the flavor of the sauce. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot and Zinfandel pair well with tomato-based sauces. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon pair well with herb and mint sauces. Pinot Noir pairs well with mushroom sauces and Chardonnay pairs well with butter and cream sauces.

When serving wine with food, look for wines which are low in acidity as this will prevent the wine from overpowering the taste of the food. One way to mask the acidity is to serve red wine at a slightly cooler temperature and white wine at a slightly warmer temperature.

Sparkling wines are not typically served with food and reserved for consumption prior to or after the meal. Sweet wines are generally served with desserts.

The most common white and rose wine varietals include: White Zinfandel, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Fumé Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay.

The most common red wine varietals include: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel.

Perhaps the best method for pairing wine and food is to use your own palate. Experiment with different combinations to discover what makes a perfect pairing for you.

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes & Memories

Autumn is coming..and things are falling from trees.

CONKERS to you! I thought a handful would be a
nice partner for the photo shoot( sounds good that…). However..too cool to eat and drink out there.
My wife prepared some top-end mince meat…
with a red wine sauce and some fresh mushrooms.
Dual coloured Pasta..and a soft wine was needed.

Gnägy Schweigener Sonnenberg
Spätburgunder ‘S’ 2004
Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Two tasting notes..the wine needed airing.
Tasting Note 1 (after 20 Minutes)
Medium deep, no pale Pinot colour here; nose showing elegance but reserved, concentrated, burnt aroma..nothing more; the palate more forthcoming..juicy cherry fruit, soft tannins..not as ‘thick’ as many Pinots.
Points 16
Tasting Note 2 (after one hour)
Nose had opened..showing sweet fruit and the flavour had filled out, good mouthful..a quite complex wine for this price range (13.5 Euros)
Points 17

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes & Memories

I was contacted by the local paper a few months ago. They were starting a series ‘Valuable Collections’. They had found me through a wine merchant. A meeting (in my cellar) was arranged.
A young lady arrived (at my age they are all young) and a photographer. She paid attention (Chateau Lafite could have been a sweet white wine to her) and as the article has no real mistakes..she did a pretty good job. It appeared Saturday 15th September in the newspaper. I only knew about it when a couple of people in the town made some remarks (Hello Film Star!)
The general translation tells of how I came to be a wine lover. After coming to Germany in 1975 I wanted to learn the language ( and some money ) so I started to sell wine. I knew NOTHING about it! Liebfrauenmilch was all I had ever drunk in England. I learned quickly.. and spent $$$ (actually..all my pocket money.. as I was working in the company by now) drinking some really bad wines. One day I drank a Bordeaux, Chateau Smith-Haut-Lafite 1973

and gave it 17 points. Things got better…….Over the next 20 years I drank, tasted, sipped all sorts and wrote notes. The labels were removed..which meant the bath tub often had 10 bottles swimming in it to remov the **** things.
All were pasted in my ‘Tasting Books’…scrap books which now have pride of place in my cellar. Some wonderful memories there. Mid 90’s I decided I had paid my dues.. I was just gonna drink the stuff. I did notes if I was asked to..but never kept a record.
Then blogging came along.. which inspired me to start to record my drinking habit again. With all the modern softwear..no need to use the bathroom. One wine I had mentioned in the interview was the Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947. I mentioned I had paid about Euros 150 for it (was not mentioned in the article )..all that was stated was the rough estimate at time of drinking..about Euros 2000,– I guess that sells papers….and sounds more interesting.

Another wine mentioned was the Chateau Leoville Barton 1871 which was the oldest I had drunk. The article states 400 bottles in my cellar…not quite that much.. and I guess most readers think they are all hundreds of dollars in price. Not so..maks for better reading.
One funny postscript..during the morning that the article appeared..I got a phone call.
‘Hello, I saw in the papers you are a wine lover..I have found a wine in my cellar.. 1961 Vintage.. I wanted to ask you if it is still OK’…..my heart skipped a beat..“Long lost Bordeaux found and shared with Barry Fowden“..this would be a great story for the blog. ‘Is it a Bordeaux?’ I asked..’ is it red?’ I continued. ‘No’ came the reply ‘it is a German White!!’ My suggestion was he phoned again with the exact details..but unless it was a Trockenbeerauslese..he should not build up any hopes. Maybe I should start a hotline for amateur drinkers..you sit in a restaurant..the sommelier is scaring you..so you phone the hotline…start of a career to help finance my hobby maybe.. I doubt it.

Below the scanned article..or you can find the internet version HERE

Submitted by The Cheap Gourmet

Did you catch last night’s episodes of Discovery Health’s “Just Cook This”? The first episode was Mexican Food Day and he created a super simple Fresh Mango Taco that I am dying to try. Yum! Sam, the star of Just Cook This, took a flour tortilla and spread a small amount of butter on both sides, then sprinkled them with a sugar/cinnamon combo.

Next, he heated them in a skillet until they were slightly crisp around the edges. Once they were heated, he added a few tablespoons of vanilla ice cream, fresh mango, and freshly-squeezed lemon juice, then topped with honey. Finally, he sprinkled powdered sugar on the top.

I don’t know about you, but I’m salivating just thinking about it! You can grab the recipe for this decadent dessert at Discovery Health - Fresh Mango Tacos.

The second episode was Fresh Vegetables and Sam made up three tasty-looking dishes. One was for Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese. I’m not all that fond of goat cheese, so I’d probably switch to a pungent bleu cheese or maybe even a fresh parmesan. He also whipped up a Grilled Vegetable Sandwich that I will definitely be trying in the not-to-distant future.

As far as the show goes, overall it’s pretty good and definitely entertaining. Sam is rather quirky, but in a good way. I like the way the show includes humor and reality. He isn’t allowed to show food labels and always makes a big deal out of covering them up. Sometimes his dogs walk into the kitchen and the cameraman temporarily focuses on them. His kids come in and eat the food. Kinda makes you feel like you’re hanging out with a friend.

The recipes he shares look really good and are easy to make. He offer some great tips and uses every day things for kitchen gadgets. For instance, in last week’s episode he made Mediterranean Chicken Wraps. He placed the chicken in a plastic zip top bag and added some olive oil, spices, and lemon juice. Then he used the bottle of olive oil to flatten out the chicken breast. Good idea!

I made the chicken breasts last night and used the technique. It worked really well. Much better than beating them with a hammer And yes, I do know there are meat mallets out there, I just haven’t taken the time to go buy one. Now, I don’t need to as the bottle of olive oil has come to the rescue!

If you haven’t already done so, check out Just Cook This on Discovery Health. It airs every Thursday evening at 8 PM EST. For more information about the show, click here to visit Just Cook This website.

Submitted by Barry’s Wine Notes & Memories

Divus 2003 Bodegas Bleda
Jumilla, Spain
5% Merlot in the mix..which is what Merlot came into this world for..and in this case..is the perfect foil for the tannic Monastrell (95%). Perfect hand-selected grapes from 30-year old vines..they spend 18 months in new French oak barrels. OK…so how is it after all this care…
PURPLE!!…deep..you’ll scare the baby if you smile after drinking this; animal aromas, meaty, dry port, chocolate and a whiff of the alcohol(14%); softish opening..then the tannins hit you..plenty to chew here….but as is the case..the second glass is easier..your palate has adapted and the air is helping, sweet fruit trying to emerge from the power tannins, good finish.
Points 17…..bound to earn more in the future…try decanting it for 12 hours.

Submitted by THE WINE SCHOOL OF PHILADELPHIA

Filed Under Wine Tasting Sheets

Coast to Coast
Terradora DiPaolo Falanghina “Irpina”,DOC, 2003 Campania

Botromagno Gravina, DOC, 2005 Puglia

Mainland and Island
Roagna Dolcetto d’Alba, DOC, 2005 Piemonte

Argiolas “Costiera”, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT, 2004 Sardegna

Bella Toscana
Villa Torrigiani Sangiovese di Toscana, IGT, 2004

Altesino “Rosso di Altesino”, IGT, 2004

Mountains and Valleys
Allegrini “La Grola”, Veronese IGT, 2001 Veneto

Di Majo Norante Aglianico “Contado”, DOC, 2002 Molise

Submitted by Mr. Michael Vass

If you are dining in the United States, be happy when the check comes. Even if you are in New York City. You might wonder why? It’s not because of the food, which can be worth every dime spent on the meal. It’s because you could be paying the prices of London for your meal.

The published price of a meal in London for just one person, accompanied with one drink, is now $79.44. That’s a hefty price and makes meals in Manhattan pale by comparison. The average meals in NYC are a mere $28.75, and across most of the rest of the nation far lower.

Mind you that London is not more expensive due to finer cuisine, but because the cost-of-living in London is so high. As often as NYC is noted as being very expensive (and compared to middle of America there is no question it is) hearing numbers like this makes me feel as if I’m getting a discount. You would almost feel as if dining in NYC is more like going to a fast food restaurant than fine dining, when comparing prices. It also explains why a New Yorker goes out to eat 3.4 times a week.

Those dining in New York can also take one other caveat along with this news. Tim Zagat, co-founder of the Zagat Guide started in 1979, ranks the city as his favorite city for dining. Considering his ambit and international travels, I think it makes a nice statement. Plus the extra cash you save will pay for the cab ride home.

I was in a wine store the other day and I heard the resident wine expert telling a novice wine drinker that Blackstone Merlot is a great buy. I agree. In fact, it’s probably the best buy in the $12 and under per bottle category.

This Merlot is splashed with ripe fruit flavors topped off with supple oak flavors and soft tannins. Most describe a creamy texture that goes well with most red meats in addition to salmon, slow roasted herb chicken and of course, my favorite, red sauced pastas with a dash of red meat.

Blackstone Merlot. Still a great buy for a wonderful wine.

Submitted by Michael Vass, a contributing author.

Here’s a bit of news that I recently ran across. It seems that September is a great month to be in New York City if you are looking for a new flavor to tempt your palette. No less than 8 new restaurants will be opening up in just this month alone.

Each of the restaurants will offer very different tastes to keep you going. There are the flavors of the island of my heritage, Puerto Rico, being presented by Carmen Gonzalez at Lucy of Gramercy and Vietnamese rice-noodles prepared by Thao Nguyen and her husband Michael Bao Huynh at BŪN [pronounced boon]. Don’t forget the first, to my knowledge, steak house on the upper east side from Tony Fortuna called T Bar Steak & Lounge or Jason Swami’s Latin inspired Cantina.

There are many more but one thing is sure, they are all a great reason to spend some time seeing what’s new in the city. I’ll let you know more when I visit some of these restaurants.

Although the lighting was a bit dark until your shocked pupils are able to adjust, I knew I was in the right place when the bartender blended one of the better chocolate martinis I ever had. The drink filled 1 1/2 martini glasses which is quite rare as you native New Yorkers know. Having arrived a bit early to meet my guest, I sat at the bar and sipped on the Martini. Great selection of high-end vodkas complemented a well stocked bar which would also satisfy the sophisticated scotch drinkers I know.

There was some trendy, hip music playing on the sound system which was quite faint in the dining area but easily heard in the bar area. The staff was young and hip and it seemed to me that the place was targeting a younger crowd. But the walls filled with pictures, many circa 1930,s, 40’s and 50’s clearly told me that smart business planned the place. Ahhhh, the food!

I started the evening with a complementary watermelon drink from the chef which I politely declined. I was there to eat. You know, a man at a man’s steak house. Rah ta touey to watermelon drinks.

My first course was the clams casino which were plump (as far as clams casino go) and they were cooked to perfection. The presentation was simple and yet elegant which is rare for a steakhouse. The one thing that I noticed is that the bacon seemed like it was extra salt bacon. As the night went on, I concluded the chef loves salt but salt can’t really hurt you, especially when your bigger worry is a big old slab of steak. Overall, the clams casino was excellent.

My guest had the Lobster Bisque and the portion was healthy and as he said, the bisque was excellent.

Next, I had the filet mignon and it was cooked to perfection. I later found out that they do a quick olive oil rub with a sprinkle of pepper and salt. Even though I’ve had better cuts of meat at some of the plentiful rivals in NYC, the meat was grilled to perfection.

My guest also had a filet and he agreed although he remarked that the meat was a bit salty. See, what did I tell you.

I was a little disappointed with the wine list. I would say that the selection was limited and was geared to bigger wallets. The least expensive merlot was $50.

Now the dessert. I ordered dessert for one and got dessert for nine. This topped off a great evening. I would recommend this place to everyone. Even though I’ve had better cuts of meat, the meal was cooked really well and the service was great.

High marks for the Strip House in New York

There’s no lap dances at this Strip House. The Strip House in New York comes highly recommended by some of the most discriminating fine diners I know East of the Mississippi. I have a 6:00 dinner meeting there tonight and plan on trying many things so I could review this establishment for everyone in the New York area. ……….. Stay tuned.

Submitted by Mr. Michael Vass, a contributing author.

Fine dining has always been a great experience. It’s been a kind of elegance reserved for one of the primal needs of all people. It’s more than just feeling the need for food to sate hunger, it’s an activity shared with friends and family, and occasionally business associates. For me it’s similar to something that Senior Drill Instructor Sergeant Williams once told me, “Drill is like walking. But formally.”

That experience of fine dining is not a new thing. In ways the experience can be compared to dining with the King in medieval courts. But in a 21st-century it seems that things are changing. A trend has appeared and seems to be taking hold that might surprise you in some of the newer restaurants across the nation, and particularly in New York City.

From paper mats, at the BLT Market - found in the Ritz Carlton Hotel, to diners dressed in overpriced jeans, and the introduction of burgers to the menu formality has become a thing of the past. I’m sure some of the younger readers may find this to be a wonderful trend, I generally don’t. I expect a little bit more. Especially when it’s considered that the price of the meals have not gone down.

I have never considered a hamburger, no matter what it is comprised of, to be part of fine dining. It is a vital component of fast food, but not fine dining. In my opinion going out to a restaurant to order a burger and spend two or $300 is not only a waste of money, but also a misunderstanding of what fine dining is. Much like jeans, regardless of the name or price, are still just jeans, a burger is just that. McDonald’s covers that dining experience very well across the world for roughly half a century. I would expect more from fine dining than competing with fast food chain.

This is my opinion, obviously several great chefs, and elegant restaurants feel I am incorrect. It would seem that only time and the potential patrons in New York City will determine if I am correct.

What do you consider fine dining? How much would you pay to be served a burger? I’d really like to hear what you think.