Category Archives: Dining

Sometimes fine, other times not so fine but always appreciated!

Steak, Salad, Sprouts, Wine, Whiskey and Kill Bill

Steak – I grip the knife tightly and pull it across the meat in anticipation. A slice falls to the plate with a trickle of warm blood. It does not stay there for long before my teeth are tearing at this piece of prime, corn fed, midwestern angus beef tenderloin. Grilled to perfection by a fellow G-Boy with a salt and pepper rub. It’s supper time!

 

Wiggle your big toe. – the Bride (from Kill Bill)

Wine – Grabbing the glass by the stem and taking a moment to note the aroma, I follow the slice of steak with a swallow of Brancaia Tre (a blend of three varietals; Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet). Bottled in 2007, this wine is a 93 point top 10 selection for 2009 by Wine Spectator. A silly grin creeps across my face, I can tell that this meal is going to be good. Very good.

It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I’m sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it comin’. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting.
– the Bride (another from Kill Bill)

Salad – Normally, that is all that needs to be said on the subject of leafy greens. It’s not meat. I prefer to dine efficiently. The steer grazed on the salad, so I go straight to the beef and get my greens that way. Efficient. But this was a spinach salad covered in a warm bacon dressing. You read that right, bacon. “More please…”

Funny. You like samurai swords, I like baseball.
- Hattori Hanzo (yet another from… you get the idea)

Sprouts – As in brussels sprouts. You know, the tiny little “I want to be a cabbage when I grow up” kind of brussels sprouts. Sauteed in chicken broth, thyme, basil and bacon. Yes, more bacon. Can there be too much bacon in your meal? No. Sprouts covered with Panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese that have been placed in the oven and toasted until they are golden brown. I have never tasted anything like these sprouts! I may have to reconsider my efficiency paradigm.

Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with samurai swords. – O-Ren Ishii

The evening started informally with beer. Cold beer and bruschetta. Delicious. Red wine with the meal. The second bottle was a 91 point Malbec from Argentina, a 2006 Pascual Toso. The wine selections went perfectly with the meal.

I am gonna ask you questions. And every time you don’t give me answers, I’m gonna cut something off. And I promise you, they will be things you will miss.
– the Bride

Coffee and water to awaken the spirit and prepare us for what was to come. We set up the Keurig coffee brewer while we digested the meal. The coffee was good as there was a nip in the air on this winter evening. It is important to stay hydrated with water too, in order to truly appreciate the drinks consumed and the drinks about to be consumed.

From here you can get an excellent view of my foot. – Pai Mei

Kill Bill Vol. 1 – After dinner we adjourned to the media room for back-to-back screenings of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill; The Bride wakes up after a long coma. The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her – a team she was once part of.

Whiskey – A glass with two fingers, or so, of Maker’s Mark 46 hand crafted Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey over ice. This bourbon is special. An aged, 94 proof whiskey with toasty oak, vanilla and carmel flavors that goes down smooth and soft. 46 inspires poetry and song, but that’s another post.

Kill Bill Vol. 2 – The murderous Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill, and his two remaining associates; his younger brother Budd, and Bill’s latest flame Elle.

Whisky – A glass of Balvenie Doublewood 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (yes, they spell ‘whisky’ differently in Scotland). Aged in whisky oak and sherry oak barrels for a unique taste and aroma with a long warm finish. A GB favorite!

Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey. – Budd

What a night this turned out to be! Dinner and cinema. Quinten Tarantino’s Kill Bill is over the top, visually stunning, bloody, quirky and a lot of fun. Babes with swords and attitude. Good food, drink and conversation with friends. Gluttonous enjoyment. We need to do this again.

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down…

2007 Brancaia Tre Buy another bottle (or two) 2006 Pascual Toso Malbec Buy another bottle (or two)  Gluttonous fare, truly

Goodbye Norma Jean

This is no Marilyn Merlot, but sometimes you yearn to be young, vibrant and fruity again. Embrace her firmly yet respectfully. Close your eyes and let the mind envision the moment and amplify the senses. Savor her scent. Let the feeling linger as you open your lips and taste. Enjoy the moment as it is fleeting. The bottle is empty.

Goodbye, Norma Jean.

Beer At the End of the Prairie

At the edge of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains in Northern New Mexico, one can get an appreciation for the vast nothingness that expands from the mountain foothills to the East. You can drive for miles and not see another vehicle. You can see plenty of deer, bison, antelope and cattle, though.

After spending some time exploring such a vast and open frontier, one naturally becomes parched. Thoughts turn to sustenance. Food and drink permeate the psyche, and by food and drink I mean pizza and beer, of course. And by beer I mean cold beer. As a matter of fact, there is a place east of Cimarron, New Mexico on the road to Colorado where U.S. highway 64 meets N.M. 505. Right there is Cold Beer.

I mean it. Once the wheels of the rental car had skidded to a halt and the dust from the parking lot cleared, there stood Cold Beer, New Mexico. The establishment was rather unremarkable, yet visitors are greeted with an icy stare that conveys the “you ain’t from these parts” acknowledgement.

While the barmaid rattled off an impressive list of brew on draft, one caught my fancy. Stella Artois. I was amazed that a beer from Belgium could be enjoyed ice cold in the middle of northern New Mexico. With a foamy moustache and a smile on my face, I ordered a pizza. Then I asked where I could wash up and was told that the facilities were located past the billiard table. Note that I managed to find the men’s room, opposite the wash room labeled “No Men“.

Alas, the pizza that was served at our table was less than bistro quality (more like Costco quality). But who cares? The beer was very cold and tasty. Indeed!

They don't call it "Butt Wiser" for nuttin'!

So Much Food and Drink, So Little Time

Every so often, someone has a party. There are many occasions for celebration, but on this night it was an open house potluck hosted by friends that had built their dream home.

We arrived bearing green chili and cheese enchiladas, that my wife had made, and a chilled bitch of a wine, but I was not quite ready for what was on display in the kitchen. Food. So much food of all types and tastes that the strain on my shirt buttons increased as a reflex. And liquor! There was so much imported beer, wine, and other spirits that a tear of joy welled up in my eye.

As wonderful as this was, the host came by our table with a bottle of Don Julio Anejo Tequila. We gathered around him like refugees at a Red Cross truck bearing sacks of rice. Then he LEFT THE BOTTLE ON THE TABLE.  I KNOW!!

I don’t recall much after that, apart from the beautiful home with a media room that reproduced frequencies so low that I’m sure I’m now sterile. I did chat with several interesting people as I went to and fro tasting this and drinking that. It was a gluttonously good evening.

Weekends and Wine

Out there, somewhere is a bottle of wine that will complete a great meal. To eat, perchance to drink, ay there’s the rub; the gluttonous means are constrained to “around” $15 a bottle or less in my household.

Consequently the premise is now questionable. Can a great meal be attained at this price point for wine? I would wager a “yes”, considering that the word “great” is somewhat subjective.

I begin my quest armed with information obtained from various sources like articles from acclaimed publications, such as Wine Spectator or the Wine Advocate. Results from wine competitions held annually in San Francisco or the California State Fair have been noted. The expertise of renowned wine critics such as Robert Parker and the ubiquitous ratings in the upper 80s to low 90s guide my selections.

However, reality is more like information gleaned from ad flyers for Total Wine, Bevmo, World Market and Safeway. Signs that hangs over a pallet of wine at Costco can display claims of a 90-point Wine Advocate rating and a price of $7.97 per bottle. I am drawn to these wines like a moth to a porch light. Such bottles are placed tenderly in the shopping basket with a smile. Fairs that have been attended in the past, like the Southern New Mexico Harvest Wine Festival and Taco fiesta, tend to recall memories of a reddish wine-like drink and booths of food-on-a-stick (something yet to be achieved when it comes to tacos, I might add).

The weekend has arrived. Kabobs are sizzling on the grill. A rice or pasta dish, salad and some good bread complete the dinner. I reach for the handle on the wine fridge and grab that bottle. The wine I selected that will turn this good meal into a great one. I extract the cork with a pop and pour it into a decanter to let it “breathe” for 40 minutes or so.

With the meal served and glasses poured, we dig in and taste the wine. My wife is usually the first to ask me where this bottle of vinegar comes from and how much did I pay for it? “But what do you mean? It’s an 88 point Cab from an appellation in Chile, and only $6.59 at World Market!” I state emphatically. She remarks about the clean and crisp taste of her chilled and filtered Arizona tap water, as she slides her wine glass toward me. With a sigh, I realize that she is right. This wine is not good. Where did I go wrong?

I would be remiss if I did not mention that my wife’s favorite wine is 35 bucks a bottle. But she has had an acceptable response to a few others in the $15 to $20 range. Had I known that there was a less renowned wine critic in my own home…

We had a very good Pinot Noir by Patz and Hall a few weekends ago. That bottle was remarkably good in fact. It was given to me as a gift. Sometimes the best bottles are free! All of us at dinner agreed that it was very good. I saw it on sale at AJ’s Fine Foods for $30. My wife stated that she’s a $30 per bottle girl, in a rather matter-of-fact tone.

The Pinot Noir was poured as we ate take-out from Postino Winecafe in Phoenix. We had salads, bruschetta and some other goodies that together with this wine made the meal great and memorable!

I agree that your chances of getting a good wine improve as you go up in price, but all in all, there have only been a handful of vinegar bottles and a handful of really good “value” wines in the last few years. Most were good and a few were great. Those great wines were at least $20 a bottle, I recall. Perhaps my premise should be updated with an increase in my dollar per bottle threshold and a decrease in my purchasing frequency (to appease the less renowned live-in wine critic/accountant).

So what’s on sale this week?

Patz & Hall 2007 Pinot Noir Tasting Sheet - Results Dave Tasting Sheet - Results Liz Tasting Sheet - Results AbbeyBuy another bottle (or two) Postino Winecafe Gluttonous fare, truly