These are 2 recipes presented in a page-a-day wine calendar currently in my kitchen, that I don't want to forget about.
Wine Lovers' Vinaigrette
Works well with dry whites: white Bordeaux, white Burgundy, and sauvigon blanc...
Whisk together one egg yolk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, one cup extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Drizzle over sweet greens such as butter lettuce, roasted root vegetables or grilled/sauteed fish.
Champagne Passion Fruit Vinaigrette
Drizzle over anything, but think luscious like avocado or lobster...
1 1/2 tbsp. passion fruit puree
1/3 cup champagne
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whisk first 4 ingredients and seasoning together in a bowl. Slowly add the oil while whisking. Makes one cup.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Philadelphia BYOB Interactive Map
Most people in the Philadelphia area are aware of the its reputation for top-notch BYOB restaurants. But besides reading a review, how do you find them? I came across this interactive Google map, which allows you to select an area of Philly and view related BYOB restaurants. Each BYOB is denoted with a wine bottle on the map - make a click to view the address, cuisine type, description, contact info and more.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Georges at the Cove, La Jolla, CA
Thanks to Dave - our esteemed Vice President of Client Services who has brilliant taste in wine and food - I had the most amazing food experience while in San Diego for work.
For our last night in San Diego, our group made its way to La Jolla for dinner at the Ocean Terrace, the rooftop dining room of Georges at the Cove. We arrived well before our reservation time so we made out way to the bar for drinks. What immediately struck me was the stunning view - after 2 days in San Diego the most I had seen of the water was the bay by our hotel. The pacific is just spectacular -- I don't know why it has such a stronger impact for me than the Atlantic, but it does. Perhaps it is the rich sunsets, or maybe the distance from home adds appeal, but it is a treat, always, to revisit the pacific.
We were able to be seated early and as the hostess showed us to our table, I couldn't help but cry out in delight - our table was flush against the edge of the roof, with nothing but the ocean to view in its full panoramic glory. We had dinner watching the sun set - what is more perfect?
Unforgettable food and wine, great company, engaging service -- this meal was awesome. Three of the five of us ordered the Herb Crusted Halibut on a bed of sweet corn and snow peas with a cherry tomato and basil salad. If I were more eloquent, I would be able to describe this halibut better - it was perfectly cooked, so moist it melted in your mouth. Perfectly seasoned, it was a dream. The corn, tomatoes and basil were the perfect reflection of summer - and again, so simple in taste but brilliantly paired.
We did have appetizers - fresh mussels and calamari, which were quite yummie, but my memory is dedicated to the halibut. Dave picked 2 luscious wines - a Stag's Head "Artemis" Cabernet Sauvignon and Flowers Pinot Noir.
Sadly, I had to catch a cab to the airport and missed out on dessert, but I can not wait to visit this restaurant again. Perhaps, you can never recapture the magic of your first taste of a new, and amazing, restaurant but in this case I am going to try.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
The Landing, New Hope, PA
After walking around Doylestown on Friday night, I was craving the simple experience of eating somewhere with a water view. Aaron mentioned a restaurant he knew in New Hope that had a terrace overlooking the Delaware River, and our plans for Saturday night began to materialize.
After the usual, somewhat difficult task of finding parking in New Hope, we arrived at the restaurant around 7:30pm. The terrace was large with a well-positioned bar that took advantage of the view. There was a 30 minute wait for a table so we made our way to the bar where some very friendly patrons opened up an area for us to take a seat. We requested a "water table", which are tables for two lining the railing directly overlooking the river. This request seemed nothing out of the ordinary to the hostess; in fact, we got the idea from someone else already in-line. Sitting at the bar, gazing over the river, we eyed up the "water tables" and were very pleased with ourselves and our decision to request one.
However, the perspective was slightly different once we were actually seated at the table. At eye level with the wood railing, I couldn't help but notice that they were covered in dirt and spider webs. Another thing we couldn't see or hear from the bar, was the river bank below the terrace. It was full of ducks and geese. It may sound cute, but a number of patrons were throwing food over the railing to the birds below which resulted in screaming, fighting, running and general pandemonium amongst the wildlife. While it was slightly amusing to watch the spider build its web and catch insects, it was not at all amusing to watch the river wildlife reduced to this ridiculous dance with the human species dining above them.
For our appetizers we ordered the Fried Calamari with cilantro-lime mayo and spicy tomato sauce for dipping, and the steamed mussels in corona with chorizo sausage, corn and cilantro. The calamari was over-cooked and the breading lacked any flavor and did not add anything to the dish. The two accompanying sauces were also lacking in seasoning and flavor. The spicy tomato sauce was bland, without any spicy nuisances to tease the palate. The cilantro-line mayo was slightly better, but still forgettable. The mussels were quite good and the chorizo sausage was a rewarding addition to the dish. The broth was a yummie combination of ocean flavors and crisp summer tones.
For our entrees, Aaron went with the Lobster Ravioli with shaved manchego cheese, while I selected the sauteed Atlantic Salmon with Chiptole Orange sauce. Aaron was quite pleased with the Ravioli but I thought the dish was too heavy on the sauce and the presentation looked more like a pasta soup than a refined dish of ravioli. The salmon was well-cooked but in this case the sauce was actually a glaze, and while good, was quite sweet and none of the spice of the chiptole came through. Overall, it did not quite meet my expectations, based on the menu description.
Would we go there again? Maybe. The nice thing about the Landing, is that the menu covers a wide-range of prices. While our entrees were 18.95 and 25.95 respectively, I think if we visited again, we would be better served to order a less substantial sandwich and sit away from the water so as not to have to experience the dirty railing, trash laden retaining wall and horde of degraded wildlife fighting for table scraps below. The Landing would be better served if they would take a broom to the railing before opening, clean the trash up from their retaining wall and encourage patrons to observe nature and its wildlife - not engage with it by inducing a feeding spectacle.
After the usual, somewhat difficult task of finding parking in New Hope, we arrived at the restaurant around 7:30pm. The terrace was large with a well-positioned bar that took advantage of the view. There was a 30 minute wait for a table so we made our way to the bar where some very friendly patrons opened up an area for us to take a seat. We requested a "water table", which are tables for two lining the railing directly overlooking the river. This request seemed nothing out of the ordinary to the hostess; in fact, we got the idea from someone else already in-line. Sitting at the bar, gazing over the river, we eyed up the "water tables" and were very pleased with ourselves and our decision to request one.
However, the perspective was slightly different once we were actually seated at the table. At eye level with the wood railing, I couldn't help but notice that they were covered in dirt and spider webs. Another thing we couldn't see or hear from the bar, was the river bank below the terrace. It was full of ducks and geese. It may sound cute, but a number of patrons were throwing food over the railing to the birds below which resulted in screaming, fighting, running and general pandemonium amongst the wildlife. While it was slightly amusing to watch the spider build its web and catch insects, it was not at all amusing to watch the river wildlife reduced to this ridiculous dance with the human species dining above them.
For our appetizers we ordered the Fried Calamari with cilantro-lime mayo and spicy tomato sauce for dipping, and the steamed mussels in corona with chorizo sausage, corn and cilantro. The calamari was over-cooked and the breading lacked any flavor and did not add anything to the dish. The two accompanying sauces were also lacking in seasoning and flavor. The spicy tomato sauce was bland, without any spicy nuisances to tease the palate. The cilantro-line mayo was slightly better, but still forgettable. The mussels were quite good and the chorizo sausage was a rewarding addition to the dish. The broth was a yummie combination of ocean flavors and crisp summer tones.
For our entrees, Aaron went with the Lobster Ravioli with shaved manchego cheese, while I selected the sauteed Atlantic Salmon with Chiptole Orange sauce. Aaron was quite pleased with the Ravioli but I thought the dish was too heavy on the sauce and the presentation looked more like a pasta soup than a refined dish of ravioli. The salmon was well-cooked but in this case the sauce was actually a glaze, and while good, was quite sweet and none of the spice of the chiptole came through. Overall, it did not quite meet my expectations, based on the menu description.
Would we go there again? Maybe. The nice thing about the Landing, is that the menu covers a wide-range of prices. While our entrees were 18.95 and 25.95 respectively, I think if we visited again, we would be better served to order a less substantial sandwich and sit away from the water so as not to have to experience the dirty railing, trash laden retaining wall and horde of degraded wildlife fighting for table scraps below. The Landing would be better served if they would take a broom to the railing before opening, clean the trash up from their retaining wall and encourage patrons to observe nature and its wildlife - not engage with it by inducing a feeding spectacle.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Kid A in Italy
The theme of this trip to Italy was Radiohead, believe it or not. It was the summer of 2000 and Radiohead was doing a boutique tour of Europe to test new music - the album, when it was released, was titled Kid A. The venues Radiohead selected were either small and/or unusual. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to plan a trip to Italy around them. It was brilliant - my favorite band and my favorite country.
Barcelona, Spain
My friend Heath and I flew into Barcelona and saw them perform at the Teatro Trivoli - a beautiful old formal theater with plush velvet seating and box seats. The show was insane. After taking a boat from Spain to Genova, Italy... we made our way by train to Florence. Here, Radiohead selected the Piazza Santa Croce for their musical serenade. The stage backed the spectacular marble facade of the Santa Croce Cathedral and it was quite surreal...people hanging out of every window of every building surrounding the plaza, a gorgeous starry night - complete with shooting star; and the air that cloaked you with its depths of history.
Heath and I left Radiohead to their tour and continued without them to the Amalfi coast and then Rome. This particular set of pictures was taken with an old Miranda camera from the 60s. Manual SLR, I have no idea how long I held the shutter open to get this shot. The blur is because I had no tripod, but I personally love the way they turned out. The levels and saturation have since been adjusted in Photoshop as well.
Barcelona, Spain
My friend Heath and I flew into Barcelona and saw them perform at the Teatro Trivoli - a beautiful old formal theater with plush velvet seating and box seats. The show was insane. After taking a boat from Spain to Genova, Italy... we made our way by train to Florence. Here, Radiohead selected the Piazza Santa Croce for their musical serenade. The stage backed the spectacular marble facade of the Santa Croce Cathedral and it was quite surreal...people hanging out of every window of every building surrounding the plaza, a gorgeous starry night - complete with shooting star; and the air that cloaked you with its depths of history.
Heath and I left Radiohead to their tour and continued without them to the Amalfi coast and then Rome. This particular set of pictures was taken with an old Miranda camera from the 60s. Manual SLR, I have no idea how long I held the shutter open to get this shot. The blur is because I had no tripod, but I personally love the way they turned out. The levels and saturation have since been adjusted in Photoshop as well.
Skyspace
James Turrell, "Light Reign"
Henry Art Gallery
Seattle, WA
Peter Plagens says this, "The hole opens directly to the sky, and the room is positioned in such a way that celestial and meteorological events are crisply framed by the beveled opening. You sit down and look up, and the sky seems to descend to where you can almost touch it. The experience is reminiscent of the final scenes in the movie "Contact" -- only better, because it's real."
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Before I saw the PBS documentary on Plitvice National Park, I never would have considered traveling to Croatia. Now, it is at the top of my list. The exquisite color of the water comes from various different minerals in the water and is said to change on a daily basis, depending on a number of geological and sunlight factors. The lakes of Plitvice are terraced and waterfalls cascade from one into another. Due to a range of altitudes the park features both Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. The PBS Nature episode is well worth watching.
I have since read a number of articles citing Croatia as the next destination trend. The coastal areas are said to be both beautiful and affordable.
I have since read a number of articles citing Croatia as the next destination trend. The coastal areas are said to be both beautiful and affordable.
Andalucia, Spain - Hoopoe Yurt Hotel
The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel
How enticing is the idea of a deluxe, yet affordable, eco-friendly vacation in southern Spain...Each yurt sets on an acre of land complete with an outdoor sitting area, and solar powered private baths - as the website points out, there is no need to for-go any modern luxuries when you want to get more intimate with the Spanish countryside.
What is a yurt?
Contributors on Wikipedia say this; " A yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia."
My First Blog Entry
How many people have written a blog entry with that exact same title? This is my test entry. I'm not sure what I want to write about in this blog, but I would like a place to organize all the must-sees and must-dos in my life, and this may be the place to do it. We'll see...
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