Now on the other side of this storm we are in a lull before Sunday’s rain storm hits. Before then the weather should be pretty nice for January. The longer range forecast calls for average temperatures starting the middle of next week (highs in the 4…
Last night I sat down at the wine bar with my good friend Kellie to have dinner. This is always a risky proposition because the unspoken rule when you own/run a restaurant is if you are on the premises and needed, you are working. However I really wanted to eat the menu for restaurant week. Kyle had been working on it diligently and I had sampled enough of his trials that I knew it was going to be really good. So I took a chance, picked out a bottle for us to share and sat down.
It is always a challenge to pick out one wine to go with several courses, and mostly nearly impossible. However I had just tasted this new Spanish wine that had really impressed me and thought it’s weight just might do the trick, even with the beef.
Ovo is a new import to the US and the kind of wine only a small, devoted wine shop can sell. It is a varietal not too many people have heard of (Albarino), from a relatively unknown region (Rias Baixas), that retails for $30 ($45 in the wine bar). Not exactly a slam dunk in the world of wine sales, but I had to bring it in even if I was the only one drinking it. Albarinos tend to be very fresh, clean wines with a zippy backbone and lovely orchard fruit aromas. This one is left on the lees in open cement containers for 6 months to become this rich, mellow white with flavors of pear, almond, orange peel and candied citrus. It is bone dry and unusual in the best possible way.
I am happy to report it went perfectly with all three first courses and stood its ground with the truffle-butter tenderloin very well. What this proves is that the rules of wine pairing can be broken, you just have to know when. That’s what we are here for.
From my VCU e-mail:
1. Facebook Face-off: VCU vs. GMU
Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University – Virginia’s largest universities and CAA rivals – are going head-to-head to see who can bring in the most Facebook fans. The competition tipped off at noon on Jan. 19 and runs until noon on Feb. 9. The school with [...]
In writings and suggestions on pairing food with beer, it is often repeated that hoppy beers such as India Pale Ales are good pairings for spicy food. A couple of days ago I made a venison chili that had some kick to it and decided to put this claim to the test. I paired my chili with two beers: Bell’s Hop Slam, an Imperial India Pale Ale that is hugely popular and quite hoppy, plus the Don De Dieu from Canada’s Unibroue brewery that is a Belgian style golden ale and can be described as more malty than hoppy with a touch of sweetness.
Let me first say that I don’t think there is such a thing as a “right” food pairing – if it works for you and you like it then go for it. But in this case I can say that the Don De Dieu was the winner hands down. To me the hoppy citrus/pine flavors from the Hop Slam was simply too much. It competed with the chili rather than complementing it. Plus it amplified the spice in what was already a spicy dish. The Don de Dieu, on the other hand, toned down the spice and refreshed my palate while the grainy and slightly sweet flavors added to the dish. My verdict: malty beers are better with spicy food. Try it for yourself and see what you think.
Wow, can the Mid-Atlantic chase season be far behind?”1257 PM TORNADO HUNTINGTON BEA 33.69N 118.01W 01/19/2010 ORANGE CA PUBLIC TORNADO SPOTTED ON PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY JUST SOUTH OF ANDERSON STREET. THE FUNNEL …
Thanks to the infamous cold air damming wedge that typically sets up east of the Blue Ridge it looks like we will have enough cold air available to create some frozen stuff for the upcoming storm…although not all the models are agreeing on this. But…
Not to cast aspersions on the weather forecasters, but my quick check of a couple of models doesn’t show much – if any – precipitation between now and Thursday. On top of that the surface temperatures appear to remain above freezing, so the prospect o…
I’m have a blast at the new job, but really, that is about the only thing that has my interest these days. Blogging will resume when I get inspired. It could be tomorrow, it could be never.
Last week, the various far-righters in the 5th Congressional District were incensed that Eric Cantor would dare to contribute $7,000 (through his campaign committee and his personal funds) to the Congressional campaign of State Senator Robert Hurt. These little tirades included throwing around words like “RINO” and whatnot with allegations that Cantor was not a [...]
