Charleston, SC

What a nice and friendly city!!!  We were here for New Year’s Eve weekend to revisit a part of the country I had only seen as a child.  We spent time exploring the city through its history and food.  We had a walking tour though the historic old town neighborhood and tasted our way through some of the favorite city spots on a food tour too.  The food tour was informative, fun, and delicious…and we made some new friends too!

Our New Year’s Eve dinner was at a wonderful restaurant called Cypress.  We had Oysters, Fried Green Tomatoes, Tuna and Swordfish.  We paired the food with a white Spanish wine called “Txakolina Uriondo Bizkaiko”, which was new to me too!!! It is a white blend from the Basque region on Spain as was a perfect wine for the fish and oysters. I love wines that are unique and have grapes I am not familiar with. The 2014 vintage we ordered consisted of:  Mune Mahatsa (20%), Ondarrabi Zuri (70%), and Txori Mahatsa (10%).  Wonderful dry, crisp wine for an excellent price!  As for the food, all of it was wonderful but the Tuna dish was the best Tuna I have ever tasted in my life to date!  Now I understand why it is their signature dish.  It is a must try location and the Tuna is a must order dish when you are in Charleston!

The view of the kitchen at Cypress from above!

Christmas Dinner 2015

I have enjoyed hosting and cooking for friends and family for over 10 years during the Christmas season.  This past we combined a small birthday celebration at the end with gifts of wine and stories.  Rob Wilson, Benjamin Wilson’s brother, gave me this picture, reminding me again what really matters in the life we live – the people we love!  I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Costa Rica 2015!!!

My trip to Costa Rica was for my 40^th birthday.  Brian Dufek went with me to celebrate in the warm and sun.  Big thanks to him for being there with me and even more importantly for driving us safely around the Country! And when I say thank you for driving us safely, understand that most of these roads are not paved, you are driving through small rivers, while dodging huge holes.  He was a driving champion!

We left the day after Thanksgiving and spent time in three different areas of the Country. First stop was the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast.  We stayed in the town of Montezuma with a husband and wife from Italy and Costa Rica respectively.  This part of Costa Rica is dry, warm, sunny and very relaxed.  It is famous for its great surfing but also perfect for long days on the sandy beaches.  When you have 88 degrees, completely sunny skies, a white sand beach and the Pacific Ocean; it is not a bad way to turn 40!

Besides the perfect weather and sandy beaches, Costa Rica is also known for its tropical forests. The next area we visited was the Monteverde Rain Forest and Arenal Volcano. While I’ve posted a couple of pictures, this is a place you truly need to see in person. There are so many species of birds and plant life, smells and aromas, and constantly changing weather conditions that really make this place special and unique. Brian and I went on several amazing hikes through the rain forest… hikes that made me realize I am not 25 anymore and that I really am 40! But not to be missed is Costa Rican coffee, possibly the best coffee in the world! And what better place to drink this delicacy than in the mountains where it’s grown!

The last place we’ve visited was the capital, San Jose. The real reason for going back to San Jose was to see a very good friend, Daniel Salom Soto. Daniel and I met in Italy during my initial sabbatical in 2008, and it was a real honor to be able to spend the day with him in the city where he grew up. It was a good chance for us to reconnect, and to also learn more about the history of the Region as well as the Country of Costa Rica. Another plus about being in the capital is that we had the opportunity of eating in the nicest restaurant in the Country, "Grano de Oro".

What a wonderful way to celebrate “40”! As they say, Costa Rica… “Pura Vida”!

Giovanni’s Ristorante

Had a lovely dinner with wonderful company, fellowship, food and of course vino!  First visit to Giovanni’s Ristorante in the Detroit, Michigan area and it felt like going home.  The old family pictures on the wall and the family environment was so familiar. 

We had the Saltimbocca alla Romana and the evening pasta special, which was Mezzaluna stuffed pasta.

The Saltimboca all Romana was tender organic veal covered with a white wine cream sauce.  The Mezzaluna was hand stuffed past with ricotta cheese, spinach and pancetta tossed in a white wine sauce with Swiss chard, house made sausage and porcini mushrooms.

We paired the food with a bottle of “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano”, one of my favorite wines from southeastern Tuscany.  Amazing food wine that explodes with flavors of cherry, cooked plums, blackberry, blueberry, and cloves.  Bravo!!!  Buono!!! Grandissimo!!!

I will be back often to Giovanni’s!  Buon Appetito!

http://www.giovannisristorante.com/Home.html

Antietam

Had an amazing dinner at Antietam in Detroit with Creighton Gallup.  One of the new up and coming restaurants in the Eastern Market neighborhood.  We sampled several of the menu items:

Beet Tart

Whole Burrata

Terrine of Oxtail

Chilled Melon Soup

Spring Market Greens

Rack of Lamb

Dry Aged New York Strip

We also had 2 bottles of wine to pair with dinner. A Moulin-à-Vent Beaujolais to start and a wonderful Croatian red wine blend (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refosco) for our entrée courses.

Everything was unique, beautifully presented and delicious.  I will not go into detail on each item but I highly recommend visiting Antietam.  We will be back to try some of the other creations their chefs prepare.  Buon Appetito!

Locations Corsican Vermentino

I always like coming to Paesano's restaurant in Ann Arbor because their menu is updated seasonally and their wine list is fantastic.  Their wine list has all the great Italian wines you would expect but they make it a point to find unique wines from around the world to share with their customers.

I love Italian Vermentino wine.  It is a white wine originating from Sardegna, Italy so when I had the chance to try one from Corsica it was a welcome pleasure.

"Locations Corsican Vermentino" is dry, crisp and has flavors of citrus  and tropical fruits.  It has a very smooth finish and pairs well with seafood and ripe cheeses. A perfect summer wine!

Saluti!!!

Cantoro Market

I visited Cantoro Market in Plymouth, Michigan to finally have dinner and also get a great Italian education.  We focused on understanding the vocabulary around the fruits and vegetables, which is a good start since there are so many!!!  After a break to look at the wine selection…again, we moved onto the patio for a wonderful Italian dinner.  This was one of the best Italian meals I have had in Michigan.  The hardest part was to narrow the choices which means when I am back for my next lesson I will be staying for dinner!  I have attached the Menu below and the picture is of the Primi, Secondi, and the Wine.  Please make sure you stop here if you are ever in the area.  This place will bring you to and maybe back to Italy.  Enjoy!

Menu`

Wine:

Travaglini Gattinara

Antipasti:

Carpaccio: Beef tenderloin

Primi:

Tagliolini al Ragu` di Agnello: Tagliolini with a lamb ragu` (house made thin tagliatelle)

Secondi:

Saltimbocca alla Romana: Veal tenderloin, Fontina della Val d'Aosta, Prosciutto di Parma, in a light sage demi glace

http://www.cantoromarket.com/

Harbor Springs – Weekend Destination!

Brain Dufek and I flew up and back to Harbor Springs for the Waterfront Wine Festival.  Abby Dart started the wine festival 10 years ago and asked us to attend and participate.  Many thanks to Abby for hosting us and many thanks to Brain for helping navigate our flight up there!

My job was to use my wine experience and knowledge to meet guests, offer wine advice and taste their wine selection…not a bad job!!!

During the weekend we had the chance to try two restaurants:  The Pier Restaurant and The New York Restaurant.  At The Pier Restaurant we had an amazing Lake Superior Whitefish paired with a French Muscadet white wine.  Muscadet is from the lower Lorie Valley and always goes well with fish dishes.  The two together were fantastic!  This was my second visit to The New York Restaurant and it is always a wonderful experience.  They have an impressive wine list because it features wines most people already know about but offers those hidden gems you must try at some point.  We had several bottles but the table favorite was a dark red grape from the Puglia region in Italy called Nero di Troia. This wine is hard to find but if you see it please try it.  It is a unique and wonderful wine!

The main event of the weekend was the Waterfront Wine Festival.  The weather was perfect and the people I had the chance to meet made the event a memorable experience.  I look forward to seeing them again!  I also want to thank all the restaurants and wine distributors for donating their food, wine and time to this event.  It was an incredible experience and I am very grateful to have been able to be a part of the wine festival this year!

http://www.harborspringschamber.com/waterfront-wine-festival-267/#.VZHQpvlVhHw

Napa Valley Wines

We visited two small boutique wineries for private tastings in Napa Valley. The first was Carter Cellars. Erin Arago was our vivacious hostess and let us experience the entire portfolio of Carter Cellars selections. These wines are the true definition of Napa Cabernets. All of them were 100% varietal Cabernets with the exception of one which was a Merlot Cabernet blend. These wines were bottled only two weeks earlier and were ready to drink now but will definitely benefit from years of aging. We want to thank Erin Arago for making our tasting experience something special.

The second winery we went to was Macauley Vineyard. An off the beaten path boutique winery that felt almost like you were in a hunting lodge in the mountains combined with the elegance and class of a sophisticated winery. Hailey Covey was our knowledgeable hostess who is clearly passionate about what she does. We were able to try their old world style Chardonnay, which I personally appreciate because it is fermented and produced in cement. I feel that captures the true characteristics of the terroir and the grape flavor profile. We also had the opportunity to taste their Zinfandel, Petit Sirah and Cabernet all of which were true Napa style wines with excellent balance. I am looking forward to sharing dinner and more wine with the owner when he is back in Michigan. We were very fortunate to have been able to visit Macauley Vineyard.

Medlock Ames

On yet another spectacular sunny day, we explored Medlock Ames, a small boutique winery in Sonoma AVA. The expansive property was not only beautiful but also close to being a working farm. Beyond the rolling vineyards, they had a large garden as well as mature olive trees where they produce their own olive oil.

On our first stop on the tour we visited the original Merlot vines planted there. The winemaker had planned to rip out the vines but did a DNA test and realized they were a unique Merlot clone dating back to Thomas Jefferson. The reds planted here are primarily Bordeaux varietals with small plantings of Pinot Noir and Syrah. The whites are primarily Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. If the wines are oak aged, they have chosen to use French oak.

Our tasting was outside in a beautiful setting overlooking the vineyards. Each wine was paired along with cheeses and salami that complemented them beautifully. All the wines were wonderfully balanced with good acidity and were not overly tannic. Of all the red blends, Merlot was the primary grape varietal.

Stacy Sheridan was our gracious tour guide and hostess. She was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging and full of life, which added to the whole experience. While this was an out of the way stop, Medlock Ames is a gem of a find!