California Dreamin'

Since arriving home late Wednesday night, I've been suffering from a California hangover. Don't get me wrong, I love Connecticut, I love being close to my family, I love my dogs, I love that I can buy a house for under $500,000. But boy do I miss Northern California.

The weather: In and around Sausalito, the weather was somewhat constant. Wake up to a cool mid 60's temperature with a nice breeze and some fog rolling into the Golden Gate. By afternoon maybe you top out in the 70's. Hot days hit the high 80's. No rain, maybe some mist if the fog reached far enough. Beautiful.

The food: Here we have Dev's, the casinos, Singapore Grill, 2wives, all good food, but nothing on par with what Northern California has. As you'll see in future posts, the food at The Village Pub and Murray Circle were simply mind-blowingly good. One night we had dim sum at a place called Harmony, knocked my socks off. Add to that In and Out Burger and Chipotle Mexican Grill, and I'm as happy as Randy Moss now that Tom Brady is back. Even Mollie Stone's, the local grocery store, has an expansive fresh seafood, beef, and poultry counter, that makes Stop and Shop look like a Seven-Eleven.

The wine: You knew I'd go there. T o have the ability to jump in your car and drive to countless good wineries must be a blessing. You're 45 minutes to an hour from some of the best wine in the world. Once again, I'll be writing a future post on the wine we tasted and brought back.

Now what about the things I don't miss about California: the driving, HAL the Prius, a $6 bridge toll, and walking in San Francisco. More to come this weekend!

Time for a Fresh Start...and Steak

Clearly I haven't been writing all that much, seeing as my last post was from our anniversary dinner in January. But with the rebirth of my Patriots' Blog over on theday.com just a week or so away, I realized I need to make myself post here, or else it will never get done. So here's hoping Saturday mornings become coffee and blog time. A chance to wake up and catch up on the week that was.

Last night Amanda and I made plans to taste some wine then head out to dinner in New London. We also invited our friend Greg along to "be classy" for an evening. Obviously I underestimated the classiness of the night when I arrived in jeans, a polo, and converse, because there was Amanda in a classy black dress, and Greg looking just as classy in black slacks and a black dress shirt. I have failed you two, and for that I am still sorry.

So after tasting wine at Thames River Wine & Spirits (where I managed to keep the credit card in my wallet) we headed down Bank Street to Dev's. Most of you know just how much I love Dev's, and I was planning on ordering just from their delicious Tapas side of the menu. Things changed when the waitress shared the night's entree special. An 8oz Beef Tenderloin with a Bacon and Sun-dried Tomato Demi topped with Crispy Fried Onions. You had me at Bacon. Of course I had to start the night with a couple Tapas. First up was Captain Tom's Fish and Chips, a solid sized portion of Tilapia wrapped around spicy remoulade with some fresh homemade chips. Pretty delicious. I followed that up with Katie's favorite, the vegetable dumplings. Greg ordered the new Basque Ribs to start. I liked the old Korean BBQ Ribs, but they were so rich they left you unable to eat thing else as they stuck unmercifully to your chest. The dry-rubbed Basque ones were tasty and much more enjoyable, due to the fact you could continue your meal. Amanda went for a full Tapas dinner, unlike Greg and I who went for the steak. Her meal had some of the usual suspects, Toasted Goat Cheese and Crispy Meatballs. She also tried the Fish and Chips, and commented how nothing is like the fish and chips in England (which I am dying to try). But her real winner looked to be the Miss Saigon. A puff pastry filled with pork goodness. Amanda graciously allowed me a bite, and it was epic.

When the steaks arrived, Greg and I were a little giddy. They looked so tantalizingly tasty. First off, they were no 8oz. I've had 8oz of steak and this was more, quite a bit more. They were at least 10oz maybe 12oz of juicy beef (that's what she said). The demi was a perfect partner for the steak. I know there are steak purist out there who feel the steak should be untouched and left to shine on its own, but some ideas are too good to ignore, like Bacon and Sun-dried Tomato Demi. Just taking a bite of the soaked bacon was an adventure for the taste buds. It was a fabulous entree, the steak cooked just as I liked it, the onions adding an extra bit of texture, and the demi holding it all together like glue. Three cheers for the person at Dev's who dreamt this up!

If all goes according to plan I'll be back next week with some more comments on food, wine, and life in general. Till next time..."You stay classy San Diego."

Great Food+Great Wine+Great Friends=Terrific Times!

Is there any better way to start off your week than with a thrilling dinner party on a Sunday night? Of course not, that's why the week got off to a thrilling beginning last night. Amanda and Kevin were kind enough to have Katie and I as well as Noe and Amy over.

We started the night with some delicious appetizers. Katie made some homemade hummus and baba ganoush. Amy brought a baked brie with some sweet onion jelly and pastry. And Amanda made her amazing artichoke and spinach dip. But in all honesty, it's really just a spinach dip ;). Actually it's fantastic and may be it's own food group. Batting lead off for wine was Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand.

For the main course we had grilled pork with green beans and bleu cheese mashed potatoes. The potatoes were a hit, and so rich. I'm not typically big on mashed potato variations, but these were delicious and would also pair really well a nice juicy steak. For our second wine, Amy also brought Conundrum to follow the Nobilo. Conundrum is a proprietary blend white wine that never reveals its exact composition each vintage. This vintage had an intriguing spice to it, and as Kevin will tell you, mineral notes with a soft texture.

Desert was amazing home made lava cakes with Michael's Dairy ice cream. A terrific way to end the meal, and make a mess of my shirt. We also drank the Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rose that we found at Thames River the other week. We also tasted the XYZin 10 year old vines. XYZin makes three Zinfandels from different age vines, 10, 50, and 100 year variations. The 10 year was very light bodied for a Zin but showed some terrific flavor.

Overall it was a fantastic evening, even with Guitar Hero substituting for Cranium. For another run down of the kick ass dinner party check out Amanda's Blog! Till next time..."Sounds like a case of the Mondays."--???

Casino Living

One of the great perks of living in Uncasville is the world class casino in our backyard. A five minute drive places at the doorstep of music, slots, and food. While Mohegan Sun runs the full gamut of food choices, from over-priced food courts and buffets to pubs and fine dining, their list of franchises is impressive. Jasper White, Todd English, Michael Jordan, Starbuck's, Krispy Kreme, and Ben and Jerry's all reside under the faux starlit skies of the Sun. Not to mention soon we'll be able to waste away again in Margaritaville, or rock the night away at the House of Blues (can't wait!). So while Katie and I rarely drop a dime, or penny, in the slots, we due tend to head over for a good meal. Last weekend we made reservations for one of their "fine dining" establishments, Pompeii and Caesar.

P & C is located within the confines of the original Casino of the Earth area. It sits behind the casual dining Cove in between The Longhouse (steaks and such) and The Bamboo Forest (figure it out Sherlock). We were there the night of an Avril Lavigne show, so needless to say, the under 21 sections of the casino were brimming with obnoxious "look at me I listen to fake girly punk rock and act like I don't follow the rules society sets for me" girls. After arriving late for our reservations due to the traffic, the Maitre D' was extremely kind and understanding. We were quickly shown to a nice table for two on a raised section of the dining room floor.

The atmosphere was, well, good. If it was a quieter night I'm sure I'd say excellent, but the volume in the restaurant was difficult to bear. I actually asked Katie to move next to me instead of across the table, so I wouldn't have to scream. The color scheme is at first blinding then becomes quite enjoyable. It has more Greek Mediterranean feel than Italian, with hues of blue and a sense of being under water. Bright colors everywhere, no drab and dark ones like many an Italian restaurant. I'd like to return on a weeknight just to see if it was a Saturday night crowd that resulted in the amplified noise.

The service was not the greatest I've ever experienced, but above average. Our waitress could have been friendlier. Another waitress passing by our table offered to open our red wine and let it breath a bit. We then struck up a conversation with her about good wine and at which restaurants to find it. I'm sure if she was our waitress all night, the experience definitely would have been heightened, as she knew her stuff about the Vino.

To startwe had a bottle of our fave, Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc. The bottle we first experienced long ago in Napa Valley at Bistro Don Giovanni. And just like at Don's, I paired it with some calamari. P & C's calamari, was bountiful to say the least. The portion was massive and would be more than suitable as appetizer for four. It was delicious as well, not too crispy but not soggy. Great texture and just right with the calabrese peppers and basil. Do try it if you go. The bread and spreads were also quite good. The basket contained a three varieties of bread that were all superb with three spread, our favorite being the olive.

For an entree Katie settled on lamb, which she had for dinner the night before, while I enjoyed the Osso Bucco. Katie's rack of lamb was well cooked and had terrific flavor. While my Osso Bucco was simply divine. Laid over a bed of nutty Farro Risotto, the veal shank simply feel of the bone and mettled in my mouth. The rich flavor was sensational and the entire plate was quite filling. They definitely did not skimp on the portion size all night. For red wine we went with a favorite, Joseph Phelps Le Mistral. Mistral is their take on the Rhone Valley. A terrific blend of Syrah and Grenache, it's smooth and seductive. The 2005 vintage was more than drinkable at it's young age. Small amounts of Carignane, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet are added in to complete the Rhone profile. We felt it was a great pair with the two entrees. Neither the food nor the wine overpowered each other. The earthiness went well with my risotto and the silkiness of the wine seemed destined to go with melt in your mouth veal.

So after a surprisingly good cup of espresso we headed home and decided that Pompeii and Caesar is a terrific restaurant with delicious food, a decent wine list, beautiful decor, but a bit too pricey to become a regular stop on our restaurant rotation. I'll be looking forward to another visit to Mohegan's more casual Birches Grill in the future, and hopefully look for some salt shakers in Jimmy Buffett's neck of the woods. Till next time..."Yeah, I have a lot of questions but number one, how dare you."--Kelly on The Office

Life is Crazy!

Or it least it has been for the last week. Between work, cooking, dentist appointments, and staff meetings it has been going non-stop.

First off, a big thank you to all those who stopped and chatted with me at Denison Pequotsepos Wild Mushroom Festival! It was a pleasure to talk with all of you and hope you'll shoot me a comment whenever you have a question about the world of wine. I really enjoyed my time there and enjoyed meeting all of you.

Second, big culinary news out of Mashantucket last week. The MGM at Foxwoods (I think that's what they're calling the latest casino tower) has lured in one hlluva a big fish. Tom Colicchio is bringing his new hit Craftsteak to Southeastern CT. Tom is wise in the world of Beef and treats like wine on his menu. It is divided by corn fed versus grass fed and includes the specific ranch the actual beef came from. For those of you who aren't sure who Tom is, he's the guy who host Top Chef on Bravo. His Craft, Craftbar, 'Wichcraft, and Craftsteak restaurants are major players in the modern dining scene. No more driving to Providence for Capital Grille or Ruth's Chris. Now we'll be able to find a top tier steakhouse right in our proverbial backyard. I commented on theday.com that perhaps the best part of living near these casinos is the outstanding dining opportunities.

Finally, we enjoyed a terrific dinner at Barcelona in New Haven last week with Katie's sister and her boyfriend. Barcelona serves traditional Spanish cuisine with a modern flair and the chic crowd seem to be eating it up. I felt "cooler" just for dining there. Every tapas, think small servings for the table to share, we tried was phenomenal. I believe we had duck, figs with sausage, calamari, eggplant, empanadas, steak, and tuna tartare. The entrees were delicious as well. My salmon was covered in a lobster sauce that was divine, and Katie's swordfish was cooked perfectly. If you're down that way be sure to make reservations and check it out. I also enjoyed the Spanish wines our waiter recommended, seeing as Spain is by far my weakest area of wine knowledge and taste. Well, till next time..."Good wine ruins the purse; bad wine ruins the stomach"--Spanish saying