Hooray for Riesling

I have been a longtime fan of Riesling. Many people turn their noses up at Riesling because they’ve never had a good one. Their concept of Riesling is that syrupy sweet concoction that, outside of a late harvest dessert wine, should never be drunk IMO.

While I’m on the topic, I always chuckle to myself when people say, Oh, I don’t drink white wine. Now, sometimes, people have a medical reason. But generally, they’re just trying to be wine snobs. My point of view on this is that if you like wine, you like all kinds of wine and you love to discover. I’m always much happier discovering new wineries and varietals I’ve never tasted than sticking with the same old same old.

This week’s New York Times Wines of the Times column focuses on Riesling, specifically American Riesling. Riesling is making a strong comeback in the U.S. though it may be premature to call it the new sauvignon blanc. Three of their top 10 wines were from Washington, which now has the largest Riesling acreage of any state in the U.S. One Oregon Riesling, Belle Pente’s 2005, made the top 10 at No. 7.  Here’s what they had to say about it:

The 2005 Belle Pente from the Willamette Valley was the only Oregon riesling in our top 10, at No. 7. It was also the oldest bottle in the tasting, and it already showed a touch of kerosene, a pleasant sign of age in a riesling, but one you might wait another 10 years to find in European rieslings, which age far more slowly. Not that it’s fading fast — the wine was quite enjoyable.

I’ve not tried it, but am familiar with Belle Pente and have always been a fan of their Pinot Noir, which we always found to be a great value.

The NYT’ gave their top spot to Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Eroica. It is made in partnership with Ernst Loosen, the well known German Riesling producer from the Mosel region. I have tried Eroica and it’s good though didn’t blow me away.

I’ve also been a big fan of Lemelson’s Rieseling. They make a small quantity every year from a vineyard near their Carlton winery. I’ve found it to be crisp, minerally and very lemony. It’s quite thirst quenching and sometimes reminds me of lemonade. I would also recommend Chehalem’s Riesling. Harry Nedry, the winemaker there, has long believed in the importance of Riesling and contends that if you can’t make a good Riesling, you may struggle with the rest of your wines.

Tips For Adulthood: Five Ways To Feel Beautiful

Every Wednesday I offer tips for adulthood.

This week’s topic is drawn from a recent spread in RealSimple magazine’s August issue, which featured six famous women writers talking about what makes them feel beautiful. I’m not usually much of one for women’s magazines (probably that inner-14 year old who still feels woefully un-stylish), but a friend describes RealSimple as “a women’s magazine for grown ups.” And she’s right:  it’s a bit more serious, a bit more thoughtful and a bit less girl-y.

This article is a case in point. When asked about what makes them feel beautiful, all six writers responded in non-appearance related ways. Here is my summary of their answers (You can read the original here):

1. Feel loved. Anne Roiphe’s answer boiled down to her late husband telling her – 10 days before he unexpectedly died-  that she’d made him a very happy man. Now, whenever she wants to feel beautiful, she reminds herself of the joy that comes from “the union with another being.” Not all of us are in happy partnerships, of course. But most of us know that someone – a sibling, a parent, a friend, a child – loves us unconditionally. Remind yourself of that.

2. Be active. OK, this sounds like a body-is-beautiful sort of tip. But the way that Winifred Gallagher frames it is all about the way in which staying active as we age makes us feel lively on the inside. That could come from the calm induced by yoga or the way in which Michelle-like biceps become a symbol of endurance and vitality. Either way, liveliness=internal beauty.

3. Invest in your work and your kids. No, this is not a cheesy throw-away line about work/life balance. Rather, I’m combining the thoughts of Asha Bandele and Kathryn Harrison. Bandele notes that work – especially writing – can be a way to simultaneously touch other people and discover more about yourself. Children do the same. They also, as Harrison puts it, enable you to “redeem an unhappy past.” Of course, some of us only focus on one or the other of these two goals, whether by choice, life-stage or circumstance. But both offer a deep satisfaction, especially – as these writers argue – for women.

4. Drink A Glass Of Wine. I can’t say enough about Lori Leibovich’s post. Her own personal anecdote to her “scheduled-by-the-minute existence” is to drink some wine (just a glass!) each night after her kids go to bed. For her, it’s the equivalent of taking a long, deep inhalation at the end of a hectic day. Wine also allows her to connect – with strangers if she’s at a cocktail party, with her husband if she’s at home – and reflect on where she’s been and where she’s going. In short, wine=freedom.

5. Embrace Your Quirks. This is probably my favorite post of all. It’s written by Jennifer 8. Lee, who talks about her ugly feet. While she used to feel embarrassed by them, she now sees them as a source of individuality, character and…yes, imperfection. Love it.

*****

If you’re interested, head on over to PoliticsDaily.com where I posted yesterday on Gordon Brown’s painkiller “problem.”

Image: Friday feet 1 by JiJi via Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

Surviving Vegas

I went to Vegas for the first time in 2006. I hated it. If I had my way, I would have never gone back, but, of course, circumstances arose and it was pretty much required. I learned, on my second time there, that Vegas is survivable even if you don’t love it.

For the record, the real problem is me. I needed to change my expectations. I wanted, this time, to make Vegas highbrow. And though I packed Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse and Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and would have welcomed a discussion on health care or human rights in Zimbabwe with anyone, everyone else was too busy having a good time. A screaming drunk good time. I did manage, however, to enjoy a few things about Vegas.

First, the restaurants: Vegas has a dense concentration of restaurants from some of the best restauranteurs in the world. Robuchon? Boulud? Colicchio? All here. My suggestion? Keep eating and do not stop. During my trip, I went to Shibuya in the MGM Grand, Aureole in Mandalay Bay, and Daniel Boulud Brasserie in the Wynn. All were delicious. Our very attentive sake sommelier at Shibuya quickly became our friend after recommending a bottle, and threatened to give some of the best service I have ever had in a restaurant. When the computerized wine list at Aureole featuring over 3,000 bottles almost confused us, we enjoyed watching the “suspended wine getter” fetch bottles from their glass cellar. I treated a friend who had taken care of me all weekend (getting us on guest lists, picking me up from the airport, taking me to In-N-Out Burger and introducing me to their “vegetarian” options) to Boulud Brasserie, where she had the DB burger (typically served at DB Bistro Moderne), the famous sirloin burger stuffed with foie gras and black truffles. I may not have liked Vegas, but I LOVED the restaurants there.

Also, the shopping: Vegas is a shopping mecca, of course. Because if you win at the casinos, you’re going to need to spend that money somewhere.  I found the Palazzo and Fashion Square Mall to be relatively quiet, relaxing shopping centers. Barney’s New York was nearly empty. With only three potential customers, the sales personnel outnumbered us. I’m sure everyone else was busy picking which of the multiple Louis Vuitton “flagships” should be the center of their window shopping…

…Or they were at the pool: If someone told me there were one hundred pools on The Strip alone, I’d believe them. The MGM Grand itself has six swimming pools, one of which is Wet Republic, where they host pool parties complete with a DJ, drinks, and a velvet rope at the entrance. Pools are the new clubs, in Vegas. You’ll need to be on a guest list or have a reduced admission card to avoid paying $20 or more at the “door.” But this does not a relaxing afternoon make. The other pools around catch the run off of people who don’t want to pay a cover to swim, so the surrounding pools were just as rowdy and filled with people ready to party. An experience that has its place, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.

Lucky me, I was given VIP pool passes to the Wynn. At the time, I had no idea what that meant so I found my way to the Tower Suites, the portion of the hotel that was independently evaluated and granted the first five-star rating in Vegas, to pick up my pass from the concierge and subsequently passed easily by the doorman to find:

It was so beautiful, I had to hold back my excitement when I got to the pool. I reconciled my feelings by saying to myself “Obviously, this was modeled off of Hotel du Cap in Antibes. That’s why I like it so much.” So, I spent the rest of my day reading Bonjour Tristesse in an oversized hat, smiling…until a drunk hotel guest came around threatening to throw a lifeguard chair into the pool. By I decided it was time to enjoy dinner by Boulud.

xo

J. Justine

Shibuya, MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Aureole, Mandalay Bay, 3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89119

Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

In-N-Out Burger, 2900 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas 89102

DB Bistro Moderne, 55 West 44th Street, New York City 10036

The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Fashion Square Mall, 3200 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Barney’s New York, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Louis Vuitton, 3200 and 3500 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Wet Republic, MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Hotel du Cap, Blvd JF Kennedy, Cap-d’Antibes 06160

Is There Such a Thing as a Feminine Style Wine?

I was in a restaurant the other day and the sommelier recommended what turned out to be a glorious Chateauneuf du Pape. La Crau de Ma Mere 2004. The sommelier said it was a feminine style wine because the winemaker was a woman. I was eager to see what that type of wine would be. I still don’t know.

The wine was rich, deep dark fruit, smoke and lavender. It actually tasted very much a New World style. Yet I wonder whether there is such a thing as a “feminine” wine. Yes, some wines are more elegant and lighter than others, and some are dark and brooding, but I wouldn’t call one feminine and the other masculine.

I also thought it was odd that the wine would be considered feminine just because the winemaker was female.

So my question is this: Is there such a thing as a “feminine” style wine? And if so, is it synonymous with light and delicate? And if not, what would it be?

The restaurant, by the way, was Chez Papa Resto in San Francisco which has some of the best food in the City.

Portobello and White Asparagus Pasta with a White Wine Cream Sauce

Picture is a little fuzzy and doesn’t do it justice. I love serving stuff family style! It’s amazing what is possible when you get a chance to watch other Italian Chefs make pasta.

Equipment:

• Stock pot filled with boiling salty water
• Medium Sauce pan

Ingredients:

• 3 Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• White asparagus, blanched
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
• Parsley, Thyme, Oregano………..fresh and minced
• Parmesan Cheese
• White Wine
• Olive oil
• Heavy Cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Pasta, cooked al dente

Procedure:

1. Place a little olive oil in saute pan then place the garlic in and lightly toast it
2. Add asparagus and mushroom and cook until mushrooms start to slightly wilt
3. Add herbs, salt, pepper, and white wine then cook until alcohol smell is gone
4. Remove from heat and add cheese, pine nuts, and heavy cream
5. Fold sauce into pasta then let rest for a few minutes
6. Garnish with herbs and more cheese then serve

Enjoy,

Eric

Seattle

Our wine will be featured at the October 15th Seattle Area Chapter of Women For WineSense (www.womenforwinesense.org), which, as you might know, is a national wine education organization founded in 1990, based in the Napa area. Our Seattle Chapter holds monthly wine programs – from winemaker dinners to looking at specific wine producing countries, regions or varietals. This October 15th we will be focusing on Pinot Noir, with “The Pleasures of Pinot Noir”. We will be examining wines produced in Washington, Oregon, and California for this event. The wine educator leading this program for us each year is David LeClaire, of Wine Events and Promotions (www.vinolover.com). David is a Certified Sommelier and has worked with many wine organizations, including bringing ZAP back to Seattle in July for the first time in 12 years. He has taken some of the ZAP wineries on the road in 2006 and 2007. In 2005 he did the same for Paso Robles wineries for the Paso Robles Grand Tastings 2005, which visited 4 cities between March and June. David has worked with wineries all over the country in promoting regional tastings, local wine education events, and private functions. He also is involved in numerous charity wine events, including Children’s Hospital fundraisers, Sip For A Cure benefiting breast cancer research, and Bags & Bottles, a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club. He also holds annual trade and consumer tasting such as The Best of the West and Rose Revival.

Sale Meat Special: Rosemary Garlic London Broil

Oh, what you can do with a good sale and some free stuff!  Times are still tough, and I constantly find myself in need of a healthy, delicious, and satisfying meal on the cheap, the real cheap.  But, I honestly have a hard time sacrificing quality for price.  I struggle with it throughout nearly every visit to the market.  So when I find something like gorgeous, lean, slabs of london broil (in reality it’s a preparation, not a cut, but we all know it as the latter), for less than three dollars per pound, I get excited, I can’t help it.  The promise of an awesome steak dinner that’s not only easy, but affordable, and quick, just lights my fire.  Not only that, a few weeks ago, my buddies over at FoodBuzz sent me an unbelievably generous package of Emeril Brand goodies, for free!  I was siked to be able to use his Steak Rub on a blogworthy dish and I was definitely not disappointed in the product.  Now to the sharing:

Ingredients

Fresh Rosemary (dried would actually work too)

Fresh Garlic

Butter, softened

London Broil Roast (any cut with this label will do)

Steak Seasoning (again, I used Emeril’s Steak Rub)

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Red Wine (as long as it’s not “cooking wine” you’re in good shape)

Process

Okay, the first thing you want to do is gather the ingredients for the Rosemary Garlic Butter.  You’ll need the garlic, rosemary, and of course, the butter (make sure you take this out in advance, or you will have to nuke it like I did, and risk getting it a little too soft, like I also did:)).

Now, finely chop the rosemary and use a Microplane or finely mince the garlic.  Toss them both in the bowl with the softened butter.

Now, get crazy with a fork or a rubber spatula and mash it, smash it, and mix it all around.

If like mine, your butter got a little melted, you want to pop it in the fridge now.  It should be a spreadable consistency.  Now, for the MEAT!  Grab your roast and use a paper towel to pat off any excess moisture.

Then, liberally (and I mean liberally, the beef needs it) season the roast with salt, pepper, and steak seasoning.  Remember to do both sides, we don’t want meat with flavor on one side, it’s just not right.

Now it’s time to turn your broiler on.  I use mine on high, which is about 500 degrees.  Before it gets hot though, grab the pan out of it.  If yours doesn’t have a pan, find a flat baking dish that will fit in the broiler.  This next step is kind of messy, so if you’re squeamish about this kind of thing you can put gloves on, but for me, they really just get in the way.  Reserve a couple tablespoons of the butter, then put half of what remains onto the top side of your roast.

Dig your hands in and rub the butter into the meat.  The surface should be completely covered in the butter mixture.

Transfer the meat to your broiler pan (or baking dish), buttered side down, then butter the rest of the steak.

Now, pop the whole pan into the heated broiler.  For a roast about this thick, it will take about seven to eight minutes on each side to cook to medium.  While the meat cooks, you can make a nice red wine reduction sauce.  Grab a small sauce pan and add about a cup of wine (if you are serving more than 2-3 people you will need more).

Bring the wine to a boil, over high heat.  When it has reduced by half, add your reserved butter.

Stir in the butter, lower the heat, and continue to cook until butter is melted in.  Then, remove from heat.  When the steak is cooked to your liking, remove it from the oven and allow to rest.  This is very, very important or your meat will be dry.  I usually give london broil about 10 minutes, but the bigger it is, the longer it needs.

To serve, slice thinly, against the grain.

Can you say delicious?  Especially when served up with brown rice and a tomato, mozzarella, and kalamata salad…  HMM, HMM Good.  ENJOY!