Monster Mash Part Deux

On Thursday, a few of my coworkers and I decided to go to VERO for lunch, but importantly for the Cookie Monster dessert!  I decided to do the prix-fixe lunch.  I chose the panini hot sopressata, roasted red pepper, watercress and asiago.  As you can tell from the picture below, the panini came with some olives.  My lunch also came with a side portion of the VERO chopped salad, consisting on romaine, feta, sweet onions, red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, chick peas, currants and lemon vinaigrette.  The food was spectacular.  The panini and salad were delicious.  I actually normally ask for fresh pepper on my salad, but I didn't need it for this.  Everything was amazing, including the glass of red wine that came with my lunch.  I chose Montepulciano d'Abruzzo La Monica 2006.  It goes down like water, and at the restaurant a glass normally costs $9, but you can find a bottle for $7.  I need to find this bottle!

Now for the dessert - cookie monster is the bomb.com.  VERO changed their recipe a touch since the last time we went there for the dessert aka the dish was a lot smaller than last time to our chagrin.  The original dish would have filled the 4 of us, however we were smart and ordered 2, so we were good to go.  It basically consists of a big chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and berries.  When I'm on my deathbed, I think this dish would be on my last requests list.  It feels like home, but it's also aesthetically pleasing, like something you'd expect to be served at a five star restaurant.  

Jury Duty = Good Food and Wine

So I had the privilege as a U.S. citizen to "volunteer" my time for the greater good, aka get suckered into mandatory jury duty.  At least I don't have to report for duty for at least another 6 years.  On the bright side, it meant two days off from my day job and an excuse to wander around Chinatown/Canal Street to find good eat.

My first day of Jury Duty was this past Monday, which was the Chinese New Year.  Now you'd think I'd pay homage and have a Chinese lunch.  But I had this craving for pasta, so I walked down Mulberry Street on my search for an Italian feast.  Walking down Mulberry reminded me of walking down Charlotte Street in London, where I'd get accosted by restaurant managers trying to persuade me to eat at their Indian restaurant.  At one point during my trek,  I had an Indian man trying to sell me on an Italian restaurant, and it just didn't fell right.  Finally, I saw a beautiful restaurant on the corner of Mulberry and Broome called Grotta Azzurra.

My meal was spectacular.  $9.50 for lunch, pasta and an entree.  To start I chose the rigatoni with pancetta, tomatoes, cream and vodka.  It wasn't heavy, just right!  And the waiter brought me warm semolina bread with butter.  I should have asked for olive oil, but sometimes butter is just too good to pass up.  I chose chicken parmigiana for my entree that came with broccoli and roasted potatoes.  It was a feast and in Midtown near my office, this meal would have cost me over 30 bucks.  Also, I don't think Frank Sinatra music would have been playing the entire time I was eating.

Oh, and, I couldn't have this amazing meal without a lovely glass of red.  I selected a Sangiovese wine  - I'm beginning to test out the Italian wines.  I chose the Melini 'Borghi d'Elsa' vintage 2006.  It went down smooth and had bold flavor.  According to the bottle description, there are scents of iris, raspberries and spices.  The dry wine had an aftertaste of toasted almonds and fruit.  All in all it was an excellent choice - a nice $7 glass.  Now the lunch, included a 20% gratuity, for a total of $21+.  I normally bitch about gratuities included in bills, but the waiters were so nice and I had a such a great lunch by myself.  AAAH it was great, and then I had to head back to Jury Duty base camp.

The following day I finally decided to eat Chinese.  For a lovely grand total of $7.25, I had a small cup of egg drop soup with a general tso's chicken and white rice.  If you're ever in Chinatown, China Village Restaurant at 94 Baxter Street is where it's at for lunch.  I mean when the Chinese go there for lunch, it has to be good!

Oh Mitch, you shouldn't have!

Mitchell's Wine and Liquor Store holds a special place in my heart (liver).  It's near my friend's gorgeous UWS apartment, where I first discovered my favorite wine hands down.  Banrock Station from Australia makes an amazing Shiraz.  It has a deep purple color with aromas of black currant, cherry and spicy oak, with cherry and red berry fruits.  

I discovered it the first time I was going to my friend's apartment to watch Season 7 of American Idol about a year ago.  Now every time I go to her apt, I drop by Mitchell's to buy the magnum bottle that used to cost $8.99, but has gone up to $10.99.  I almost had a heart attack last night though when I couldn't find the Banrock Station Shiraz.  I always knew exactly what corner of the store I could find the Banrock Station magnum bottles, but they were not in my line of sight.  I turned to one of the store clerks asking where the Banrock Station could be and if they still carried it.  He replied yes and pointed to another area of the store where the hard liquor is shelved.  So now I know where the magnum bottles of Banrock are at Michell's, and I won't have a heart attack over the booze again.  

Not only is the Shiraz spectacular, so is the magnum Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot.  I think they put some form of crack cocaine in the wine because I'm hooked.  Hell I think pee could even be in the wine and I'd still drink it!  My AI crew and I finish the magnum bottle every time.  And to boot, the proceeds from each wine purchase goes to environmental projects around the world.  So I like to think  I'm helping Mother Earth while being a complete wine lush.  

Puerta, I Mean Porta

My friend CKC reintroduced me to a wine store called Drink on the corner of 69th Street and 2nd Avenue.  It's a very unassuming place and houses a wide range of wines at moderate prices.  I decided to take advice from the Wine folks at WSJ, and I decided to give Pinot Noir another shot.

I decided to try 2008 Porta Reserva Pinot Noir ($16.99).  First, the color of the wine is blood red - I usually go for more plum colored wines.  The wine had cherry and berry flavors, but it was not as full bodied as I would have liked.  The wine looked and tasted diluted.  

So lesson learned, I will not be drinking Pinot Noir again*!

*Unless it gets highly recommended by a sommeliere.

Happy 2009!

Oh another year has come and gone!  I personally have better odd years than even, so bring on 2009!  I read the following article on wine to-dos in this weekend's Wall Street Journal that I think everyone should do this coming year.    I'll write again soon!