So Clos

I picked up a bottle of Clos Du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (+/- $15) at my local wine shop post taking a body conditioning class.  I feel it's the end goal of my daily workouts - the "I burned enough cals so I'll buy those wine bottles" mentality.  I have to say this is the probably the first red wine I've found to be refreshing aka I could drink it in the summer and be content, even on a hazy, hot and humid day.   There are hints of black cherry and plum.  However, I don't think their label should say that the wine goes nicely with fajitas - that's just random!  Next thing there will be a wine that says on the label "goes fabulously with sushi."  I will say this wine went nicely with the chicken and tomato slice I just inhaled.

Oregon Trail

I've been trying to expand my wine experience, so I have more interesting things to say in my blog entries.  So instead of going for a Spanish or California wine, I decided to give Oregon some love. I bought Badger Mountain Vintage 2007 Syrah ($18 +/-).  It's medium bodied and has hints of black pepper and oak.  Some descriptions mention hints of blackberries, blueberries and smoky bacon.  I taste a bit of blackberry, but I get no bacon aftertaste sipping this wine.  Badger Mountain is also a certified organic winery, so that made me feel good about my purchase.  It's a little pricey for an unemployed gal, but it goes down smooth and went nicely with my concocted dinner from the cold prepared foods section at Eli's - couscous with feta and scallions, assorted raviolis with basil and roasted garlic, and tuna salad (OK I know the tuna is obscure, but I needed a protein and the chicken options weren't cutting it).  I give the wine three stars!  It's not robust like a Malbec, but sometimes you want to tone it down a little.

Another Screw Top Favorite

I am a firm believer in being frugal when it comes to wine purchases.  Since I'm currently unemployed, I have taken this to a whole new level.  Anyways, I decided to try Penfolds Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2007 (+/- $10).  I'm a huge fan of Australian wines, which probably stems from my junior year abroad in London where I was able to buy Australian and New Zealand wines at the Sainsburys.  But I digress. 

This wine, which has nuances of ripe berry, chocolate and spice, went down like a cold beer in a chilled glass.  It doesn't have a thick aftertaste or anything, it's great and cheap.  I'm nursing this bottle as well, but I'll probably be done with it by Sunday.

Castellano? No Wait Castano

I stopped by a liquor store on my way home from running errands on Thursday.  I chose a Spanish wine with a screw top called Castano Monastrell Yecla 2007 ($10.99).  At first sip, the wine has a bold flavor and spice.  There are definite blueberry and blackberry aromas in this dark purple wine.  I'm nursing it slowly.   It went well with dinner I cooked for my girlfriend this evening - angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese; arugula salad with herb goat cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and half a squeezed lemon, topped with fresh pepper and salt.  Oh, and Crumbs cupcakes for dessert.  Talk about a lovely Friday evening dinner date ;) 

Here's To The Currently Unemployed!

It's been awhile since I last wrote.  Now that I'm not currently unemployed I'm going to dedicate myself to reporting on what I consume, starting with this past Friday.

I was introduced to Una Pizza Napoletana, probably the best pizza I've had in a while with a great group of girls.  I chose to eat the Bianca pizza and the rest went with the Margherita.  Each "personal pie" that could feel 2-3 people costs $21.  But we couldn't have pizza without wine.  For a cash-only place, their wine list was great.  We went from red to white, so we started with a bottle of Penisola Sorrentina Gragnano (2007) sparkling red wine from Villa Monteleone.  I am a lover of Lambruscos, so I was doubtful of this red wine bottle that was plopped in front of us.  My doubts soon subsided as I washed down the delish pizza with the fabulous bubbly red.  A bottle will cost you roughly $13 at a wine shop, and it's a dry yet refreshing red that goes perfectly with pizza.  Now since one bottle wasn't enough for 5 lushes, we next went with a bottle of I Borboni Asprinio from Terre del Volturno.  I haven't been able to find any information online about this wine.  It doesn't surpass my favorite prosecco, Cantine Riondo Prosecco Veneto, but it still washed down the pizza and tasted pretty good.  Now onto a bad review...

I went to Eli's Wine Store on 3rd ave between 80 and 81st street looking for a wine that would compliment my lunch from Beyoglu, one of my fave Mediterranean restaurants.  I got a lamb dish of course, homage to my days living in London and off lamb instead of red meat.  So I was looking for a red that went with the lamb.  The wine guy said the baby del Rey (2004) would go nicely.  HA - the after taste is atrocious.  I don't know if it's a prune taste or what, but all I know is I was disappointed.  I just read a review and someone said they could taste a hint of raisin - I hate raisins, so now I'm not surprised that I'm not a fan of this wine.  Also it's French - I should have known better. I normally stick to Cotes du Rhones or George DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau - I'm truly upset with myself.  However, since I'm unemployed, my heart (wallet) can't take pouring out the rest of the bottle.  So I'm still drinking it, almost gaging every time I swallow.  No, I can't do it -  I have to much pride.  I poured the remainder of what was in my glass and the bottle into the kitchen sink.  Money down the drain.  PITS!

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!