David McDuff

Well, it looks like everyone has pretty well hashed things over already.... In any event, I've finally posted a write-up of the evening, with full wine notes and photos, at: Marc Vetri at Snackbar You'll find that the different strokes theme continues. Many thanks to Philadining for allowing me to borrow several of his photos.

Mosel Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese #19, Alfred Merkelbach 2005 Far from profound but nonetheless well balanced and brimming with green apple, white peach and transparent slatiness. A confectionery hint on the rear palate picks up on the wine’s residual aspects more so than up front. A food friendly style, this would make a lovely companion to seared scallops or lightly cured ham. Petit Chablis, Domaine Vincent Dauvissat 2004 Oyster shells and a bit of fishing pier funk on the nose. Very mineral, medium in scale, and just starting to develop a not unattractive oxidative note, followed by plenty of bitter lemon fruit. Drinking very well at the moment, it should continue to deliver immense pleasure (in spite of the pier funk) in the short term. Chablis, Domaine Laurent Tribut 2006 Hitting lots of high notes. Steely, bright and very tight, this should begin to get interesting in another year. Good length, with plentiful limestone-driven mineral character. Chablis Premier Cru “La Forest,” Domaine Vincent Dauvissat 2005 There’s breed showing through here, on a stony, gunflint driven frame, with green pear and lemon oil accents. However, it’s disjointed and a tad hot. Needs time to come around to a better place. Dolcetto d’Alba “Coste & Fossati,” G.D. Vajra 2005 This is a pleasure to drink in its youth but possesses an aromatic depth and a certain elegance that is less evident in most other Dolcetto. Dark cherry fruit, crushed flowers and freshly turned, loamy earth are at once plentiful yet subtly expressed on both the nose and palate. Very delicate, finely grained tannins. Worthy of your best Burgundy glass, where the aromas of most other Dolcetti might be prone to fall apart. Not as intense as the 2004 but still lovely, it’s just starting to come out of its shell and should hold and develop well for another five years. Chianti Classico, Isole e Olena 2004 Translucent ruby in the glass and lovely right out of the gates, with pure cherry fruit, laced with rosemary accents. After 30-45 minutes of air, it becomes more clearly delineated, with the cherry taking on a sweet yet graceful vanillin tone thanks to a well-executed aging regimen in large, old oak casks. Bright acidity provides lift, lively tannins give texture and, with more air, spice notes drive home the fruit. On day two, the wine is darker, rounder and feels richer in the mouth if a bit more diffuse than on day one. Yummy stuff, built for food. A touch more detail, including price and importer info, can be found at: Some Recent Tastes.

Based on a recent visit, I'm comfortable in saying that Margaret Kuo's in Wayne is turning out some of the best Chinese food on the Main Line. The menu hits traditional Sichuan sweet spots and gets creative without straying into fusion techniques. The atmosphere is a bit sterile but the food more than compensates. You'll find a full write-up and photos at: Margaret Kuo's Dragon's Lair

I visited on ex-chef Michael Solomonov's penultimate night at the helm. I'd hazard an educated guess that the new chef, Erin O'Shea, was largely responsible for the meal, which certainly bodes well for the future of Marigold under her direction. For full details and pics, check out Solomonov's Last Stand at Marigold Kitchen.

I'm sorry I missed last night's dinner at SnackBar; however, I had a similar reaction to a meal at Marigold Kitchen -- one of the last to be served under Solomonov's direction -- about a week ago.

Reviving the Talula's thread seems to have become my purview. I had the chance to stop in recently to check out their current tasting menu. Full details and photos can be found at: Late Fall Tasting Menu at Talula's Table. The reservation books will open again soon for dates in the second half of 2008; details can be found at the end of the story via the above link.

Thanks, Judith. I'm excited to be participating. I hope my contribution generates enough interest to make at least a little impact for the program.

Some recent tastes on a rainy Sunday. Full write-up with pics here: http://mcduffwine.blogspot.com/2007/12/not...rom-sunday.html Champagne “Les Vignes de Vrigny” Premier Cru Brut, Egly-Ouriet NV “Issu de Vignes de Pinot Meunier situées sur le Terroir de Vrigny” Aromas of peach and brioche were carried by a brisk, fine mousse. Fresh apricot, clover blossoms, hay and a hint of orange oil unfurled in the mouth. Fruit forward and round, with perfect balance and a long finish. Though not the most elegant Champagne out there, this was damn tasty and represents a solid QPR. Cour-Cheverny “Cuvée Renaissance,” Le Petit Chambord (François Cazin) 2004 The wine’s sweetness is both forward and graceful, delivering guava, limestone and lemon curd, all cut through by bright acidity. A little whiff of lavender emerged as the wine’s aromas curled up through the sinuses. This is not terribly complex at the moment but is still showing very youthful structure. It should be interesting to revisit in another three to five years. Cour-Cheverny, Le Petit Chambord (François Cazin) 2006 I’ll be more than happy to make due with Cazin’s regular Cour-Cheverny while waiting for the “Renaissance” to come into its own. The sec cuvée is nervier in feel and more subtly perfumed than its semi-sticky brother. Bananas, golden delicious apples, honeysuckle and acacia all emerged on the nose, supplemented by distinct and racy minerality on the palate. Coteaux du Loir “Rouge Gorge,” Domaine de Bellivière 2005 This is idiosyncratic juice. Black pepper – unmistakably – jumps from the glass, along with what strikes me as the scent of fresh haricots verts. One of my companions also noted a certain air of the auto shop; I couldn’t argue. Rustic, oddball and absolutely delicious. I’m usually pretty tuned in to alcoholic strength, but the 15% this was packing sneaked right by, a virtue perhaps of its slightly cool serving temperature. Coteaux du Loir “Hommage à Louis Derré,” Domaine de Bellivière 2005 A more tannic structure than the "Rouge Gorge," bolstered by a bit of oak that lends aromas of baking spices. The black pepper and string beans still come out to play, joined by thyme and black cherries. There’s a bit more nuance, along with deeper concentration, but the alcohol, even though labeled as lower than the “Rouge Gorge,” displays some heat on the finish. Wide-knit tannins provide a seriously mouth wakening charge. Graves, Château du Grand Bos 1997 I’ve noticed bottle variation with the ’97 Graves from Grand Bos in the past; this bottle fell on the down side of the curve, I’m afraid. I kept thinking there was a background whiff of cork taint but nope, it just wasn’t showing well. Red cassis and a leathery, herbaceous character were all wrapped up in a damp, clay-like sense. I’d hoped this would be a great match with our final course of pan-grilled lamb chops, as a bottle on the up side of the curve should have been. No such luck. Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru “Les Macherelles” (Rouge), Jean-Marc Pillot 2000 I was taken by surprise by this bottle, not because it didn’t show Chassagne typicity but because it wasn’t nearly as rich and forward in style as earlier vintages of the same wine from Pillot. The 2000 was lively and tight, with dried sour cherry and pronounced sous-bois aromas. Still very solid, even a bit shut down at the moment. cheers, David

Dear fellow Philly eGulleters, I know this is a rather odd posting/request in the context of a non-profit, fund-raising organization's forum, so please bear with me and forgive the intrusion. I’m writing with a call for support in the spirit of holiday giving. Many of you may already be familiar with Menu For Hope. It’s a fund-raising effort, participated in by food and wine bloggers around the globe, to support the United Nations World Food Programme. This year, the fourth for the event, all proceeds are being directed to feed hungry farming families in Lesotho, Africa. I'm participating for the first time this year. You can view the details of my contribution – private sommelier services for six, including wine – on my blog at: Win Me For a Night! (Private Sommelier Services) You’ll also find full details of how the program works and links to all sorts of information about the organization. I know this is a rather presumptuous request but I’d love it if each or any of you would consider spreading the word to any of your friends, family and associates who might be interested. I'd love for my contribution to make as big an impact for Menu For Hope as possible, which could certainly be helped by getting some attention from as many food and wine loving people as possible. Please let me know if you have any questions. Anything you choose to do would be greatly appreciated. Best regards, David

Former wine host, warm greeter and regular contributor to this forum, Mary Baker, aka Rebel Rose, is the most recent subject of "Bloggerview," a recurring topic on Tom Wark's wine industry blog, "Fermentation." Check out her interview: Bloggerview #14: Mary Baker, Dover Canyon Winery Blog. Way to go, Mary!

Ok, so I was more than a little late in finally getting to Ansill last Saturday. Overall impressions were solid, though I did run into a poorly executed dish and found both the beer list and especially the wine list to be on the weak side. Some thoughts about the food: Our “starter” plates included a marinated olive mixture, roasted beets, pigs’ trotters and steak tartare (missing the final “e” on the menu). The olives and beets succeeded by virtue of quality ingredients. The lightly pickled, just slightly snappy beets were accompanied by a few sections of orange, lending a bright, citrus accent to the beets’ sweet, earthy and briny core. Perched atop a generous portion of steak tartare, in a play on the traditional hen’s egg, was a raw quail’s egg. A bold hand with use of purple mustard along with the more usual seasonings made for a high level of zestiness, nearly overwhelming the simple pleasures of the beef itself. The steak’s freshness, though, was unquestionable. Pigs’ trotters were roasted, the meat shredded from the hooves and then rolled with parsley and seasonings before being compressed, sliced and finally pan fried. Served with a toss of pickled red cabbage, they were juicy little medallions of goodness, far removed from any visual association with their original place in the food chain. If there was a weak point with regards to the food, it came in the form of my “larger plate” selection: pappardelle with venison, pancetta and truffle butter. That truffle butter was not in evidence; the pancetta made nary an impact. Larger issues were at hand though. The pasta was overcooked. So was the venison – tender yet braised for so long as to rob the meat of its very venison-ness. Celery, as it turned out, was the dominating flavor of the dish. Oh well…. In order to have a vegetable somewhere in the trotter, tartare and venison mix, I’d ordered a plate of (non-vegan) Brussels sprouts as well. Roasted to a nice exterior char and infused with a touch of bacon, the sprouts helped to make up for the main course disappointment. So did dessert, which brought the food-related quality of the experience right back to where it had been. A light, creamy cup of chestnut mousse, dressed up with a ginger snap garnish, was a simple delight. A more complete write-up, with photos, can be found at: Ansill Food & Wine.

It shouldn't be a problem, Vaughan. Just be sure to pack the bottles carefully, as you would with any wine.

This is my first contribution to the DC/DelMarVa forum, as I spend most of my eGulleting around the Philly forum. I was surprised to find nothing -- unless I just didn't look hard enough -- about Peter's Inn, located in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood. I've enjoyed it for years and recently had the opportunity for a revisit and write-up. The following is an excerpt from a full write-up which can be found at: McDuff's Food & Wine Trail -- My Favorite Baltimore Haunt. Founded in its current iteration by Bud and Karin Tiffany in the early 1990s, Peter’s Inn is a former biker bar reborn as Baltimore’s strongest bastion of gastro-pub cuisine. At its heart, Peter’s is still a neighborhood tavern. If you can find a seat at the bar, there’s no problem with making it your shot and a beer haunt for the evening. Over the years though, the space has morphed slowly into more and more of a destination restaurant, in spite of never having shed its barroom feel. Diners now migrate in from the ‘burbs, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, to enjoy the Fells Point scene along with plates of good value and seriously tasty food. From a tiny kitchen, Bud, Karin and their small staff turn out a small menu worth – usually just six or seven choices – of hearty yet creative dishes. Any single plate is enough to make a meal of, particularly when paired with the house’s signature salad and huge hunk of potent garlic bread. A hungry solo diner or small group could just as easily sample or share a couple of dishes to get a greater feel for the range of the menu. Steak, along with the aforementioned sides of salad and garlic bread, has a permanent spot, anchored at the end of the menu. The rest of the selections change regularly, according to season and availability of interesting ingredients from the kitchen’s favorite purveyors. On my most recent visit, I enjoyed a plate of pristinely fresh, Hawaiian tuna served two ways: blackened, rare medallions of loin set atop rich, creamy wasabi aioli on tortilla wedges; and a generously heaped martini glass full of highly seasoned tuna tartare.

It's funny that Rich mentioned Overture as I'd thought of it as well. I hesitated simply because I haven't been there in several years. I was a semi-regular at one time though and always found it a pleasure, if a bit stuck in its ways. The fact that it's BYO is always an added bonus from my perspective. As for Osteria, it's certainly more "festive" than Vetri but the food is seriously good. I might suggest calling to ask for one of the slightly more private corner tables. There is a private room, though I suspect it requires a fairly large party to secure it all to yourselves. Turnover can definitely be an issue, particularly on a Friday night. But I don't know what to expect on the Friday following TG. And I totally missed the Rittenhouse reference in your initial post. Oops....

I suppose I could have been more clear, Rob. I'm glad wkl set things straight. And I'd have to agree, all, that it would be a shame to miss out on the take-out goodies in the shop, much less a dinner if you can eke out a reservation, just because LaBan glowed a bit too brightly (I probably did too...).

Domaine Hudson is definitely a good idea, with the added benefit of a private room which, if not already booked, is perfect for a party of eight. As an adjunct to the past experience at Vetri, you might also consider Osteria. And if you're in the hotel mood, why not LaCroix at the Rittenhouse?

This thread's been surprisingly quiet of late, particularly in light of LaBan's rather enthusiastic review in the Inky a couple of weeks ago. The private table is becoming a near-impossible reservation. Nonetheless, I thought I'd revive things with a link to a write-up of their current tasting menu: The October Harvest Tasting Menu at Talula's Table

Thanks, all! Acacia and Blue Bottle both look promising. I'll be sure to report back once a decision's been made and dinner has transpired. cheers, McDuff

Some friends and I had the chance to check out The Belgian Cafe (aka, Monks in Fairmount) last weekend. Following is an excerpt from a more detailed writeup which can be found at: McDuff's Food & Wine Trail. ---------- After enjoying a couple of beers at the bar, I was more than ready to order up some grub once a table became available. The cyclist in me couldn’t resist starting with a small order of the Eddy Merckx mussels, petite PEI’s steamed in a broth of rice, peas, peppers, tomato, saffron and Sly Fox Pale Ale. I’m not sure what the rice was meant to accomplish; the spoonful of kernels at the bottom of the bowl wasn’t enough to satisfy The Cannibal’s post-race carbohydrate craving, nor did it seem to add any richness to the broth. The peas, though, did lend a sweet, earthy tang of contrast to the briny flesh of the mussels. The refreshing texture and citrus, slightly funky flavor of Dupont Saison farmhouse ale made for a nice pairing. Going to the core of the menu, I opted for a burger and a beer – La Chouffe, at the recommendation of our waitress – as a main course. The Bruegel is a classic beef burger, topped with bacon and melted sharp cheddar. Though cooked a tad past the requested medium-rare, the fat content in the beef was sufficient to maintain plenty of juiciness; however, especially when combined with the cheese and bacon, the burger also teetered on the edge of greasiness. At the moment, the kitchen at The Belgian Café seems to be running a step behind the standard set at the original Monk’s Café. With a bit of fine tuning – the mussels need just a bit more flavor concentration to their broth while the burgers would benefit from a sturdier roll, such as the stirato served at Monk’s, and a surer hand at the stove – I hope the food will rise in quality as the design of the restaurant takes its final shape. The well thought out structure, ample space and relaxed atmosphere are already enough to make The Belgian Café a worthy destination for pilgrims in search of fine ale and chow as well as a regular watering hole for the denizens of Fairmount.

M is for Marcillac.

Thanks, SK. Any other suggestions out there???

It's been too long since I've spent enough time in the Princeton area to be up to date with the restaurants there, so any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm seeking recommendations for a BYOB in Princeton or one of its very near neighbors with good food (of course), a wine friendly menu and, ideally, a private room. French, Italian or American seasonal spots would be ideal but I'm open to any and all suggestions. cheers, David

With the <a href="http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/AutumnalEquinox.html" target="_blank">vernal equinox</a> looming large, I think a seasonal market update is in order. Greens, both lettuces and crucifers, are back. Fall squash, even pumpkins, are ready. And root vegetables – potatoes, sweet potatoes and red beets – are becoming staples. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvU_8tQv_HI/AAAAAAAAAS8/ZZ-tNrIbt7o/s1600-h/Heirloom+Tomatoes.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvU_8tQv_HI/AAAAAAAAAS8/ZZ-tNrIbt7o/s200/Heirloom+Tomatoes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113063264123616370" /></a>Now certainly reaching the end of their long run this year, I was surprised to find a fairly broad selection of tomatoes still at this week’s market. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised though, after the intensity of flavor in the batch of heirlooms I picked up a week earlier. Regrettably, I didn’t manage to snap a picture of the lovely composed salad they were destined for at <a href="http://mcduffwine.blogspot.com/2007/09/notes-on-wedding.html">my friend’s wedding</a> but I did save a decent shot of a smaller, slightly less diverse batch I picked up back in August. The fruit selection has been one of the surest meters of seasonality throughout the year. The last couple of weeks have seen the departure of peaches and all but the last plums with the corresponding arrival of a growing variety of apples and pears. And Asian pears are rolling in as well. Regrettably, North Star Orchard’s decadent, vanilla and butterscotch laced Ichibans (which I wrote about <a href="http://www.oakmontfarmersmarket.org/blog/labels/Asian%20Pears.html" target="_blank">on the Oakmont Market blog</a>), came and went in only one week. But their crisp, sweet Hosui are still in full swing. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvVA09Qv_II/AAAAAAAAATE/Kq1cYjCSCYg/s1600-h/Thunder+Grapes.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvVA09Qv_II/AAAAAAAAATE/Kq1cYjCSCYg/s200/Thunder+Grapes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113064230491257986" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tasting Thunder:</span> Speaking of <a href="http://www.northstarorchard.com/" target="_blank">North Star Orchard</a>, co-proprietor Ike Kerschner is apparently beginning to pursue his dream of becoming not just an artisanal orchardist but also a fruit breeder. One of his first ventures in fruit genetics, a grape variety dubbed “Thunder,” appeared at the market for the first time Wednesday just past. It’s a perfect sign of the autumn harvest season. Blue-black berries, thick skinned and bearing seeds, give a blast of robust flavor sparked by peak ripeness, good acidity and just a hint of bitterness. If you’ve been looking for a table grape that actually tastes like something more than diluted Welch’s grape juice, you might want to catch some Thunder. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tasting Childhood:</span> Some of my clearest recollections of childhood revolve around the simple pleasures of food. Distinct among those memories is the taste and smell of fresh pressed apple cider, purchased at roadside farm stands on the trip home, up Route 29 in central Virginia, after late summer visits with my grandmother. That memory resurfaced recently, kindled by the arrival at the Oakmont market of honest, fresh pressed cider from <a href="http://www.fruitwoodorchardshoney.com/" target="_blank">Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm</a>. Available in pint, half-gallon and gallon jugs, it’s the real deal: sweet, rich, cloudy, a little chunky – wholesome goodness. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvVDOtQv_LI/AAAAAAAAATc/rMyAHKzXsIw/s1600-h/Fruitwood+Cider.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvVDOtQv_LI/AAAAAAAAATc/rMyAHKzXsIw/s320/Fruitwood+Cider.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113066871896145074" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvVCAtQv_JI/AAAAAAAAATM/PE3j4WH3WEM/s1600-h/Fruitwood+Orchards.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_uM3mtUg7NQw/RvVCAtQv_JI/AAAAAAAAATM/PE3j4WH3WEM/s320/Fruitwood+Orchards.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113065531866348690" /></a><center><font size=1><i>A bit of the autumn harvest from Fruitwood Orchards</i></font></center>

Some tasting notes from the vault, as experienced during a February 2004 visit to Weingut Keller in the Rheinhessen. The full write-up of the visit is available at: Weingut Keller: Shining Star in the Rheinhessen The notes: 2003 Riesling QbA trocken The first of the 2003 Rieslings to be finished, this was due to be bottled a week after our visit. This sample was tasted from a bottle pulled from vat earlier in the day. Very soft mouthfeel and extremely yeasty, showing simple tropical fruit on the palate. The QbA wines are produced with a combination of fruit from non-cru vineyard sites and of declassified fruit from the crus. No chaptalization was used. 2002 Riesling “Von der Fels” Fruit from 15-30 year-old vines in several of Keller’s crus – still too young for the Großes Gewächs bottlings – has gone into “Von der Fels” since its first release in 2000. Though labeled simply as a QbA, this is essentially a non-vineyard designated Spätlese trocken, meant to be representative of the estate’s limestone rich terroir as expressed in a dry style. Lean aromatics gave way to concentrated limestone minerality with a fuller, firmer mouthfeel than in the basic QbA wines. 2002 Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs The rather gothic looking rust orange labels of Keller’s grand cru bottlings are facsimiles of the old family labels which were used up to 1953. The ’02 Hubacker was muscular, spicy, and even a bit earthy, with tremendous mineral extract. Very closed at time of tasting, with loads of acidity keeping the 13% alcohol in check. 2000 Hubacker Riesling “Max” Großes Gewächs Named to commemorate the birth of Klaus-Peter’s son, the 2000 was more aromatically forthcoming. Though still tasting very young, its mouthfeel had begun to round, showing orange oil and spicy earth on the palate. A very difficult vintage, with rain at harvest time. Keller explained that the purely spontaneous fermentation methods used for his Großes Gewächs can lead to extremely long fermentation times – think in terms of years – and can leave primary yeast characteristics in the flavor profile of the wines for their first 3-5 years in bottle. 2002 Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Spätlese Rich fruit, candied citrus peels. Extremely well balanced. Short notes…. 2003 Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Spätlese Tasted from a sample bottle pulled from vat. K-P found 2003 a perfect vintage for the production of Spätlese. Big time tropical fruit, very exotic and, not surprisingly, very yeasty. Far richer and rounder than the ’02, but nonetheless showing good acid (6.5g) for a hot vintage. Elegant. 1997 Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Auslese This is a bit of a rarity in the Keller portfolio as it comes from a vineyard site in the Rheingau that was leased by the Keller’s only from 1996-1998, while Klaus-Peter was still in oenology school. The wine was sold only at auction. Beautiful, golden color. A nose loaded with scents of botrytis. Honeyed on the front palate with lovely minerality on the mid-palate. Flavors of fruitcake, along with some petrol hints, typical to the more slate and quartzite soils of the Rheingau. 1997 Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Spätlese Very young in appearance and taste, with lively fruit accented by a hint of botrytis character (about 10% botrytis effected fruit). Minerally but not at all petrol in character, with very fine peach and lemon peel tones. 2003 Grüner Silvaner QbA trocken Something forward and refreshing to finish the tasting. Silvaner is apparently quite the thing among German consumers. All of Keller’s Silvaner vines are at least 25 years old; they even produce a varietal Silvaner from 45 year-old grand cru vines. The 2003 showed a typically herbal nose but with riper fruit on the palate than in the previous few years. The grassiness was even more prevalent on the palate. Very fresh. Clocking in at 12.5%, higher in alcohol than the norm but still considered low for the vintage.

Hey, I've been enjoying the tomatoes. I had one of the heirlooms (that got a bit smashed on the trip home from today's market) this evening, simply sliced and served with a drizzle of Tuscan olive oil and a sprinkle of salt an pepper. Yum. As for the Asian Pears, I've yet to experience them in their fresh form. Their Asian Pear Butter, though, makes a tasty condiment for savory sandwiches. Try a little on your next ham and cheese, turkey and provolone, etc.