redwinegulper

Back in the late '80s I had a '85 Cab from Stag's Leap, wow, it was my first great bottle of wine. A few of my favorites are Dalle Valle, Forman, Staglin, and yes I like Montelena too. I have had some great bottles from Dominus, but am not as excited about it now.....perhaps it is not as explosive as you would anticipate at current prices. Most overrated is Opus One (I seem to be in the minority here) Best choice in the value category ($20) is Ch Souverain

Hey, what a bash, it sounds like your planning is doing well. I'll add my 2 cents. First, $20 per plate....yipes, that is just enough for cocktails. Well, hopefully is not a lush like me. If you get stuck for time, and are keeping costs low, Costco in LIC has a crudite plate all made up. They also have shrimp that u just need to defrost, but I do not think that will make it in the budget. Cheese as an app, my experience has been that people wolf down the shrimp and the cheese sits there like it is poisonous. It DOES fit the budget, for 20 or 30 people 3 wedges is plenty....just buy good stuff. The pork tenderloins sound fab....but it may be tough to cook....if overcooked they are dry as a bone. Leg of lamb is a favorite of mine, but how many legs are u going to cook. I have done beef tenderloin several times and it works really well. I actually don't like the cut of meat personally, but for a big group it is simple, and is well received. I have served it warm and at room temperature with a horseradish sauce. Ok, here is a costco plug again (and I buy very little meat there) but they have tons of whole beef tenderloins. As a side dish, I like roast vegatables. Put it all in the same pan and there is a wide window on cooking time. Carrots, Beets (use chiogga or golden so everything dosn't turn red) potatoes, celariac, parsnips are a few item you can use

I agree. The show had great potential, but the sidekick...Rooney I think.....really downgraded the show. The attempt at comedy was not funny, just stupid and annoying.

Hi Katie, I will probably go on Thursday. I have always enjoyed your posts, and it would be a pleasure to say hello. Ed

Anyone ever try this wine? I did a tasting of Primitivos; and althought this wine came in second, it had some very unique characteristics. Rather than the typical fruity cherries and blackberries, it's flavor profile was more like a baby Amarone. It was rust in color like a ten year old wine. And it tasted of prunes and molasses and layers of spice. Was this a bad bottle? Was it what the winemaker was striving for by leaving the grapes on the vine very long, perhaps drying a bit like an Amorone? The wine was well balanced and tasted delicious, but it did not taste like a Primitivo. Anyone experience this?

I have a few fancy decanters, but my favorite is a simple glass pitcher typically used for iced tea.

As an aside to the trademark fighting; I think those are 2 of the stupidest names for a wine.

roasted peppers, mushrooms, grilled squash roast cherry tomatoes try different cheeses....goat, aged fontina, asiago try diiferent herbs....i like thyme with alot of the above

David, I had one more question if I may. You mention that we need to develop a voice. Well, my original thought on my newsletter was to call it "my 2 cents" since the voice I was using was my actual opinions. Althought I have changed the name, I still want to offer my opinions. I would assume that this may be the easiest writing style since it is consistent and comes from the gut. But I think what you were saying earlier is that can be good if it is interesting. If my opinions are not compelling to a reader, then I will sink quickly since nobody knows who I am to begin with. But I think it will be hard to judge myself until I get the final result on paper. I am looking to send out my first issue next month (although October may also be the date). If you are not too busy at the time could I ask you for your feedback?

David, thanks for all your insights. I am in the process of developing a Newletter on food, wine and travel. I have never done any writing before, so I thought this would be a good place to start. I was going to start at one page, and do articles of 50 to 250 words. Since I was doing this on the internet the cost would be near zero. Can I write? Who knows, but I thought I will never know until I give it a try. I am sure as my subscription list grows (the newsletter will be free), I will get loads of feedback. Do you think this is a good way to gain experience? Also, do you think it is a way to build crediblity? Thanks again, Ed

This is a new winery in Charlottesville, Va and the wine is a Bordeaux type blend of Cab, Cab Franc and Merlot. I checked out the website and they are charging $58 for the 2001. This seems like a deal since the very limited 2000 sells for $450 (but comes in a really fancy box). I have never tasted or even seen this wine, but my guess is that it is overpriced (but because the owner has billions of $$ we will hear more about). Anyone try this wine? Ever hear of it?

I used regular all purpose flour, but that is the same flour I always use...and with good results. Your comment on the water level is interesting. I mix the ingredients in a Kitchen Aid with a dough hook. The recipe (W. puck) say about 5 minutes on slow....which is the amount of time it normally takes to form a good ball on the hook....BUT, this time it seemed to form a ball in about 2 minutes. I thought that the excessive humidity could be effecting things. So when I was doing the first round of kneeding I added a bit more flour....it did not seem to get too dry, but maybe that was part of the cause.

I made thin crust pizza yesterday and it was a total flop. First let me say that I have made pizza dozens of times and became quite good at it, but something happen to the dough. The problem is that the dough did not stretch, it was more flakey like a pastry dough. As I rolled out the pizza it would rip, and as I pick it up to flip over it would rip in about 6 spots. My guess is the yeast did not work right? The ingredients are the same as I always use...flour, water, packaged yeast, olive oil, and honey. It was very humid out (if that could be a problem). I could tell when rolling the dough that is did not have the normal elasticity, and after it rested a bit after the second rise there were cracks in the top of the ball, rather than a shiny round surface. I would guess that it was definately the yeast, but the yeast seem to foam up like normal, and the dough did rise although in hindsight it did not seem to rise as high as normal. I appreciate any insights from the pizza gurus.

Although I found the found the food to be good, I give it a thumbs down. It is probably 9 months since my visit, so I will try to remember why I was so turned off. I will say there is plenty of buzz, but Hanson is a master at this. But I found the food overpriced and many of the items on the wine list were a 4x markup....to me that says ripoff. When I think of an Italian restaurant I envision things being down to earth, using fresh ingredients in a simple but effective way, a certain warmth.....here I got the feeling of glitz, pretty women in size 2 outfits saying this is "the best". Some people love this place...but it rubbed me the wrong way.

I began collecting wine in the late '80s. I presently have about 250 bottles, but only half is climate controlled. I used to focus more on California, but now I drink more Italian and French...and 98%red. Although some of the wine I age for 5-10 years, much of the wine is for earlier consumption. I can fully understand what docsconz means by an addiction; and I have been very controlled...but I am also very tempted to build a larger cellar(but how much can I drink?).

I think we need to have a cook-off to determine the best cooking techniques, stuffings etc. I would be more than happy to be one of the tasters.

I am soooo hungry. I was so disappointed last week when I was in Italy and I ordered a plate, they we stuffed with ricotta, and then deep fried and the batter was too thick.

just did.....thx

I find the Pirramimma Shiraz a bit Plumy for me.

NYT wouldn't let me read....asked for subscription #

Sorry to be on the other side of the fence. I found their wines not particularly well balanced. I think they were striving for big, but perhaps fell short on the fruit. I must say I have only tried one or two vintages.

Jim, although I find it facinating that the wine held up well for 10 days; I am even more amazed that you were not in the cellar for 10 days.....or am I the only lush around here.

I bought a saute pan there 8 years ago, it is my favorite.

roasted peppers carmeized onions feta oregano or thyme if u have and don't forget the salt yum

I have trouble planning 2 days ahead because things change. If I buy scallops, my wife gets home, says she ate sushi for lunch and doesn't want scallops....ughhh. With 2 kids and a husband I guess you can't ask opinions, you just need to serve. But what I do find helpful is to have a couple items I can cook quickly without having to go to the store or worry about long defrost times (on meat items). I always try to keep good ravioli in the freezer, and then cook it with butter and sage. You need to keep fresh herbs in the garden. Another is to keep some frozen tomato sauce (I hate ragu or prego) in the freezer....defrost in microwave and toss with pasta. Another is to keep good Italian tuna in the pantry, toss with white beans, lettuce or arugala and some cherry tomatoes.