What a nice evening
Last night was extra-special Mr. Fawlty ... excellent food, wine and friends. Thanks. For those of you living in the general vicinity of "the Hub", Campania, in Waltham is a real find. Last night the special appetizer was papardelle with shaved white truffles, and truffle oil. Hoo boy. The veal chop was similarly stunning. The Chocolate souffle was disappointing, though.
Being a souffle 'ho', I am picky about the consistency and most important of all that sublime light egginess of the finished product. Hands down the best souffle in Boston is at Olives (at least the most consistent). The best souffle ever in my book (this is really hard given how many I have easten around my travels) is still probably at Justine's in the Four Corners building in Zemalek in Cairo. Grand marnier souffle with creme anglais. I could eat one of those every day for the rest of my (hopefully long) life.
Back to Earth. Why is it that children all of a sudden develop a serious terror of something? They are just fine, well adjusted, then wham ... "I am not going into any room that does not have an adult that I know and trust in it." Spare me the psycho analytics, sometimes the fear is so bizarre that it beggars belief. My middle son is right now in exactly such a place. And he has been so brave and confident heretofore.
Did I meantion some excellent wine last night too? Nero d'Avola, from Sicily. A native, almost forgotten grape as a stand alone, now discovering some vogue among vintners there, I would describe this varietal as a cross between a zin and a syrah, a tad more tannic, full bodied, but not bombastic like the Tuscans. Ours was the Don Antonio made by Morgante, a house dedicated to the nero d'avola -- also called calabrese -- and 2001. Just fantastic. During a little Google session today to learn more, it is a wine made from lower yeilding old vines and represents their premium effort. It also turns out that up until recently the nero grape was sent to French and northern Italian producers to blend in some body to their efforts. I have to run out and score some others to get more background.
I have been indulging in a love affair with the Malbec - Argentina's prime drop. Really good value it is too. The Tikal Altos Hormigas is a prime example of value. One thing about that bottle is how heavy it is. When you pick it up after draining it, you are pursuaded that ata least one more glass is in it, because the bottle is so heavy. So like a moron you keep trying. Even when you know it can't be true. A waiter at Olive's (where they serve this) confirms that he does it practically every day: as he puts it, "I know by weight how much is left in the bottle, without even having to look. This one is different." As to the malbec grape is its better Argentine guise, it too is spicy, full bodied, hints of leather, chocolate and pepper, with delicious soft mouth feel. Very extracted and deep purple/red. Yummy.
A few weeks ago I had the dubious pleasure of consuming the better part of a bottle of gewurztraminer paired with an Indonesian rijstafel. Dubious because anything else I had that night simply tasted like dishrag. Oh, God, it was sublime. I have to get the name and list it here, although you have to be a Rockefeller to drink it with any regularity, it was so expensive ($150 plus). And the pairing, however bold was perfect. PERFECT!!! Whew, I about wet myself just thinking about it. We also tried an Australis shiraz with it: good, but simply blown out of the water by the white. When was the last time that happened to you?
As I write, I am sipping away at a Ravenswood Lodi Old Vines Zin. No wimpy wines indeed. Great value too -- available at Costco for about $14/pp. It just makes me want to carve off a little Scharfenberger 70% choc and watch something stupid on the tube. Sooner or later I will go back to visit Rhone valley wines, the ubiquitous Brodeaux, etc., but I am just so lost in the unusual at the moment. And I am finding incredible value out there, well separated from the "names." Hmmm. Time for a refill.
Being a souffle 'ho', I am picky about the consistency and most important of all that sublime light egginess of the finished product. Hands down the best souffle in Boston is at Olives (at least the most consistent). The best souffle ever in my book (this is really hard given how many I have easten around my travels) is still probably at Justine's in the Four Corners building in Zemalek in Cairo. Grand marnier souffle with creme anglais. I could eat one of those every day for the rest of my (hopefully long) life.
Back to Earth. Why is it that children all of a sudden develop a serious terror of something? They are just fine, well adjusted, then wham ... "I am not going into any room that does not have an adult that I know and trust in it." Spare me the psycho analytics, sometimes the fear is so bizarre that it beggars belief. My middle son is right now in exactly such a place. And he has been so brave and confident heretofore.
Did I meantion some excellent wine last night too? Nero d'Avola, from Sicily. A native, almost forgotten grape as a stand alone, now discovering some vogue among vintners there, I would describe this varietal as a cross between a zin and a syrah, a tad more tannic, full bodied, but not bombastic like the Tuscans. Ours was the Don Antonio made by Morgante, a house dedicated to the nero d'avola -- also called calabrese -- and 2001. Just fantastic. During a little Google session today to learn more, it is a wine made from lower yeilding old vines and represents their premium effort. It also turns out that up until recently the nero grape was sent to French and northern Italian producers to blend in some body to their efforts. I have to run out and score some others to get more background.
I have been indulging in a love affair with the Malbec - Argentina's prime drop. Really good value it is too. The Tikal Altos Hormigas is a prime example of value. One thing about that bottle is how heavy it is. When you pick it up after draining it, you are pursuaded that ata least one more glass is in it, because the bottle is so heavy. So like a moron you keep trying. Even when you know it can't be true. A waiter at Olive's (where they serve this) confirms that he does it practically every day: as he puts it, "I know by weight how much is left in the bottle, without even having to look. This one is different." As to the malbec grape is its better Argentine guise, it too is spicy, full bodied, hints of leather, chocolate and pepper, with delicious soft mouth feel. Very extracted and deep purple/red. Yummy.
A few weeks ago I had the dubious pleasure of consuming the better part of a bottle of gewurztraminer paired with an Indonesian rijstafel. Dubious because anything else I had that night simply tasted like dishrag. Oh, God, it was sublime. I have to get the name and list it here, although you have to be a Rockefeller to drink it with any regularity, it was so expensive ($150 plus). And the pairing, however bold was perfect. PERFECT!!! Whew, I about wet myself just thinking about it. We also tried an Australis shiraz with it: good, but simply blown out of the water by the white. When was the last time that happened to you?
As I write, I am sipping away at a Ravenswood Lodi Old Vines Zin. No wimpy wines indeed. Great value too -- available at Costco for about $14/pp. It just makes me want to carve off a little Scharfenberger 70% choc and watch something stupid on the tube. Sooner or later I will go back to visit Rhone valley wines, the ubiquitous Brodeaux, etc., but I am just so lost in the unusual at the moment. And I am finding incredible value out there, well separated from the "names." Hmmm. Time for a refill.
posted by Zaphod at Sunday, November 13, 2005
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