Bound for South America: Argentina & Chile

The carnivore in me is looking forward to the fine beef of Argentina, to dining on an abundance of grilled meats. I also suspect I will enjoy plenty of fresh seafood, from the Pacific coast, while visiting Chile.

(And if you have not realized it yet, yesterday's post about the Vegan wager was an April Fool's joke. Bring on the meat!)  

Today, I'll board a plane for a long flight to the Southern Hemisphere, to the countries of Argentina and Chile. I'll be journeying to this region as part of a journalist wine trip, with nine other writers from across the country.  We will first stay in Argentina, and then later travel to Chile.  This will be my first time to this region, and I look forward to my explorations. 

Mendoza is "a place of almost supernatural beauty."--Maricel Presilla

In Argentina, we will be staying in the city of Mendoza and our intinerary includes winery visits to Zuccardi, Bodega Vistalba, Renacer, Catena, Nieto, Alma Negra, and Alta Vista. The first Spanish colony in Argentina was established in 1536 at Buenos Aires by Pedro de Mendoza, but was soon abandoned due to the ferocity of the Querandi Indians. Then in 1553, the first city, Santiago del Estero, was established by Francisco de Aguirre. The people though desired a priest and one was sent to them, Juan Cidron, who is often considered the father of the Argentina wine industry. It is said that Juan came to the city with a cross in one hand and vine shoots in the other. Interestingly, the city of Mendoza is not named for Pedro who established the first colony. Rather, it was named for the governor of Chile, Don Garcia Hurtado de Mendoza.

"In Chile, you lift up a rock, and instead of a lizard out crawls a poet or balladeer."--Isabel Allende

In Chile, we will be staying in the city of Santiago, and our itinerary includes winery visits to Terra Noble, Cousino-Macul, Leyda, Vina Ventisquero, and Valdivieso. Vines came to Chile even earlier than in Argentina. A priest, Francisco de Carabantes, is said to have brought the first vines in 1548. The city of Santiago was founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia, and the early settlers of Chile had to deal with the fierce Mapuche people.  Even the mighty Incan Empire had been unable to conquer the Mapuche.

As can be seen, priests led the efforts in these countries to plant vineyards, and the wine was used primarily for sacramental purposes.  This echoes many other wine regions around the world, where priests and other religious members were some of the first to maintain vines and produce wines.  

I am sure we will taste a wide gamut of wines, including whites, reds, roses, sparkling wines, and dessert wines. Malbec, Torrontes, and Carmenere will be common, as well as numerous international varieties. As I have discussed before, there is evidence that wineries in Argentina may be paying much more attention to matters of terroir, producing wines of place.  That is an exciting thought.  Both Argentina and Chile seemed to recently explode onto the world wine scene, despite having a history of wine extending over 400 years. In a number of respects, their wine industries are relatively new, yet show much potential. 

There is at least some free time allotted to us so I will be able to explore some of the area on my own. For one, I want to seek out some of the indigenous drinks of this region, such as chicha, caña, mate and pisco. In Argentina, there is a vodka made from Malbec which I would love to try. Argentina is also making some artisan grappas.  And there should be plenty of exciting cuisine.

It will be a splendid adventure, exploring two countries I have never visited before. I will be away for about two weeks so my blog posts might be limited during this time. But I hope to return with many new stories to relate.

A Month Of Hell Begins

This is going to be one of my toughest months ever and I really need some support.

First, a little background. I enjoy playing chess and am a pretty good player. I don't get to play face-to-face often enough, usually playing against the computer. My primary live player is my good friend Jeremy, who I have known for nearly ten years, but unfortunately he lives quite a distance away in Burlington, Vermont. So, we only end up playing about once every three months or so. Our last game was about a week ago, though it had been almost seven months since the last one.

Jeremy tries very hard, but he loses to me about 90% of the time.  The only time he ever wins is if he plays White, and he still ends up losing most of those games too. We usually wager on the games, minor stakes, because I feel bad about taking too much from Jeremy. Jeremy is a great sport about it and never complains or whines.

Now Jeremy and I are also significantly different in our dietary habits.  Jeremy is an avowed Vegan, and has been for almost eight years.  If you know me, you understand I have more of the proclivities of a carnivore. So Jeremy often cringes when he reads my blog, like at my recent post on eating rabbit which especially bothered him. Despite being Vegan, he is still a very good friend.

Well, at our recent chess game, Jeremy wanted to raise the stakes and offered quite an interesting wager.  If he lost, then we could go to any restaurant of my choosing and I could order for Jeremy. So, I could select a Brazilian rodizio, where skewers of meat are brought nonstop to your table, and Jeremy would have to eat all that meat.  Or I could select a restaurant that served rabbit.  But, if I lost, I would have to eat Vegan for an entire month.

Now, that wager seems a bit unbalanced, one night versus an entire month. But, you have to consider my winning ratio.  Plus, I was White in this game, and Jeremy had yet to ever win a game as Black.  My chances of winning this bet were very high, so I didn't have much worry of ending up a temporary Vegan. Thus, I accepted the wager and the game began.

For Jeremy to make this bet, I figured that he thought he had some ace up his sleeve.  I usually play Queen Pawn openings, so it seemed likely he had spent the last seven months trying to work on the best defense possible. So why not shake up things and try a King pawn opening instead? That might be able to thwart his plans.  But it ended up being a major mistake.

My King Pawn openings were rusty and I ran into trouble early in the middle game. I had to wonder if that was Jeremy's plan all along, to try to move me away from a Queen Pawn opening. Despite my troubles, I thought that at worst I could push for a draw.  But that was not to happen either. As the end game began, I knew my fate. I tipped my king in defeat, my hand slightly shaking, knowing I could not avoid checkmate. 

I am a man of my word, and always pay my wagers. I somehow lost this chess game, this bet, and now my hell has begun. One month of eating Vegan: no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no fun. Vegetables and fruits are my companions in April.  This is going to be extremely difficult for me, one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced. Dining out is going to be miserable. Even my wine consumption is going to have to be drastically modified, finding those few Vegan wines out there.  I bet I will lose plenty of weight. 

May 1 can't come soon enough.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I am back again with a new edition of Thursday Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I briefly highlight some interesting wine and food items that I have encountered recently.
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1) I received some great news this week, that I had won the the 1st Annual iPura Tweet & Blogfest at IBSS 2011.  The contest was for local bloggers and all you had to do was tweet a little and write a blog post about the 2011 International Boston Seafood Show.  I would have attended the Seafood show and blogged about it anyways, so entering the contest was easy for me.  I ended up writing four blog posts about the show, as well as tweeting plenty about it. Thanks goes to iPura which has been very supportive of Boston food bloggers. Thanks as well to all of the other local bloggers who competed, and made it a challenge. Boston has lots of great writing talent.  See you all next year at the Seafood Show!

2) The Back Bay Hotel will be whipping up exclusive specials for Marathon Monday’s long weekend. The culinary team will introduce a “Carb Up” menu at Stanhope Grille the night before the 115th Boston Marathon, designed for runners and social athletes alike. Cuffs – An Irish Bar will also feature a “Zip Card” menu on Marathon Monday to get you in-and-out in a flash so you don’t miss any of the action.

“Carb Up" Menu 
Stanhope Grille: Sunday, April 17, from 5pm-10pm

Appetizers $8
--The Good Snack (Roasted red pepper hummus, boiled egg, and colored carrot sticks)
--Andes Salad (Farmers lettuce, yellow fin tuna, black beans, avocado and quinoa lemon, olive oil and balsamic on the side
Soups $7
--Mediterranean Carrot Soup (Carrot puree with Yukon gold potatoes and Mediterranean spices with cumin-laced low-fat yogurt)
Pasta $14
--Spaghetti Carbonara (Classic Italian bacon and eggs pasta)
--Linguine Pesto “Lake Como Style” (The original pesto pasta with green beans and boiled potatoes)
Main $16
--Grilled Salmon (Black bean relish and baked potato with bacon and chive low-fat yogurt)
--Lentil and Quinoa Burger (Toasted wheat bun, black bean salsa, fresh rocket greens)

“Zip Card” MenuCuffs – An Irish Bar: Monday, April 18, from 11am-6pm

--Mac & Cheese - $8 (Cabot Creamery’s Clothbound Cheddar)
--Soup & Sand - $9 (Roasted tomato and fresh basil soup with a half New England Cob Smoked BLT)
--Mediterranean Plate - $8 (Hummus, grilled pita, marinated olives, minted feta cheese)
--Pizza Margherita - $10 (Fresh mozzarella, basil, Roma tomato sauce)
--Chopped Blacken Chicken Salad - $10 (Romaine, peppers, tomatoes, red onion, celery, creamy buttermilk ranch dressing)
--Grilled Chicken Sandwich - $9 (Grilled chicken breast, prosciutto, roasted red pepper, Manchego-basil pesto, fresh mozzarella cheese)
--Cuffs Burger - $9 (Eight ounce house recipe beef burger, leaf lettuce, beefsteak tomato, cheddar cheese, Tribeca Oven Challah Roll)

3) The Melanoma Foundation of New England, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support and build awareness surrounding melanoma, will host “An Evening with Dale and Leslie Chihuly” just before the unveiling of his new exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts: Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass. On April 5th, true patrons of the arts will gather at the Fairmont Battery Wharf for an intimate evening with the world-renowned glass sculptor and entrepreneur during a rare public appearance in Boston.

The Foundation has planned a reception at the Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel. From 6:00pm–6:30pm, VIP guests will be treated to a private champagne reception with Dale and Leslie Chihuly and from 6:30-8:30pm, a general reception will continue with Dale and Leslie alongside Gerald W. R. Ward, the Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture, MFA, Boston, and Jim Schantz, Owner & Director of Schantz Galleries Contemporary Glass, Stockbridge, MA. Dale Chihuly will also be available to sign copies of the Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass exhibition catalogue published by The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, from 6:00pm-7:00pm.

Cost: VIP Reception: $500 donation; General Reception: $100 donation (minimum)
To reserve tickets, kindly contact The Melanoma Foundation of New England at: (800) 557-6352 or info@mfne.org.

4) This Easter Sunday hop on over to Tryst for your dining celebration. Tryst is extending their Sunday brunch hours from 10am-3pm on Sunday, April 24, to offer diners a two course, prix fixe brunch menu for only $20 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 781-641-2227. Tryst will not be serving dinner that evening.

MENU:

Appetizers
--Tuna Tartare (wonton chips, ginger juice & scallion) ($3 supplement)
--Nutella & Banana Crepes
--Breakfast Pizza (eggs, house-made sausage, herbed goat cheese & caramelized onions)
--Greek Style Chopped Salad (hearts or romaine, roasted peppers, pepperoncini & feta)
--Roasted Beets Salad (Vermont goat cheese, toasted pistachios & orange poppy seed vinaigrette
--Shrimp Tacos (avocado, red onion & Aji crema)

Entrees
--Huevos Rancheros (2 fried eggs, beans, Monterey jack cheese, cornbread & spicy tomato sauce)
add steak ($5) / add chorizo ($4)
--Eggs Benedict (house-made breakfast sausage, griddled English muffin, 2 poached eggs, crispy potatoes & hollandaise)
--Western Omelet (country ham, peppers, onions, cheddar cheese & crispy potatoes)
--Wild Mushroom Omelet (spinach, Monterey jack cheese, caramelized onions, truffle oil & crispy potatoes)
--Annie's French Toast (Portuguese sweet bread, orange & mascarpone)
--Steak & Eggs (grilled sirloin steak, two eggs, crispy potatoes & hollandaise) ($5 supplement)
--Angus Sirloin Burger (cheddar cheese & hand-cut fries) add truffle fries ($3) / add bacon ($2)
--Hash & Eggs (flavor of the week)
--Lemon & Ricotta Pancakes
--Turkey & Bacon Panini (Gruyere, slivered apple & hand-cut fries)

Toast the celebration with some of Tryst’s classic brunch cocktails including the Mimosa ($9), Peach Bellini ($9) and Bloody Mary ($9).

Children’s menu is available à la carte, including French Toast ($4), Eggs Any Style ($5), and Crispy Chicken Fingers ($8).

5) Buona Pasqua at Prezza as Chef Caturano dishes out specials on Easter Sunday. On Sunday, April 24, from 2pm-7pm, Chef Caturano will celebrate a traditional pasqua with rustic, hearty Italian specials. In addition to Prezza’s signature menu, the following specials will also be available:

--Wood Grilled Lamb Chops (Broccoli rabe and roasted potato)  $34
--Ravioli di Ouvo (Stuffed with ricotta & egg yolk)  $10
--Pork Ribs (Braised in garlicky tomato and basil)  $12
--Chicken Parmigiano (Tagliatelle and San Marzano tomatoes)  $24
--Meatballs & Sausage  (Creamy polenta and tomato)  $24
--Hand Made Potato Gnocchi (San Marzano tomatoes and basil)  $18

Muratie Wine Estate: Love, Devotion & Vines

Who would have thought? While attending a seminar on South African wines, I learned of an inspiring love story, a romance to stir even the coldest of hearts. Plus I tasted some delicious wines. And though I will recommend the wines, I will recommend even more strongly that you learn the story behind the winery, Muratie Wine Estate.

The seminar, held at Les Zygomates, was led by Rijk Melck (pictured above), the owner of Muratie.  The winery is one of the oldest in South Africa, and is located in Stellenbosch, in the Simonsberg region. They were also the first winery to plant Pinot Noir in South Africa. Rijk was a compelling speaker, and I was fascinated by his history lesson of the region and winery.

In 1652, the Dutch established the colony of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which was during the height of the slave trade. At one point, the Dutch captured a Portuguese slave ship and some of the slaves ended up in the Cape's Castle. The slaves were often permitted to walk around the gardens and market area during the day, before being locked up at night. One of those slaves bore a girl named Ansela.

In 1658, Laurens Campher, a German soldier working for the Dutch East Indian Company, was granted a farm at the foot of the Simonsberg Mountains, about 40 kilometers from the Cape. Now Laurens had also fallen in love with Ansela, though they had to keep their forbidden love secret. With extreme devotion and passion, Laurens regularly visited Ansela, which entailed a three-day walk on foot. For fourteen long years, Laurens made this journey, and Ansela bore him three children, though she was still a slave. Laurens surely loved Ansela, proving it with such dedication.

Finally, in 1699, Ansela received a Christian baptism and was then freed, the culmination of her dreams. Ansela and her children moved in with Laurens at what would become the Muratie estate. Grape vines had been planted on the estate and Ansela helped to ensure the estate was successful. The passion and devotion of Laurens and Ansela has reverberated throughout the centuries, helping to transform Muratie into a very successful winery as well as providing great inspiration.

Now lets travel to the present, to understand a bit about the Muratie Winery. The winery is not organically certified, but does follow the Biodiversity in Wine Initiative.  In addition, they do not use pesticides, choosing instead to use animals, such as geese and wasps, to assist in pest control. (And also have two German Shepherds, named Frank Zappa and Stella Artois.) All harvesting is done by hand.  Their wines are imported by Worthwhile Wine Company and locally distributed by Masciarelli Wine Company.

We got to taste five Muratie wines, and all were very good, showing a clear minerality.  Rijk stated that they are not trying to make either Old World or New World wines.  Instead, they are making wine that reflects the soil, their terroir, and the wines actually seem to be somewhere between the Old and New World styles. In general, Rijk states their wines are elegant, with good acidity, minerality and a long finish.  In addition, all of their wines are made to be accompanied by food.

The 2009 Muratie Isabella Chardonnay is produced from 100% Chardonnay, which has spent nine months in French oak, only 40% new. The grapes come from three different vineyards, each picked at different times to emphasize different elements. For example, one group is picked early for more acidity.  The wine is named after Rijk's daughter, Isabella. The wine is full-bodied, with some creaminess, and flavors of smoke, citrus, lemon and minerality. It was an intriguing wine, a bit different from many other Chardonnays, and would be a great option this summer.

The 2010 Muratie Laurens Campher White Blend is a mix of 39% Chenin Blanc, 32% Sauvignon Blanc, 24% Verdelho and 5% Chardonnay. This had an exotic taste, with flavors ranging from grapefruit to pineapple, and some floral notes. It was crisp and refreshing, with a strong minerality backbone, and a moderately long finish. Another good choice for the summer and I would like to try this with some fresh seafood.

The 2007 Muratie Shiraz is made from 100% Shiraz, from 16-18 year old vines. It spent about 16 months in 90% French oak and 10% American oak. This was a strong but not overpowering wine, with delicious spice and black fruit flavors, and underlying herbal elements.  The tannins were moderate and the finish was long and satisfying.

The 2007 Muratie Ansela van de Caab is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Shiraz. This wine spends about 18 months in French oak. This wine is more tannic than the Shiraz, with strong flavors of black fruit, cigar box and cocoa. Plus, it had more minerality than the Shiraz. This is a wine that cried out for a thick steak. 

The 2008 Muratie Cape Vintage is an intriguing blend of Tinta Barocca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Francesca, and Souzao.  Muratie is the only winery in South Africa to use most of these grapes, except for the Tinta Roriz. This is a Port-style wine, aged for two years in old French barrels. It has a mild sweetness, with some notes of black cherry candy, but combined with dark spices. It possesses a good acidity as well as a pleasant and long finish.

Let me finish with another inspiring tale of Muratie. Rijk is a medical doctor, who worked for a time in England before returning to South Africa in 1980. At that time, most doctor offices had two doors, one for whites and one for blacks. Rijk though refused to do so, having only a single door for his practice. It can't have been easy to oppose the norm, yet Rijk stood his ground, opting for what was morally right.  That too is inspiring and commendable. 

New England Food Show: Some Choice Selections

Ok, one more fish head photo.

While attending the International Boston Seafood Show, I also had the opportunity to peruse the New England Food Show, which is a tradeshow for the food and restaurant industry. They were located in adjacent exhibit halls so it was easy to come and go between the two shows.  How did the two trade shows compare?  Let me try to briefly compare and contrast based on my post, Ten Things You Should Know, about the Seafood Show.

First, the Food show was more local than international in scope, showcasing numerous Massachusetts businesses.  Second, it is a much smaller event than the Seafood show, maybe as much as 65-75% smaller.  Third, like the Seafood show, every booth told a story, and the more local flavor added to the appeal.  Fourth, like the Seafood show, it was very business oriented, the exhibitors trying to sell their products and services to those in the food industry or consumers.  Fifth, like the Seafood show, it was educational.  Sixth, like the Seafood show, it was fun though the Food show lacked a specific Game section.  Seventh, the Food show had a wide diversity of food and drink, from cheese to beer, from pastries to sake. Eighth, the Food show had a number of environmentally conscious products and services available. Ninth, some healthy food and drink products were exhibited, though plenty of less healthy ones were available as well.  Tenth, there were plenty of free samples available, both food and drink, to sate your appetite.

I now want to highlight several items which most impressed me at the Food show. These are items I recommend that my readers check out.

I am very selective in my vodka, especially as I often drink it just on the rocks. So I was initially skeptical when I came to the V-One Vodka booth. Its creator, Paul Kozub, lives in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and made this vodka in honor of the memories of his father and grandfather. His grandfather had produced vodka in Massachusetts during prohibition, and those stories were passed down to Paul. The vodka is now distilled in Poland by Stock Polska/Polmos Lublin, a distillery which has been manufacturing its own vodka since 1906.

One of the key differences that separates V-One from other vodkas, is that it is produced from 100% Spelt, an ancient wheat variety that may extend as far back as 6000 B.C., and is somewhat the grandfather of modern wheat. In Polish, spelt is known as orkisz.  Spelt was introduced into the U.S. in the 1890s, but eventually was replaced by bread wheat, which also occurred in most other parts of the world.  But spelt is making a slow comeback and you can find it in some organic food sections.

Because it has a tougher and thicker husk than wheat, it may possess more nutrients, which receive protection from the extra husk. But, that husk comes with a price, a smaller seed which means the yield is smaller.  The protein in spelt may be easier to digest than other wheats. Tastewise, spelt has a nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour.

Paul grows about ten acres of spelt in Shrewsbury, and the rest of the spelt comes from Poland. Spelt is not cheap, and it costs about three times as much to produce a spelt vodka as opposed to other luxury vodkas. Despite that fact, V-One sells for about $25 for a 750ml bottle, making it cheaper than other luxury vodkas such as Grey Goose and Belvedere. Yes, scratch your head over that one as the vodka which is more expensive to produce cost less than other which are cheaper to produce.  V-One is also hand-crafted in small batches and distilled five times. 

But what about the taste? It had a very muted aroma, and was incredibly smooth in my mouth with a hint of herbality and mild bitterness on the finish. The bitterness was pleasant rather than off-putting, and it had a very clean and pure taste with subtle notes of almost almond. This is exactly the type of vodka which I would drink on the rocks, smooth and clean. It was an impressive vodka, and certainly better than some other luxury vodkas which are more expensive. And at its price, it also is a very good value for a vodka of such high quality. 
 
If spelt can make such excellent vodka, then more producers should be using it. 

From vodka to rum, my spirits journey continued. Though I was aware of the DonQ Rum brand, I had not tasted it before. DonQ Rum comes from Puerto Rico, and its history extends back to 1820 when Juan Sebastian Serrallés, a Spaniard, settled in Puerto Rico and established a sugar cane plantation. By 1865, the Serrallés family was producing rum and in 1934, the DonQ brand was launched.  The DonQ brand was relaunched in the U.S. in 2006.

DonQ produces four straight rums and four flavored rums, and I got to taste all of them. The straight rums included the Cristal (aged 3 years), the Gold (aged 5 years), the Anejo (aged 8 years) and the Gran Anejo (aged 12 years). The Cristal is aged in American White Oak barrels and undergoes multiple distillations to make it smoother. They succeeded as this was a silky smooth rum, with no harsh bite, and a very clean taste. I could drink this on its own, or use it in cocktails. The Gold was richer, with a bit of a smokier flavor, and was equally as smooth as the Cristal.  The Anejo was once again silky, with a more complex melange of flavors, including a bit of smoke, caramel, vanilla, and almonds. The Gran Anejo was superb, like a fine scotch, something to be slowly savored. It was complex, very smooth and its finish just lingered on and on on your mouth. The Gran Anejo will thoroughly impress any rum lover.

As all but the Gran Anejo cost under $20 a bottle, they are excellent values. The Gran Anejo is around $70 a bottle, and I believe it is worth the price. I cannot recall the last time I have gone through a rum company's entire lineup and really enjoyed each and every one of their products. Most companies have at least one or two lesser end products that taste too harsh, but none of the DonQ rums have that problem. I could easily drink any of the DonQ rums straight and I highly recommend all of these rums.

I was not as impressed with their flavored rums, primarily because most of them were too sweet for my preferences. Their flavored rums include Coco, Mojito, Pasion, and Limon.  Out of the four, I enjoyed the Coco the most, which had a strong coconut flavor yet was not overly sweet. Properly mixed in a cocktail though, these flavored rums might shine better.

The Edge is an old-fashioned diner in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, a place for hot dogs, burgers and similar dishes. Plus, they make their own root beer, Olde No.43 Homemade Root Beer. Over a period of six months, they tried numerous root beer recipes, allowing consumers to help taste test the results.  Finally, they came upon what they felt was the best recipe, and they bottled Olde No.43. This is one of those beverages best sipped ice cold, and at the restaurant you receive a frosted mug. It had that old style root beer smell, and tasted like it as well, an intriguing herbal taste, without the syrupy sweetness of many modern root beers. It was not overly carbonated either, being more refreshing than many other modern brews. This would be perfect on a summer day, bringing you back in time, to a less processed era. Maybe I need to take a trip to Shrewsbury to check out the Edge restaurant.

Rather than the usual French fries, why not try some fried yuca?  MIC Food sells tropical and Caribbean food products, and I got to sample two of them: fried yuca and fried plantains.  These were essentially frozen packs, which are very simple to prepare. For example, the yuca are actually precooked and need only about ten minutes to prepare at home. I enjoyed the taste of both, and think it would be difficult to know that they once had been frozen. The yuca were not tough like some I have previously had, having a crisp exterior and more fluffy interior, and the plantains had a nice sweetness to them.  If I see these in the supermarket, I will buy them.

Why mention a water and drink dispenser? Well, this machine really impressed me.  Aeterna Water sells a variety of water and drink delivery systems, for homes and businesses. It is also a very ecologically friendly business, endeavoring in numerous ways to be as "green" as possible. The systems purify your water, as well as chilling it if you desire. Now, when I drink water, and a number of other beverages like iced tea, I like it to be ice cold. Ice is ok in some situations, though it can dilute some beverages. And ice can take time to chill your drink to the temperature you desire.

But when I tasted the water directly from the above machine, it was perfectly chilled.  Absolutely thirst quenching and exactly how I would want my water all the time. It also had a clean, pure taste. The above machine also had carbonated drinks and peach iced tea. The Classic Orange was once again perfectly chilled and not overly carbonated. Those Poland Spring water dispensers cannot compete with the Aeterna. I don't know the costs of the Aeterna systems though, which might be an obstacle to some. But due to the quality of their product, I will be investigating them further.

Chef Joanne Chang, of Flour Bakery and Myers+Chang, made an appearance at the Food show, autographing her new cookbook: Flour, Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe. This is an excellent cookbook and you can look for a review of it from me in the near future.