After visiting Newbury Street, I made a short stop in Brookline on Beacon Street. I first grabbed some Shoku Pan and doughnuts at the Japonaise Cafe & Bakery. Then, I stopped at the Wine Press to check out their selection of wines.
The Wine Press has a decent selection of wines, especially many under $20. They stock many wines rated highly by Robert Parker. They do have a large selection of Spanish wines. I was able to find two bottles of the 2004 El Nido Clio! They also carry several different Sakes. Prices are generally average to high though they usually have plenty of wines discounted. You can get some good bargains there.
I generally stop here anytime I am in the area and usually buy at least a few bottles, especially of Spanish wines. I did see that they carry many of the Spanish wines from the winemakers I recently met at the Acton wine tasting. It is definitely worth checking out this wine store.
Wine Press
1024 Beacon St.
Brookline, MA
Phone: (617) 277-7020
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Bouchee
A beautiful summer day, perfect for a stroll down Newbury Street in Boston. A bit of shopping, some people watching and lunch. For lunch, I decided to check out a new restaurant, Bouchee, that I had not yet visited.
Bouchee is a French brasserie. Tim Partridge, the former chef and owner of Perdix, is the executive chef. You can dine inside the restaurant, which has two floors, or you can sit outside on their patio. As it was such a nice day, we chose the patio. Their website states their second floor is for a more upscale feel while the first floor is more casual. I could see the bar from the patio and it certainly was appealing, with its mahogany panels.
The wine list is very impressive, with an extensive and varied selection of mostly French wines. There are around 40 selections available by the glass with prices ranging from $6-21. Prices per bottle vary from less than $20 into the hundreds. There are plenty of affordable selections. I had a glass of the Chateau Pesquie Les Terrasses Rose ($7.50), a fine Rose with nice subtle fruit flavors, especially strawberry. The wine arrived nicely chilled.
The food menu is actually fairly extensive with Hors d' oeuvres. Flatbreads, Entrees, Sides, Sandwiches, Salads and Fresh Shellfish. A nice selection of foods, including many traditional French dishes. There were many items I wished to try. Prices were generally reasonable with almost everything under $20.
We started off with some bread. We had a choice between pieces of baguette or slices of some type of oatmeal/grain bread. We had the baguette which was very fresh and delicious.
We started our lunch with the Baked Raclette ($10) with port poached pear and baguette slices. This was a a pan of melted Raclette cheese atop a pear with slices of fresh baguette. You could smear the cheese and pear atop the bread. It was very tasty and the pear added some sweetness to the dish. A very good dish.
My entree was the Croque Madame, which has smoked ham, gruyere, Dijon aïoli, béchamel sauce and a fried egg ($12). I had them omit the Dijon which was not a problem. The sandwich came out basically open faced. There was plenty of ham and the bread was thick, as well as very fresh. It was a good sandwich, though not as good as the one I had at L'Express in NYC. The sandwich came with frites or a salad, and I chose the frites. They were thin and had potato skins on them. They were very good. My wife had the Lobster Salad Sandwich with truffled vinaigrette, crispy smoked ham, arugula and tomato on a fresh croissant ($17). This was also a good sandwich with a decent portion of lobster.
Service was very good. Our waiter was personable and helpful.
Overall, I was pleased with my lunch at Bouchee. I certainly will return to try some of their other dishes. It is reasonably priced with a nice French wine selection. Take a chance on Bouchee!
Bouchee
159 Newbury St.
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 450-4343
Bouchee is a French brasserie. Tim Partridge, the former chef and owner of Perdix, is the executive chef. You can dine inside the restaurant, which has two floors, or you can sit outside on their patio. As it was such a nice day, we chose the patio. Their website states their second floor is for a more upscale feel while the first floor is more casual. I could see the bar from the patio and it certainly was appealing, with its mahogany panels.
The wine list is very impressive, with an extensive and varied selection of mostly French wines. There are around 40 selections available by the glass with prices ranging from $6-21. Prices per bottle vary from less than $20 into the hundreds. There are plenty of affordable selections. I had a glass of the Chateau Pesquie Les Terrasses Rose ($7.50), a fine Rose with nice subtle fruit flavors, especially strawberry. The wine arrived nicely chilled.
The food menu is actually fairly extensive with Hors d' oeuvres. Flatbreads, Entrees, Sides, Sandwiches, Salads and Fresh Shellfish. A nice selection of foods, including many traditional French dishes. There were many items I wished to try. Prices were generally reasonable with almost everything under $20.
We started off with some bread. We had a choice between pieces of baguette or slices of some type of oatmeal/grain bread. We had the baguette which was very fresh and delicious.
We started our lunch with the Baked Raclette ($10) with port poached pear and baguette slices. This was a a pan of melted Raclette cheese atop a pear with slices of fresh baguette. You could smear the cheese and pear atop the bread. It was very tasty and the pear added some sweetness to the dish. A very good dish.
My entree was the Croque Madame, which has smoked ham, gruyere, Dijon aïoli, béchamel sauce and a fried egg ($12). I had them omit the Dijon which was not a problem. The sandwich came out basically open faced. There was plenty of ham and the bread was thick, as well as very fresh. It was a good sandwich, though not as good as the one I had at L'Express in NYC. The sandwich came with frites or a salad, and I chose the frites. They were thin and had potato skins on them. They were very good. My wife had the Lobster Salad Sandwich with truffled vinaigrette, crispy smoked ham, arugula and tomato on a fresh croissant ($17). This was also a good sandwich with a decent portion of lobster.
Service was very good. Our waiter was personable and helpful.
Overall, I was pleased with my lunch at Bouchee. I certainly will return to try some of their other dishes. It is reasonably priced with a nice French wine selection. Take a chance on Bouchee!
Bouchee
159 Newbury St.
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 450-4343
Friday, July 6, 2007
Sean Thackrey: Maverick Winemaker
It must have been fate. I went into Rapid Liquors in Stoneham seeking Sean Thackrey's Pleaides. I had been reading about this wine for some time and it had intrigued me. I love unique red blends and this seemed to be one such wine. I had failed to find the wine in several other wine stores. But my search had ended.
Rapid had a single bottle of Pleaides XII, something a distributor had recently dropped off. They sold it to me and I eagerly brought it home. I did not wait long before opening it and the wine was simply amazing. It was so complex, with such an intriguing melange of flavors that harmoniously existed in the bottle. I was hooked and returned to Rapid to order a case.
Since then, I have continued to order Pleiades as it is very difficult to find at wine stores. I just recently purchased a case of Pleaides XIV. As well as a bottle of his 2003 Andromeda Pinot Noir. I also recently purchased a bottle of the 2003 Sirius Petite Sirah. Stored up, I have bottles of Pleaides XII, XIII, XIV and XV. Once the XVI is produced, I may do a vertical tasting of my Pleaides.
So, who is Sean Thackrey, and what makes his wines so special?
Sean H. Thackrey is a unique winemaker, a maverick. He never formally studied winemaking. Instead, he studied ancient and medieval texts on winemaking (and has one of the world's largest selection of such manuscripts). He uses some techniques garnered from their manuscripts, techniques that probably no one else does. He is always experimenting, learning as he goes. He is an artisanal winemaker and truly blazes his own path.
His winery is located in Marin Country, about an hour northwest of San Francisco. He names all of his wines after constellations, like Pleiades, Orion, Sirius, Taurus and Andromeda. He only produces about 5000 cases of wine each year, about half being Pleaides. In addition, about 40% of his production is exported to Europe and Japan. This means the wines are very limited in the U.S. As the wines often garner high points from some of the top wine critics, such as Robert Parker, that does mean there is a high demand for these wines.
I love his Pleiades. Each new production receives a new Roman numeral and there have been fifteen so far. Each new number is so different from the previous years. I love their complexity, their bold flavors. Why the name? In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas. The Pleiades wine is said to contain seven grapes, Syrah, Barbera, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and white Viognier. It is possible that some other grapes end up in this blend as well. Thackrey does not measure the percentages of the grapes. He just uses what he feels like, tasting and testing as he goes along. The grapes also come from different vineyards and vintages. So, it is basically a foregone conclusion that the wine will vary from year to year.
The Pleaides usually sell for $25-35 a bottle. Their other wines sell for more with the Orion being the highest priced, usually starting at about $125. I own a bottle of the Sirius and Andromeda but have not yet tasted them. I am saving them for a special occasion. Both may benefit as well from a bit of cellaring.
Thackrey's website is very unusual for a winery. It actually says very little about his wines. what it does contain are many ancient/medieval texts about winemaking. There is also an interview with the winemaker as well as a list of places where you can find his wines. I am not sure though how accurate or up to date that list may be.
Check these articles for more info on Sean Thackrey and his wines.
San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Spectator
Califusa
Sean Thackrey Winery
P.O. Box 58
Bolinas, CA 94924
Phone: (415) 868-1781
Rapid had a single bottle of Pleaides XII, something a distributor had recently dropped off. They sold it to me and I eagerly brought it home. I did not wait long before opening it and the wine was simply amazing. It was so complex, with such an intriguing melange of flavors that harmoniously existed in the bottle. I was hooked and returned to Rapid to order a case.
Since then, I have continued to order Pleiades as it is very difficult to find at wine stores. I just recently purchased a case of Pleaides XIV. As well as a bottle of his 2003 Andromeda Pinot Noir. I also recently purchased a bottle of the 2003 Sirius Petite Sirah. Stored up, I have bottles of Pleaides XII, XIII, XIV and XV. Once the XVI is produced, I may do a vertical tasting of my Pleaides.
So, who is Sean Thackrey, and what makes his wines so special?
Sean H. Thackrey is a unique winemaker, a maverick. He never formally studied winemaking. Instead, he studied ancient and medieval texts on winemaking (and has one of the world's largest selection of such manuscripts). He uses some techniques garnered from their manuscripts, techniques that probably no one else does. He is always experimenting, learning as he goes. He is an artisanal winemaker and truly blazes his own path.
His winery is located in Marin Country, about an hour northwest of San Francisco. He names all of his wines after constellations, like Pleiades, Orion, Sirius, Taurus and Andromeda. He only produces about 5000 cases of wine each year, about half being Pleaides. In addition, about 40% of his production is exported to Europe and Japan. This means the wines are very limited in the U.S. As the wines often garner high points from some of the top wine critics, such as Robert Parker, that does mean there is a high demand for these wines.
I love his Pleiades. Each new production receives a new Roman numeral and there have been fifteen so far. Each new number is so different from the previous years. I love their complexity, their bold flavors. Why the name? In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas. The Pleiades wine is said to contain seven grapes, Syrah, Barbera, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and white Viognier. It is possible that some other grapes end up in this blend as well. Thackrey does not measure the percentages of the grapes. He just uses what he feels like, tasting and testing as he goes along. The grapes also come from different vineyards and vintages. So, it is basically a foregone conclusion that the wine will vary from year to year.
The Pleaides usually sell for $25-35 a bottle. Their other wines sell for more with the Orion being the highest priced, usually starting at about $125. I own a bottle of the Sirius and Andromeda but have not yet tasted them. I am saving them for a special occasion. Both may benefit as well from a bit of cellaring.
Thackrey's website is very unusual for a winery. It actually says very little about his wines. what it does contain are many ancient/medieval texts about winemaking. There is also an interview with the winemaker as well as a list of places where you can find his wines. I am not sure though how accurate or up to date that list may be.
Check these articles for more info on Sean Thackrey and his wines.
San Francisco Chronicle
Wine Spectator
Califusa
Sean Thackrey Winery
P.O. Box 58
Bolinas, CA 94924
Phone: (415) 868-1781
Canton Garden
There are plenty of small, hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants in every town and city. These are generally Americanized Chinese restaurants, with the usual appetizers and dishes. And most of them are very similar. The quality of the food can vary place to place. They may be decent for a quick lunch or on New Year's Eve, but they are usually not high quality places. But, when you eat there, you generally know what to expect.
I decided to have lunch at Canton Garden. I had never been there before so thought I might give it a try. It is located in a small strip of stores near Redstone Shopping Center. It is very close to Sato II. The restaurant has about 10 tables and you apparently order at the counter. Maybe at night they have a waitress.
The menu has all the usual dishes and appetizers, including a page of lunch specials. There are 14 lunch plates, all where you get at least one choice of an appetizer from a list of ten. I chose the #8, Pork Fried Rice with Fried Wontons, Chicken Fingers and Beef Teriyaki ($7.50). It took several minutes for my lunch to be prepared which boded well as it appeared they made some of the items fresh.
My plate was good-sized with a large scoop of Pork Fried Rice, two Beef Teriyaki sticks, four Chicken Fingers and five Fried Wontons. The Beef was good, with a nice tasting sauce. The Chicken was ok, typical Fingers you get everywhere. The Wontons were crispy and good. The rice was good, and did not have any bean sprouts. Overall, the food is typical to most other such restaurants, though maybe a bit better. They do deliver as well.
If you have a hankering for this type of Chinese food, then you will probably enjoy the food.
Canton Garden
125 Main St.
Stoneham, MA
Phone: (781)-438-8088 (or 9088)
I decided to have lunch at Canton Garden. I had never been there before so thought I might give it a try. It is located in a small strip of stores near Redstone Shopping Center. It is very close to Sato II. The restaurant has about 10 tables and you apparently order at the counter. Maybe at night they have a waitress.
The menu has all the usual dishes and appetizers, including a page of lunch specials. There are 14 lunch plates, all where you get at least one choice of an appetizer from a list of ten. I chose the #8, Pork Fried Rice with Fried Wontons, Chicken Fingers and Beef Teriyaki ($7.50). It took several minutes for my lunch to be prepared which boded well as it appeared they made some of the items fresh.
My plate was good-sized with a large scoop of Pork Fried Rice, two Beef Teriyaki sticks, four Chicken Fingers and five Fried Wontons. The Beef was good, with a nice tasting sauce. The Chicken was ok, typical Fingers you get everywhere. The Wontons were crispy and good. The rice was good, and did not have any bean sprouts. Overall, the food is typical to most other such restaurants, though maybe a bit better. They do deliver as well.
If you have a hankering for this type of Chinese food, then you will probably enjoy the food.
Canton Garden
125 Main St.
Stoneham, MA
Phone: (781)-438-8088 (or 9088)
Spicy Vindaloo
I made another visit to the Karishma Indian Bistro for a quick dinner.
Let me start by saying that the two large screen TVs were again playing some type of Indian MTV. I still don't think that is a good idea.
Onto the meal....
It started off with several free papadums with a tamarind sauce. These are good, with a bit of spice, and the tamarind sauce has a nice sweetness.
I ordered the Chicken Vindaloo and some Tandoori Roti. Again, the dish of Vindaloo was very large, with plenty of chicken. The meat was very tender and I needed only the fork to cut off pieces. The sauce was very hot and spicy, as I ordered it. I received a large dish of basmati rice as well. There really was enough food for two people. The bread was as excellent as before, large, hot and buttery.
The food has been consistently good. This place is worth a try.
Karishma Indian Bistro
23 Water Street
Wakefield, MA
Phone: (781) 246-4111
Let me start by saying that the two large screen TVs were again playing some type of Indian MTV. I still don't think that is a good idea.
Onto the meal....
It started off with several free papadums with a tamarind sauce. These are good, with a bit of spice, and the tamarind sauce has a nice sweetness.
I ordered the Chicken Vindaloo and some Tandoori Roti. Again, the dish of Vindaloo was very large, with plenty of chicken. The meat was very tender and I needed only the fork to cut off pieces. The sauce was very hot and spicy, as I ordered it. I received a large dish of basmati rice as well. There really was enough food for two people. The bread was as excellent as before, large, hot and buttery.
The food has been consistently good. This place is worth a try.
Karishma Indian Bistro
23 Water Street
Wakefield, MA
Phone: (781) 246-4111
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