Sushi & Curry

A good restaurant is consistent. That essentially means that the quality of the food and service is similar on every visit. There might be some slight variation but nothing significant. You won't get good food one visit and then terrible food the next time. The same with service.

I returned to It Rains Fishes last evening for some sushi and curry. We began our dinner with some sushi, including maguro (tuna), unagi (eel), tamago (egg omelet), and a couple maki rolls, including spicy tuna and shrimp tempura. The fish was fresh, good-sized and very delicious. The quality of the sushi and maki was as good as my prior visit.

For an entree, I had the Massaman Curry with chicken, beef and shrimp. This dish also comes with slices of carrots, cubes of sweet potato, onion slices, peanuts, and rice. The curry sauce has a nice coconut flavor but is also spicy, which is different from Massaman curries I have had before. I enjoyed the spicy flavor though. I had ordered this on a previous visit and it was as good as it was before. An excellent dish. We also had the Pad Thai, a staple dish at Thai restaurants. This was also a very good dish with plenty of food.

Service was very good. Overall, this restaurant has been consistently good over my multiple visits. That makes for a very good restaurant. So check them out!

It Rains Fishes
14 Thompson St.
Winchester, MA
Phone: (781) 721-2535

Special Spanish Wine Tasting-August 8

Lower Falls Wine Co. is having another special wine tasting, this time concentrating on Spanish wines. On Wednesday, August 8th, from 5-6:30pm, they will be hosting the specialty importer Lucas Paya, the former wine director of Spain's El Bulli.

"Lucas has been the wine director at El Bulli for the past five years. At the forefront of global cuisine, El Bulli was voted World's Best Restaurant in 2002, 2006, and 2007 by Restaurant Magazine. It is nearly impossible to obtain a reservation: all tables for the upcoming year are booked by the end of the day on January 1st. Chef Ferran Adrià's cuisine is most inventive with a visit more closely resembling a trip to the theater than any other restaurant experience. El Bulli is a pioneering force amongst restaurants worldwide, and the crown jewel of Spain's dining scene. The wine list is over 100 pages long and boasts one of the world's most comprehensive selection of Spanish wine. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to taste with Lucas and to have his experiences as wine director inform our understanding and appreciation of these exceptional wines."

"Lucas now works as an Iberian Specialist for European Cellars, one of the pioneers of the boutique import wave with a strong concentration in Spain. Eric Solomon, husband to Daphne Glorain of Clos Erasmus fame, spearheads the company and is greatly admired within the industry. European Cellars is considered an authority within the category with its portfolio reflecting the breadth of quality wines produced in Spain today."

"Lucas and his colleague Baron Ziegler will be pouring highlights from the European Cellars portfolio, both whites and reds at a variety of price points. We are eager for this snapshot of the current releases, and we cannot think of more qualified presenters to guide us! Wines poured will be available during the event at a special discounted price."

Spanish wines are very hot right now, and often are of excellent value. This should prove to be a fascinating wine tasting and I encourage people to go. I will likely be there (and probably try to snag some more Sutton Cellars wines).

Lower Falls Wine Co.
2366 Washington Street (Rt. 16)
Newton Lower Falls, MA
Phone: (617) 332-3000

2005 Sutton Cellars Carignane

After enjoying the 2005 Sutton Cellars Syrah, I very much looked forward to trying their Carignane.

The 2005 Sutton Cellars Carignane, Mendocino County, Trimble Vineyard ($17), is made from old vine Carignane. Sutton Cellars has been producing old vine Carignane since 1996. Only 230 cases of this wine were made, more than their Syrah but still a very low production.

Carignane is usually used in blending. It is rare to see it stand on its own as a varietal but it can do so, if made well. Carl Sutton chose to use Carignane in a single varietal wine. He describes his Carignane as “pizza and burger wine” and also notes on the wine label that it is "BBQ Approved." So, what did I think?

The wine is a rich red in color, though not an inky red. Its nose gives a delightful scent of blueberries. The first taste of the Carignane was lush and mouth watering. And the blueberry flavor followed through on the palate. It was a smooth, easy drinking wine that had a nice, long and spicy finish. The spices were milder, more cinnamon than black pepper. There was a slight earthy tinge that was very pleasant. All the flavors meshed well and very much impressed me. This was simply an excellent wine and the bottle did not last long.

This wine would certainly go well with pizza, burgers, BBQ or any similar food. It would also be enjoyable on its own, a luscious and delicious wine. I cannot wait to open another bottle.

At its price, I think this is a great value wine, a highly recommended Drink & Buy. You won't find many low production wines of this quality at this price.

Sutton Cellars
PO Box 14697
Santa Rosa, CA
Phone: (877) 863-4633

National Champagne Day!

Tomorrow, August 4, is National Champagne Day! So, break open a bottle of bubbly and celebrate this holiday.

I have not been able to find out the origin of this holiday but I continue to look. Though that won't stop me from celebrating.

Wines of Portugal

My knowledge of the wines of Portugal is limited. Though I do know they have some excellent wines, and they don't get the credit they deserve.

Well, August is certainly a good time to start learning more about the wines of Portugal. And a very good resource are my friends over at Catavino. They recently toured Portugal, visited a cork factory, visited some wineries and tasted plenty of wines. They are now posting about their tour, also providing much interesting information about Portugal and its wines. Please check out their site all this month as they will be posting about Portugal all month.

Their August Virtual Tasting will also be on Portugeuse table wines so you can find a number of wine reviews there. I will be participating as well, trying out some Portugeuse wines.