2006 Francis Ford Coppola Director's Cut Pinot Noir

Isn't that an interesting wine label? It is a replica of a 19th century design for a Zoetrope. A Zoetrope was a device that used a series of pictures, on a single sheet of paper, to create the illusion of movement. A type of primitive movie. And this label now represents a new line of wines by Francis Ford Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola, the famed film maker, has been involved in making wine for around twenty years. In 2006, he purchased a new home for his winery in Sonoma County. To commemorate this occasion, he chose to create a new line of all-Sonoma wines called "Francis Coppola Director's Cut."

The winemaker is Corey Beck, a Sonoma native, and he has produced these new wines, appellation-designated, from Sonoma’s diverse and distinctive appellations. He once worked at Chateau Montelen. He currently makes a Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay. I previously tasted their Chardonnay at a local tasting and I was impressed. So, when I saw their Pinot Noir at another wine store, Kappy's, I bought a couple bottles.

The 2006 Francis Ford Coppola Director's Cut Pinot Noir ($27) is 100% Pinot Noir. The fruit for their Pinot Noir is sourced from several distinctive vineyards in subappellations renowned for producing superior Pinot Noir. They seek low yields so that the fruit possesses greater levels of concentration. The wine spends ten months in 100% new French oak and has an alcohol content of 14.5%.

This Pinot is a darker red than many other Pinots. It has an aromatic nose of fresh berries, especially cherry. That fruit comes out on the palate, including a bit of strawberry. A very nice start to the wine. On the finish, spice notes come out, maybe some clove or allspice. The finish lingers for a fairly long time. The transition from fruit to spice is seamless and nicely balanced. It was an intriguing wine and I would recommend it as a Drink & Buy.

Grand Holiday Tasting-Saugus

OurGlass Wine Co. will be holding their Grand Holiday Tasting on Saturday, December 8th, from 3-7pm. This Tasting will have a emphasis on Champagne/Bubbly, Big Red Wines, Great Gift Ideas, a Martini table, Micro-brews, as well as local gourmet foods and art/jewelers. There will be special wine discounts as well as well as a Wine Basket raffle.

OurGlass always has excellent tastings and you can be assured there will be many tasty wines available. Some of the North Shore Winers will be present there. Unfortunately, I cannot be there as I am leading another group of the Winers to the Red Oak Winery. But I do recommend that you drop by OurGlass for this grand tasting.

OurGlass Wine Co.
124 Broadway (Rt.1 N)
Saugus, MA
Phone: 781-941-8068

Mooo

An interesting name for a restaurant. When answering the phone, do they make sure to pronounce the extra "o"?

Famed Chef Jamie Mammano created the Commonwealth Restaurant Group which owns a number of exciting restaurants, including Mistral (French/Mediterranean bistro), Teatro (casual Italian bistro), Sorellina (regional Italian-Mediterranean cuisine), and L'Andana (Italian grill). They also owned the Federalist which was recently renovated and remade into Mooo, a steakhouse.

I have recently praised L'Andana and it has become one of my new favorite suburban restaurants. So I wanted to check out their other new restaurant, Mooo. I made reservations through Open Table, noting it was my wife's birthday.

We arrived early and sat in the bar to have a drink before dinner. They have a full bar and wine list. I had a glass of Chopin Vodka, which was nice to see as the Federalist had not stocked it for a time. My wife had a Grey Goose martini and thought it was one of the best she had ever had.

The restaurant is brighter and more friendly than the old Federalist. It has an air of casual elegance. It would certainly make a nice date night or to dine with business associates. We were seated and took at look at the menu and wine list.

The style of the menu reminds me of L'Andana. It is a single sheet of paper and has a list of Appetizers Red Meats, Other Selections, Seafood, Accompaniments and Sauces. They have a menu listed on their website but it is different in some ways from the actual menu. There appear to be more choices on the actual menu.

Appetizer prices range from $11-24, Entrees range from $28 to $110, though average around $36. Accompaniments range from $5-16. The choices are quite diverse and there are some innovative choices. Prices seemed about average for a Boston steakhouse. And as most of the dishes are quite good-sized, the prices seem reasonable.

The wine list is extensive though pricey. There are plenty of California Cabernets and French Bordeaux. They do have several wines under $50 a bottle though most are over that amount. Checking on some of their prices, I did find numerous wines that cost about three times the usual retail price. Though there were some wines that were closer to twice the usual retail. I ordered the 2005 Savigny-lès-Beaune, Arnoux Père et Fils ($75), which was an excellent French Burgundy. It had good fruit, a nice silky feel and did not overpower any of our food. Though this wine usually costs around $25 retail.

Prior to our food coming, we received a small black skillet with four hot Parker House rolls. These were fantastic! Hot, buttery, soft and absolutely delicious. And we later got another four of them. A great way to start our meal.

For appetizers, my wife had the Hearts of Belgian Endive and Watercress Salad ($12) with Roquefort cheese, spiced walnuts and a sherry-grain mustard vinaigrette. She very much enjoyed the salad and there was plenty of it. I had the Sushi Grade Tuna ($18) with ginger, citrus, soy and a couple large sesame crackers. I was expecting slices of tuna but instead had what looked like a tuna tartare. There was a large mound of diced tuna mixed with the ginger, soy and citrus. The tuna was very fresh and there was a lot of it. They did not skimp on the portions. The tuna was silky smooth, flavorful and quite delicious. The flavors were well balanced and nothing overpowered any other. An excellent appetizer.

For an entree, my wife had the Tenderloin of Beef Wellington ($44) with Foie Gras, spinach, duxelle and Madeira. This was quite a large piece of very tender beef, in a flaky pastry shell. An excellent dish with lots of flavor. I would definitely recommend this dish. One of the best Wellingtons I have had before.

I ordered the Kobe Beef Sirloin ($110), a 6 oz. sirloin from Japan, the authentic Kobe. Interestingly enough, the website lists the price of this dish at $130. And when I received my bill later, they charged me $120, though they corrected it to the $110 when I pointed out the error. Now, this is actually a very good price for authentic Kobe. It is less than $20 an ounce. I know that other Boston steakhouses are charging at least $30 an ounce so this is a deal. My sirloin was served sliced, and was rare as I ordered it. It was very good, though not exceptional or transcendent. It actually was not as butter tender as expected. I have had such Kobe before and this was not the same. I probably would not order this again though I did enjoy it.

We ordered a side of the Yukon Gold Potato Skins ($10) which have cave aged Gruyere and bacon. But our server misunderstood me and brought us a small Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes. He did put in an order for our Skins but they did not show up until we were about three-quarters through our meal. They left us the small Mashed potatoes and did not charge us for that though we were charged for the Skins. We received three large Potato Skins and they were very good, though just a bit late.

The waiter was aware that it was my wife's birthday. It was good that they had paid attention to my comments when I booked through Open Table. I told him to bring the Butter Pecan Parfait ($10) for my wife for dessert. They put a candle in the dessert when they brought it. The parfait was exceptional, with layers of butterscotch pudding in it. I should note that we were charged for the Parfait. It was not free for her dessert as it is at some restaurants, such as the Capital Grill.

Overall, we had a very good experience with a couple of small issues. I would return to this restaurant and recommend it to others. The food is delicious, portions are large, and service is basically good.

Mooo
15 Beacon St.
Boston, MA
Phone: 617-670-2515

Cream Puffs

Some desserts are so decadently delicious that they are almost impossible to refuse. I feel that way about Beard Papa's cream puffs.

The first Beard Papa opened in Japan in 1999. Since then, their stores have been expanding all over the world, with new ones opening all the time. In the U.S., you can find them in Hawaii, California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Though there is only one store in Massachusetts, in Faneuil Hall. There has been rumor though that another one will eventually open in Harvard Square too.

I was at Faneuil Hall today so had to stop and get a few of their cream puffs. The cream puffs do not contain preservatives and they use organically-grown vanilla beans. They make their own crunchy pastry shells and fill them with their special whipped cream custard. Though they do not fill them until you order them. That way they do not sit and get soggy in the store.

The Boston location usually have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry custards. Currently they also have a pumpkin custard. Some of their other stores have different flavors such as green tea and coffee. You can get a plain puff, topped with or without powdered sugar, or an eclair puff, that is topped with chocolate. They cost around $2 each.

I love these cream puffs! The puff is crunchy and flaky and the custard is silky smooth and very flavorful. They do not taste overly sweet. And they insert plenty of filling into the puffs. They are much better than the traditional whipped cream filled puff. This custard is hedonistic. They are well worth the cost and my friends and family love them too. I had one at the store and brought a few home. They won't survive the night.

If you are near Faneuil Hall at any time, stop by and taste one. You will be hooked too.

Beard Papa
1 Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 570-9070

Twin Seafood of Reading

While at the Shop the Block this past Thursday, we stopped for dinner at Twin Seafood of Reading. Twin Seafood is a combination seafood market and small restaurant. They have a second location in Concord.

The seafood counter has a diverse selection of fish and shellfish. They receive their fish directly from the piers of Boston. I have ordered some of the seafood before and it is reasonably priced, fresh and tasty. They are also very accomodating to cut the fish to your need. Their website does state they will try to get you any fish, even if they do not usually stock it, but I have not trid to do so yet. They also ship lobsters. I would recommend that you check out their selection. It beats driving all the way into Boston for fresh fish.

They also have a small restaurant/takeout counter. This is not a fancy place but it does not need to be. The menu is quite extensive. You can have your fish baked, grilled or fried. All the fish is made fresh. You actually see them go to the market area, pick out a piece of seafood and then cook it for you. Prices are reasonable, especially considering the large portions you receive.

The other night I had a couple of Haddock Chowder ($2.50), a delicious, creamy broth with plenty of chunks of fish. It is very tasty and I have had their clam chowder before and it was equally as good.

The Mrs. Ray Lobster Roll ($14.98) is really more of a sandwich than a traditional hotdog roll. You get a round bun. This sandwich though is packed with tons of lobster, with only a light mayonaise on it. You certainly get your money's worth of lobster, and maybe then some. It isdefinitely worth ordering.

I had a half-portion of the Fried Scallops ($7). I had at least 12 fried scallops, good-sized ones. And that was just with a half-portion! I never would have finished a full dinner. They tasted very good too.

Meals come with a side including french fries, onion rings, rice pilaf, veggies or potatoes. And they do not skimp on the sides either.

Service is very good. Check them out for both their market and their prepared food. You won't be disappointed.

Twin Seafood of Reading
591 Main Street
Reading, MA 01867
Phone: 781-942-5855