2009 Yellow+Blue Monastrell: Bring Your Own Straw

It is summer, that time when many of us will take vacations, or just day trips. We might go hiking, lay out on the beach, take a boat ride, go fishing, and more. During such activities, it would be more difficult to bring a glass bottle of wine with you. There is its added weight, the risk of broken glass, worrying about whether you brought a corkscrew, etc. But, as I have mentioned before, there is a better alternative, wine in a Tetra Pak.

In essence, wine in a Tetra Pak is like a grownup juice box, but without a straw (though I think adding a straw would be cool). It is lighter than a glass bottle, better for the environment and there is no need for a corkscrew. Besides the packaging though, it is important that it contains delicious wine.  No matter how environmentally friendly the packaging, if the wine is of poor quality, then it fails. In addition, it would be best if the wine was reasonably priced.

My favorite producer of Tetra Pak wines is Yellow+Blue Wines, which produces only organic wines from several different regions across the world. I first wrote about their wines two years ago, and have also posted individual reviews of their Rosé (a 2009 & 2010 top ten wine under $15) and Sauvignon Blanc.  They produce tasty wines, and a liter Tetra Pak (one-third more wine than a usual 750ml glass bottle) sells for only about $12, making it an excellent value as well. I also recommend these wines year round, and not just for summer activities.   

Yellow+Blue has just released their newest wine, a 2009 Monastrell (about $12/liter) from the Jumilla region of Spain.  Monastrell, also known in other region as Mourvedre or Mataro, is one of my favorite grapes so I was very excited when I learned Yellow+Blue would be producing this wine. They sent me a sample and I recently drank it with a couple burgers, which worked out to be a good pairing.

The Monastrell is made from hand harvested grapes and indigenous yeast, only sees stainless steel and has an alcohol content of 13.8%.  It is nearly opaque, a dark purple in color, and has a nose of plum and blackberry, with hints of spice.  Its taste provides flavors of ripe plum, black raspberry, a little blueberry and plenty of intriguing spice notes. It is a full bodied wine, with well integrated tannins, and a fairly lengthy finish. For the price, you get a tasty wine with character, which is also better than many other similarly priced wines.

This wine would be a good choice for BBQ, burgers, steak, hearty pasta dishes, and more. The Tetra Pak makes it very convenient, and if you are concerned about sustainability, it is also a good environmental selection. Yellow+Blue has another winner on their hands.

Update: Jim over at VineGeek also posted a positive review of this wine so check it out.

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.
**************************************************************
1) This July, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro turns 18 and are celebrating the occasion with gifts for all our guests. First, they are giving away Lettuce Wraps to their Facebook Fans.  Fans (new & current) can click on the FREE LETTUCE WRAP tab and print an offer for a free* order of Lettuce Wraps. In addition, dine-in guests will receive 1/3 off any bottle of wine** on Mondays and Tuesdays in July. The Facebook Lettuce Wrap offer is available and valid from July 6 – July 31. The wine promotion is valid on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the month of July.

*Offer valid for one complimentary order of Lettuce Wraps with any food or drink purchase between July 6, 2011 – July 31, 2011. Valid only at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro locations in the continental U.S. Limit one order of complimentary Lettuce Wraps per table. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount, including Warrior Card®. Printed offer is one-time use only and must be relinquished upon use. Tax and gratuity not included. No cash value. Reproductions invalid. Void where prohibited.

**Wine promotion valid Mondays and Tuesdays during the month of July at participating P.F. Chang’s locations in the United States. Offer not valid in GA (Alpharetta and Buford locations), HI, MA, MN, OK, PA, SC, UT and WA. Offer is subject to change to comply with changes to local or state liquor laws. Offer may not be combined with any other discounts or offers, including the Warrior® Card discount. Offer is dine-in only. While supplies last. Void where prohibited.

2) As a large supporters of local farms in the area, and in an effort to provide a great dining experience for the community, the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro is once again offering their popular “Local for the Locals Market Menu,” a special annual prix-fixe menu built around fresh, in-season and local fare. The evolving menu offers diners the choice of a two-course menu for $25 or a three-course menu for $32. The early evening menu is available from 5:30PM to 6:30PM from Sunday-Thursday beginning Sunday, June 26, and will be offered through the summer season in addition to the regular menu. While the menu will always be influx based on availability and local sourcing, please find an example of the menu below. Reservations are recommended by calling the Beacon Hill Bistro at 617-723-7575.

Local for the Locals Prix Fixe Market Menu
Round the Bend Farms Pork Belly (Fava Beans, Green Tomato Jam, Pea Greens)
Fresh Ricotta Gnocchi (Beet Greens, Heirloom Radish, Kohlrabi)
Native Strawberry Tart (Cornmeal, Sweet Cream)

3) For the summer, Towne Stove and Spirits has introduced new dinner and bar menus, as created by Culinary Director Lydia Shire and Executive Chef Mario Capone.
For “starters,” Towne offers the following new options: Boston Clam Chowder (steamed to order - $10); Buttermilk Fried Ipswich Clams (with summer’s spice cucumber pickle – half order $21; large order $28); Deviled Crab (with a shot of chilled watermelon gazpacho - $16); Lamb Kofte Kebab (flame grilled with sumac spice, pomegranate & soft herb salad - $17); Lobster Wood Grilled Pizza (with corn and honeyed ricotta - $26); and, Rare Beef Salad (with radish & rocket salsa verde - $15).

Moving onto the “ocean + wood fired” section of the menu, check out: Salmon (crisp with tart key lime & Okinawa yam - $31); Cod Bullet (with crackling pork belly and cockle stew of lime leaf and lemon grass - $34); and, Native New Shell Lobsters (simply steamed with corn flan and bevy of summer beans – market). There are also new “carnivore + wood fired” options, including: Grilled Duck (and rotisserie pineapple with taro and ginger vinaigrette - $32); Kurobuta Pork Chop (on potato ‘air’ with celeriac salad and sweet roasted summer figs - $32); and, Filet Mignon (grilled over aromatic rosemary with sauté of foie gras, spiced plum jelly and polenta sticks - $40).

On the bar menu, you'll find: Grilled Cheese (cheddar and ‘moliterno al tartufo’ with fig preserve and truffled chips - $12); Lobster Popovers (with a shot of Jack Daniels honey Tennessee whiskey - $14); Super Chilled Welfleet Oysters (on the half-shell with white cocktail sauce - $18); Duo of Hamachi Crudo + Tuna Tartare (with Hong Kong vinaigrette - $18); and, Thin Panko Fried Pork Chop Sandwich (on a white lily biscuit with hot peppers - $12).

4) A brief restaurant review: The other night I checked out, for the first time, Dube's, a seafood restaurant in Salem. Dube's has been around for many years, and in some circles has a reputation for some of the best fried seafood on the North Shore. It is a small hole-in-the-wall, with a couple of dining areas and a medium-sized bar. The menu has plenty of choices, especially seafood, and there were also about a dozen menu specials that night. I selected a Fried Combination plate, with fried clams, fried shrimp, and fried scallops, accompanied by French fries and cole slaw.  The fried seafood was good, but certainly not the best, and the dish contained far more clams than shrimp or scallops. The plate was plentiful with food and reasonably priced. I enjoyed my meal, and would return here, but if I was seeking the best fried clams in the area, I would go elsewhere.

My Japanese Table: Making Bento Boxes

"It is often said that in Japan 'one eats with one's eyes,'..." ---Debra Samuels
  
Aesthetics are an important element of Japanese cuisine, as well as Japanese culture in general. Consider the Japanese culinary art of Mukimono, where fruits and vegetables are carved into decorative shapes, commonly as a garnish. You might see such handiwork on a plate of sushi or in a bento box. The famed bento, a boxed meal, is also an example of Japanese aesthetics, providing a nutritious and delicious meal but also presenting a compelling image as well.

For more information on bento, I was fortunate to be invited to a special bento class hosted by Debra Samuels, a cookbook author, food & travel writer and cooking teacher. Debra's newest book is
My Japanese Table: A Lifetime of Cooking with Friends and Family ($27.95), a hardcover book of 176 pages, which will be published by Tuttle Publishing on September 10, 2011. I also received a review copy of this new cookbook and have been enjoying its contents.

How did a Jewish girl from New York come to write about Japanese cuisine?  Debra's first visit to Japan was in 1972, where she spent a semester abroad with her new husband, and at that time she knew little of Japanese cuisine. Around 1977, she and her husband, with their infant son, returned to Japan, spending about 2 1/2 years there. During that time, her Japanese neighbors essentially "adopted" her family, helping to show Debra how to shop and cook. It would be those culinary lessons that would form the backbone of the recipes in My Japanese Table.

During the last 40 years, Debra has spent 10 of them in Japan. She has conducted numerous cooking demonstrations and classes on food culture in the Boston area as well as for the Japan Information and Culture Center of the Embassy of Japan in Washington DC, the United States Embassy in Tokyo and for its American Cultural Centers in Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. I found Debra to be personable and passionate, with an infectious love for Japanese cuisine.

My Japanese Table consists of nine chapters with the addition of several introductory sections. The introductory section includes a basic overview of Japanese cuisine, from the importance of balance and aesthetics to the nature of its seasonings. There is also a section on common Japanese ingredients, describing some terms which might be unfamiliar to you, such as adzuki, shiso and tonkatsu.  After describing the ingredients, there is a brief bit on cooking utensils, from rice cookers to drop lids. Finally, the introductory material concludes with over 20 Basic Recipes, including Crunchy Cucumber Pickles, Teriyaki Sauce, Shiso Pesto, Dashi, and Seasoned Rolled Omelet. Overall, this introductory material is informative and useful.

The nine chapters of recipes include Sushi, Snacks & Appetizers, Soups & Salads, Rice & Noodles, Meat & Poultry, Fish & Seafood, Vegetable & Tofu Dishes, Bento, and Desserts & Drinks. Each recipe begins with a descriptive section, detailing the role of the recipe in Japanese cuisine or a personal story related to the author. As I have written before, "There is not a recipe without a story." Thus, it is good to see Debra including some of the stories behind each recipe she presents.  Each of the recipes is also accompanied by an appealing color photo of the dish. The complexity of the recipes appears to vary from simple to moderate.

The recipes range from traditional dishes, such as Miso Soup, Onigiri, Shrimp Tempura, and Salted Edamame, to more modern variations, such as Chunky Miso Chowder, Shoko's Summer Sesame Chicken Salad, Scallops with Citrus Miso Sauce and Sliced Okra with Wasabi Soy Dressing. With the basic recipes, you also have the tools to create your own Japanese inspired recipes. If you have desired to prepare Japanese cuisine at home, this book is a great way to start.

Debra is crazy about obento, stating that it is "culture in a box."  Her original intent was to write a book solely on obento but her publisher wanted a more general book, so obento now forms only a single chapter in the book.  Her first experience with obento was around 1983-84, when her son returned home from school, disappointed with his American-style lunch and wanting a cute lunch like his schoolmate's bento boxes. The roots of bento extend back to the 1600s-1700s, when multilayer boxes were used for picnics.  But it was not until after World War II that "cute" bentos became a major phenomenon.

Creation of a proper bento box takes time and effort, and is supposed to include five elements: Color, Texture, Variety, Seasonality, and Nutrition. This is because, like all Japanese cuisine, the key to bento is that: "It is all about balance."  In her book, Debra breaks down how to create this balance in bento, such as by combining five color foods: Red (like meat or fish), White (like rice or onion), Green (like broccoli or green pepper),Yellow (like sweet potato or orange) and Black (like seaweed or sesame). And when preparing a bento for a loved one, "Make sure there is something in it that makes his heart dance." 

Bentos are popular with all types of people, from children to business men. You can easily buy premade bento boxes at stores and restaurants, but nothing is probably better than a bento box made at home, with love. Locally, you can find several Japanese and Asian grocery stores and shops which sell bento ingredients and supplies. Some Japanese restaurants also offer bento boxes, usually for lunch, and that is often my choice when I dine out for lunch. I like receiving a sampling of different foods, almost like a mini-buffet, though I bet the restaurants offer bento boxes that are far larger than what you would find in Japan.

I recommend that you place My Japanese Table on your wish list and get a copy when it is published in September. If you have an interest in Japanese cuisine, it is a great introduction and will allow you to prepare a variety of Japanese inspired dishes. Plus, it might inspire you to start preparing bento boxes.

For myself, I am craving some Sweet Potato Tempura Fritters (p.134)!

Mohegan Sun Seasons Buffet: A New Start

Eating at a buffet requires proper strategy, or you might get overwhelmed by salad and bread, failing to later enjoy the diverse and delicious entrees that are offered. As commedian John Pinette says, "Salad is the promissory note that food will come." With 100-200 items available on a buffet, you must be very selective as you certainly won't be able to taste everything. And there is little sense on bulking up on any single item, and thus missing out on so much more.  

Last week, I attended the private ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly expanded and renovated Seasons Buffet at the Mohegan Sun Casino. After that event, the Seasons Buffet opened on July 1 to the public, after having been closed for about six months.  At a cost of about $10 million, the renovations involved removing basically everything that had once been at the restaurant, replacing it with more state-of-the-art equipment.  The space was also enlarged, so that it now covers about 26,000 square feet and seats almost 800 people. Thirty employees were added to the staff and it will now be the only buffet at Mohegan Sun.

Prior to the ribbon cutting, as we sipped Champagne, a couple members of the Mohegan tribe spoke about the new changes. A good luck ceremony was also performed, which they conduct before all new endeavors, involving the burning of sage and a prayer in both English and Mohegan. As it is a smoke-free restaurant, the sage burning is the only time smoking will be permitted there. 

The comedian John Pinette, well known for his jokes involving buffets, also entertained the crowd, providing his own rules for attending a buffet. For example, he stated that skinny people browse at a buffet, and that is just wrong. The proper action is "grab and move," and if you later find you don't like what you took, just spit it out and get something else. One of the funniest bits was unintentional though, as John mistakenly said he was at Foxwoods rather than Mohegan.

Then the ribbon was cut, and the media and VIPs were permitted into the restaurant, to partake of the buffet. These guests seemed to fill less than half the restaurant, so though there was an initial crowd swelling at the buffet stations, it soon lessened and there was nearly no wait at any of the stations.
 

The buffet room is quite stunning, with a brightly colored ceiling, wolf head sculptures, and multi-shaded colored tiled columns. It is still a casual restaurant, but visually very appealing which adds a little elegance to the destination.  The 250-linear-foot serving line can display over 200 different items. The buffet is open seven days a week, for breakfast ($11.75), lunch ($19.75) and dinner ($23.50).  I believe these are reasonable prices for the amount of food available at the buffet, and the prices are certainly less than many other similar buffets.

The buffet is divided into various stations, offering different cuisines, and there will be a live cooking element present at many of the stations. The stations will include Soup & Bread, Italian & Mediterranean (with pizza, pasta, salad, hummus, tabouli, and more), The Carvery (rotisserie with roasted meats for carving), Asian (stir fry, General Tso Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Lo Mein, Fried Rice, Sushi, etc.), New England (raw bar with oysters and clams, Yankee Pot Roast, local Baked Cod, Crab Boil Potatoes, Boston Baked Beans, etc), BBQ (BBQ Brisket, Smoked St Louis Ribs, Carolina Pulled Pork, etc.) and a Dessert Station (Cobblers, Bread Puddings, Cookies, Pies, Mousse, and a hand dipped Ice Cream station).  Plenty of variety is obviously available.  

There will also be a soda system which will eventually offer 100 plus beverage flavors, though it will likely start out with only about 20 different flavors, continually adding new flavors over time.  Beer and wine will be available though I am unsure whether spirits and cocktails will also be available.

For this event, it does not appear that the buffet was up and running as completely as it would be normally. Not all of the buffet space was being used, and servers were also walking around the dining area offering samples of some foods which were not on the buffet, including clam chowder, pepperoni frittata and meatballs. Thus, my experience was but a glimpse into the potential of this buffet, and may not be indicative of how the buffet will usually operate. I'll have to return to get a better idea of how the buffet normally runs.

Overall, most of the food was tasty and fresh, and they did especially well with their BBQ dishes. There was plenty of diversity, so every diner could find plenty of food they would enjoy. No one is going to leave the buffet hungry. My primary complaint, which is a common problem at many buffets, is that much of the food was only luke warm. For example, the fried clams and scallops were kept in large pans and were almost room temperature. Supposedly, when the buffet is operating normally, they will offer small portions of all their dishes so that the food will remain hotter longer.  I hope that does occur. Plus, with normal crowds at the buffet, the pans and trays should empty quicker.

The dessert section was quite extensive, and included plenty of sugar free treats too. The chocolate bread pudding was compelling, and there were two large bowls of fresh whipped cream next to a bowl of strawberries in sauce. So, try to save a little room after dinner to partake of a couple desserts.

The new Seasons Buffet has potential, but it remains to be seen whether it lives up to it or not. I expect that after all the costly renovations, the Mohegan Sun will endeavor to make the restaurant succeed. Probably the primary issue they will face is keeping the food hot enough.  I will try to check it out again so see how it goes, and will of course report back when I do.  If any of my readers visit the buffet, I would love to hear your feedback as well.

Rant: Wallflowers & Mediocrity

"I think most people would rather be a fucking wallflower than take a risk."
---Chef David Chang

Chef David Chang has created his own culinary empire in the East Village of New York, the renowned Momofuku restaurants. Momofuku means "lucky peach" and Chef Chang, in conjunction with McSweeney's Publishers, has now expanded his empire to include a quarterly magazine, named Lucky Peach. The magazine will also become an iPad app later this month. I bought a copy of their first issue ($10) and have been eagerly devouring its contents, and would highly recommend it to all food lovers.

One of the articles in Lucky Peach which set me to thinking was a discussion between Dave Chang, Anthony Bourdain, and Wylie Dufresne on the topic of Mediocrity. The discussion is said to have occurred at a cafe in San Sebastian, Spain, and centered on mediocrity in restaurants in the U.S., though it could easily apply to many other endeavors too. The key points discussed are certainly not unique to restaurants, and it led me to ponder their application in other areas, such as blogging.

"I think my definition of mediocrity is people who are scared to take a chance. They're more comfortable just staying in the middle---"
---Chef David Chang

Do you take risks in your own endeavors, or are you more comfortable playing it safe? If you take risks, are they small ones or large ones? How often do you take risks, once a year, once a month, once a week? If you play it safe all the time, why do you do so? Why are you risk averse?  Do you tend to gravitate toward or patronize others who play it safe or take risks?

For myself, I tend to gravitate towards those willing to take risks, who offer something innovative even though they understand they might not always succeed. Some of my favorite books, movies and television shows do exactly that, take risks rather than offer mediocrity.  Consider the recent controversy over the HBO series Game of Thrones, where a main character was executed. Though faithful to the book, it was a major risk for television and I admire HBO for going through with it. Some of my favorite restaurants, such as Bergamot, are also risk takers, with menus that frequently change, offering innovative and exciting cuisine.

As for my blog, I believe I take risks as well. My Monday Rants can be a risk, potentially alienating or angering some of my readers, or others including restaurants, wine store owners, authors, and more. My reviews of restaurants, food & wine events, books, and such may contain some negative comments, which always risks offending people. But it is not in my nature to be a blind cheerleader, raving only about the positive qualities of a place or event. I like to think the honest truth is more beneficial to all involved.

Consider your own food and/or wine blog, and think on whether you take risks or not. Or maybe you are happy with your mediocrity. Consider wine review blogs, many which seem to only offer positive reviews. No matter how skilled the writing, there basically appears to be no risk involved. There are restaurant review sites which do the same, offering only the positive, and thus risking nothing. Actually, there is one type of risk these sites possess, the risk of ridicule for being mediocre. Yet, their mediocrity apparently has merit, at least for some people, as such sites can get nominated for awards. Rewarding such mediocrity puzzles me, as it leads to others seeking to emulate such mediocrity.

Other blogs, besides wine and restaurant review sites, have problems with mediocrity. They may address the same tired old topics all the time, never delving into new territory. They play it safe, fearing to take risks that might alienate some of their readers. Interestingly, some of these bloggers even think they are being original, despite addressing the same old topics time and time again. Why are they blind to their own mediocrity?

Chef Chang and his friends believe that the root of mediocrity is often monetary, which implies that the majority of consumers prefer the same old stuff rather than something new, innovative or risky. Opening a restaurant is inherently a risky endeavor on its own, so creating a safe and mediocre menu may help to greatly reduce that risk. It is a series of compromises, from the very beginning, and few chefs and owners are willing to increase the usual amount of risk. Not enough consumers demand risk taking, so the safest bet is for a restaurant to cater to the lowest common denominator.

Now, as few bloggers earn much money from their blogs, you would think they would have a greater incentive to be risky as they are not relying on their blogs to pay their bills. But, some bloggers worry about another element, the free samples, dinners and event tickets that they receive from PR and marketing companies. They feel that negative reviews could decrease the amount of freebies they receive, so they post only positive reviews. For them, mediocrity helps ensure that the gravy train does not stop. You can see that in Twitter tastings where some bloggers always rave about whatever wine they are tasting. They never seem to dislike any free wine. There are food bloggers too who rave about every free event they attend, without a simple complaint.

PR and marketing companies love all the positive reviews, but I believe they also understand the reasons for such. Many bloggers fail to understand that these companies are also realistic enough to understand and accept reviews that contain some negative elements. They know their clients are not perfect, and negative criticism can indicate where those clients need to make changes. I believe these companies most appreciate and respect honest reviews, rather than sycophantic and fawning reviews. I also believe discerning readers feel the same way.

My advice: Take a risk, and then take another. Mediocrity is the easiest route to take, but it is the road most traveled, placing you within a huge horde of others. Make the effort, invest the time, and take a risk. Yes, you might fail but even that failure is likely to be educational and will help you succeed the next time you take a risk. Risk taking is more fulfilling, more satisfying. Stop rewarding mediocrity, and seek to cherish innovation, risk taking, and ingenuity.

Don't be a fucking wallflower.